Completely random.

• Why is Kevin's side of the bed so much more comfortable than mine? His pillow is like a magical cloud. That's so not fair, mine is lumpy and hard.
  
• Bodie jumps off the bed in the morning just to go sleep in the living room and I just don't understand this.
  
• It's ten times harder to be at work at 8:00 rather than my usual 8:30. Does a half an hour really make that much of a difference? If your chronically late like I am, apparently it does.
  
• I'm beginning to enjoy running and decided I needed the proper attire. Except, all running clothes are made of stretchy, spandex-y material. I'm afraid that style just doesn't look well on me so my girl Maria suggested soccer shorts. Yup, she's pretty much a genius.
  
• Why can't I resist a freshly baked cinnamon roll? Someone had to taste test it so it might as well be me. I guess that's the plus side to the school I work at having a restaurant careers class. Or downside.
  
• Saturday is Kevin's birthday and all he asked for was a hat. He's too hard to shop for.
  
• Um, the Friday song from Rebecca Black just came on the radio. WTF.
  
• It's awful and I still sang along to it.
  
• Speaking of Friday, today is my Friday. Booya.

Let's get naked

Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talkin' about makeup. Many a blogger have shown their naked faces before me and I finally bit the bullet and decided to put it all out there. I like to think I'm a fairly honest blogger so why not show you how scary I really look first thing in the morning? I'll chance losing a few readers after they see this picture.

Holy frack I'm pale...

Well, there ya have it. The face behind the blog. Sans war paint and even complete with day old hair. (I figured I would spare you the "original size" option, no one needs to see my face that large.) Now, for some of my newer readers, you can read more about my eyebrows, or lack thereof, here. I posted about my nervous habit a while back so I'll give you a minute to read.

Done? Good. Moving on then.

To make up (Get it? Make-up? Ha.) for scarring you with my hideousness, let's talk about how I really look 99% of the time since I'm obsessive over my cosmetics. I've switched brands of lotion, concealer, foundation and makeup in general, several times over the years but here's the run down of product currently sitting on my vanity. 

{Sources: Aveeno and St. Ives}

As you can tell by my self portrait up there, I don't have the clearest skin so a good face wash is what I'm all about. I was using Proactiv for a long time, which I loved, but when I ran out, I switched back to my reliable Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser and St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I probably shouldn't but I do use the scrub almost daily. It makes my face feel all squeaky clean. 

{Source: Oil of Olay}

Of course I have to have a good moisturizer and have been hooked on this Oil of Olay cream for quite some time. The Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid really quenches my dry winter skin but is still mild enough to use when I'm a sweaty mess in the summer. Combination skin is a bitch, yo.

{Source, Bare Minerals}

For the final steps, I put on my five minute face using Bare Minerals, specifically, their Try. Believe. Love. kit which is a great way to go if you're just starting out. It comes with all the essentials and is a mere $20. When I was in high school, I would spend nearly an hour putting on my trusty CoverGirl concealer, foundation and powder but now I see the light. This stuff is seriously easy to use and gives me great coverage. I finish off my face with Bare Minerals brow filler and I'm on my way after a swipe of whatever black eye liner I can get a hold of.

Before you ask, no, they're not paying me to say all this but if they threw a few bucks my way, I wouldn't complain. 

I know I can't fake smile so I don't even try. I asked Kevin to make me laugh but that just resulted in an eye roll because he screamed "release the kracken" at the top of his lungs from the other room.

My finished face is thanks to Tiffany's application and contouring tips. In all actuality, I was only headed out to my sisters so I didn't go heavy on the eye color but you'll rarely catch me with anything more than blue or brown shadow. Sorry folks. Nothing too exciting here.

Do you have any cosmetic products you swear by? 

Fun Friday & Vlog Friday!

To link up and share your plans for the weekend, head on over to Jen's blog and link up!

I've been in a serious funk this week and am so ready for some R&R this weekend. The hubs and I have no exciting plans and I really, really hope it stays that way. Tonight we plan to slip on over to his parent's house to wish my mother in law a happy birthday.

