Pay It Forward

More like "pay it forward for a pat on the back." I'm sure by now you have all heard of the idea of paying it forward: someone does something nice for you - so do something nice for someone else. Don't get me wrong, it is a great idea with great intentions, but when people do it for the wrong reasons it IRKS me til no end.

If someone happens to go out of their way to do something nice for you or does a good deed that helps you out, that is great! By all means go and do something nice for that person or someone else you come into contact with, but don't post  boast about it on Facebook. The point of paying it forward (to my understanding) is for the fact of doing something nice - not about the recognition. This world needs more random acts of kindness, but what it does not need is people to brag about the acts of kindness that they perform.

I see a lot of people post something to the effect... "thank you to the nice lady in (some restaurant) for finding my phone in the booth and returning it to the manager. So I paid their bill. Least I could do!"

Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to say to that - you should have paid that and then their mortgage too?

I can see how much of a hassle it would be for you to actually lose your phone. The process of cancelling that one, getting a new one, etc...not a huge deal, but still an annoyance. I too would be thankful to said nice lady for saving me an inconvenience. But people looking for a pat on the back just totally reverses the intention of the good deed!

Its like your status screams "Hey! Facebook friends... look at how much of an AWESOME person I am! Tell me nice things about myself! Like my status!"

I was always taught that if you do something nice for someone and more than two people know about it (you and that person) you did it for the wrong reasons. My best friend Tanya knows what I'm talking about....

:)


Another one of my favorites is "I treated her to (enter meal/coffee/whatever). Good for you! Why is that important to the conversation? Did someone ask if you treated the other person? Friendship should not be about tallying points. You treat - I treat - sometimes we split. Don't do me any favors by picking up the entire tab if you are only doing it for some type of status. Believe me, I can very well afford to pay for my appetite.

Anyway - end of rant, but I was triggered last night by another Facebook Bragbook post.

I'll hold off on the rants for a while, but next will be on the topic of "Sympathy Status" another topic on which I have lots to say about. :)

The Struggle Is Real

Rant of the day: Why is it so much work to be a female?

Nails, hair, other grooming that needs to be done. I know these things are not "necessities" but lets be real here - if you want to be the best version of yourself (especially on a first date) these expenses definitely help. If you are in the forever dating world (like myself) they add up pretty quickly. With another "outing" coming up for me this weekend I of course made sure to get these appointments on my calendar.

Then I wondered, is the other party going through all of this effort and expense? Don't get my wrong, I enjoy having freshly manicured nails and a fresh blowout - what girl doesn't? But why is it so much more effort for females? These guys today (not many) will maybe go get  a hair cut day of. $9 - maybe $12 with a shave + tip and they are good to go. For us females that will maybe get us our hair wash and a partially blow dried head.

Then, what gets me is that the majority of the time all of this prep isn't even worth it! Like its one sided! Do people not care about making a first impression? Sometimes I feel when first meeting someone I might as well have just strolled over in my gym clothes straight from SoulCycle. Its true! One time someone met me for the first time after a track meet! 

I really do not know where I am going with this rant, but I'm sure the ladies out there can relate. Its like forget about just going for a spontaneous manicure or blowout when you feel like it, because you try and save it for when you need to "make an impression." Well regardless of my rant I am still going to the appointments I made - LOL. Who knows - maybe it will be worth it for once.

SoulCycle High

If you have discussed workouts with me lately in person, you probably heard me profess my love for SoulCycle which I recently started going to. I have been spinning for about 3 years, but my outlook and love for indoor cycling changed when I tried SoulCycle.

What is so great about it you ask? Besides the buckets of sweat that you will release...the energy, music and atmosphere of the club make it totally different than any other cycling class. Even after class when 45 people are drenched in sweat and making their way out, the club still smells fresh. In a way it is the mindset of yoga and the intensity of cardio combined. You leave class drenched in sweat and on such a high for the rest of the day.

45 minutes flies by with sprints, tap backs and crunches. There is even an arm series with light hand weights. You may only be lifting 1-2lb weights, but after 5 minutes your arms are BURNING.

The candlelit studio and motivational words along the walls help you to stay fierce. (Thanks to my friend Kristi for sharing this pic!)

I love that they have numerous class times so there is something to fit in to every schedule. During the week I have been making it to the 4:15 classes which are PERFECT for me. I shoot over to the Woodbury studio straight after work, stop for Starbucks, and ride the afternoon away.

Last week I even invested in my very own #Soul apparel. Now I really fit in!

This mornings' class included some of my favorite tunes like Fancy by Iggy Azalea and Style by the one and only Taylor Swift. The energy by the end of class was definitely turned up as we all swung our towels around in unison.

So that is the deal with SoulCycle. You leave class and that high is with you for the rest of the day. There is always a motivational message to take away with you which can really help turn your day around for the better.

More Bubbles Please

Yesterday I went for one of the most exciting hair treatments I have ever received. A Blowout!

With CHAMPAGNE! (Nicole I know you must be going wild).

