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!