Kevin with his sweet parents at our wedding

Other than that, it's gonna be a pretty low-key weekend. Now, since it's Friday and all, I should have a vlog for you...but I don't. This week flew by and I completely forgot to record one but still wanted to touch on this weeks topic for you which was: What did you imagine your future life to be like when you graduated high school and how is the reality different?

Personal pics, stealing them wouldn't be nice...

If you had asked me in high school where I would be after I graduated, I probably would have told you that I was going to marry my high school sweetheart and build a home right next door to his momma then have his babies. Yeah, um, thank the sweet lawd that didn't happen.

Photo altered to protect the innocent...or, not so innocent.

Oh yeah, we totally had our senior portraits taken together. You didn't do that? Hmm. Well, we were in lurve and didn't know any better. Thankfully, I came to my senses after we graduated and broke off our engagement. Yes, I said engagement. We bought a ring at the mall when I was eighteen and he asked me to marry him in the parking lot. Oober romantic, I know.

Since those days, I've come a long way. After high school, I took a few classes at the local community college (a four year school was never in the cards for me, I'm no academic) and I moved out of my parents house and got a big girl job within the county school system.  I shared a townhouse with a few friends and it was, hands down, the best life decision I've ever made. It gave me independence and a chance to experience things as an adult. I will admit, there were many a night the ladies and I stayed up a wee bit too late which I regretted the next morning but shit, it was fun.

After I sewed my wild oats, I met Kevin, we fell in love and lived happily ever after. That's the way it's supposed to end right? Well, we'll just say mostly happily ever after and leave it at that. ;)

How is your life different than how you imagined it would be when you were in high school??

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER LADIES WHO VLOG FRIDAYS!

Kate at Marshmellow Goodness

Steph at forget me {not}

Cole at Adventures in Love and Happiness 

Erica at Of Food and Friends 
Folly Life
Amy at Life's Journey With A Smile
Ann at The Little Things
Julia at Dr. Princess

I know you're secretly jealous

Living in the south and being married to an avid hunter gives me the advantage. Why's that? Because our sun room has become the catch-all for hunting gear. Since I've taken over the guest bedroom as my closet, I figured he could have the sun room and so far, I think he's personalized it well.

Ten points to those of you who spotted the two sets of deer antlers.

Surprisingly, the camo furniture is extremely comfortable. Now, don't go thinking you can pick one of these up at your local furniture store, this baby was custom ordered. He conveniently bought it right before we got engaged. Funny how that works, huh?

I know you may be wondering and yes, there is a matching couch but it's also covered in hunting paraphernalia. You'll just have to use your imagination to picture the sheer awesomeness of my house.

ABC's

Hey there bandwagon, yes, I'll jump on board. I have nothing interesting to say, here's the ABC's of me.

A - Age: Old enough to buy a rated R dvd, even if Wal Mart thinks I'm not. Thanks for making it look like I'm in high school though.

B - Bed size: Queen but it's not big enough according to Bodie.

C - Chore you hate: Um, all of them? Except vacuuming, thanks to my Dyson.

D - Dogs: Bodie the bed hogging West Highland Terrier.

E - Essential start to your day: Coffee, green smoothie and silence. Don't talk to me until 10am. 

F - Favorite Color: Pink, that's why I made my bridesmaids wear pepto colored dresses. They loved every minute of it too. ;)

Oh yeah, we got our groove on.

G - Gold or Silver: Silver, hands down.

H - Height: The last time I had my height measured was in high school and was 5'5"

I - Instruments you play: I took piano lessons when I was little but can't remember a thing! Sorry mom.

J - Job title: Receptionist/secretary/admissions/lacky

K - Kids: are cute but don't want any for a few years even though I've got baby fever.

L - Live: in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. Wine country, farm country and where the mountains are blue.

M - My mom's name: Momma

N - Nickname: Goo (when I was in high school, because of my last name) Jess, Jessi.

O - Overnight hospital stay: I guess when I was born? I think that's about it.

