Beauty Find

As most people who know me already know, I color my hair. I decided to go red before I took our engagement pictures. Because of this, I feel like I should keep the red going until after the wedding.

As most women are well aware, red is really hard to keep up with. So I was never actually able to color my hair alone. As much as my fiance loves me, I know that he did not enjoy helping me color my hair. He hated the fact that most haircolors have a strong smell.

So a few days ago I decided to try something different. I saw a foam haircolor when I was walking down the aisles of Wal-Mart. It is called Fat Foam by Samy in Reddish Brown. I figured that this would be the only way for me to color my hair on my own. IT IS GREAT!!!!

I typically spend about 20 minutes just putting haircolor on my roots. This foam took me less then 10 minutes to color my entire head. I was also worried about looking like a cheetah because I had missed spots. When I was letting the haircolor set I realized that I had missed little spots on my scalp and I was really scared. But after I washed it out, everything was perfect! The foam covers EVERYTHING!

I highly recommend it. Now we will have to wait a few weeks and see if the color holds as well as some other colors do. I will let you know later.

I will survive

I have made it through my second to last semester of college. . .I think. The dreaded history final did not end well. Even after days of studying and study sessions with my TA, it didn't end well. There were multiple names/places on the test that everyone I talked to had never seen in their lives!

I just keep telling myself that as long as I pass, I will graduate. But now even though I have a certain grade on Blackboard, They gave me the incorrect letter grade to go with it. So now the fight for my GPA begins. I HATE COLLEGE!

Hopefully I will figure things out soon.

Dresses. . .

Every woman knows that there is one all important dress for their wedding ;or in some women's cases 2 or 3. The dresses that you don't typically put as much thought into are the ones that you as the bride, will never wear.

My wedding is now less than 7 months away (Holy Crap, how did that happen?). So of course I am expected to be taking care of all of the not-so-little details. The biggest challenge has been the dresses for my bridesmaids and my mother. Actually my bridesmaid were pretty simple, 2 of them at least.

I told the girls to pick out whatever dresses they wanted with a few requirements. The dress must be satin to match my dress. The colors looked different in the other fabrics. The dress had to fit into the color scheme I was going for: tea rose dresses with fuchsia accents. The last requirement was that they not be full-length. I don't think that is so hard, and neither did Alicia or Bekah. Both of them found great dresses that they say they will wear again, even though I think they are just trying to be nice. My problem is that I have one more bridesmaid to shop with. . . .my little sister.

To have this make sense I will tell you a few things about my sister: she is 15 and knows everything, she is a scene chic, we are total 180s of each other. So, she is basically a normal teenager. This makes shopping with her so fun, because no matter what I look at, she hates it. So this is going to be a fun experience. I am, however, happy that she has agreed to have only one, natural haircolor for the wedding. I appreciate it Sam.

So my mother and I will soon take on the task of ordering both of their dresses, which can take up to 4 months to get in. We should probably hurry on that one. I am excited to see what 2 of my favorite women have to bring to the table. My mom is classic and beautiful, while my sister is a rebellious rocker. No matter what, they both bring great ideas to the table. (Sam is still not happy about having to wear pink though! lol)

Finals!

So my second to last semester of college is coming to an end. Now comes the fun part. . .final test and projects out the ying yang. Luckily, I have a wonderful group of girls that I have been working on my case with. They are all very smart and none of them are slackers (Soo happy about that!).

As things draw to close with our actual classes everything revolves around studying for my final exams. I have 2 exams this semester and 2 projects.

My main fear for this finals season is embodied in one name "WORLD HISTORY". I am taking an exam on what happened over a course of 2000, yes I said 2000 years. What part of that sounds sane? If I were a history major I might actually be able to cram all of this information in one semester, but as we all know, I am NOT! So I, like the others in my class, will just have to study for 20 hours and pray.

I also have an editing final, which I am not looking forward to, but still cowers in the face of world history. It will not be fun, but I will survive with at least a few braincells still in tact.

Finally I have my project in Media Sales. This project is a full proposal to sell $5000 worth of ad space to a client. Too bad the client I have has never done advertising and has no idea what they could possibly want.

So if I am able to survive the insanity that is the next 2 weeks of school, I will write a post about how I only have 1 semester left. Until then, I will just have to write more posts about my wedding.

Everyone Loves A Diva!

Today has been wonderful. The Dogwood Arts Festival, a local non-profit organization, has an event every year called the Diva Luncheon. The first year that this luncheon was done I was "Voluntold" by my mother that I was going to help. Since I had such a great time I got an internship with the Dogwood Arts Festival the next year. So once again I got to be a part of 'Diva'.

