The path to healthy

   

     So there is a new fad out there & it's surprisingly very healthy!  After watching Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead on Netflix, it made the Mr. & I rethink our eating habits. Now, he is genealogically blessed.  This boy can eat WHATEVER he wants and doesn't gain a pound. Me on the other hand, am pregnant, so everything I have been eating goes straight to my thighs.   Trying out this new fad wasn't about loosing weight for either one of us...it was about getting healthy.  I'm always telling him that I want him around until he is 100 years old, and that we are going to live a long, healthy life.  So, off to Target we went!  We bought a shiny, new juicer and even got it on sale!!! ($70 bucks instead of $100) Score!
      Luckily, we have the luxury of having a Sprouts right across the street from us, so we can stock up on CHEAP produce, I mean this stuff is practically free.  A container of blueberries for .77 cents...doesn't get much better.  All in all, between the both of us to juice once daily, we spend on average about $10 every three days, but is totally worth it in our eyes.
     So, about 3 weeks of juicing in, and we feel incredible.  It's interesting just how much better you feel when you actually get your daily intake of greens.  If you can afford this healthy habit, I would highly recommend it.  Besides, nothing is more important than your health.  Also, check out the documentary I mentioned above...it will seriously change your life.  (if you don't have Netflix, I know they have it on either Hulu.com or Youtube.com for free)

     Just another little added testimony, I challenged my mom to try this out to get her healthy again.  She has high blood pressure (the scary high) and has been juicing for 2 weeks now.  In her first week, she just did juice in the morning and substituted her breakfast.  After week 1, she lost 8lbs and an entire pant size! Now, in week two, she is doing juice for breakfast AND lunch.  She feels great and wants to continue her quest for healthy.

25 weeks!

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His or her weight – a pound and a half – isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but your baby is beginning to exchange that long, lean look for some baby fat. As this happens, wrinkled skin will smooth out and your baby will start to look more and more like a newborn. Your baby is also growing more hair – and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture! http://www.babycenter.com/my-pregnancy-today-app

Girl Time

Today was mine & Violet's first date.  She has been craving TEX-MEX, so I treated her to a little Chipotle.  After that, she was moving like never before. (Did I mention that her kicks are getting MUCH stronger) That girl is going to love Mexican food just like her mama. 

Lipstick Lovers

Hey girls!  Why is it that so many of us are scared to wear RED lipstick?  I know that the 1980's scared us away from wearing BLUE eyeshadow, but the classiness of lipstick and oh-so-glamorous-feel is something we should all be running toward.  For me, I'm a lipstick lover...reds, pinks, neon colors, orange, pales, nudes...I would sport them all, depending on my mood, of course.  But for you girlfriends out there who love the look and are a little skeptical to try, here are some tips I picked up from REAL SIMPLE Magazine to help ease you into the world of lipstick.

 Wearing Brave Red by M.A.C., showing off

 my baby bump :)

Consider the lighting. "If you're going to be outdoors, pick a softer or sheerer shade," says Rachel Lockhart, owner of Rachel's Makeup Studio, in Boston. "For evening, go bolder, so your features stand out."

Avoid deep reds if you have thin lips. They tend to make lips look smaller (this one is very true...let those pouts shine girls! )

Experiment with intense shades if you have strong coloring. "Natural contrast gives you more options," says Jill Morton, head of ColorCom, a consultation agency in Honolulu, says of those with exaggerated natural coloring (for example, paper-white skin, black hair, and blue eyes).

Don't play up your eyes. "Pair red lipstick with the lightest possible eye makeup," says lipstick designer Poppy King. A little mascara and beige shadow will do.

Don't toss a red lipstick in a shade that doesn't work. "Top it with a gold gloss to warm and soften it, or add a pink gloss to take it to the bluer side," says makeup artist Maria Verel.

Be precise. That means whether you're using a brush or applying lipstick straight from the tube. "Red lipstick should never be applied casually in the back of a taxi," says Verel.

*As a MAC Artist, this one is HUGE!  Lip brushes are very inexpensive and are fabulous to carry with you for touch ups!  

Prevent "bleeding." Apply a little concealer around the border of your mouth.

Avoid getting lipstick on your teeth. After applying, put your finger in your mouth, purse your lips around it, then slowly pull it out to remove excess color.

Chicken Noodle Soup & Some Rest

Being sick is, of course, no fun.  I usually always combat a cold or bacteria fighting bug with LOTS of Vitamin C and just push through it.  That's the Super Woman in me...however, this time, being sick with a babe inside, different story.  After a long New Years weekend of having the Flu, I finally got in to see a doctor and was put on a Z-pak.  I should start to feel the zing of this stuff working soon.  With lots of naps scheduled and time off from school, I should be back to myself in no time! 

Violet seems to be doing good though..my little super baby!  We checked her heart rate and all is normal...just a little stress due to her mama being sicko.  Once Ky is healed, our little family will be back in baby prepping mode.  Here's to a chug of orange juice...cheers!  To good health!