P - Pet Peeve: Slow folks that drive in the left lane, people who don't flush public toilets, kids with no manners, our morning radio show and the host that sings along with every song.

Q - Quote from a movie: Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

R-  Right/Lefty: I'm a righty, hubs is a lefty. Opposites attract.

S - Sibling: Two younger brothers and an older sister. High fives to all you other middle kids.

{Circa 1993. Yes, I'm wearing a blue moomoo. What about it?}

T - Time you wake up: Well, the alarm goes off at 6. I normally wake up at 7:30.

U - Underwear: Granny panties for the win. No thongs here, sorry Kev.

V - Veggies you dislike: Beans. All beans. Lima, kidney, brown, lentil...you name it, I hate it. Don't try to convince me otherwise either, it's a texture thing. Blech.

W - What makes you run late: What doesn't make me late? I'm consistently five minutes behind every single day. 

X - Xrays you've had: Teefers only.

Y - Yummy food you make: Enchiladas. We have weekly Mexican night in our house per my husbands request. 

Z - Zoo animal: Panda bears. Why? How about why not? Look at that face.

Yes, I still blog.

Hello? Is this thing on? *Knocks on computer screen.*

Did y'all miss me on Friday? I didn't post my vlog Friday post or my Fun Friday so I figured I'd let you in on what I've been up to! Last week was kind of hectic so I didn't get a chance to get some of my regular posting in and then on Saturday I slaved at my parents house, prepping it for their open house next weekend. They're hoping to move to North Carolina, where my dad's found a new job, by the summer. Fingers crossed their house sells in the next few months! I was tasked with the lovely job of re-staining all the trim work. ALL OF IT. So, on my hands and knees I went and by 4:00pm, I had only conquered the top floor of the house. Damn. Guess I'll be back at it next weekend. 

Saturday night, we attended a reception for a couple of friends that had eloped in January. Their family really wanted to celebrate so Kev and I went, did the Electric Slide, drank punch (which was probably spiked) and came on home. We crashed Saturday night around 11:00 like the old fogies we are.

Sunday morning we slept in until 10, which felt amazing and then got right to work. Housecleaning, grocery shopping, gym, and then finally, dinner at my parent's house since my aunts were in town. It was definitely a whirlwind weekend and I hate when they fly by so quickly.

Weekends like this make me wish I hadn't given up alcohol for lent. Does that make me sound like an alcoholic? Well, for the record, I'm not, it just seemed like every little thing got under my skin. My closet came crashing down on me, our storage room is bursting at the seams and there just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day for everything I needed to get done. None of those reasons sound like cause for a mental breakdown but lo and behold, I fell apart. My poor husband probably thinks I'm a lunatic. Damn, now I'll have to make cookies or something to make up for it. Well, that actually sound like a win/win to me though. ;)

Oh yeah, and if you're reading this in your Google reader, you should click on over and check out the new layout. That's just one more thing I was hard at work doing this weekend. What do you guys think?

Happy Monday everyone! 

Bake Sale & A Winner!

Happy hump day y'all!! Thank goodness this week is almost over. I want to round house punch daylight savings time in the face. It seems darker than ever when I get up for work which makes it that much more difficult for me to get my lazy arse out of bed.

Well, on Sunday, before the devil turned the clock forward an hour, I decided to make some tasty treats! I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com and it sounded easy enough, so I whipped up a batch to try.

Click on the image below to print your own! 

My only criticism is that I would like them a little more tart. Next time I make this recipe, I'll probably add in more lemon or less sugar. Experimentation at it's best! The result was still pretty delicious. Kevin left me one bar to eat. Isn't that nice of him? Thankful he let me snap a pic first.

What's that? You say you want to try some of my lemon bars?! Well, you're in luck Head on over to the online benefit bake sale for Operation Layla and bid on them! If you do, I might even send you an extra treat if you win. ;)

Now, onto some good news, speaking of Operation Layla, we have a winner for my give away!

Out of 58 entries, I used random.org to pick the lucky donor.

So without further ado -- the winner is one of my favorite bloggers!! I'm so excited for you lady!

