January Life Udpates

It's been a little bit since I did an update on life, so I figure it's about time to check in and touch bases on where I am and how I'm doing.  Lots of stuff has been happening, but I feel like I've been doing pretty good keeping my head above water... Until the plague hit.  Yep.  I'm sick right now.  It sucks.

Last weekend I headed up to Ken and Kristina's for Courtney's going away party.  Yep, that pretty little blonde girl in the middle there joined the Navy and left for Bootcamp on Tuesday.  She's tough, so we know she'll make it through, but she's also so pretty and petite that we worry about her-but that's what family is for-support and worry.  We love her and it was good to celebrate her before she left.

 

It was also good to see Ashlee again.  It's been such a long time and she's lost like 80lbs.  She looks amazing-I'm going to be using her as my inspiration for my weight loss goals now-she seriously looks so great!  We also got to go to breakfast with her family the next morning.

Also, I got to spend some quality time with the godkids.  Isn't this baby just the most adorable?  Splashing in the bath tub.

That also gave us some rushed time to get family photos before Courtney left, so we all trekked up to Ogden and visited one of my favorite parks, Beus Pond, to get some lovely photos with my camera.  It gave me some much-needed practice also.  If you missed that post, see all the photos HERE.

Aside from the fun, this weekend was one full of memories and weird revelations.  Just being in Beus Pond, and Ogden in general, brings back a ton of memories for me.  MelanieGrace and I used to go wander this park in the middle of the night, trekking through ferns imagining ourselves lost in a fairyland.  We also used to put on our favorite witchy skirts and go run through the sprinklers at 2AM... I miss those days sometimes...

Before we'd gone up there this weekend I learned that my very first ex-boyfriend, from when I was 18/19 years old-the one with all the memories in Ogden, was arrested two years ago for kidnapping.  WHAT?  I mean by Utah law if he was dating a 17 year old and that minor spent the night at his place without parental consent they could actually charge him with Kidnapping-and I don't know the details but WTF.  When I found that out it made me sick-like a gut-punch to the stomach.  

In other "small-world" news... My Facebook "people you may know" section seems to be a graveyard of guys I've gone out with once or twice and then never had anything... Well I noticed one of them that I went out with in August and decided to snoop only to find out he'd recently added Kristina's niece that I know... The sister of our navy girl I mentioned earlier.  I had to know what was up and sure enough now she's dating him!  How weird is that? Small small world...

A few weekends ago I made it out to El Chihuahua for Death Stars with Shawn, Justin, Ron and Vaugn.  It was a lot of fun to hang out with them and drink a bit.  Tomorrow night we have our monthly dinner with a few coworkers and their partners, and an old coworker we miss.  We're going for Indian food.  I'm grateful, because a good strong curry may be just what I need to burn this cold out of me.

Kitty and I are getting on a bit better.  She still drives me crazy in the morning with her meowing, and she tried to make a bolt for it when I walked out the door today and then pretty much screamed at me when I dragged her back into the apartment (what a brat!), but at least she's letting me sleep through the night now.

Tonight I'm meeting up with my French professor and Mandi and Jaek from French class.  Since our French class was canceled this semester we've decided to meet up for dinner every once in a while so we can still practice.  Tonight we're going to The Paris-I want Moules Frites!

  

Instead of French, I ended up taking Photography.  The class and this book are pretty great so far, I'm learning how to control things in my camera I didn't know before-but it's going to be a lot of work with projects every week.

Linguistics seems complicated, but so far the homework hasn't been bad.  Also, I hate Math.  My new professor (this semester) is not as good as my old one-and I'm having a harder time grasping it. Oh well.

Also in case you missed it, I was shopping for school supplies at the school bookstore a few weeks ago and ended up getting interviewed by Fox 13!  I posted the video (and I look like a hot mess) on the blog.

