Shopping rules, super glue fixes, and DIY torches, er, candles

I have a rule.

When I find something, whatever it may be, and decide not to buy it, but continue to think about it for days, then I know I should have it. Such was the case. I found a pair of pants that I really liked at The Loft, which is very rare because I've never liked pants from The Loft. Well, surprise!, I do now. They are orange! A pretty orange. PERFECT for fall! I tried them on during my shopping last weekend, but didn't buy them. Liked them, may have loved them, but decided I didn't want to pay full price. BUT THEN!, I got an e-mail on Monday that The Loft was having a sale so I went back and had a horrible pants experience (for whatever reason I was feeling bold and decided to try on some jeans...no dice), so I bought nothing and vowed I would never buy jeans or pants again. Never. It was the emotion of the moment. Don't lie, you've been there. Then I called my mom and we talked about shopping and pants and ranted and vented about how awful it is shopping for pants and I felt better....aka my self esteem was back in tact. Bruised badly, but back. 

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions regarding pants this week, I decided that since I could not stop thinking of those orange pants, I needed to see them again. So I headed back to the mall today (this is the most I have ever been to the mall in...ever?...twice in a week?!!? Yeah, I know. I'm that girl) and tried them on and I loved them. I started envisioning fall outfits, and that alone made me giddy, and they were still on sale so I bought them. Done. I am very pleased. 

AND!!! I have been told from at least 6 people in the past week that American Eagle jeans are awesome. Since I am not longer in high school, I didn't feel I was "of age" to be shopping there but feeling bold after my success at The Loft today, I went in and tried on some jeans. I was very pleased. No purchases were made as I had other things to buy today, but I will try them out again.

AND!!! I got a coupon in the mail for 40% off at the Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy outlets and what do you know, I just happen to live near Tangor Outlets. So after my mall excursions, I headed to the outlets and got some wicked deals. Love it! 

All this and I saved $96! YAH! 

Now, I did have one minor casualty today. I was wearing my new shoes that I got for a steal of a deal last week. Please see my previous post for details. Well, as I was exiting the mall, all of the sudden something felt weird on my left foot. My shoe felt loose. I looked down to check the strap and it seemed fine so I kept walking. But it still felt weird!!! Once I got outside, I sat on a bench and upon further inspection, and to my dismay, one of the straps on the left side of my left shoe had come OUT of the shoe and that's why it was feeling loose. Basically my shoe was partially broken. I was devastated, but it looked fixable. And since you couldn't really tell, and the shoes were still functional, I decided instead of going home and switching shoes, I would continue on with my shopping endeavors. Once I got home I busted out the super glue, which got all over my fingers of course, and poured heaps of glue onto the strap and shoved it back into the slit of my shoe. And then poured more super glue over it just to make sure that bugger wasn't ever coming out again! 

I let the glue dry and then a little while later tugged on it. It seems to be stuck but we'll see the next time I wear them. Hopefully this did the trick or I will be very, very sad.

My pals Amy and Jen, and I like to have Ladies Night, which usually consists of dinner and a Pinterest craft. This past Friday we decided to make our own mason jar candles. They seemed simple enough. We even added some essential oils (lavender!) and they turned out great. 

The only thing is the wicks are HUGE. About as big around as my middle finger. That's fine and dandy and all, but apparently it's safest best to shove the wick down as far as you can before you light it. Amy did not do this initially, and her candle was our guinea pig, so when she lit her candle, it was like a torch. I'm NOT even kidding you. The flame was probably 6-8 inches high. Jen and I were on the floor laughing as Amy tried to carefully carry her torch candle to the sink to blow it out without singeing  her eyebrows. Again, Jen and I were holding our stomachs on the floor laughing. Ah Ladies Nights are always a blast. 

And let it be know that this week I will finally get to see my fiance after almost 2 months of being apart. THANK. THE. STARS. I am ready to burst with excitement! We will be taking our engagement pictures!!!!!! But seriously, I'm just happy to see Mark again. 

Holy blogging slacker

Bad Gabe, bad! Bad blogger. 

In my defense...wedding planning does take a bit of time. And I'm studying for a huge exam. Just sayin'. But holy catscans I haven't blogged since June. Geez Louise. Where did the time go?? Prepare for another picture overload.

July. Mark came to New England. I have only be waiting for this for forever. Finally I got to show him my turf, my heaven on earth, my happy place!!!!!

Scotty slept with me during my visit. It was sweet to cuddle with this furball again. I miss him. 

 Now try as I might, friends, I just cannot plan a leisurely visit to New England. It's impossible. I love this place too much and there is FAR too much to see and experience. I tried to go easy on Mark, but alas, I failed. I surely tired him out! But there was many a good time had by all. 