We will get to that in a minute, but first let me back up.

Like most women, I HATE having to do my hair. It takes a good hour AT LEAST to make it look decent, and usually it winds up looking flat and boring. Lately I have been seeing $20 blowout specials near me so I have been giving them a shot. It beats having to do it myself and since I am on vacation I figured why not.

Last weekend I passed a relatively new place by me called Bubbles Blow Out Bar. Immediately after returning home I googled it and saw they offered $25 blowouts. Appointment booked.

I arrived for my 12pm appointment yesterday and was impressed by the clean and cute establishment.

Even the bathroom was cute. I saw this and knew I needed to blog about it.

After being washed by Imari, one of the stylists, I was asked the usual "would you like any coffee, water or tea?...or champagne?"

My reaction, I wish it could have been captured. CHAMPAGNE AND A BLOWOUT?! YES.

After about 45 minutes of hair TLC and some bubbly the finished product was the icing on top of the cake. (Or the fizz inside of the champagne glass in this case)

TA-DA!

I will definitely be making Bubbles one of my usual spots. I mean its totally worth it and the atmosphere and friendly staff add to the enjoyment.

Going on day 2 an my hair is still bouncing as if it were just done! 

Cheers to that! 

It's Going Down

A1C that is!

Today was my 3 month endo check up. We all know how much I LOVE going to this appointment. Not.

Well it was nice to finally leave with a smile on my face after seeing an improvement since my last visit in November. At that check up my A1C (which is a 3 month blood sugar average) was at it's highest at 8.0.

:(

Today my result = 7.2... well on my way to meeting my goal of 7.0 which I hope to do by my next visit.

:) !!!!

Thanks to my new insulin pump I am able to have better control and more flexibility at any moment of the day. So far 2015 has been off to a good start on that end!

Some other things I've been up to this week on vacation...

Valentines Day Massage 

Dazies! 

Kim Crocker 

Eyeglass shopping 

Stay warm! 

Ride For A Cure

"Happy" Valentine's Day. I figured I would fill you in on something that I really loved from this past week.

Last Sunday I attended Ride for a Cure - a fitness fundraising event for JDRF. Intelligent Fitness hosted a bunch of classes that morning to choose from. Either TRX Training or Spin. I made it to the 8:30 & 9:30 spin classes. Wish I could have stayed for the 10:30, but I had things to do and nails to get manicured! :)

Not going to lie- felt pretty good to spin for 2 hours. People without T1D don't realize the planning and prep it takes for anything we do. I was worried I wasn't going to make it, but luckily I got a great workout without any lows. 

It was my first time at this gym, but it will not be my last. I had so much fun spinning. There was great music, motivating instructors and a great spin studio. Not only was it something I love doing, but for a cause so important to me! With the help of my CGM and newest addition - insulin pump, I was able to ride strong and adjust accordingly. 

Looking forward to taking more classes there this week during my February break!

(Need to burn off those chocolate calories!!)

Wishing I was somewhere warm this week - getting pretty tired of this cold!! On the bright side, being off means more blogging. :)

Expecting Too Much?

I think I was born in the wrong decade. It seems these days expecting simple traits such as honesty and respect are asking for a lot. Why do I often find myself in this deja vu situation - Meet someone new, a mutual chemistry is shared (or so you think), that person initiates further contact and then BAM they fall off the face of the earth?

Is it too much to ask that if a person initiates a plan of action they will follow through with it OR at least give the courtesy of letting the other party know otherwise? I am tired exhausted of the ups and downs that come with dating. Was it this difficult for my grandparents? Probably not.

I usually like to think I am a glass half full type of person, but lately I wonder if I should change my outlook on life and just always expect the worst. Why get my hopes up and think that a person will have general communication skills and follow through with their word only to be disappointed when they don't. At this point, I wonder why I even get upset anymore when it seems to be the common trend among the so called "men" that exist in this world. No expectations = no disappointments, right?

Is it just me? Am I over reacting by getting upset when people do not respond, say one thing and do another and talk a big show? Personally I do not think I am expecting all that much: if you initiate plans and say you will call than follow through... if you can't keep those plans, then just say you can't. Roles reversed I would never leave someone hanging if I say I will get back to them. It is rude and a waste of time. AND if I do not want to make plans or something changes and plans need to be postponed or cancelled - then I am honest! What is so hard about being honest? Do people think they are doing someone a favor by telling them what they want to hear?

I just think it is so sad that you can't even get excited about anything anymore. One second you are high on life and excited about a great few hours of your life and then before you know it your feelings and soul are 6 feet under. Are games and upsets the main drive behind dating these days?

I guess being a pessimist is really the only way to protect yourself in this generation.

WIAAWW

"What I Ate AND Worked Out Wednesday" - My own spin off of "What I Ate Wednesday."

