Cleaning up the cob webs...

Hello..helllooooooooo!!! Anyone still out there?? Yes, it's been awhile...a very long while. Many things have changed since I've last written such as:

1. The boyfriend was ugpraded to the fiance and finally promoted to the HUSBAND! We got married back in September 2011.

FIANCE

HUSBAND

(I just learned that fiancé is a man engaged to be married and fiancee is a woman engaged to be married. The whole time I thought they were the same thing and you used the double "e" when you didn't make the acute accent. I just found this out and that the accent mark above fiancé is called acute accent. I google everything)


2. The husband and I have happily expanded our family. Introducing "The Baby". Names may have been changed to protect the identity of those who can't hold their head up or stay awake long enough to protest. I may be biased but, he's pretty intelligent. Just the other day I promise he said my first name. Even some grown people have a hard time pronouncing my first name.


3. Our family did not expand by just plus one. Introducing...Mochi. (She has agreed to use her real name.) I forgot how crazy the puppy stage is. Mochi turned 1 this past Christmas. I'm hoping she'll calm down soon. I don't know how much more Korina, her older sister, can take. Mochi is a full bred maltese. I have the papers to prove it. Korina on the other hand - I'm slowly doubting each day that she's a full bred maltese. I don't think malteses are supposed to get as big as cocker spaniels.

And then there are some things that have not changed such as:

- my makeup obsession and growing collection as a result of this obsession
- quest for long HEALTHY NICE hair (just because it's long doesn't mean it's nice)
- my battle to become fit

I'll have some upcoming posts related to these.

Engagement and wedding images courtesy of Scott Hayne photography.

Let me break out the Pledge...

And dust off my blog. I have so many posts in my head that just need to get written down. I have some product reviews, including AG hair products (most known for AG recoil), Curl Junkie products and Arrojo products, that I have to get around to. I have the products, tested them out, taken the pictures but, I just need to sit down and actually write it out. I also have another giveaway coming either the end of this week or beginning of next week.

Blended Beauty sent me a cute sample bag which contained most of their popular products. One of the first things I do when I receive products is smell them. I'm very sensitive too smells. Blended Beauty products have that natural, woodsy scent going on a la Carol's Daughter's and Ojon products. The scent is strong and will linger in your hair the whole day. I categorize scents as perfumey, fruity, natural, and food-like (usually products that smell like desserts such as cake). There are probably scents that I haven't encountered yet that don't fit those categories but, a majority of the products I've smelled do fall in those 4 catgeories.

In my sample bag I received the Soy Cream Shampoo, Curl Quenching Conditioner, Light Styling Lotion, Kicks for Curls, Silkshake, Curly Frizz Pudding and an instruction booklet. I haven't had a chance to try some of the products because some of them are used on 2nd day hair and I usually wash my hair everyday. I cowashed with Suave Naturals, conditioned with Curl Quenching conditioner, and styled with the light styling lotion and Curly Frizz Pudding.
My hair was a bit tangly when I took this picture. The day I tested out some of the products was the day of my friend's "winging" for the Navy. Keep in mind this picture was taken at night. I think my hair held up pretty well for a warm day where I was sweating and running around (the room where they held the ceremony was kind of warm) and I also had my windows down when I was driving.

Blended Beauty products are very moisturizing. They don't have a lot of hold but, do give me some definition. I wouldn't call it heavy clumping though. If you want to style your waves or curls but, want them to have looser definition, these products would work for you.

Since I last blogged, I've past two milestones in my life. One being my 29th birthday and the other completing a half-marathon.

I felt like I celebrated my birthday all week. It might be the most I've ever celebrated my birthday. I celebrated at work twice (once actually at work and once at a hibachi restaurant), at Cheesecake Factory, at my boyfriend's mom's house, and at a bar and club on the weekend. I even had two birthday cakes. I'm not writing to brag about how much I celebrated my birthday but, to talk about how much all of that meant to me. I don't like to talk about my personal life that much on public sites but, some days, especially during holidays or special occasions, I feel kind of alone. I have a really big family but, my parents, brother, aunties, uncles and cousins are all out of state and not really at driveable locations either. I'm not close to the family that I do have nearby because of drama that I won't get into. When I say "not close", it's pretty much like we're strangers. My grandparents are close by also but their favorite past time is staying at home. I've been lucky enough to basically be "adopted" by one of my best friend's family and my boyfriend's family. My best friend's family is my 2nd family and her parents have always been there for me like my own parents have. My boyfriend's family is forever feeding me. If you see how much I eat, you know that can be costly. I have a couple close friends nearby but, again as life does to everyone, most of my close friends are miles and states away. I can't seem to find the words to end this rambling but, basically my Facebook status that I had posted up during my birthday week should sum it up, "[I'm] grateful for all the blessings that God has given me but most grateful for all the people He has brought into my life." I can't express how happy and thankful I was for everything that was done for my birthday. Thank you to everyone who celebrated and made me feel that I do have family here. Thank you to my family, who are some of the nicest people you'll meet, my boyfriend, who never ceases to make me happy, all my friends - new and old, both sides of my boyfriend's family who are always taking care of me, and my coworkers. Let me end this with some birthday pictures before someone offers me some cheese with that whine.

