Happy Birthday Blog!

Song: Fidelity

Artist: Regina Spektor

So, in light of it being my blogs belated birthday, I decided to return to the blogging world and give writing another shot. I've been putting off writing for months now. Similar to a friend of mine, I didn't have time to write. Then things started happening that I wanted to write about, but hadn't written so long that I wanted to catch up.... so I just never did. And here I am! So, to bring you up to par... like any diet that has ever been done, I succeeded in the short term, but failed epically in the long run. Of course we all diet and re-diet and cheat and what not, so that's of no concern. However, when it comes to my mental diet, I enjoyed an Epic Win. I have grown a lot over the past few months. My marriage, friendships, and kinship has changed drastically with my adoption of a "we may never see each other again" attitude. Even in the stupid things and the people I see all the time, I kinda enjoyed them more believing that it may be the last (even though it's probably not). On another note, I did not get in to FIU Nursing school. Long story... upon complaining, I found out that they're not even sure why I didn't get in. I was super depressed for a bit, but I didn't realize that there was a different window of opportunity being opened. To shorten it, I was invited to a better program (Physician Assistant) and am currently pursuing my career! That is pretty much all that is new. Until I start my program, I'm working in 2 clinics and dissecting cadavers for my anatomy teacher (that is a whole other story in itself). I am totally enjoying my time off and getting ready for what God had planned for me all along. That's pretty much all I've got to say for now. Until next blog, here is a list of things I never wrote about but will mention briefly:

-Got a job at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza

-Threw a killer surprise party for my husband

-Went through a painstaking process of getting into nursing school (only to hear that I was never rejected in the first place...wtf? communication fail.)

-Applied for PA school... I pretty much have my seat saved. YAY!

-Enjoyed a fantastic 22nd bday eating EVERYTHING... literally ate all my favorite foods. yum!

-Quit my job @ Anthony's (May-December, not a bad run!)

-Went to Hawaii (amazing)

-Saw a lot of really cool people get engaged.

That is pretty much all... I think...

Half Way There...

Song: Livin on a Prayer

Artist: Bon Jovi

So, I've been on my detox diet for 15 days now. To say the least, it has been.... interesting. It has been pretty hard to follow the rules since no one else in my family is on the same diet. So far, here is what I have encountered:

Day 1: Amanda and my Mom agree to follow the diet. Awesome!

Day 2: Tom agrees to follow my diet. Awesome! Dinner time comes. We eat healthy food. He says, "I want cereal and milk for dessert". Cool! Problem: both the cereal and milk were expired. Tom's solution: eating a dove ice cream bar. FAIL. Those are my favorite! I kinda died inside.

Day 3: Dinner at Houstons for Rey's final family get together. Hot fudge brownie sundae for dessert. =( I passed. So did Thomas, for my sake. I am so grateful.

Day 4: Lauren's Shower. Tiramisu? A big no-no. I'm not a fan, but anything looks good when you're hungry.

Day 5: Mom and Dad invite Tom and I out to lunch at FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES. We went. They ate. Mom's diet: FAIL. I ended up eating a small quiznos sub. Torture. I'm not even sure how anyone could resist the smell of those fresh cut fries and real burgers. Night time comes... Rey's going away party. Ate a grilled cheeseburger, no bun. That wasn't so bad.

Day 6: Mom and Dad invite Tom and I to Chilis. I look at my restaurant app on my ipod, see that everything has sat. fats and are super fattening.... decide not to eat. I had mozzarella and baked corn chips for dinner that evening. BLAH

Day 7: Caffeine headaches stop. THANK GOD! Life without soda/coffee is totally possible. Later, Amanda calls and finally breaks down and tells me she cheated on her diet. I wont tell you what she ate, but to say the least, I was SUPER JEALOUS. lol. Love her still though, and she is as determined as I. She's doing really well!

Days 8-15: More or less effortless. I think the first week killed all the cravings. I still wish I could eat a french fry here or there, but hey.... I'm better off without it.