So now that my internship is over and I am trying to graduate, I decided I needed to be part of this event again. So I am now an official member of the committee. This is very exciting for me! The women who work on this event are amazing. They are the kind of women that I strive to become everyday. Working with them will be a great opportunity to not only learn, but possibly build connections that will help me get my first 'Big Girl' job.

Because of this event I will get the opportunity to work with them yet again. This event is all about great shoes, amazing purses and incredible women. Time to become a diva.

One Step Closer....

Like I told you, I am not only a graduating senior, but also a bride! That part is always exciting. A few weeks ago we took care of a big (in my mind) part of the preparation process. We took our engagement pictures.

I know that may not sound exciting to anyone who is not getting or has not recently gotten married, but its kind of a big deal. Not only is it a stepping stone into the next part of the process, but I am using one of these pictures for my save-the-date cards (which kind of have to be ordered soon).

I was so proud of my fiance. He is definitely not the biggest fan of having his picture taken. As a matter of fact, HE HATES IT. But for me, his soon to be loving wife, he was willing to go through it. Of course, he is ignoring the fact that on our wedding day we will be taking

even more pictures. lol

I am really glad that I decided to go with two different looks for our pictures. The first look is the casual, but still nice, look. I actually had to go buy him a shirt, because he does not actually own any somewhat casual button ups. Then came the fun part, the pictures on our motorcycle! They fit our personalities so well! It is wonderful that we really got to be ourselves. Tonya (Your Reflections Photography in Knoxville, TN) thought we were hilarious.

This is just one more step in the process DONE. Now back to the other 3 billion things I have to do.

What Now?

Today has been a strange day. I figured out that the minor I thought I had in the bag, wasn't. I was under the impression that I had everything I needed. I wasn't told that I had never taken a 100 level class that is the same time as the 400 level class I need to graduate.

At the same time I found out that if I wanted another minor; I needed two classes. One of which I already took when I studied overseas in Italy. Unfortunately, I have no way to get access to the syllabus that I need to petition the class. I could take the two classes needed, except that they don't fit into my class schedule.

This whole idea of finally graduating was supposed to make things easier. After 5 years of college from studying overseas, I finally thought I was almost done. Now I may go from having multiple minors, to no minor at all. Hopefully I will be able to have the class petitioned because it was a credit from a division 1 university.

On a happy note, there is a communications job fair tomorrow that could help me get a paid internship or part-time job for next semester. It is definitely my best bet. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

PR class

Today in my PR 370 class there was a guest speaker from McNeely Pigott & Fox, a Public Relations firm in Nashville , TN. Dan Schlacter talked about some of the 5 silver anvil campaigns that the firm has created. The silver anvil is an award given for PR campaigns.

Dan going over these campaigns really made me realize how much I want to work in PR. Now comes the fun part, actually landing a job. I have been considering what I want to do next semester and where I want to apply. I just feel like because I am still finishing school no one will be willing to give me a chance.

In the next few days I am planning on sending out a few resumes. I would love to work in Nashville, but I have to finish school in Knoxville. Wish me luck!

Cha Ching!

Anyone who tells you that planning their wedding wasn't hard is a lier! lol. I have around 9 months left until my wedding and things just keep getting more chaotic and expensive. The fact that I am trying to finish school in the process does not make it any easier.

At this point it is all about putting down deposits on the vendors. So basically every time I pay down my credit card, I have another deposit and it goes right back up. This is the hardest and most nerve racking part of anyone planning a wedding on a budget. As a server there is no guarantee of how much I will or will not make no any given night.

I am hoping that I can get either a paid internship or entry level job next semester while I am finishing my last 6 hours of college. Any extra income would be helpful, but I would love to do something that has to do with my career interests. If I am going to spend years majoring in Public Relations, I want to put what I learned to good use. Time to start searching for the right job, and praying that I can actually get it.

How things change!

When I first created this blog it was going to be all about becoming healthy. Then, as always, life got in the way of my attempts. I am still becoming a healthier person, I just had more things to do in my day then figure out the best healthy recipe for chicken. So I let my blog fall to the background.

Now my life is busier than ever, but I feel like this is an opportunity for me to relate to people in my same situation. I will be talking about the transition from college for a full-time job, and into marriage. This time in my life is so exciting and there is always something new to tackle.

Its time to grow up and become part of the dreaded "Real World." Ready or not, here I come!

This past week my life has been more hectic than ever, and my diet has suffered because of it. With everything I have going on, it has been really hard to get in all of the fruits and veggies that I need everyday. Of course, the fact that my mom decided to make a German Chocolate Cake didn't help either.Not only has my diet suffered, but my exercise has been almost nonexistent.