Celebrating at work. Yes, I know I'm dressed like a mechanic and No, I can't fix your car. The other day, someone in my neighborhood asked me if I was a professional dog sitter because I was always walking my dog at the same time dressed in my work uniform.
Celebrating at my boyfriend's mom's house. We had no idea she was planning anything. My boyfriend even took me out to dinner to Cheesecake Factory and his mom just told us to stop by. When we got to her house, there was all this food. I wish I could have eaten more because everything was so good but, we had gotten an appetizer, main meal and dessert at Cheesecake Factory.
My final celebration which happened to be the same day as the half marathon. I had to take a nap before we left that night. Blowing out my "candle" that was actually a steak knife.
Look at the size of this carrot cake that the restaurant gives out for birthdays.
The ladies. I was cracking up hard in the first picture.
I had fun that night but, took me a long time to recover.

Like I said above, I completed my half marathon earlier that day. That's the longest distance I've run so far - 13.2 miles. I started struggling at mile 10. It was also the first time I ran with an Ipod. The night before I had just dumped a bunch of songs on a playlist that I thought would be good for running. I might have to reevaluate my playlist though. Stay by Lisa Loeb doesn't hype you up as much as you think it would when all you feel like doing is rolling yourself into a ball and resting for a bit on the side of the road.

Here's a pic of me and my boyfriend at the halfway point, between miles 6 and 7. I look rough.
I think my pose for my next race will be one of these two.

Now that I've completed the half marathon, I've come to realize that I went about my training the wrong way. Forget building up your endurance and speed and increasing your mileage by 10% each week. All you need to do is keep your adrenaline up the whole race. That rush will enable you to complete your fastest mile EVER. Take for instance what happened to me. I'm running the half marathon, staying on the side of the road closest to the trees. Of course, because you are close to the woods, they are required to put up signs warning you about surrounding wildife, including bears. I'm getting in the groove, listening to my T.I., reggaeton and occasional soft rock songs, when out of nowhere this bear comes out of the woods ready to attack me.
I jumped, said "Holy Crap, Oh shoot", and sprinted with the quickness only to find the other people running next to me were laughing. (I like to think with me not at me). That's when I realized the bear was actually a very realistic, very life-like statue. I really think I'm on to something here. Imagine if you're running a race where you are constantly fearing for your life. Don't you think you'd end up with your best race times?

My goal was to a.) Finish the half marathon without having to be carried over the finish line and b.) Complete it within 2.5 hours.

Here are the details of my race sent to me by the race officials.

Your time 2:23:29.06 gave you a 10:57 pace per mile.

Your 3M time was 32:06.57 for a pace of 10:42 per mile
Your 6M time was 1:02:16.25 for a pace of 10:03 per mile
Your 10M time was 1:46:10.59 for a pace of 10:59 per mile

They really aren't impressive times especially considering when I was at 3.5 miles the winners of the race were on the way back to the finish line but, it was just a personal goal I can finally check off my list and I'm happy to have completed it without hurting myself. The boyfriend and I are planning on running a full marathon this year. I will definitely have to train for that.

Images courtesy of:
http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2008/06/austin_powers_mike_myers_as_dr_evil.jpg
http://events.clowningaround.com/images/Lookalike%20Photos/Austin%20Powers%20shagadelic.jpg

I don't mean to brag but....

I'm addicted to the Scramble game app. I just recently discovered that you could play against other players online. I have a somewhat competitive streak in me. Something just comes over me when it comes to games - kickball, baby shower games, tetris, my company volleyball game, dodgeball, buffet eating, etc. It doesn't even have to be against other people. I'm always trying to beat my own score at most games.

In Memoriam

I just wanted to take a moment of silence to remember those who lost their lives during one of Virginia Tech's most tragic days two years ago on this date.

Please take time to read the biographies of our 32 fallen Hokies here.

When I read these biographies, all I could think was how sad, senseless and selfish an action it was that took away someone's father, brother, sister, cousin, friend, classmate, etc.

My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to those who have been affected.

We will always remember. WE ARE VIRGINIA TECH!

We are Family..I got all my sisters with me

I'm a sister of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Incorporated. This past weekend I had a mini reunion with my sorority chapter sisters. It was just nice seeing everyone. I haven't seen some of them in years. There was also a stroll competition held by United Council of Fraternities and Sororities (UCFS) that we attended. I know I'm getting old though because the one day and one night I was actually at my alma mater wore me out. The 5 hour drive tired me out too. I got home and slept for more than 12 hours and was still tired when I got up.

