First Goal! :)

So, in order to make this whole weight loss thing easier, I've set up weekly goals for myself. I'm aiming to lose 2lbs every week, with each Monday being the weekly deadline. Well, today is Thursday, and I stepped on the scale, and I've already reached my goal for the week! :) Yay!! I was getting worried because I've been the same weight since Monday, so to get on and see the change definitely made me happy. Now I have to work at not gaining those 2lbs back. So, while I can celebrate this victory, I know that I still have work ahead of me. 2lbs down, 24lbs to go.

I can do this. I know I can. It's just going to take hard work and motivation. But I will finally reach my goals. :)

Neutrogena and Natural Skin Care

For those that don't know me, I'm allergic to sulfur. Like, highly allergic. Potentially deathly allergic. I've had 2 reactions so far, and the second one was 10 times worse than the first one. And my doctor told me that each reaction would be worse than the last. So, I try my best to stay away from the stuff.

Now, my allergy is only when I ingest it. I can apply it topically to my skin all day long and not have a problem. But let me get some medicine with sulfur in it, and I have the most horrible reactions ever (my last reaction including not being able to move because my back hurt so bad, and my skin looking and feeling like I had a chemical burn). Or so I thought. Now I'm thinking that maybe even having sulfur applied topically isn't great for me.

This theory came to me this morning. The other day, I found a coupon for a new line of products that Neutrogena has come out with: Neutrogena Naturals. If you go to the website, they say that this new line promises clearer skin without using harsh chemicals. That sounded good to me, so I decided to use the coupon and try it.

Now, I have been using St. Ives products for awhile now, both the Apricot Scrub in the morning, and the make-up remover at night (if I've worn make-up during the day).

Overall, I've been pleased with them. I mean, my skin hasn't cleared up like I would like, but I also don't get the hideous breakouts all the time like I used to. However, looking at the labels right now, I'm not sure I'm impressed anymore. The front label on the scrub (and even the website) say that this has "100% natural exfoliants." When I look at the back label, though, it's hard to find those "natural exfoliants" in the ingredients list. I see a lot of names that we talked about when I took chemistry (I hated that class). And I even see sodium laureth sulfate.  The make-up remover doesn't make those same claims, which is good, because I also can't find the natural ingredients on the ingredients list. But one point in its favor is that it also doesn't have any sulfur related chemicals in it. However, I also don't know what half the stuff on the ingredients list is, which is starting to bother me.

Now we move on to Neutrogena. I bought the purifying facial cleanser yesterday, and the first thing I noticed on the label was that it says "NO harsh chemical sulfates, parabens, petrochemicals, dyes, phthalates."

I'm not sure what parabens, petrochemicals, or phthalates are, but there are no sulfates!!!! Happy day!!!! In fact, on the ingredients list, it does have things that I can't pronounce, but it also tells me where those  things came from. For example, Cocamidopropyl Betaine is coconut derived, and Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride is Guar Bean derived. Everything except the fragrance and sodium benzoate is natural. That excited me. So I tried it last night, and loved it. It smelled so good, and it felt really good, too. I almost didn't want to stop washing my face with it. And when I woke up this morning, my acne wasn't gone, but there was a lot less redness, and it wasn't as noticeable! :) Neutrogena has won me over with this line after just one use!

I still have some of my St. Ives products left, so I will use those up because I don't like wasting money, especially when I don't really have any. But, when I do run out, I'll be going out and buying Neutrogena Nautrals purifying pore scrub and fresh cleansing + make-up remover. They also have a lip balm, which I want to try, and a bar soap, which is a possibility. I prefer body washes, but if that bar soap can clear my skin as good as this face wash did, I just may switch.

It's That Time Again....

