I can Picture it

Last night I don't know what hit me?! I can only explain it as Spring Cleaning.. but its still January..? lol In any case, for whatever the reason I decided to clean my little room (aka the Bcave) from head to toe, top to bottom, side to side, and even under my bed (my mother is cheering on the inside right now) rearranged my closet to make more room for my shoes (it was a grave mistake to think they could stay in a heap on my floor) and unpacked the final two boxes I still had chillin in the middle of my room from my old apartment..

ahhhh old apartment, how I miss you. It was perfect I can't lie. But I love the Bcave and all its cluttered Burns glory. You see.. I am a burrower. I like all my favorite things right there! Right there where I can see them everyday. In fact I want it to overwhelm me so I can swim in it. I know some of you are wanting to creep in there and clean it out (sorta Monica via Friends espisode where Ross dates a mess girl and M shows up in the middle of the night unable to sleep until she cleans MGs apartment?) Sort make piles, have a "toss" and "give away" stack. But trust me. I have tried this before and we ended up agreeing to keep most of it...

In **mystery box #1 I had odds and ends from my desk (which is now used as my vanity) along with all kinds of random pictures, clunky frames, and short of a million headphone wires in various colors. In the not so mysterious box (becuase my mother packed it on day 1) were tucked safely away all of my wall hangings.

**I start out very organized in a move. But towards the end it ends up with labels like "Crap from that one drawer" or Tommy Boy style, in a giant trash bag. And no. I am not ashamed.

Throughout the years I have collected what I call post card art. I had them (cheaply) framed and hung in my "dinning room" in the 'ol place along with framed photographs that I loved, or cards I was sent from various loved ones. I decided to dust them off and hang a few in the Bcave.

Here are some dimly light pictures of them from my iPhone (my apologies.. but you get the idea):

Sent to me by one very amazing, talented, beautiful, and hilarious friend..

My brother Brother Peter

Sorry.. tilt your head to get full effect lol Cafe Du Monde New Orleans

He both makes me happy, and very sad...

Bought at the New Orleans Jazz Festival 2010 (1/4)

Sent to me from a family member

Collected at an art exibit

My Grandmother

My Grandfather

I can feel the breeze here.. it makes me sleepy and calm

2/4 Jazz Fest

3/4 Jazz Fest

4/4 Jazz Fest perhaps my fav.

lol back in the day with my gal pals (from Left "Lou" "Underwood" "Burns")

Slightly more current, but not really (from left "Burns" "Underwood" "Lou")

My Favorit, stood in front of it face to face in NYC MET

Sent to me from my brother Brother Peter from Venice during his stay there

Any jump out at you?? Where do you get your art?

531

You all thought I wasn't going to post one today didn't ya?.. Didn't ya! Well I didn't forget, actually I have been really excited for this truth to share. And I have been gearing up for it. About a month ago I started to eat better and make it to a hand full of spin classes, and started to generally just feel better! Of course of course thats every woman's goal in the new year, to get fit, shape up or ship out, loose x amount of pounds and by x date and time...

But I have a sure fire way to make this work....

 YOU!

Thats right I am going to be completely accountable to all of you... if I tell no one then no one will know when I sneak coffees in the morning or that last cookie before I go to bed...

So here is my plan. I am going to share with you my weight as of this morning, and by the end of this month I will be five pounds less than that number (so help me..I will be) . I am going to reach this goal by doing three important things:

1. Plan my meals.

 This is a biggie for me because if I don't eat breakfast or don't bring a lunch I am stranded with fast food options, and junk around the office. But planning my meals means I have control over what I end up eating and making the choice to have it be much better for me then anything out of a bag...

2. Move.

  Not necessarily work out. I get bored with the same ol same ol so i want to take different classes, get out and hike more, and for longer periods of time, walks around the neighborhood, playing in parks with my friends kids, helping someone move (although I missed the boat on this one this week.. sorry Underwood!) The point of moving is to make it something I am going to enjoy.. life is too short and can be so stressful to be making yourself do one more thing you really don't want to do.. why?

3. Give in.

  Because I am doing the two above I should be able to let myself have that dessert, or cocktail out with friends. The second you limit my options my mind goes crazy with things I feel I am "missing out" on.  This is painful. no pain in 2011 please.

So there you have it.. my master plan made simple. made easy. made achievable!

Ok now the hard part... I will decode what I have shamefully written backwards on my work calendar to keep track.. my current weight:

 135

True. It isn't awful. but it isn't great. Not for me, or my body type. SOOO

 I will keep you posted on my progress but mainly I will have another weight in on the 14th to check my progress, and again on the 31st.

Current: 135

Goal: 130

Time: 4 weeks

ViVa Las Vegas

On Thursday December 30th I was leaving work and saw this storm cloud blowing away. I think it is so beautiful! I love when you can see that nature has a mind of its own, and decides to drop a snow cloud over Arizona.