I can't remember the last time I did a food/workout post all in one. Since my schedule was slightly altered the past few days due to the blizzard I figured I'd share. Snow is not an excuse to not workout! Plus I am on snow day #2... so I have some time. :)

My food prep began Sunday when I went all around town like a mad woman trying to stock up on bread & milk ThinkThin Protein Bars. It always seems that when I run low on a particular flavor none of the stores have them. I was on the hunt for Chocolate Brownie Crunch since I knew I was probably going to have a lot of hot coffee.

Chocolate Brownie Crunch + Hot Coffee
Creamy Peanut Butter + Iced Coffee

Luckily CVS came to the rescue.

I had all of these visions of making gluten free chocolate chip cookies and pancakes while sipping on hot coco. Honestly too much work. LOL

Instead, my snow day breakfast consisted of an Udi's gluten free blueberry muffin and a cup of coffee.

Thoughts? Being honest - not impressed. I probably should have had my protein bar or toast with PB. It would have kept me fuller and not brought my blood sugar up to 250.

Oh well - you live and you learn, right?

Worst part about my snow day = not being able to go to Starbucks. I am very proud of myself. I remained calm and did not tear down the house. Instead I saved my cup from the day before and used a kcup instead.

At home workouts are very difficult to get started. Different environment than the gym, but when done right they can kick your butt! Monday afternoon my plan was to hit the gym straight from work, but since it was snowing pretty hard around 2:15 I decided to play it safe and go straight home stop at Starbucks first (made it just in time before they closed at 3!) and then go home.

I broke out my old faithful Lauren Conrad circuit, added some ab work and stretching and had myself a sweat filled den workout all in 45 minutes.

Tuesday I was in the mood for some cardio and dusted off my Zumba DVD's. I forgot how much fun these were! Drenched in 10 minutes - mission accomplished.

Strength training portion was shoveling the walk way. Squeeze your abs, squat down in your legs and throw that snow with your arm strength. Solid 30 minutes.

Snow Day 2 is back to normal. Gym this morning and Starbucks/Bar Time. 

:)

Blizzard Blog

Blizzard of 2015 - Questionable. Regardless it was enough snow for a snow day so I am not complaining. Figured it was a good time to catch up since its been a while.

One of the biggest changes that has taken place this year has been my new insulin pump. After YEARS of going back and forth I finally made the switch. I think I was expecting a miracle change over night to have perfect blood sugars, but that has still not been the case. Very frustrating and being I have my favorite doc endo appointment approaching next month, I am still a little hesitant.

On a positive note, I have seen working out a little bit easier. I am able to have more control on a moments notice on how much insulin I take which allows for more flexibility with workouts and less planning.

I'll take it! 

The biggest push probably came from Miss Idaho. Hopefully T1D becomes more understood and people won't be shocked or clueless if they see a person wearing a medical device. It should be nothing to be ashamed of. Just like some people take oral medication - people wear insulin pumps. Big deal! 

It is always nice having people who just "get" what you are going through. Thanks to Facebook, I had the opportunity to make a new blogger/t1d friend Erin. We chatted a little about tips, struggles and just the highs and lows that come with T1D. It's been especially helpful to have a female to talk to about wearing an insulin pump and different tricks on where to wear it. (Thank you Erin!)

On to fitness:

I started training again with a trainer I worked with way back when I was about 17. I remember when I first trained with Dave I couldn't even do a squat... I have come so far! His workouts still beat me up. It is a love/hate relationship. I'd go into details about the workouts, but that may scare you... and I like to try and keep things positive on here :)

Just a few other things that made me laugh recently: 

Reservations - Done! 

Just a quick post for the day. Stay tuned to hear about my snow day festivities including eats and workouts!

New Year, New Make-up, New Starbucks

It's been since last year that I blogged! So far 2015 is off to a good start. I have a superstition that odd years have been better for me than even years so that must be why.

After arriving home around 3am after Times Square, New Years Day got off to a slow start. By the time I got up and made myself presentable despite my lack of sleep mom and I headed out - to the mall of course!

After switching over from my old wallet to my new one I received for Christmas, I realized I had some gift cards still waiting to be used! Sephora - $25 & Chase - $40 ... might as well use them right!

I am not a big make-up person. I use it, but kind of stick to the same old products. It was nice to head in and get some advice on some good eye-liners as mine always seem to run an hour after putting it on. I tried two products from Stay All Day... one pencil and one liquid liner. It went a few dollars over my gift card, but after all I do have PLENTY of money to splurge a little. LOL

Keeping in mind I had my other Chase card, I just so happened to see a sign calling my name next door at Hollister. All jeans for $25! Anywhere I see a sale on jeans I am there... kind of like good food.

Left with a new pair of dark black denim (money still left on my gift card too!). I paired them today with a new top from the Lou & Grey line from Loft.

Lately I have been on a new kick from Starbucks. Americanos! Hot or iced they are just a little bit stronger than coffee, but still pair nicely with my ThinkThin bars. (We know those are not going away).

For the days you want to appear just a little bit more chic you order an "Americano."

Looks like this year has definitely been new so far.