As of this morning I am getting back on track. I woke up and made sure to take all of my vitamins this morning. I Also had a good breakfast and vegetable soup for lunch. Today instead of cake, I will be eating oranges and if I workout, maybe some sugar free chocolate pudding. I must admit chocolate is my weakness.

After this next week all of the chaos in my life will subside for a few months while I take summer break. I have decided that I want to try a new type of workout. I have tried so many that I have never liked enough to stick to, so now it is time to try some more. Any ideas on good workouts that will actually keep my attention long enough to be beneficial?

Pretty Weather

Now that the weather is getting prettier, I know that I should do more things outdoors. I have joined a local softball team with one of my best friends. I also took my puppy downtown yesterday to an Art Festival.

I am not the best at getting outside in the sun. Sad, I know. When I was younger my parents couldn't keep me inside the house, but all of the things I did as a child seem so much harder now. Who knew how much effort it took to ride a bike around the neighborhood?

Today I am going to take a ride through my neighborhood. There is a 2 mile loop that runs from my house through part of my neighborhood. I am actually really excited to try it again. Last time I did this it kicked my butt. Hopefully this time will be better. Wish me luck!

Lime-Jalapeno Chicken

This recipe looks really great!

8 servings, about 1.5 ounces each

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (including 1 hour marinating time)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup lime juice, (about 2 limes)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 1-1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat, tenders removed

• PREPARATION

  1. Whisk lime juice, oil, vinegar, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Stir in jalapeno. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and pour the marinade over it, turning to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, turning once, or overnight.
  2. Preheat grill to high heat. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the chicken until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Let cool slightly; thinly slice crosswise. Serve warm or chilled.

  TIPS & NOTES

  • Make Ahead Tip: Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for up to 1 day and/or refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 1 day. Slice just before serving.
  • To oil a grill: Oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

  NUTRITION

  Per serving: 71 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 31 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; 0 g fiber; 46 mg sodium; 98 mg potassium.

  Exchanges: 2 very lean meat

Never Stop

Yesterday I woke up early and went to the gym for a run before I got ready for work. I was amazed at how much easier it was to get through my day when I got a jolt of adrenalin first thing in the morning. It also really helped me want to eat better throughout the day since I started off my day on a healthy note.

The hardest part of this whole endeavor is that I have an incredibly busy schedule. I am not only a full-time student, but I also have an internship and a job. So far I have found that doing little bits of exercise at a time. I'm really starting to look for new ways to do a little more. I almost always take the stairs and park a little farther away from the entrance. Lets see if this helps!

Better Recipes

I went to the mall today and got drawn in by the evil that is the food court. This one oriental style restaurant has the best jalapeno chicken. I can't seem to resist it.

While I was there, I was thinking that I wish I could find healthy recipes for all of my favorite fried foods. I think that the chicken would be just as good if it wasn't fried. I mean it's not the fried part that I love so much, it's the heat. So my goal for tonight/tomorrow is to find a great and healthy recipe for a spicy chicken meal. Let me know if anyone knows of anything good.

On another note, I am going to go to the gym tonight and run for a little while. I recently started to like running for exercise, but I still can not run very far or fast. Lately I have been able to run almost 2 miles at around 5.3 mph. I'm hoping that if I keep working on it I can run a 5k. Every year there are tons of 5k's in Knoxville and I always wish that I could make it through one alive. So this year I am going to keep running until I am able to run 3 miles easily. Then maybe I will give it a try.

Day #1

This is my first ever blog post! I wanted to start this blog because I want to document and share how I will start to become a healthier person. I have always been on the smaller side, thanks to great genes. The one thing I have never really been is really healthy.

For almost 4 years, starting my freshman year in college, I was always sick. I was not in a lot of pain, but I never actually felt good either. After countless tests from doctors and multiple diagnosis that did nothing, I finally decided that I was going to have to do this on my own. The first step for me was seeing an allergist. Come to find out, I have food sensitivities. They are like less intense versions of food allergies, but instead of causing an allergic reaction, they make you feel sick. Did I mention that the mass of my diet was on the list of foods that I have problems with? That was a major blow to my diet.

Since then I have cut out most dairy and started to eat a little better, but I don't think that it is enough. I am ready to do what it takes to be a really healthy person. I know that this is easier said then done, which is why I will need helpful tips and advice about different foods and workouts that can help me reach my goal.

What I am trying to accomplish has nothing to do with size or shape. It has to do with me finally being able to feel alive and energetic when I wake up in the morning; and not feeling like I need caffeine to get through my day.