Directly from the airport I took him to one of my favorite eateries on the coast: Petey's. This is one of my family's favorite seafood places. It's also one of the first places when went out to eat when we moved to New England. It's all about the tuna melts. Mark got crab cakes and wished he would have gotten a tuna melt with me. Told ya...

Mark went on his first (debatable...does the BART count? I saw no but DR says yes)train ride into my favorite city ever, my beloved Boston

 

Naturally we had to see as much of the city as possible. From Mass Ave and Fenway to Copley Square, Boston Commons, Beacon Hill, Government Center,Quincy Market, and the North End. He saw it all. Too briefly, but he saw it.

I personally have never taken the Fenway Tour, and being that we are both avid baseball fans, I thought it would be a blast to experience it together. Oh it was!!! I love Fenway. And I love Mark. So it was grand! 

A very happy Mark. I love this picture. 

Also you should know, and of course this would happen to me, it was one of the hottest days of the summer on the day we went to Boston. Ah well. It didn't stop us! 

 

And since I've only been talking up Regina's since we met, we had to go. It was deeeelicious! 

And, of course, he had to have a fresh lobstah. He did well! Very little coaching needed. 

We also went candlepin bowling with the family. I think this is mostly a northeast/New England thing, as I've never seen it anywhere else.

My darling friend Becca came over for cookies, meet and greets with Mark, and to chat. It's always a delight to be with Becca!

And then the horrid day came where Mark had to leave. So afterward, my mom and I sought out Shake Shack and indulged. 

FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to go back!

Next. The Redheads (Amy and Gabe) had a long overdue day trip. We went to Charleston to get gelato, hit up Whole Foods and Trader Joes. 

I've come to the conclusion that gelato and homemade New England ice cream are my favorite treats in the world. Don't faint when I say...I'm a little over froyo. Now that it's "the thing" and there's a blasted fro yo shop every 2 miles, I'm kind of over it. It's good. I still eat it. But the magic is gone. But put hazelnut and chocolate gelato near me and watch out...

Amy and I stopped and had a splendid light lunch at a place called Five Loaves. Quaint and yummy. 

 My loot from the trip. Carbs. Bread, cheese, pasta, cookies, and a dessert. Yup, sounds about right!

I just had to share this because my heart melted and I almost teared up one Sunday morning, when during church Heath and Emma sent this to me. What an adorable pup. I miss him but I'm so happy that he is happy in New England with HEmma. 

Yesterday I was walking to yoga and I bubble with pure happiness when I saw this! I am SO very ready FALL. SO READY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm done with summer. Yes. I am. Summer and I do not see eye to eye. It's too hot and humid. I crave cool temps, sweaters, hot chocolate, fall colors, leaves, and that smell, you what I am talking about? The smell of fall. Oh gosh I love it. Now it's not as pronounced here in SC...but I manage. Lots of Gilmore Girls, cups of Ghirardelli hot chocolate, and crunching every leaf I can! 

Today.

Here's the deal. I am not a retail shopper. I don't have the stamina. Shopping is a work out in and of itself, mentally and physically, and sometimes emotionally. All that walking, sorting through clothes, every designer/brand fits differently, trying them on, being horrified/discouraged and sometimes pleased, carrying bags, over and over and over. Gosh it's exhausting. I prefer to go in with an item in mind, find it or don't, and be gone. In and out. Plus. You know what, I don't know what happened, if the amount of cotton/rayon/polyester/silk available on the planet is in short supply but all of the clothes these days are SEE THROUGH. Excuse me. First of all, I don't feel the need to have everyone see my bra. Trash was never in style and I don't intend to encourage it. Yeah I went there. *scowl* Second, I HATE layering. I HATE wearing camisoles under shirts. It's bulky and uncomfortable and annoying. Either I have to tuck it in or keep pulling and adjusting. NO! No. I want a shirt that requires just that, itself. When did upscale stores start selling clothes as cheaply made as Forever 21? NOT. A. FAN. I was so angry today. I found tons of cute shirts, only to pick it up and realize I could see my hand. Through the back. And then the price was $58. Ridiculous. 

BUT. I did have a shopping success. I had reached the end of my shopping stamina and decided I'd pop into Belk real quick and then leave. Seeing nothing good clothing wise, I headed over to the shoe section, which was a MAD HOUSE. Back up. When I went home in June, my mom had these cute wedges that were SUPER comfortable. I found them online...and they were ridiculously priced. Well never mind that. I was so sad. Well. In Belk, I immediately recognized the style of several pairs of wedges sitting on the clearance table. Could it be?!??? So I scurried closer and to my delight, the wedges were there!!! The price said $40, so I greedily snatched them up, marched over to the cashier and bought them. The final price? $26. HA! SUCCESS! I WIN! Cute shoes and for a fraction of the price. Man, I love a good bargain. And goodness they are so comfortable. 