That'd be Rachel from Mrs Adventure.
She's a sweetheart with a handy husband and an adorable one-eyed pug. 

Congratulations!!

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated to Operation Layla and to everyone who continues to donate by bidding on some delicious baked goods! 

Spring is here, I don't care who says it's not

This morning, as I was getting dressed, I said screw it. I threw on a pair of capris and my new wedges. I was determined to wear them even if it was nine degrees outside. If it's not snowing and the sun is out, I'm game. It's March right? That means Spring to me.

Okay, I lied. The sun isn't out. It's actually raining. And it's cold. But I'm a freak for wedges and these were buy one get one for $10 at Charlotte Russe. 

{source}

Personally, I could have done without the little braid but they're comfortable as hell and I only spent a total of $30 for two pairs. One in black and one pair in white. 

I'm all set for the warm weather to really get here though. I figure if I dress for it now, it's bound to catch up with me right? My debit card may still be cooling off from my little shopping spree, I bought a total of three outfits. Three each: tops, bottoms and shoes. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but I'm not telling you dollar figures. I think my husband cringed when I handed him the receipts.

Whatever, this top needed a home...

{source}

...so I gave it one. I'm into florals right now. Whataboutit?

PS -- Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Giveaway Time!!

Good Monday morning to you all! It's been a pretty hectic weekend so I thought I'd start today off with a little happy for you in the form of a giveaway!

This is my very first giveaway and what better way to kick it off than to thank all of those who have given to Operation Layla! It's been a huge success and I'm so glad that we've been able to raise money for a wonderful friend in need. If you haven't heard about Operation Layla yet, check out my post from Friday or head on over to the website, www.operationlayla.org to learn more!

Okay, now onto the good stuff!

What's up for grabs you say??

A white Coach wristlet

$25 Gift certificate to Sephora

and a $25 gift certificate to the etsy shop, Barberry and Lace!
This gift certificate was graciously donated by Leigh Ashley, creator of Barberry and Lace.

Those few images above are just a sampling of the beautiful pieces she has to offer. Thanks to Leigh for donating!

Now, onto the requirements.

{mandatory entry}

Donate to Operation Layla!
Use the button on my sidebar or go to www.operationlayla.org
All past donors are also eligible to win. No minimum amount required. Be sure to leave your email information in the comments if you don't have it shown in your profile.
(I will choose one lucky winner on Tuesday night and will verify that the individual did in fact donate.)


{additional entries}

• Blog about Operation Layla and leave the link in the comment section below. Already blogged? It still counts!!
  
• Tweet about the give away then, link to your tweet in the comment section below. (Hint: a direct link to your tweet can be created by clicking the time stamp below your tweet) Simply copy and paste this tweet: I entered to win a Coach wristlet and gift certificates just by donating to #operationlayla! You can too: http://bit.ly/g92Lpf 
  

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, participants don't need to be a follower of this blog to win.


Best of luck to all of you and thanks again for your support of Operation Layla! 

Social media blew my mind

I know not a lot of people read on the weekends, and I'm okay with that. This post is really just for me. I need to get this down because if I don't, I'm going to burst with happiness.

If you caught my post on Friday afternoon, you know about Operation Layla.

Our beautiful new header on operationlayla.org
Thanks to Jacin and Lauren both!

 An idea was formed that a few of us could raise maybe a couple of hundred dollars for Layla, helping however we could to ease the burden of medical costs, but then more and more people joined in. At the end of the day Wednesday, we had over 30 people wanting to help.

Our initial goal was to raise $4000 to help cover Layla's upcoming surgery. Well, we asked the internet to help and the internet came through 1000%.

Using merely Twitter and blogs, word spread fast about Operation Layla and donations came pouring in. I'm at a loss for words because at 11:00 on Friday afternoon, we were at $800 and by 8:00 last night, we had reached the entire $4000 we were hoping for!

In less than 48 hours, friends, yet complete strangers, pulled together for one amazing lady and made this happen. I cried tears of joy when I heard that we had reached our goal. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could become a part of something so amazing. If you didn't believe in social media before, you should now. 