I've gotten my health back on track!  I haven't made it to the gym yet, (trust me I tried but it being January there wasn't a single parking space or machine free!), but I did join Weight Watchers and I've been doing really well on it.  Good thing, because I finally weighed myself and I had reached a new all-time high for weight and that is no bueno.  So, you can find my health updates and information on my other blog Health NOT to Health NUT which is back up and being updated again.

I tried these Traveling Noodles from The Londoner... Mine didn't turn out so great.  And I got horribly ill... I need to try it again soon and try and find out what it was that made me so sick in them.  My guess was the Tom Yum paste-which it turns out I don't like anyway.

When I went to the little Asian market by my house to get stuff for the Traveling Noodles I found this cute little Bento set-which has been awesome for taking vegetables to work with a little ranch dressing.  Since fruits and veggies are 0 points on WW, all I have to count is the ranch and that's not too bad of a meal!

I reviewed a few books this month (and have reviews for the next two Saturday's scheduled also).

• The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
• The Dark Monky by Oliver Pötzsch
• The Goddess Test Series - Review on Saturday, January 24th! 
• The Beggar King - Review on Saturday, January 30th!

In case you missed it, here are some of my favorite posts from the blog this month:

• Book Title Tag
• My Top 10 Inappropriate Fictional Crushes
• Handmade Love: Love Yourself
• Handmade Love: The Stillness of Winter
• 2014 End of Year Book Survey
• January 12x30 Challenge: Love Yourself

Don't forget to enter the giveaway! 

This is the only time I painted my nails this month-sad huh?  250 bottles of nail polish and I rarely do... But this was the #PinkforLeelah mani I did using Color Club Beyond and Color Club Miss Bliss with ORLY Mirrorball over the top.  So much holo.  So pretty.

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That One Time I Was on the News

Last night I was interviewed by Robert Boyd with Fox 13 News as I was shopping for school supplies at the campus bookstore.  It was nice to be able to share my story, but man I need to get to the gym.  There's nothing like seeing yourself on camera to remind you that you haven't stuck to that goal... lol

Anyway, the video is above if you want to see my interview, personally I wish I had been able to get two years of school free, and I hope my baby brother who graduates this year is able to get that-he could really use it.

Confessions & September Life Updates

Hello lovelies!  It seems like it's been forever since I had an actual life update here on the blog.  Since September is ending (where on Earth did it go?) I figured it'd be a good time to check in!

I confess... I've been so busy that I'm not even sure I have a personal live anymore.  The only down time I get has been either sleeping or stuffing my face full of white cheddar cheese puffs and marathonning House on Netflix-just something simple to give my poor brain a rest.

I confess... I've also been drinking a lot of wine.  Usually just one glass a night (and not every night-I promise I don't have a problem), but man it helps calm me down and really gets me through some super long study sessions.

I confess... Last weekend I was too lazy to leave the house after hours of studying to get more wine so I opened the bottle of red wine I brought back from California in 2006.  Well, I tried to open the bottle.  The cork basically shredded into little tiny pieces and fell back into the bottle.  I attempted to use some tulle I had as a filter, which worked-but the wine ended up being kind of horrible.  I don't know why I saved it for so long... So instead I found this little Lime-A-Rita hiding in the back of my fridge and drank it instead.

I confess... I actually got to get out and be social last Sunday!  Jon and Meggy picked me up, and then we all picked Julie up and headed to Park City for the Park Silly Farmers Market.  I didn't get any other pictures because it was raining the whole time (we were nice and damp by the end) but it was so much fun to wander around and look at things with my friends.  I don't see them enough.

Confession Does the Body Good

What you don't think that confession can help your body?  Well, talking things out helps your mind and your feelings, and if your mind and your feelings aren't well it can totally harm your body.  Swallowing stress is no bueno my friends! C'est mal!  (There I'll use English, Spanish, and French all in once paragraph.) Haha! 

In any case, it's time for the weekly Friday Confessional hosted by Aubrey at High-Heeled Love.