 

And (my original intention for going to the mall in the first place) I bought a Yankee Candle. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you I lamented over which candle to buy for about 15 minutes. The fall candles are my faaaaavorite (shocker). They didn't have the Pear Spice one (yet??) so I was trying to choose between 2 or 3. But you know, after you sniff 8 candles about 3 dozen times, they all begin to smell the same. Thank goodness for coffee beans. I finally decided on this one, and it's yummmy!  

And now I want to bake something. I really am craving banana bread but I only have on banana right now and that really won't do. Drats. Time to thumb through my cookbooks. YAY!

And now...

I'd like to interrupt my slow-as-molasses blogging about my trip to California for the 411 on my week. 

Let's begin with Monday. I woke up at 5am, turned on my side to see what time it was and all of the sudden felt that weird sensation of post-nasal drip. Or so I thought. Turns out, for the first time in I don't know how many years, I had a bloody nose. I was out of my bed and in the bathroom in a flat 0.89 seconds. So after successfully sticking tissue up my nose, pinching my nose, and praying it would stop so I could go back to bed, I hopped into bed, propped my pillows so I was sitting up and tried to fall asleep. Well, I did, kind of. My alarm went off and again I turned over to shut it off and the blood came gushing out. Sick. And on a Monday!!! FOR. THE. LOVE. For the entire day, I had the urge to sneeze and was afraid I would spew blood everywhere. A little later in the day my nose starting leaking again. I thought I was going to have to hole myself up in my office but thankfully it stopped. Embarrassing...

I have somehow tumbled off of the running bandwagon and it's really been frustrating for me. Except I ran an 8:36 pace for my 10K Turkey Trot, and that's after slacking on consistent running so that made me feel a little better. I'm just really lacking in motivation. Well, I was. Yesterday I went and got some new running kicks. It was VERY exciting! I went to a local running store with my friend Amy and got fitted for running shoes. First let me just tell you, Amy is awesome. She is a legit runner, my mentor in many ways, and patiently helps me try to get better. She also brought me a yuuuummy salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks and it was about 157% better than the one I got when we went to Charleston. What a great way to begin the day! Back to the running shoes; I was so giddy. Like a 4 year old. I tried on a few different pairs and finally chose these new beauties: 

My first pair of REAL running shoes: New Balance Barringer 890. Ahhhhhhhh so cool! 

I've never had New Balance shoes before so this is doubly exciting!

So, I took them for a spin yesterday and it was amazing. They are so light. I felt like I was running on squishy, comfy, wonderfulness. Bliss I tell you, bliss! I didn't look at the clock when I left so I have no idea how fast I was, but I ran 4.5 miles and it felt great. So, looks like I'm climbing back onto the wagon. I'm hoping to break my half marathon PR in February. We'll see. Running in the cold is a little intimidating for me, but I'm excited. And let's face the facts for 3.5 seconds: I live in South Carolina and it's not exactly that cold here. Though, I am acclimating...wimp. 

Last night I went to my first Barre class and it was interesting. It was a mix of aerobics and ballet. I liked it and I feel a bit sore today, but I'm not sure it's for me. We'll see. I have a 3-class pass so we'll see. 

But the best news of the day is...it's Friday. And that means Froyo Friday at Orange Leaf so I'll be having froyo for lunch for $5!!!! YES. YES! YES! YES! And then I'm going to yoga with one of my yogi friends. AND Amy, who is on her way to the Bahamas for a 4 day cruise, has left her beloved Garmin watch for me to use while she is gone. I am SO excited to use it!!!! 

And now I am watching the show finale of Boy Meets World on TV (I have today off) and it makes me a little teary-eyed! Did you know they are doing a spin-off called Girl Meets World about Cory and Topanga's daughter?!?! I hope it's to par with Boy Meets World. Those are some big shoes to fill. 

Oh and P.S.: For those of you who have been sharing my frustrations about the stupid photo limit had some difficulties uploading pictures because you've reached your quota, I think I figured it out, or at least a way around it. When you try to upload pictures, there is the "From Picasa Web Album" option. Well, I just uploaded pictures I wanted to post to a new album on Picasa's website and it allowed me to upload them to my blog using that option instead of the usual "Upload" and then choosing pictures from my computer. Give it a try!

I went to Charleston. And I kicked butt today.

Prepare for a picture OVERLOAD.

This past weekend my friend Amy and I headed south to Charleston. 

Charleston is a great city. I like it a lot.