 That night I made a quick stop at the store to load up on croissants and pink lemonade and headed out with a friend ;) to Las Vegas for New Years Yahooo! I headed out for New Years not at all prepared for the bone chilling cold weather of 25* outside at 10pm! I have no idea how cold it had dropped.. I do know I tried to take a picture of this Hotel Aria and this is how badly I was shaking apparently:

Yeah I thought I was super steady and wasn't feeling cold at all.. thank you SoCo for keeping me warm at night in he new year!

ladies good times were had let me tell ya! Not only was I there with a fun group of people, and a gorgeous friend of mine whome I am taking the time to know again.. but I met up with Fun Kim!

Due to my ...discretion I didn't really snap that many pictures of the weekend.. Vegas is to enjoy.. not document. However, I did want to get some of these fine ladies.

Some how Kim's adorable friend "J" was able to get me into a club called Haze in Aria where everyone there looked beautiful. The gents, the ladies.. all of them.. hot. Kim and J looked stunning of course, I on the other hand rocked the cozy look. I didn't know I wouldn't have time to change before I went out so I wore jeans Ugg wanna bes, and a red tube top.. yeah.. lol not hot. Not Vegas hot spot club hot. yikes. Allow me to explain a little...

The night before club Haze was New Year Eve. shenanigans ensued. At one point I was in a room with twenty Japanese guys, one very drunk friend, and about six necklaces... when the count down got close we gathered in the street outside of the Paris Hotel and watched as four different fireworks went off over head.. they were so beautiful! The NYE kiss was good... I had two lol!

However fun the night was.. I woke up with two giant welts on my left leg and another giant bruise on my right, a scratch on my arm that looked like a scar lol and a whole new set of necklaces...to which upon discovery of these new additions my friendly friend asked "What the hell did you do last night?"

Answer: "I had fun" lol honest I don't and can't drink to the point of loosing my barrings, blacking out, or getting ill. I don't like to, especially in a city I don't know, and because I have a mini little heart flutter that can't take a wild night out.. so honestly.. what the heck happened that night?lol

Becuase of my new unsightly markings I reached for my jeans instead of my cute black mini dress I had planned....

Ahhhh club Haze. Where to pick up...

Here are a few high lights from that night that will be referred to as the night I got scrappy.

*Being on a list for some fancy club is more fun than I thought it would be! Not because of any snooty wrist bands or hand stamps, but because the people I was on that list with.

*You mention New York.. and guess what.. we're besties..

*I have very poor night vision which I noticed as soon as I entered the smoky dark halls of the club...

*Bruno Mars sounds the exact same as he does on the radio. Which is why it took Fun Kim and I a solid two songs to figure out it wasn't the club pumpin the jam.. no it was he.

*VIP guards look hella mean.. but really.. they can get down with the best of them on the dance floor

*Rihanna was in the vip with us and I think so much prettier without a bunch of make up on and sporting a hawk.. although... I love that she can rock that look too.

This singer named Bruno Mars showed up at the club and sang a few songs which was pretty cool. Kim loves him! So that was fun and she got super excited lol we were holding hands running around trying to get a good view. But then some freaking guy decided to take advantage of my face though.. it happened pretty much like this:

Bruno Mars starts to sing, crowd goes crazy
I start to sing into my drink using the straws as some sort of tipsy girl microphone.. naturally
I turn to my right and serenade Kim who has her disposable camera out trying to get a picture
I turn to my left and serenade…. some guy… “guy on the left”
He enjoys my serenade (who wouldn’t?) and decides we are besties, puts his arms over my shoulders and we serenade Kim together.. she takes a picture of this..
Guy on left says to me “You have the most beautiful green eyes”
Me: "Bahahaha, my eyes are blue you tool”
Guy on left then grabs my face and trys to kiss me but due to my expert wiggle tactics he is missing and instead kissing my eye, my nose and I'm pretty sure my ear while I tell him "no no no" over and over..

(although I am not "with" this ;) friend of mine.. I'm still there with him.. and homie don't play that. Also.. don't grab my face!) 

I pull a 1 2 and with my left hand and push him away and with the right I follow up with a slap.

I turned around and see Kim.. tall tall Kim who is with an even taller tall guy named Tyson she met the night before.. I tell her.. “Kim that guy just raped my face”  she looked at me, and said .. I have a picture.. in two weeks we can see who it was..she gave me a little hug and then said.. “where’d he go?”  in a low mischievous voice and shifty eyes.. yeah I have back up… really tall back up.

 

This is J.. adorable isn't she? After the club we brought it down a notch at the Gold Lounge and then I met back up with said funny, smart gorgeous friend at the hotel.

And that my dear friends is all that can leave Vegas ;)