For any mommies out there who are in the same boat, here is a link that may help nurse you back to normal. 

Tiny Movements

Making progress...pregnancy is wonderful, and I'm loving it.  I have been feeling tired, but I do enjoy taking naps, so it's not too bad.  It is crazy to think that in a few short months, our little one will be here!  

Yesterday, day 1 of 16 weeks I felt the FIRST tiny movements :)  I was sitting in Theory Class, taking notes, and felt a little jitter and didn't really think too much about it until it continued happening for the next 10 minutes...I can't help but smile when I feel him/her jumping for joy inside of it's mama.  It's the coolest feeling to know that my body is nurturing a little one....so even if my back does hurt, and ankles swell, it's ALL worth it :)  

BTW- Baby is 5 inches from crown to rump, plus the legs.  So, probably around 6-6 1/2 inches...grow baby grow!!! 

A Blissful Autumn

Ready for the BIG news?!  It's been a month and a half for me to get around to putting anything to paper, but I found a free moment...sooo...here goes.  We found out on September 1, 2011 that I'M PREGNANT!!!!!  We are going to have a baby!!  

I remember that Thursday morning very vividly, and a day that would mark a change in the rest of our lives.  Once I told Kyle, he didn't believe it (of course).  I think that's a man reaction lol.  Then I decided to go to the doctor and confirm and sure enough, the Doc. greeted me with a sturdy handshake and a "congratulations! You are going to be a mom."  Words cannot even express my emotions of that day, but I had to remember to ask the doctor to write it down on paper so that I could show the bf (so he would believe me haha).  As I walked out of the office to my car, I called him, as he was on his way to work to share the news.  He instantly started crying and told me how happy he was and that this was the biggest day of our lives.  Wow....am I a lucky girl or what.  I started tearing up too, and it was an absolutely magical moment. 


Now, I'm 11 1/2 weeks along and in my last week of my first trimester.  So far, it has been good except for the constant headaches (bleh) and nausea every now and then.  My stress levels will hopefully go down now due to my release from work and such a stressful job.  Thank Goodness.  Also, my cravings thus far have been for carbs, breakfast food, and apples.  I wish some sort of protein sounded good, but this baby wants nothing to do with that lol.  So, for now, it's cereal and bagels :) 

Here is the beginning of many more photos to come...the first ultrasound was taken at 7 1/2 weeks...and we saw the healthy heartbeat!!!  The one of me is @ 6 weeks...getting ready for baby bump. 

This time, I'm no beauty queen...just beautiful me

After all the preparation, long nights rhinestoning, making sure my wardrobe was perfect & practicing interview the day has come & gone.  I decided to come out of retirement from pageantry...my last title was Miss San Francisco Bay Area and it was a great way to end my pageant career, but after moving to San Diego I decided to compete one last time, and I was going for the title of Miss San Diego USA 2012.  Besides, what better way to make friends and meet some girls with the same thoughts I do and who ACTUALLY want world peace!!! 

The result of the night was I didn't walk away with a crown on my head, but I did meet some great women, had a fabulous time competing again, and had an experience of a lifetime.  I ended up placing TOP 5 for the night, which is good, and got to wear my favorite gold gown :)   ahhhhh  if I could sleep in that dress, I totally would haha. 

 See what I mean!  Gorgeous huh?!

I have to send a HUGE thank you to A Robert Cromeans Salon & Mary Cuomo for sponsoring me for the pageant.  They sponsored me in FULL & Mary did the most beautiful cut and color for me & ROBERT CROMEANS also helped!  Ahhh when he touched my hair, I was speechless.  He is a legend and I look up to him so incredibly much.  The Paul Mitchell Family is SO amazing & I cannot wait until I am actually working along side these amazing men and women.  (totally starstruck)  I start school one week from today and will finish up my program @ San Diego Paul Mitchell School....yippee!  I will stay on board at M.A.C. Cosmetics and go to school part time, so should be done in about a year or so.  Here's to another great adventure in my life....

women.

                         WOMEN. 
    We are so powerful.  Our brains are able to conjure up ideas & our minds usually dream big & can get us into trouble sometimes...for example, when we over exaggerate a situation and over analyze EVERYTHING!  Not all women are like this, but I know that I am, and sometimes, I have little arguments with myself. 
     This morning I was thinking about all of the media & how much of an impact it plays on our lives & even our relationships.  My point that I want to get to, without dragging this out for a while, is that women are amazing! Really, I'm so glad God made me a woman...I get the many joys of being a friend, caretaker, girlfriend, and so much more.  Sometimes I get a little jealous, or PMS-y, or I cry, and just need a girlfriend to lean on.  Men probably think we are crazy and emotional, and the truth is, I think we are.  To them, we are a completely different species, and we sometimes think the same of them.  Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus.  Enough said.  
     I'm challenging myself to stand strong & tall as a woman and not let jealousy take over my emotions.  Realistically, I should be proud of who I am and not let all of the (ahem) men in my past who have hurt me, affect who I am in a negative way today.  I am very fortunate to have a wonderful man in my life who treats me very well, and sometimes...I take my jealousy out on him, or say the wrong things, or just ....I dunno.  You know what I mean??  So, this is my vow to myself and I'm going to get a reminder that I can look @ everyday.  I'm going to tattoo 1 Corinthians 13:4 on my right wrist.  (something along the lines of...Love is Patient, Love is Kind)  I need to remember not to lash out and think irrationally.  so...I shall keep you all updated on how my tattoo looks :)   
       