So, for those of you who haven't clicked on my profile and checked out my other blog (or, for those of you who don't know me), I got accepted into the Walt Disney World College Program for Fall 2011. Basically, this means I'll be "living, earning, and learning" at the Happiest Place on Earth from August until January. And I'm excited. Beyond excited. This is going to be the experience of a lifetime, and I cannot wait! :)

However, as most of you who have read this blog know, I've been struggling with my weight. And now that I'm a college graduate, and I'm about to start on a new chapter in my life, I'm really wanting to get rid of this extra "baggage" I'm carrying around. So once again, I've decided to start another diet/exercise routine. I'm trying to lose 2lbs a week, and if I do that all summer, I'll be down 24lbs before I start the college program! That will put me almost to what I was in high school! :)

If you're interested in knowing what I'm doing for exercise, check out this article. I started it today, and I think I'm going to like this. :) The diet I'm going to have a hard time with, because it's mainly me cutting back on things (especially fast food), and that's always been hard. But once I did the math and saw what I could get down to before Disney, it made me pumped up for this. And I'm determined to stick with this. This is a new start for me, and I need to really start over.

If you want to know what's going on with the college program, head on over here!

Graduation Eve

So, I'm sitting here on the night before my college graduation, and I'm doing my usual reflection. I've spent the past 5 years of my life in college, taking classes, making friends, and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. And trust me, it took all 5 years to figure out what I want to do when I "grow up." And there are still times when I wonder if the plans I've made today will be the same tomorrow.

But in these last 5 years, I've also done some growing. When I started college, I was a shy girl who had her comfort zone and didn't like to get out of it. My first year of college was spent away, and that was definitely out of my comfort zone. While I did enjoy my time at Berry (and I got an amazing friend out of it), it didn't feel right. I wasn't happy. I guess I wasn't ready to be away from my source of comfort. So I came home. And I spent the last 4 years living with my parents and attending a new college. I even changed my major from business to education. There were times when I questioned that move. Heck, I was questioning that move earlier this year. However, I'm satisfied with my decision. I love working with kids, and while I don't want to be a traditional classroom teacher, I have a plan.

That's something that hasn't really changed about me. I always have a plan. Even when I don't think I have a plan, I still had a plan. I'm a planner, and I don't think that will change. However, I have become more open to my plans changing. I don't freak out as much as I use to when they do. I know now that life throws in things that can't be planned for, and I have to be ready to roll with the punches. I have to be prepared for my plans to change. And I need to be ready to welcome changes sometimes. Change isn't always bad. In fact, a lot of times, it's really good. :)

I've noticed myself becoming more of a risk taker. Things that I wouldn't have dreamed of doing 5 years ago, I'm wanting to do now. Like parasailing, which I plan on doing while at Disney. Heck, even moving out of state for 5 months. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this 5 years ago. Leaving everything and everyone that I know behind to move to a city where I know 1 person. And I won't even be living or working with the person I know. 5 years ago, that would have caused me so much anxiety. But now it excites me. I can't wait for August to be here. I can't wait to move and start this next chapter in my life. I can't wait to meet new people and have all these new experiences.

I don't have any regrets about the my college years. I'm glad to be done with them though. It's time for me to move on. To move to a different place, meet new people, have new experiences. It's time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life, and I cannot wait.

Bleed Red

While I am a country music fan, I also tend to be over the whole Brooks and Dunn thing. They retired, let's move on. However, Ronnie Dunn is coming out with a solo album, and his first single, "Bleed Red" is amazing. And it's really speaking to me right now.

Let's say we're sorry before it's too late
Give forgiveness a chance
Turn the anger into water
Let it slip through our hands

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
All fall down
Lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red

If we're fighting we're both losing
We're just wasting our time
Because my scars they are your scars
And your world is mine
You and I

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
All fall down
Lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red

Sometimes we're strong
Sometimes we're weak
Sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep
We live this life breath to breath
We're all the same
We all bleed red

Let's say we're sorry before it's too late

We all bleed red
We all taste rain
All fall down
Lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears
We all bleed red

Sometimes we're strong
Sometimes we're weak
Sometimes we're hurt and it cuts deep
We're all the same
We all bleed red

There are people out there who I know I've hurt, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Some of these people were a big part of my life for a long time, and others weren't. However, I hate knowing that I hurt anyone. I have tried to talk to some of these people before, and it just hasn't worked out, no matter how much I wanted it to. So, in case any of them read this, this is my apology. I'm sorry for ever hurting you. Forgive me, please.