Right now, the plan is to continue with Operation Layla and the bake sale that is already in the works. I'll include more details on that when it starts or you can follow along on www.operationlayla.org. Any funds that are raised will go to cover Layla's medical expenses and anything over that will go to a charity of her choice. The way I see it, this is a win/win situation. Not only are we helping one of our closest friends, we're helping others now too.

There are so many people to thank, I can't even think straight: Layla, Anni, Jacin, Lauren, JeeYoung, Andrea, Hannah, Jessica S, Rachel, Nan, Emily, Megan, Shannon, Liz and so many more helped get this off the ground.

We're not done yet girls. Hold on to your hats.

#OperationLayla

I have someone I want you to meet.
Her name is Layla and she's funny, sweet, sarcastic, caring, strong and ten times more courageous than I am.

(Please do not use this photo without permission from Layla)

I have to tell you that I've never personally met Layla but still consider her one of my closest friends. I started following her blog last year when I began mine and then started chatting with her on Twitter daily. We seemed to click, as she does with most people, and have talked every day since then. This might not make sense to some of you that read my blog who know me in real life, but just trust me, this girl is a rockstar. 

If you don't know Layla's story, please take a few minutes to read:

One month after her 30th birthday, Layla was diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer (1A Adenocarcinoma). She was extraordinarily lucky that it was caught early, and had a simple surgery to remove the cancerous cells.

Three years later, Layla was in horrible pain that affected nearly every aspect of her life. Temporarily uninsured due to a job change, she paid out of pocket last October to go to the doctor and make sure the cancer had not returned. Thankfully, it had not. However, her doctor believes that she has pelvic adhesions and Endometriosis due to the previous surgery, but it can’t be diagnosed until an additional surgery (laparoscopy) is performed. The doctor also found out Layla has cervical stenosis, which basically means her cervix has completely shut down due to the scar tissue from the previous surgery. These issues make her miserable most of the time, making simple things like going to the bathroom and menstruation horribly painful, and sexual intercourse impossible. He stated that if she wanted to have children one day, even sperm could not pass through her cervix, and she would have to have intrauterine insemination.

The doctor wanted to schedule surgery as soon as the insurance at her new job went into effect. Her company fired her the day her insurance became valid, ten days before Christmas, plainly stating that it was because of her health issues.

Fortunately, she got on her husband’s insurance, which went into effect February 1st. As soon as she could, Layla scheduled surgery for March 22nd. Then her insurance company dropped a bomb: because she went to the doctor (even as a self-pay patient) within a three month period prior to her enrollment date, they were considering her health issues to be a pre-existing condition, and would not insure any doctor visits, medication, or surgery for 388 days.

When you are in near constant pain and can’t work, 388 days is a long time to wait. The sooner Layla can have this surgery, the sooner she can return to work (hopefully with a nicer company!) and start living her life again. Her doctor has been nice enough to work out a deal with her if she can pay as a cash patient: he decreased the amount of her surgery to $4,000, and the cost of the anesthesia to $500, with additional fees for biopsies of removed tissue to be determined.

The problem is, Layla is unemployed due to this, has used her savings to pay for living expenses and medical bills, and has been denied loans for the surgery because of her unemployment status. She does not have close family, so she can’t ask them for help. Surgery is scheduled for March 22nd, and Layla and her husband are still trying to secure a loan through several banks.

This is where Operation Layla came into play. A few of us blog/twitter friends got together and asked her what we could do to help so we tagged our efforts with the hashtag #operationlayla on twitter and it has snowballed from there.

Want to know what you can do?

• Keep up with the Operation Layla blog, follow on Twitter, and RT Layla’s story using the hashtag #OperationLayla
• Stay tuned for an online bake sale! It's in the works and will be showcased on Monday at the Operation Layla Blog!
• Keep posted here on my blog! All those who donate will be eligible to win a Coach wristlet as well as a $25 gift card to Sephora either this weekend or Monday. ;)
• Every little bit is appreciated and helps ease the burden of medical expenses for Layla.
  You can donate though the button on my sidebar or by visiting the Operation Layla blog here. Soon to become OperationLayla.org!
  