Views from our hotel window

FIRST we stopped at Starbucks and I got the salted caramel hot chocolate. Friends I have been waiting for the right time to have my first of the season and Saturday was the day. Unfortunately...the drink was really disappointing. I had the best salted caramel hot chocolate in Tucson and that's my standard. Then again I also ordered it skinny so maybe that's why? It was lacking. Oh well. Dunkin' Donuts is better. Or Ghiradelli. Or Godiva, though I haven't tried Godiva hot chocolate yet, but I hear it's better than Ghiradelli. Whaaaat? I don't know if that's even possible! I shall find out.

So we arrived Saturday late morning and the first store we pop in to, mind you we've only been in Charleston for about 10 minutes, is Rack Room and conveniently they are having a sale. Now I'm on a blood thirsty hunt for the perfect pair of brown boots. I didn't find any BUT I did see, out of the corner of my peepers while I was looking at boots, a pair of charcoal Converse kicks. 

Well.

 

I bought 'em! And so did Amy. Yes we have matching Converse shoes. I love them. These are my first pair of Converse. I had an extra spring in my step while cruising the streets. 

I told Amy we had to stop at Belgian Gelato. I serendipitously stumbled upon this delightful shop the last time I was in Charleston and now it's a must-go-to every time I am there. I mean how do you say no to a Belgian chocolate lined waffle cone with chocolate hazelnut and white chocolate praline gelato? Answer: YOU DON'T. It's reeeeally, reaaaaalllllly, really good.  

 

 Sitting on a porch swing on the pier, eating gelato, in my new Converse, in Charleston. Bliss.

Then we played near the fountain.

 

And walked down Rainbow Row. BEAUTIFUL!

And played in an alley. This alley even has a legit street sign.

Pretending like we live in one of the cute apartments off of the alley.

Ok. We saw these everywhere. I have no idea what it's a picture of or what it's for or what it's supposed to represent. If you know, PLEASE TELL ME!!! My curiosity is killing me.

And then we spent lots of time walking up and down King Street. We stopped in a 2-story (!!!!) Starbucks for water and a bathroom break and a rest. We people watched from the second story and planned all of the shops we were going to hit up. So cool! 

One of the shops was Cupcake for...cupcakes! We got red velvet and salted caramel. To be honest, they were good but not great and definitely not worth $3 a pop. I made salted caramel cupcakes a little bit ago and I thought the flavor of mine was better. I'm not being a snob, I'm just sayin'...disappointing. 

Our purchases from the day. I think maybe we have similar taste?!? 

The next morning we slept in (*heavenly music*) and then headed out for brunch. We found this AH-dorable grocery/cafe called...Queen Street Grocery and Cafe! They have lots and lots of crepes so that's what we got! VERY, VERY good. If I lived in Charleston, I would eat my way through their menu because it looks scrumptious.  

While we were eating we heard someone at the next table say something about a pumpkin pie popsicle. Naturally we perked up and agreed after we finished to go back inside and search for the popsicles. SUCCESS! They had some fantastic flavors so we settled on blood orange basil (with basil leaves in it!) and pumpkin pie (with graham crackers in it!). They were incredible. We will be stopping by here on our next trip. I want to try the chocolate salted caramel. 

On our way home we stopped at Trader Joe's, because the one right outside of Charleston is the closest one to us (such a tragedy). I bought Scotty some pumpkin treats so he can enjoy the fall season with me! Then I bought the tea (which I'm sipping on right now-yum!) and those chocolate cat cookies because I love them and my mom always buys them and hides them in the freezer. Like that'll stop me.

It was a fantastic weekend! We're planning on going back in December to see what it's like around Christmas time and we'll bring our beach cruisers now that we have a pretty good sense of the town. I CANNOT wait!!!

So today.

I kicked butt. Not only did I finish my patients in a very decent time but....I taught Dr. W something he didn't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The man knows practically everything but, not about falsely elevated albumin and prealbumin! SHAZAM!!! I taught a doctor something new. Wahoooo!! I was a little intimidated while I was explaining it to him. In fact, I was so scared that I was wrong or had explained it incorrectly that I called the other dietitians afterward just to verify. Verified. WHABAM. Whew. 

Next.

Half marathon in t-minus 5 days. I'm nervous but at the same time, not really. I won't get nervous probably until the day of the race. Even then, I'm trying to approach this mentally as just another long run. That helps. Plus, it's my first half so I don't have a time that I'm trying to beat. I just want to finish. I ran my second to last run today of three miles.

                         

It was getting dark so I was hauling and I felt sluggish but apparently not. COOL. I will not be running that fast during the half, of that I can assure you, but it certainly makes me feel better! I was SO sore from walking all over Charleston this weekend. My hamstrings were to tight that you could have played a melody on them. Seriously. And my calves felt swollen. But today's run was confidence boosting and relieving. One more run to go! 

And this is what Scotty looks like when I scratch his belly every night before bedtime. Love that little smile!