Although the beginning was hard, I'm starting to see results already! I've lost 6 pounds, and my belly is near-flat. Bikini-ready body is almost here, and I couldn't be more happy. I broke my no-soda rule yesterday by drinking a can of caffeine-free ginger ale since I ate some bad shrimp, but besides that, I think I'm getting the hang of this!  Anyway... That's about it for now. Finals are next week and I need to prepare. Lets hope things go smoothly. 

Happy birthday today to Becca, Genevie, Joanna, and Sammie!

Project Detox Has Arrived!

So, it's finally here! Project Detox.... a personalized, self-created program made to help encourage healthy habits in my spiritual, emotional, and physical life. I've really wanted to clean up my act lately but have been having trouble with my lack of accountability. As a result, I've come up with project detox, cleaning up all aspects of my life at the same time in a public manner. What helps is that it takes around 21 days to condition the body and mind in a manner that you can make something "habitual" (whatever it may be). So, for the next 30 days, here are the aspects of my life I'd like to improve:

First off... the very basic PHYSICAL aspect. I want to change my diet. Currently, I consume some form of fast food at least once a week, eat something fried with almost every meal, and drink something loaded with sugar about once every other day. To say the least, at this rate, I'm going to ruin my body in a matter of no time. The plan? Going to an extreme. While some people think, extremes don't work, they drive you insane, etc., I think that I'm just going to this extreme to develop new good habits (and doesn't mean that I will eat like this for the rest of my life). For the next thirty days, I'm going to try and follow these 10 commandments to benefit my body:

1. eliminate refined sugars (candy, ice cream, etc) and eat more natural ones (fruits/veggies)

2. stay away from fried foods (they make you bloat and also crave more fatty foods)

3. not drink soda or juice from concentrate (only fresh squeezed, no sugar added)

4. drink a ton of water

5. cook the majority of my meals at home (where I can control what is used for "flavor") 

6. not eat heavy carbs after lunch, and try to replace them with complex carbs

7. stay away from caffeine (which is super addicting)

8. supplement my losses with multivitamins 

9. stay away from super fatty foods or condiments 

10. NO FAST FOOD.

Now, I am a reasonable person. I know that a normal person could not live without breaking these rules every once in a while.... and I'm okay with that (as long as it's after these 30 days). I'm just trying to train myself to eat better, and make the things listed in the commandments more of a rarity than a commonality. The benefits will be tremendous, I'm sure. Fried foods, refined sugars, and anything listed above, generally participates in the development of "the pouch" (you all know what I'm talking about) and excess fat that no one wants. I will also be exercising daily (hopefully) for at LEAST 15 minutes. My focus will be cardio since I want to lose fat and tone muscle. My goal? I want a flat belly and firm thighs. I think that's reasonable!

Next, my spiritual life. Well, first off, I need structure. I am going to make sure I do my quiet time with God. I tend to get off track when I don't do it every day. I think that making the challenge public, however, will help me make it a real habit. I'm also going to try and do my marriage devotional with Tom every day since our relationship with God is just as important. This is not where it ends though. I think the reason I am so annoyed with some people is because they carry some of the same traits as I do. I become especially annoyed with them when they carry the same spiritual deficiency. When someone is mean, I for some reason feel the urge to be mean to that person (irony). So, for the next month, expect some blog updates with how I'm going to rid myself of these deficiencies: attitude (positive would be nice), laziness, jealousy, greed, honesty (or lack thereof), and friendliness (it counts when you represent something bigger than you).  The only way to fix these things is to confront them head on... even if it means apologizing to some people I rarely speak to. Pray for me. It's not going to be easy.

Finally, I just want to come out of this as an all around better me. I want to train myself to do these things and make them habitual. Like my brother always told me, "If you're not growing, you're dying". I want to grow, and I want to be everything I was intended to be. So, this is just a challenge, baby steps, in order to reach a  what seems to be out of reach goal. I think I can do it.... but I still need all the support I can get. Day one was a great success, but I've just begun. We'll see what happens from now to April 30th.

PROJECT DETOX COMING SOON....