I confess... School is almost out and I could not be happier.  I'm so ready for a nice long summer break to recoup and get back to working on my art-and hopefully reopen my Etsy shop.  Also, free time.  I miss it.

I confess... For the last night of French class my classmates and I decided to bring in food.  We even got our professor involved-she brought Boursin and a baguette.  I picked up these amazing pastries (the Almond Croissants are my FAVORITES) from the amazing Pierre Bakery (which is ALSO my favorite.)

I confess... I also picked up some Macarons.  These are pretty Parisian Macarons, even though Josh told me they don't really eat these a lot in France.  They're... Okay... I think they're supposed to be soft and cake-like on the inside but I've only ever had them really hard and crumbly-probably due to the dry climate here.

I confess... The weather has been stunning this week and work has been slow... Add those things to the hormones we women are cursed with once a month (it's coming... dun dun dun!) and that does not make for a very happy me.  I've spent the week with a mixture of bored out of my mind and crazy emotional overthinking-it's not been pretty.  I need to get OUT of this office-Friday definitely did not come soon enough.

I confess... I'm seeing someone... Again.  I haven't talked about it much because for some reason it feels like talking about it too much will ruin it.  Dating is hard on the heart-especially at first.  You spent a lot of time with what Shawn calls "the icks."  That's the anxiety you get-the kind brought on by wondering what the other person is thinking or feeling, if they want you as much as you want them, if it's going to end badly with an ugly messy cry... Again.  lol.  Now go ahead and combine those feelings with the hormones and cabin fever.  Ouch.

I confess... What I'm really trying to do is to learn to let go.  I'm no good at it.  You see I'm very very very direct and to the point.  I state how I'm feeling, I ovary up and go for things, and you always know where you stand with me.  This certain person?  Not so much.  And that's okay.  I can accept people for who they are and like them anyway. But for a person who is super direct, interacting with someone who isn't can be frustrating (the fault of that on the person who is frustrated).  It's a control thing.  You can't control it.   Christina Perri's song "The Words" says "The scariest part is letting go, 'cause love is a ghost you can't control" and I couldn't agree more.  I just keep reminding myself to breathe and let it be what it's going to be.  That's something that will be easier to feel after Aunt Flo leaves town and my emotions can be my own again.  lol

I confess... But I think it's good.  Things seem different this time.  I'm learning patience and patience is a skill I desperately need to grasp.  It's a hard skill to learn, but one that will definitely be worth it if I just give myself up to it and enjoy the ride.  A ride that is no fun if you're always trying to control it and figure it out and stressing about the end of it.  You have to just be present.  Stay here.  Right here.

Do you have anything to confess?  Tell me!

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Happy Friday + Life Lately

I confess that I'm still missing Oregon.  I've been back for over a week now but my heart is just not in anything... I desperately want to go back there.  Did you see all my gorgeous photos I took with my new DSLR?  If not see Eel Lake, Umpqua Lighthouse, Cape Arago, Bandon, & Mr. Bingo's Backyard.  Here are a few Instagram Photos that didn't get shared in those posts:

1 // At the airport I stopped for a wine tasting.  It almost made me miss my flight though! 

2 // On our first night there we went to Pueblo Nuevo for dinner and I had this Margherita with the most amazing seafood burrito.  It was in a sauce that I can only describe as a Mexican Alfredo.  Love! 

3 // The ocean is amazing.

4 // My camera on the very first day I took her out shooting.

5 // I did a lot of cooking, the first morning I made coconut pancakes and the next I made crepes! 

6 // Inside Tony's Crab Shack.  So delicious and adorable! 

7 // The beach in Bandon was super windy, but very pretty! 

8 // I also baked banana bread for the first time in my life while I was there.  This was Nutella Banana Bread.

9 // Mr. Bingo's back yard - it was awesome!