Disney "Believe" Board

So, I'm sure most of you are aware of this (if you've talked to me or seen my facebook in the past few months, then you are), but for those of you that are not....I got accepted into the Walt Disney World College Program!!! What does this mean? This means that come August, I will be living and working at The Happiest Place on Earth for 5 months. Of course, I'm hoping this (paid!!!) internship will turn into a permanent job with Disney. I took my first trip to Disney World in 1997 when I was 9, and ever since then, I've wanted to work for them. So this internship opportunity is a dream come true for me! :)

Anyway, since I got accepted, and since I now have a ton of free time because I am DONE with school (graduation is this Saturday!!), I have been indulging my creative side. :) This is making me extremely happy, because for the past few months, I haven't been able to all that much because of school. But now, I can!

So, one of my first projects for this summer was what I'm calling my Disney "Believe" Board. This is something that I can hang on my wall, and every time I look at it, I am reminded to believe in my dreams because, yes, they can come true...no matter how big they are. And trust me, when I dream, I dream big. :p

So, how did I create this board? Well......

I started with a scrap piece of cardboard that I had lying around. I don't remember where this piece came from, but I know that when I saw it, I made a point of keeping it because I figured I could do something with it. Make sure that if you decide to do a project like this, that the cardboard is pretty sturdy and thick. It needs to be able to hold the paint and the items you'll put on it. You could also use a piece of plywood if you don't have cardboard. Just make sure you sand the plywood before you use it! :)


I then painted the cardboard. If you like the look of plain cardboard, then feel free to skip this part. However, I like color, so I decided to paint my board red. I used Apple Barrel brand in Crimson. The picture above is after one coat. That just wasn't bright enough for me, so....

...I added another coat. This was much better for me. :)

Then I laid the stuff that I was going to put on it out. I used punch-out letters to spell out "Believe", and the rest of the stuff is memorabilia from my trip to Disney in December. At the bottom right, there's a coaster, my ticket/room key/credit card is at the bottom left, and in the center at the top is a personalized congratulation note from Mickey himself. :) I celebrated my college graduation a bit early in December, so this was one of the things I got. :)

Time to Mod Podge everything! Make sure that not only do you concentrate on the edges (like shown in the picture), but that you do go back over the entire board with the Mod Podge. This will seal in everything, and it will give the whole board a much smoother finish.
And here is the finished product! I'm going to add a bracket to the back so that I can hang it on my wall, but if you wanted to just prop it up somewhere, that would be fine, too. :) I'm very excited about my board, and what it represents to me. :) And this makes me even more excited for August to get here so I can move on into the next chapter in my life.

Wow.

So, I've noticed that I've been going somewhat easy on myself, and maybe that's why I haven't seen the results that I've wanted.

Well, that and the fact that I'm become very lax with my diet and exercise. But, I'm vowing to get back into this. I'm tired of feeling fat and tired all the time. And I want to look good for graduation. :)

So, I've been doing workouts on the SportsActive for the Wii, and I've had it set on medium intensity since, well, since I got it a couple of years ago. So, I thought it was time to up the intensity.

And boy, did setting it on high intensity really up the intensity. I honestly thought I was going to collapse before I finished. And I was sweating by the time I finished the 3rd exercise in the routine. However, I'm proud to say that I made it through, and, even though my legs are sore and not really able to support me at the moment, I feel really good right now. :)

I'm doing the 30-day challenge again, and I'm very hopeful that I'll see results by the time the 30 days are up. And this time, I'll try not to stop exercising after the challenge is over like I did last time. This time, I'm determined to make exercising a permanent part of my life.