An Introduction through a Tag!

Xazmin at This is the Life tagged me in a picture tag! Since my blog is anonymous I had to tweak this alittle so that I didn't get myself into the picture, but I think the album I chose works well! Okay here are the rules:

1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures. 2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture. 3. Post it on your bloggy and tell the story that goes with the picture. 4. Tag 5 other glorious peoples to do the same thing and leave a comment on their bloggy tellin’ about it

This is a picture of my baby the day after I got her! Belle is 4 months old in this picture and weighed about 4 pounds. She's a shih tzu and full of life! Almost a year later, she looks nothing like this...at all. Now she is about 16 pounds, though not really fat, just really long - bigger than most shih tzu's. Anyway, that's my picture!

Okay, so I'm going to tag some of the new blogs that have started following me or that I've started following:

Mich from Who is Mich?

The Other K Wich at Chasing Dreams

Lauren at (Mis) Adventures in Theatre

Lucky in Love

Freck at It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

If any of you have done this, don't want to, etc. that's fine! Just wanted to pass the fun along!

Huh? Did I miss something?

I took two things away from the Oscars and both of them can be summed up with that phrase.

First, I was watching E! for my red carpet coverage. I wasn't happy that the first person that came down the carpet was Miley Cyrus. I mean why is she there anyway? But I digress. While she was being interviewed, she was asked about her new movie, Hannah Montana: The Movie. She's excited about it, blah, blah. As the interview wrapped up, she was told to enjoy herself and have fun, and maybe we can see you here next year. Then she says something to the effect of...wait for it...she hoped that she could get nominated for her movie because it's really good and shows a different side of her, and she was completely serious. Which leads me to:

Huh? Did I miss something?

Does she really think that the Hannah Montana Movie is in the same league as the movies nominated for best picture!? Does she think that she is the same caliber actress as Kate Winslet and all the great ones that came before her? The day the Hannah Montana Movie gets nominated for best picture is the day I throw out my DVD player and never go to the theater again :)

Second: I feel like I missed something with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I don't care one bit about them. I don't. I don't care if they are ever in another movie again. However, I think I'm in the minority because when they stepped out of their limo, Giuliana Rancic actually screamed! The co-host of the show actually screamed! Which lead me to ask:

Huh? Did I miss something?

Is she not the woman who broke up a marriage? Is he not the one that left my girl Jennifer while filming a movie? I don't know, maybe it's just me, but WHY IS THAT OKAY!?

So there you have it, my take on the Oscar's! On the fashion side, I thought Kate Winslet looked gorgeous and I actually liked Jessica Biel's dress. Okay, back to the Bachelor!

Better late than never!

I've been tagged several times over the past week and I'm just now getting around to posting them! So sorry for the delay, now lets see!


First, Meika at Meika Musings tagged me in a Valentine's Day meme! However, I don't have anyone to write it about, but I'll save the format for next year and hope that I can fill it in then :)

Second, Preppy 101 from All Things Southern and Preppy tagged me in the Bag Tag!


The tag is this:

1. Post a picture of the bag purse handbag pocketbook {whatever you call it!} that you are carrying! Now, don't you even think about going back there to your closet and getting that cute little clutch that you carried before you had children or the last time you went out ;-) I want to see the purse that you carried today!

2. Tell us how much it cost!


3. Tag some other girls!




Okay here it is:


I got this for Christmas last year but I picked it out myself because I needed a cute red bag. If I remember correctly it cost about $90, but I'm not sure. I think I might switch it up tomorrow and carry something more spring-y because it's supposed to be sunny and warm :)

Third, Akilah at Execumamas, I hear ya! This is our space! gave me a very sweet award! She super sweet and has the cutest daughters! Check her out!


Finally, Lucky in Love tagged me to list 10 of my favorite things!! Okay, here goes (in no particular order):

#10 - Extra Sugar Free Gum in the Sweet Watermelon flavor! The other flavors are good too, but the watermelon is by far my favorite! I chew so much of this that my jaws hurt some days - this is when I realize I need to stop :)




#9 - Disney! But if I need to narrow it down more - Belle from Beauty and the Beast! Disney is by far one of my favorite places on earth and with their cruise line, I now can combined my two favorite places, the ocean and Disney, into one fantastic vacation! Now Beauty and the Beast - I have seen this movie a gazillion times but every time Belle comes down the stairs in her yellow dress I get super giddy and cry - without fail :) I'm completely convinced that I'm going to know that my Mr. Right is my Mr. Right by the fact he suggests we have a date night where we watch this without me having to beg him to.