Sea Bound

As you all may or may not know, I have taken another leap and move, yet this time, somewhere beachy.  Destination=SAN DIEGO!!! I'm starting to get all settled in to this cozy beach town called Pacific Beach, and things are really great.  My man & I found jobs right away, a cute little studio only 4 blocks from the water, and live directly across the street from Trader Joes.  It is so nice to walk across the street and grab whatever needed lol. Anyhoo...I shall keep this one short. But wanted to keep u all updated!  Hopefully next time, I will be writing of my surfing experiences and discoveries of this beautiful town

All About Hair

        Paul Mitchell is my new home for the next 11 months!  What a LONG journey it has been for me to get to this place.  It's so interesting to me how many times I have "planned" to start cosmetology school, and have even started school in Kansas, but now in hindsight, I realize I was "meant" to be at The California Academy, Paul Mitchell, at this very point in my life.  So thankful for every life situation that has brought me HERE; this is EXACTLY where I know I want and am meant to be. 

       My new Paul Mitchell Family is amazing and I am ALREADY growing as a woman, just 3 weeks into school!  I am surrounded by NICE people, who want to make a difference in life.  It's FABULOUS!!!!

         Okay, now to the *SUPER* exciting news...I'm GOING TO CAPER!!!!!!!!!
Caper is a 3 day long seminar held in Las Vegas, put on by "the big guys" for Paul Mitchell.  John Paul Dejoria, Robert Crommings, Winn Claybaugh, Angus Mitchell...which includes lots of motivational speaking, hands on workshops, meet and greets, and SOO much more.  Out of the 150,000 Future Professionals within the PM Family, only about 2,000 get to attend :)
                                        I will leave early February following my 25th birthday, so it will be an amazing way to kick off my 25th year!  Don't worry guys...I will make sure to fill you in with ALL the details and pictures of my time there :)  Until then, stay tuned....

         

            

Through the looking glass

                                                     Through the looking glass, looking back in time
                                             I never would have imagined where life would take me.  Through the
                                                looking glass, I know that I was meant to go to Kansas for so 
                                       many reasons.  My relationships with friends have blossomed immensely, and then
                                            there are those relationships that fizzled their way out of my life. It's okay      
                                    though...because through the looking glass, taking a peek at this year 2010, it brings
                                             me to a place that rests in peace in me, and I know this is exactly where
                                                             I'm supposed to be.

                                                     

The Human Heart

Without a driving force, like love, the human heart cannot force itself to push through a really tough circumstance, before giving up.  It's as if one day you are hanging on, supporting each other, trying to get through to make it to the finish line, and then, one day you hit rock bottom.  This was me yesterday.  What a hard day.  But, I made it...I had to set my emotions aside and lean on my rock for his support and encouraging words telling me we will make it through.  I know we will.  It's just that some days, it's harder to see that light than others.  Faith.  That's the thing I need to grasp on too.  Love.  Love can conquer all;  I know ours will.  I just need to hang on for the rest of the ride...we are so close.  December 15th, here we come.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸Love never fails.

Thank you Father for my beautiful life.  Tonight has given me time to reflect and be thankful for all I have.  You lead me to the place where I find peace, again.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE

This creature is so ethereal...almost every morning, I see one pass in front of my car window...these were taken at the St. Louis Zoo.  Awesome trip, by the way :)

Life is so enchanting and leads each one of us exactly where we are to go.  We don't hold the blue print in our hand, but every little decision, move, or thought we make, leads us to the next place, which could have changed everything for us.  Last night I was watching "How I Met Your Mother" and I realized something that I already knew...I just had Ted remind me of that.  The Universe is at work and all of us within that are coding up to equal the end result for that plan.  Four years ago, I met the most incredible man.  We met by fate.  He could have taken different alternatives which would not have directly crossed our paths, but we would have met by other means...like him working at Raley's, and then we would have crossed paths because my mom AND sister worked there.  But, we didn't.  Because our lovely grocery store passed him up, he came to Macy's;  this is where he found me.  It's truly amazing..and I'm sitting here with a smirk on my face and a smile in my heart.  Thanks God.  No matter where my past has taken me, or where my future lies, I feel so privileged to be a part of His master plan.  Good things are to come...it's been wonderful to finally have a fruitful life.  I have learned, and still will learn so much, and am so excited to share this journey with the love of my life, and whoever is in for the ride.