  

Help get our girl the surgery needs so we can have a healthy and happy friend.

-----------------------

We started Operation Layla a mere 36 hours ago and as of now, have already raised a mind blowing  $1700.
--- UPDATE ---
It's 3:39 EST and we are at $2750!!! Let's keep this going!
--UPDATE--
It's 8:45PM EST and I'm bawling into my computer. We did it.
Operation Layla is at $4300 and counting. We did this in less than TWO days y'all.
 We changed Layla's life today and we couldn't have done it without our readers. If you didn't believe in social media before, you better believe the power of it now!

I'm completely speechless and amazed at the generosity of bloggers. Layla deserves every single penny and has decided that if we exceed the goal of $4000 - the remaining amount will be donated to tsunami and earthquake aid. 

Operation Layla has already been featured on several blogs and we want to spread the word as quickly as possible. Just today, Weddingbee did a post on it!

HELP OPERATION LAYLA MEET IT'S GOAL!
DONATE NOW! 

Fun Friday & Vlog Friday!

This weekend I'll be pretty busy! Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to a Vera Bradley Bingo with my sister, sister in-law and a couple friends. Fingers crossed I win this time. Last time the only person in our group to win was my 9 year old niece, Abby. Personally, I think she cheated and somehow rigged the bingo board.

Color me jealous.

Then on Sunday, I have a girls day planned with my friends to go shopping and have dinner at Olive Garden. You can't pass up a little OG.

Other than my fun weekend plans, you know I have another vlog for you and this time we're ranting. Vlog Fridays has linked up with Vlog of the Month Club this week and for mine, I've chosen to rant about a few petty things that get under my skin. For your viewing pleasure:

Untitled from Jessica T on Vimeo.

Now you can feel free to make fun of how I say pajamas. 

And yes, we really do use two separate bars of soap. 

DO YOU VLOG FRIDAYS? BECAUSE THESE ROCKIN CHICKS DO:

Kate at Marshmellow Goodness

Steph at forget me {not}

Cole at Adventures in Love and Happiness 

Erica at Of Food and Friends 
Folly Life
Amy at Life's Journey With A Smile
Ann at The Little Things
Julia at Dr. Princess

Moving on to a more serious subject, if you watched the last few minutes of my vlog, which you probably didn't because who wants to hear me rant for five minutes straight about people who don't wash their hands? No one does. So I'll just tell you. 

See that donate button on my side bar? That button is to help my beautiful friend Layla get a very important surgery. I love her so much that I'm going to do a separate post later today to explain more about our ongoing efforts.

 Stay tuned!!

A highlight to a craptastic week

Judging from my Twitter feed, I'm not the only one having a shitty week. After a busy Monday and Tuesday here at work, I really was hoping that today would be better. Well, then I came in to weigh in for our office weight loss contest and found out that I gained a pound this week. I'm gonna go ahead and blame Rita's water ice since I had it twice this weekend when visiting my cousins.

My annoyed sister.

 Don't care. Show off that water ice.

It was totally worth it and I would eat another right now if I could. Thankfully, they're not around here otherwise I would be 400 pounds.

One of the reasons we headed to Philadelphia this past weekend was to visit my two cousins, one of which is five months pregnant with a boy. She just found out the gender on Friday and I'm so happy for her! Also, you really should read her blog. Why? Because she's awesome. So do it. Tell her I sent you.

This would obviously be the part where I show you pictures of our weekend together but of course, my computer won't let me upload those particular photos. Why? Don't ask me. Ask Blogger.

One thing that did make my week better was the giant margarita I drank last night with my girlfriends. Yes, I understand this may have contributed to the one pound gain but again, I'm having a crappy week.

Let me have my booze.

Eight of the bestest ladies.

We decided to go out for ladies night so we could discuss our upcoming beach trip.

Oh yeah, and to announce that my sister is PREGNANT!!