#8 - My friends! Growing up I never really had close friends, you know the ones you develop life long bonds with, but when I got to college I did. I can count on one hand my closest friends and that's the way I like it. Quality, not quantity. I can't show you a picture of them because 3/4 of them don't even know this blog exists and they can't ever because they've made their way into it every now and again, but you all know Classy and if you don't, you should - so go there!



#7 - Alabama Football! If you have been following me for any length of time you know that I'm obsessed. I love when I'm with a group of people and they just assume because I'm a girl I don't know anything about football and then I join in a hold my own - it's a great feeling :) There is nothing better than an a Saturday in the Fall with family and friends, good BBQ and an Alabama game.

#6 - Yellow Box Flip Flops: I used to be strictly an Old Navy flip flop girl. I would wear a pair until the heel wore through and I could feel gravel and pavement - not kidding. However, then I discovered Yellow Box and they hooked me. They are so comfortable and they have so many cute colors. I have my eye on a new pair for this season and I feel like I can't hold out much longer.



#5 - The Ocean: There really isn't one particular place I like to view the ocean from, but if I had to pick just one, it would be Castaway Cay - Disney's private island. I've been there twice and both times I grabbed a hammock on the adult beach and fallen asleep to the sound of the waves - there is no better moment than that. When I'm tired of studying and just ready to give up, I think about how much I want to own a beach house and money needed to do that, and push through.


#4 - Bible/devotional: I just recently picked up Cheri Fuller's book, One Year Book of Praying Through the Bible. I'm so excited about this book! Not only have the read the whole Bible by the end of it, each devotional seems to be taylor made to fit my need that day. I'm guessing that either God knew I was going to stumble upon this book and made it to fit me, or everyone struggles with these issues; either way - it's a good feeling.


#3 - Starbucks Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte with 2 splenda and a little extra Cinnamon on top. It tastes like a liquid Cinnamon bun. Try it!

#2 - Country music: I love, love, love country music! I can relate to so many of the lyrics and I love to sing along. My favorites are Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Lady A and Jake Owen :0)

#1 - My family. I come from a very small family. I mean I'm an only child, but I also only have one first cousin, so even my extended family is relatively small until you go about three layers. However, I like this. My Mom is like my best friend - we talk several times a day and I'm a complete Daddy's girl - every guy I meet has to measure up to my Daddy - I'm still looking, so far no one has come close. I was blessed to know three of my Great-Grandparents and one for 13 years. He continues to be one of the bravest, unselfish and modest men I've ever met. My grandparents spoil me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. We're small, but we're loved and I'm scared of getting smaller because each person is such an important piece of my life puzzle.


Shew! Just so you know I've been working on this post for three days! I'm just so tired that I'm not tagging anyone, but please play along with the favorite things tag - it's fun! Thanks again to everyone for the tags!

Okay, I'm just going to lay it all out there...

As my current Facebook status says, "Island Girl is Frustrated!"

It's not really a "bad mood" frustrated or an "the world is driving me crazy" frustrated, but more of an "I just want to bang my head against the wall" frustrated. Why you might ask? Well that's where it gets tough.

I went to meet with a nutritionist today. This is the second one I've had an appointment with - the first one cancelled on me. I had this appointment scheduled for a week. A week to hype myself for her to help. A week to think she was going to have some "magic" answer for the problems I've been having in the weight loss department. I was wrong.

Let me back up. Growing up I was over weight. All through high school and college, I was over weight. However, to date I've lost 51 pounds. I eat a healthy diet. I exercise 5 days a week. However the scales have been stuck for pretty much 6 months. So I decided to see someone to figure out the problem since I've been having other warning signs from my body that something is "off".

Long story short - she confirmed what I already knew, that I'm not eating enough. While this seems like a simple issue to fix, it's not that easy. I've gotten to the point that eating more actually scares me. I'm so scared of going back to where I was, that I can't enjoy going out to eat anymore. Even though I know that I need more calories a day, the thought of eating more makes me nervous.

The reason this breakthrough about loving myself was such a huge deal was because even though I know that I look different, I still look in the mirror and see the girl that graduated from college. I've quit seeing what's really there. When my parents came to visit two weeks ago, they expressed concern over the fact that I continue to see myself as "heavy." Even before they said anything, I knew this was an issue - a body image issue - and one that isn't new to me.

So when I met with the nutritionist today I was wanting help - someone to tell me what I needed to do to get better. She was not that someone. She told me that I needed to eat more, but that overall my diet was great and that she didn't see anyway to improve it. However, when I told her that was having issues seeing reality, she made me feel like an idiot - the last thing I needed since I already feel crazy.