Song: Everybody's changing

Artist: Keane

Project Detox is a thirty day challenge I invented to encourage a physical, emotional, and spiritual cleansing in order to enjoy true freedom from life's toxicities. Day one is April 1, 2009 (no, not an april fools joke). Expect to see more soon! =)

Finally! Some Free Time!!!!

Song: Take Me Out

Artist: Franz Ferdinand

So, It's been 1.17 months since I've blogged. It was definitely a crazy January, to say the least. Where do I start!?! How about New Years. Seems like a good way to start this blog today. Of course all of these instances will be random, and most things that happened this month will be left out due to lack of blogging/time.

New Years Eve: What a hilarious way to end a great 2008. Good food, good friends, fun times... everything went flawlessly that evening until a little after the strike of 12. A friend of ours decided to play with the fireworks and light a whole package of bottle rockets (still in the plastic wrapper, setting the wrapper that holds the fuses together on fire). I wasn't outside at that exact moment. In fact, I was inside the house making fun of how boys love to play with fire (or just people in general for that matter... I like fire too.). Amanda and I walk towards the kitchen and suddenly see in the darkness of the back yard bright lights, people ducking and dropping to the floor, and fireworks exploding around eye level. Suddenly I heard screaming, and Tati rushed into the house, bleeding in the general area of her mouth. It looked like one popped in her face. Wonderful. I quickly took her to the kitchen and commenced the "cleaning of the wound" technique. FUNNNN! She was scared, poor thing. Thank God it just cut her lip, and nothing more serious than that. As soon as I finished there, I went to the back yard to see what happened. Apparently a couple of rockets fired at my hubby as well. His was a little more humorous though. A couple hit his chest and arm, and he thought he might be on fire, so he jumped in the pool (with what I now dub the "statue of liberty" pose, since one arm was straight in the air out of the pool trying to salvage his iPhone... it worked). He walked out of that situation, thankfully, with just some singed hair, a 1st degree burn on his arm, a ruined shirt (my favorite, actually), and wet clothes. No Big. I know this is old news... but I will enjoy reminiscing when i read this blog X weeks/years from now. 

After all of this went down, things generally went back to the way they were before. I started school, Tom went back to work, so on and so forth. Ana, Lauren's mom, had a great idea to give me an internship like job at the Good News Care Center down in homestead. What a blessing! I work now every Friday, and am loving every moment of it. I get to draw blood, give shots, and take vitals! WOO! I also get to see and experience some interesting sicknesses/patients. Love that job! This, among other things, has been the source of my time consumption! School has been crazy. Today I took a really tough exam for my microbiology class. What a life ruiner! I have had my face in a book for so long, I almost forgot how to enjoy my spare time! Luckily, I've had a friend to cheer me up when I was tired of school and wanting to just drop dead. 

Some more random but awesome things that have happened this month:

We found out that my Nanu (grandma) does NOT need chemotherapy, and that hormone therapy will suffice! THANK GOD!

My dad had surgery on this lump he had behind his ear, and he is looking better by the minute. A day after his surgery he was already up and running (which I did not recommend, but its how me feels better I guess). Woo!!!

The Spiegels inherited 5 glorious puppies from their dogs Honey and Louis! They are adorable, and are all healthy and adorable. 

Becca, my maid-of-honor, started public high school mid-semester and is loving every minute! So very happy for her! She looks so much happier now too!

My mom and I have been able to spend a little more time together since Tom and my dad have been attending a Bible study every Monday night. I do love spending time with my mom. So glad we have an "appointment" every week. 

My brother has been battling the crappiest weather ever in Kentucky. I feel terrible for him. I wish I could send him a palm tree and a loaf of cuban bread. Fortunately, the school snow days are over and classes are back in session! 

Lots of random awesomeness! Now I just want to be TAKEN OUT! away from the house, the computer screen, books, notes, everything. I can't wait to get out. 1 more day till the weekend! =D

Just In Time For The New Year.....