I know, you guys may not be as excited as I am but I've known for months and wasn't allowed to tell a soul. Secret keeping is hard! I avoided my best friend for weeks because I knew I would spew if I saw her. Well, now the word is out and even though she's keeping her exciting news off of Facebook, I was given permission to tell you all. Feel privy.

She is due in October which is only the most badass month of the year. Yeah, I'm a Scorpio through and through, born October 25 yo. Halloween babies FTW.

So, now that you and the rest of the world now know, and my sister reads this here blog, tell her and her husband, Romeo, congratulations. They are going to be awesome parents. :)

Fun Fridays & Vlog Fridays!

To link up with Fun Fridays and share your weekend plans, click below and head over to Jen's blog!

 

 I'm very excited to get to spend the weekend with these lovely ladies:

My cousins, my sister and I at my wedding

All of us at my sisters wedding

This afternoon, my sister and I will load up the car and head to Pennsylvania to visit our cousins, Kristin and Nicole. We made a pact with them last year that in order to keep in touch, we'd visit each other every three months. They came down to Virginia in December so I guess it's our turn for a road trip!

In the meantime, since it's Friday, you know I have another vlog for you. This week, I'm talking about my three favorite books and who I would marry if I could choose a literary husband.

Untitled from Jessica T on Vimeo.

Note to self: Stop saying "and!!" 

Also, who racks up a $5 overdue book fee? Oh that would be me, the worst library patron EVER.

 Be sure to join up next week, along with VOTMC, and rant about something! 

I've personally already started compiling a list for this next vlog topic. It may or may not include how much I hate Kevin using my washcloth. Ew.

DO YOU VLOG FRIDAY? THESE CHICKS DO:

Kate at Marshmellow Goodness

Steph at forget me {not}

Cole at Adventures in Love and Happiness 

Erica at Of Food and Friends
Folly Life
Amy at Life's Journey With A Smile
Ann at The Little Things
Julia at Dr. Princess

Let me know if you participated too, I'll add you to my list. 

C25K progress and I've got baggy drawers

I'm giving myself all kinds of high fives and patting myself on the back right now because I lost another 3 pounds this week. Props to me and my green spinach smoothies.

I think a lot of my success this week has to do with the C25K progress. My body is not used to doing cardio 4/5 times per week so stepping up my workout seems to be working. I'm half nervous and half excited because I'm thinking of running 2 5K's in April. Running has become enjoyable for me but I'm not sure if it's that enjoyable. Guess I should wait and see if I'm even ready for the first one. 

Are you a runner? How long did it take you to get prepared for your first 5K/10K/marathon?

 Enough of that exercise mumbo jumbo, let's talk about something semi-interesting. 

Like my underwear.

When I do hit the gym, it's usually in an outfit that you might see on a homeless person. I'm talkin old, torn up tee shirts with sweatpants and I hardly ever get them to match. Most of the time they're clean but to be honest with you, sometimes I cheat. Laundry and I don't get along so if Kevin doesn't do a load, my gym pants get a spritz of Febreze and I'm on my way. I'm not totally gross though, I never wear my shirts more than once without a wash. Still, if you want to unfollow me because I'm disgusting, I completely understand.

I was going to take a picture of myself in said sweats but didn't get a chance to.
Currently though, I have been sporting these fold-over yoga capris Old Navy:

{SOURCE}

Now, the problem with these pants is that they are pretty tight around my hips and bum. Not normally a bad thing but I'm the queen of granny panties. Hanes Her Way, bikini cut, to be precise.

 

{SEXXAAYYY}

So, my point here is, since I've lost a few pounds, my underwear have become a bit saggy and, well, yoga pants don't necessarily hide imperfections very well. It's not a cute look.

I've been doing some shopping and I think these seamless hip-huggers from Victoria's Secret would do the trick, but I'm not yet convinced. Then, there's Lulumon, which I've heard great things about but their stuff seems so expensive. This girl isn't too keen on dropping $20 on a single pair of underwear. 

 

Although, if it comes down to spending a little cash or looking like I have a load in my britches, I'll spend the $20. 

What say you? Any recommendations?