She told me that by the time women get to be my age they have come to terms with reality and know that they can't have the bodies of the women in magazines. I, too, know this. She said that when women get to be my age they "don't really have body image issues anymore." Well, I'm sorry but in my opinion that's crap! While it might not be as prominent in my age bracket, it is still there. So, she made me feel even more crazy than I already feel. She also told me that if I don't get a handle on this now, I'm going to gain all my weight back - wow. thanks - but that's not going to happen. I can guarantee that!

Anyway, since she was of very little help, I'm now looking into a personal trainer to get to the workout aspect of the equation. Sorry to have dumped all of this on you all (those of you who made it to the end), but this is something that has been consuming my every thought for weeks and since I don't "know" must of you, I feel free from judgment, cause the two people that actually know me don't judge :) I really like keeping my blog light and happy, so I promise to get back to that tomorrow!

Nick Lachey 2012?

Yesterday while on the treadmill I decided to watch the news; you know, learn something while working out. Well what I learned was that Nick Lachey is thinking about running for political office - this is news, I mean did Congress not just pass a HUGE stimulus package - but I digress. He said that, "he's always been interested in politics; it's something I've been thinking about for awhile." He didn't specify what he wanted to run for, but it's out there. I tried to find an article about it, but apparently they don't have enough writers to cover all the "news" going on in the world.

Alright now, for the better part of 12 years, I've been "interested" in politics. I've volunteered for my party, I was a political science major, I'm in law school trying to get a degree so that I can apply that to politics in some form. I mean if we're going to get technical, I've been voting since I was old enough to pull the lever for my Mom in the voting booth - I love politics and have for quite sometime! However, despite all the "in's" I'm trying to make into the world of politics, the ability to break into "that world" is hard, and even once you do, you'll be putting postage on letters for a good three years before anything remotely exciting happens. Little did I know that all I needed to be qualified to hold office was a brief career with a music group that uses temperature as a name and have a successful, yet dizzy spouse to get a show on MTV for me.

To think I've wasted so much time on this whole school thing! Puh, what was I thinking :)

Turning Point?

As you might remember I didn't have New Year's Resolutions per se, I just wanted to be happier and more content with myself, and gosh darn it I kept that positivity for a good three weeks before I started getting bogged down with school, workouts, finding a church, etc. Then all the frustration started again and the well intentioned positivity began to leave.

But that ends today!

Today I tried a new church, and while I wish I could tell you that I really liked it and plan on going back, I can't. It really wasn't my style: very big, broadcasts to several "campuses", etc. However, the message this morning was on Love. Plain and simple. Love. Love for yourself, love for others, love for the Lord. Love, Love, Love! He said that we can't move forward until we get rid of all the "pollution" that surrounds our hearts - Bitterness, Self-Centeredness, and Worldly Distractions. Only after we get rid of those can we love with our whole hearts.

Somewhere between the last song and the benediction it hit me:

How can I fully love if I don't love myself first!

It seems so simple, but so hard to grasp - especially since I'm very quick to point out my flaws but very slow to acknowledge my positives. I have to start believing what the title of my blog says, I'm "not perfect, but worth it!" This isn't going to happen overnight, but it's something I want to work towards. As I left the church today, I was re energized! While I didn't feel like God found me during the service he definitely found me in the parking lot!

It's amazing how much better the day goes when take on a new attitude - and it didn't hurt that it was 72 degrees here today :) I decided to take my workout outside today and run at a nearby park. The park has two mapped out courses: a 5k and an 8k, and since I was feeling so good about myself, I decided to take on the 8k, since I've never done one before. So today was the "Island Girl First Annual 8k race for...um...well...fill in the blank". It was beautiful. While I'm not much of an "outdoors" person past, you know, the beach, this course went back through the woods and curved near a lake, and was just beautiful! I ran the entire thing and only stopped once - to tie my shoe :) Woohoo!

So now, here I sit. On my porch watching the sun set and feeling content for the first time in a long time :)

I spent my evening with Rebecca Bloomwood!

Okay, not really, but I wish I could, you know if she were a real person!

After many recommendations that Confessions of a Shopaholic would be a better movie to see alone than He Just Not That Into You, I decided on Confessions for my Friday afternoon treat!

Now, I have no problem going to movies by myself because the people I've met here and I have very different taste in movies, so I'd rather just go by myself than hear them complain! However, I don't normally laugh out loud when I'm alone because I feel like that draws attention to me and sometimes I just like to go unnoticed. In this movie though, it was impossible to keep quite! I laughed so hard at certain points that I had tears!