Song: Yellow (live)

Artist: Coldplay

As you all know so well, it has been an extremely eventful year for me, my family, and my friends. Just for kicks, I decided to do a quick recap of 2008! (dont be mad...i'm not mentioning birthdays... those happen every year! I might, however, mention my own... it was important!)

1. January 14, 2008: My Blog: Part of the Color Brigitte is BORN! (Photo by Glowing Light)

2. January 19, 2008: Rey leaves for Seminary in Kentucky... what a sad day

 

3. March 29, 2008: Thomas decides to pop the question....2 weeks after our anniversary! What a sneak!

4. April 12, 2008: Kristel's Bridal Shower... Amazing!! (Photo by Merari)

 Also, May 23, 2008: her Bachelorette Party...

and finally.... May 31, 2008: her glorious wedding!

5.  April 24, 2008: Mu-Dai... and Dave Uribe's incredible work of art... (He also did graduate! which is definitely a highlight of this year, but I have no pictures)

6. May 5, 2008: The day I met FRED. Need I say more? =)

7. May 25, 2008: Amanda graduates! I bought her a matching barbie... it was a good day!

8. June 3, 2008: Thomas's birthday... he (like a good steak) had finally aged to perfection!

9. June 8, 2008: What a GREAT day for an Engagement Party! =) (Photo by Paul)

10. June 21, 2008: Thomas finds out he tore his ACL, and gets it repaired days later via arthroscopic surgery! (Photo by Paul)

11. September 27, 2008: Viv's Bridal Shower!

 October 24, 2008: .....Followed by her rehearsal dinner....

 October 26, 2008: ......and then her wedding!

12. October 4, 2008: Lia's Bridal Shower! (photo by Merari)

October 30, 2008: ...Followed by her rehearsal dinner....

November 1, 2008: ...and her wedding!

13. October 8, 2008: Rey comes down to MIA for his surprise PROPOSAL! Yay!

14. October 11, 2008: Only one of the most fun days ever! My Favorite Things BRIDAL SHOWER!

15. November 9, 2008: Only the greatest wedding gift ever received... the COLDPLAY Concert!

16. November 26, 2008: The Night of the Rehearsal Dinner! Horray for crepes!

November 29, 2008: ....followed by the wedding!

December 1, 2008:.... and the honeymoon that got cut short by 7 days. =(

17. December 4, 2008.... My 21st bday! Shared with family and friends! It was also Loli's bday!

18. December 17, 2008: Thomas graduates with his MASTERS in accounting! WOO! (photo by Paul)

19. December 28, 2008: Pepper De Armas is introduced to the family! adorable =)

20.... This will just be my list of randomness...

Among all these things, we had the opportunity to:

-See Jeff Dunham Live... hilarious!

-Enjoy our very first Christmas together!

-Get picked up by search and rescue on a private island

-Go to Orlando for our honeymoon 2.0 to enjoy magic kingdom, animal kingdom, and MGM

-Get a new 2009 Acura TL in white! Yay Thomas! Happy graduation!

-Get Guitar Hero World Tour

-Have dinner guests at our home two nights in a row! (samurai night first, then loaded fries and fritas night!)

-Plan a new years party for the very first time with some friends of ours!

and most importantly.... at this moment I am writing this blog... I am witness to a wonderful miracle. I had the wonderful opportunity to watch my grandma NANU defeat breast cancer! I've been at the hospital all night with her and she looks great! Praise God that she is doing so well.

And thus concludes this awesome eventful year... in a nutshell.

My resolutions (please hold me to them!):

1. To be an amazing wife!

2. To do something extraordinary for God

3. To get into nursing school

4. To make enough money working until nursing school to pay my health insurance for the next 3 years

5. Maintain my BMI and tone my muscles

Let's hope I stick to my guns and do a good job this year!

<3 new family

Song: Glass of Water

Artist: Coldplay

My mom decided to get her new puppy this week. I had the pleasure of naming her =) Here are a couple of pictures of the adorable Pepper De Armas. New blog coming soon!

Her body is a little smaller than my size 5 foot! She'll grow... eventually! I think Macho is beginning to like her! =)

That concludes my extremely short blog! =)