10 // On my last night there we went back to the Mexican restaurant because I wanted that burrito.  Except they were out of the small seafood that went inside and only had large Prawns, so he offered to make me something else with the big ones.  I asked if he could use that same sauce (since it's really what I went for) and they outright refused.  The waiter was nice, but the owner was pretty rude about it.  Screw them!

11 // The tree in Mr. Bingo's front yard.  I feel like I say goodbye to it with a photo every time I leave.

I confess that I haven't done laundry since before my trip, so I'm now forced to wear my nice blouses and dress slacks to work.  How funny is it that I dress nicer on laundry day?  

Do you follow me on Instagram?  If not, you should!  I'm giving away this cute pink zippy back with a $10 Victoria Secret Gift card, pink Sally Hansen nail polish, a face mask, Blow Pro Hairspray, and a body spray!  It ends on 3/31 and to enter you simply follow me, repost the photo on Instagram with #MSCCMarchGiveaway and @MySoCalledChaos, and then tag three friends on the original giveaway post!

 

Did you hear that the Ultimate Blog Party is coming up over at 5 Minutes for Mom?  I LOVE participating each year-and currently they're taking giveaway donations.  I donated $135 worth of featured advertising this year, and wanted to let you guys know so you can get in on the prize donations if you'd like!  Otherwise it'll be a bunch of link ups from April 4th through 11th that you can join, and you can enter the giveaways too!

Another fun link-up I'm looking forward to in April is Fairy Tale Fortnight.  I'm planning a huge fairy tale related giveaway.  If you don't want to host your own, but offer fairy tale related goods please let me know if you'd like to get in on the big one I'm throwing and have your links in the giveaway Rafflecopter! :) 

I went on my first Utah hike of the season on Sunday.  I looked up easy beginner hikes because I'm so out of shape (Hiking is one of my goals to get in shape this year) and we decided to hike up Ensign Peak behind the capital building.  It was short, but not easy.  I'm super out of shape.  I wrote an entire post over at Health NOT to Health NUT about the things I realized about myself and journey on this hike.  Also, Utah is not nearly as pretty as Oregon and the altitude here kills my asthma.  Hiking along the coast was a breeze.

While in Oregon, Mr. Bingo informed me that he's lost 50lbs over the last year simply by not eating out.  He lives so far from any fast food places or stores that it makes it not quick and easy, so he just cooks now.  I had so much fun cooking meals in Oregon that I decided when I came back I'd give up fast food and work on cooking more, and I've had so much fun with it!  I haven't eaten out at all this week and the kitchen has never stayed cleaner, because now that I'm cooking I keep up with the dishes and stuff.  It's also been nice to have leftovers on nights when I have school (and am too tired to cook when I get home at 8pm) instead of grabbing something unhealthy.

So far I've cooked Ahi Tuna Steaks & Asparagus (Sat), Coconut Pancakes (Sun), the roommate made Irish Stew Sunday night (which carried over into a lunch at work too!), Monday we made Fried Rice, Wednesday I made Linguini and Clams, and ate it's leftovers for lunch and dinner yesterday, and tonight I'm going to make Spaghetti Squash.  I've also eaten a lot of yogurt with berries & oats this week, and salads!

Belvoir Ginnger Beer, a Cornish Pasty, Violet Crumble, & Double Decker.

I confess that I recently went to the British store by my house for the first time.  It's totally overpriced, but it was fun to get a few little goodies to try.  Though I've been informed that ordering these online is way cheaper.

I have a B in French.  I knew I wasn't doing as well as last semester (this is a tougher class/professor and I did miss 2 days already) but I didn't expect it to be a B.  For some reason my brain is equating a B with an F and I am not happy about it at all.  Ugh.  Buuuut, I am understanding a lot more now when it's spoken to me so I know I'm improving, and my adorable classmate Julie drew this picture of me while we watched Être et Avoir - which was the most adorable little documentary about a teacher and students in France.

Work is work.  Not much to report here other than I'd rather be back in Oregon...

How are you?
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