I think that it was so funny because I could see glimpses of myself in her. I don't have credit cards - well one, but it is strictly for emergencies - so I don't have her problems, but I totally would if I had that many pieces of "magical plastic".

Anyway, I highly recommend this movie! I'll admit I was skeptical when I heard about it, but it really delivered!

I'm a magnet...

for odd people at the gym!

Tonight's encounter was the complete opposite of Mr. Muscles. This girl, well, I'm still trying to process her. The gym on campus gets busy at certain times - those times when classes are just letting out, lunch, etc. My typical Tuesday time is around 3 after my last class. It's always busy and chances are you'll be waiting for a treadmill.


I lucked out today and didn't have to wait. So there I am running my heart out, sweating like a man, and I notice this girl throw her stuff down on the treadmill next to me. She proceeds to place her notes for class up on the ledge along with her phone, and then jumped up there herself. Okay, point one - she's wearing jeans. I'm thinking to myself, "what kinda work out is she going to do in jeans!!"


And she's off...sort of. She increases her speed to 2.0. 2.0 Now I'm not saying that's bad, because I realize that for some people that's all they can do, so I'm not trying to be offensive, but really she was barely moving. Please keep in mind that there are people waiting to use the machines!!! I was stunned. How can people be that oblivious.


I deduced that she was there because there was a guy working out that she was staring at, but it wasn't reciprocated. I feel like someone should tell her that if he had noticed her, he would have been wondering what that girl was doing on the treadmill in jeans.


I'm really glad that I wasn't one of the people waiting, because I might have had to step in and ask her nicely to get off.


Not real.

What if...

I'm a thinker; an analyzer; an over analyzer.

and I hate it.

As much as I try to just go with the flow, I can't. I take a situation and I over think it - I drive myself crazy. I play the "what if" game.

"What if I do X?"

"But what if Y happens?"

"Well if I do that, then Z couldn't happen!"

see what I mean - drives me CrAzY!

There are a couple of things going on in my world at the moment that are falling into the over thinking category. These will probably make their way into my posts in the coming weeks, but it suffices to say that they are causing me quite a bit of anxiety.

I love the phrase, "Let go and let God." I'm trying to live by that motto, but sometimes it's hard you know?

Letter to Mr. Muscles

Dear Big Armed Gym Guy,

I’m not sure you remember me, even though you probably should, but I was on the elliptical machine next to you yesterday. The reason I think that you should remember me is because you were clearly interested in studying my screen to see how many miles I'd traveled and how fast I was going. Now, while I enjoy competition, I feel that it was not warranted at that time. Just because you can go at 8.5 miles per hour does not mean that I have to do the same. If this is your way of showing off, it really wasn't working. However, I am flattered that you care what I think.

I'm sorry if you misconstrued my looking in your general direction as mutual interest in your elliptical stats, but I was actually looking past you to see if the treadmills were free so that I could go ahead and get my run in. I’ll concede, however, that your arms are very large and beautiful, but if I’m being honest, I’ve seen better – don’t feel bad though, I’m still not convinced he was human. :)

Now I’m not going to take up anymore of your time because I’m sure you have to go lift something, but just know that not everyone comes to the gym to compete with others, some of us really are there to workout/get healthy/etc.

Thanks for you time,
Island Girl

and on a related note...

Dear Gym Manager,

I understand that the temperature outside is in the low 40's, but the gym is not the place for heat. It is incredibly hard to run when there is zero air circulating and you feel like you're traveling through the Sahara. So if you wouldn't mind, please go over to the knob on the wall and give it a huge twist to the left.

Thanks,
Island Girl

Touchdown Titans!

Okay, maybe not so much, considering the Tennessee Titans didn't make it to the Superbowl despite an outstanding start to the season, but a girl can dream right. However, since the Titans aren't there, and my 2nd and 3rd favorite teams also choked in the playoffs, I've had a time deciding who to pull for.

My original inclination was to pull for the Steelers because I love defense, and the Steelers have a great one. But then I thought, I also like to pull for the underdog, which in this case, would be the Cardinals. So how do I break this tie?

I go to what's most important - who has the most Alabama players on the team? In this case it would be the Steelers because they have three ex-Alabama players. However, Tim Castille, also a tide player, is on the Cardinals and that coupled with the underdog status, makes me lean towards the Cardinals!

All that being said, I don't know who to pull for, but I think it's going to be the Cardinals. But even more exciting than the Superbowl is that I'm going to get Moe's as my game meal! It's been far too long since I've had a really good, really bad for you meal and I'm so excited!


Happy Superbowl! Go Cardinals!