One of my sisters was the host for the stroll competition










Some of the participating Sororities and Fraternities



Third Place










Second Place










First Place











This was one of the highlights of the stroll competition for me. If you can't really hear the music, it's Beyonce's Single Ladies.

Knock, Knock

Knock, Knock
Who's there?
Irish?
Irish you a Happy Birthday!

This was on one of the cards for Christle's gift. I thought it was the perfect card for her since her birthday falls on St. Patrick's Day.

We celebrated her birthday at this seafood restaurant Rockafellers. I liked the location where it was. It wasn't off the strip but, it was near the water. It's probably nicer during the summertime when you can actually eat outside.
Image courtesy of http://www.vbrestaurantguide.com/images/Rockafellers1.jpg

My boyfriend and I split everything so we wouldn't overeat but, then we ended up hungry by the time we left. We had split some calamari and a steamed bucket. We got some McD's fries and a vanilla cone after we left haha. Anytime we go to a restaurant we've never been to before we always try the calamari if it's on the menu. So far my favorite calamari has been Shucks in Norfolk and Red Star Tavern.

The product experimenting carried on. I used Giovanni Invigorating Tea Tree Shampoo, Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner mixed with L'oreal Vive Pro Nutri-gloss for medium to long hair curly/wavy hair, and a little bit of Generic Value Product Matrix Bioloage Conditioning Balm. I didn't do the upside down rinse.

I scrunched in Goldwell Curl Definition Revive Cream - Intense and Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling gel upside down. The Goldwell Curl Cream doesn't really give me any definition just softness. It's one of my products that I use when I know I'll just be staying at home but, don't want to leave my hair product-free. The first time I tried Giovanni gel I thought it didn't have enough hold. I thought the same thing again today. When I got home, it didn't look like I lost some wave. If you already have this product, I think mixing it with something that has a bit more hold like Biosilk Rock Hard gelee or Herbal Essences Set Me Up gel would work better.

I think the Biosilk gelee would actually be perfect to mix with the Giovanni gel because Biosilk gelee has too much hold for me. The first time I used it I used to much and I felt like my hair turned to glass.

After I applied all the products, I plopped to get my hair off my back, and diffused my hair until it was completely dry. While I was diffusing I could tell the Giovanni gel didn't really have much hold and felt like the back was getting a bit frizzy.
You can kind of see parts of my hair where it's frizzy or where the wave is falling. You know I had to bust out the green dress for St. Patrick's Day.

I'm hoping to go for some longer runs outside since the half-marathon I'm running is less than a month away now. I'm nowhere near where my training schedule says I should be. My shin splints were really bothering me and now they're manageable so I don't want to overdo it and be even more hurt closer to the race. I find that my shins hurt me when I run on the treadmill or pavement so I've been trying to run only outside but, we've been having some rainy weather lately.

Ice works miracles too. If I feel like my shins are hurting, I ice them when I get home while I'm watching The Wire (which I'm currently addicted to but, that's another post) and the pain really goes away.

I ordered some Kinesio tape two weeks ago and still haven't received it. I finally emailed the company and they said they were back ordered and expected date of shipment is April 1. I'd be more annoyed if my shins were hurting me more but, since I'm managing now I can deal with that shipment date.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

This weekend we celebrated my boyfriend's, his brother's girlfriend's birthday and his nephew's birthday. Whew, that's a lot of birthdays. It's a long standing joke between our friend Chelle, Josh and his brother about all of them having big heads. Chelle and her daughter made this crown for Josh, haha - perfect fit.


We actually had to go to his cousin's birthday too before we went to his mom's house. This was us at China Buffet, ignoring our diet for the weekend. We sort of matched on purpose.


Yummy cake before and after



When my boyfriend and I went to dinner for Valentine's Day, I had a drink called Snickers Bar Martini. I decided to try my bar tending skills for his birthday and try to replicate the drink. I found a pretty good recipe here.

Snickers Martini

4 Parts ABSOLUT Vodka
2 Parts Hazelnut Liqueur
2 Parts White Cacao Liqueur
1 Part Cream Liqueur

I even bought one of those cocktail mixers so that I'd feel like a professional. I lined the glass with Hershey's Syrup. Adding a lot of it made the drink taste not as strong.

It was a really fun weekend. Happy Birthday again my Juicy Doubles, Rosalee and Roshan!

Hair-wise, I used a mix of CG approved products and products with silicones in them. I cowashed with Suave Naturals and conditioned with GVP Bioloage conditioning balm. I used Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray, Ouidad Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel, Giovanni Frizz Be Gone, and a tiny bit of coconut oil. I let my hair partially air dry and then dried it with a blow dryer the rest of the way. I didn't worry about getting my hair straight because I knew I was going to be using my flat iron to make my hair wavy.