Playlist Wednesday!

Detroit training is in full swing! I've up-ed my milage the past 2.5 weeks and halfway through the month I've already run more than I did all of July! I'm really getting back into my morning runs so hopefully I can keep it up! 9.5 weeks left until the big race!

This is a screenshot of my most recent, albeit slow, run!

Here's what I've been listening to this week:

• I Do Not Hook Up- Kelly Clarkson
• Love this song. Love the message and love the beat to it when I am running! LOVE me some Kelly Clarkson!
• Brave- Sara Bareilles
• I know this came out a while ago but I recently learned of it's amazingness and am now obsessed! Check it out! I love all of her music, always makes me feel empowered/better about life every time I listen to anything off her new album!
• We Found Love (feat. Rihanna)- Calvin Harris
• AH. I have loved this song since fall 2010 when a former acquaintance introduced me this this amazing song! I never was a really big fan of RiRi before but this song, I'm in love. I love the lyrics, the beat, everything about this song! Listen to it and add it to your playlist ASAP!
• Lose Yourself- Eminem
• OK, so this is pretty much my running anthem. I'm sure I've used it before on a previous playlist Wednesday post but no matter what mental state I'm in, this song NEVER fails to keep me going!
• Independent Women Part 1- Destiny's Child
• I feel like this one is self explanatory. I love old school Destiny's Child when Beyonce wasn't so annoying and this song is perfect for a young, single, professional woman.  I love the message of this song and using it to pace my "short" runs!

What are you listening to this week??

Tuesday Thoughts!

I have so many thoughts today but I will keep it simple today! OH and a little OOTD action too!

there were never truer words! As my friend told me over the weekend, there will always be a better house and there will always be a better man.. hahah whatever that means.

yes. summer fiesta happening soon. tequilla will be involved.

I seriously need to have a dance party with my bffs.

I am literally this awkward in similar situations. You are not alone Cher.

pretty much. story of my life.

bahahaha ME TOO New York. Me too.

yessss

hahaha ANYONE who knows me knows how much I love to talk!

oh Milania, this is what I do before I leave the house in the mornings haha

I LOVE today's outfit-- my all time favorite suit from my skinny days!

How's your week going so far??

 

 

 

  

Weekend Roundup!

What a fun weekend I had the past few days! It was a pretty crazy weekend but I had so much fun visiting one of my good friends from college! On Friday after work, I headed up to Richmond (after a pit stop to drop Rusty off at his grandparents' house haha) to see my friend Kori since she just bought a new (and seriously beautiful) house in Richmond.  We usually go to football games together in the fall so it was great getting to hang out and catch up with both of our MANY life stories!! I didn't get to Richmond until after 10pm on Friday and we were up late catching up and sharing some ridiculous stories about life happenings along with some red moscato (who knew there was such a thing?? It tasted so good and was so pretty).  

Saturday, we ended up going to Claytor Lake for one of her grad school friends' baby shower.  It was so nice being in that area of Virginia again and we both didn't realize until that morning before we left Richmond that it was so close to Blacksburg (home of our alma mater Virginia Tech) so NATURALLY we had to make a detour on our way home.  We stopped by the Volume 2 bookstore and then had an early dinner at our favorite- Macado's! Before leaving town, we drove around campus just a little to see all the changes and reminisce of our college days.  We also drove through Oak Lane, the Greek community on campus and even saw the new phase/development with the first true Southern-style Greek house belonging to Sigma Phi Epsilon.  Their new house is GORGEOUS and I am so jealous we didn't have houses like that when I was in college! We ended up getting back to Richmond pretty late so we hung out and shared more stories (seriously, Kori and I can occupy ourselves for HOURS sharing ridiculous/hilarious life happenings) until I eventually fell asleep on her living room floor since I was up ridiculously late the night before ahhh.

ANYways, enough about that- but we had such a fun weekend! Sunday we had a nice relaxing breakfast at home while I drooled over her beautiful/large kitchen and I let her know of my jealousy of all that kitchen space! We talked about recipes and entertaining ideas- ahh so much fun! I love having dinner parties and having people over at my house but it tends to be difficult with such a small kitchen and limited space in a townhouse.

Here are some fun pictures from the past few days:

Our BEAUTIFUL campus, even in the cloudy/rainy mess!

made a quick stop at my parents' townhouse when we got into Blacksburg to make sure everything was OK! So many memories (good&bad) here!

typical for Kori and I! 

My standard meal from Macados- Gibson Girl, no mayo no pickle

I can NEVER finish all my sandwich because I always get a cup of my favorite soup no matter what!

Kori's signature Macado's meal- Johnny D no tomatoes!

how beautiful is this fraternity house???! SO jealous we didn't have sorority houses like this back when I was in college!

AND here is my OOTD for today- I felt so amazing in this outfit today! I had an early morning 6.1 mile run before work and it really uplifted my mood all day long! I love pretty much everything about what I wore today!

• Dress: Target
• Belt: White House Black Market
• Blazer: LOFT
• Shoes: White House Black Market (originally worn for my law school graduation)
• Jewelry: David Yurman Black Onyx earrings, necklace; David Yurman Petite Wheaton ring in Black Onyx; VT Class Ring
• Watch: Rolex
• Bangles: Malani Jewelers

I love everything about these shoes!

my sweet Rusty on our way home from work/daycare! 

 

How was your weekend??

Hey, it's ok to love these things…!

OK so here is what I'm loving this week:

• Chanel Chance Eau Tendre

I love this perfume! I was looking for a new scent for a while this past spring and once I tried this one at Sephora, I knew it had to be mine! It's such a feminine and delicate floral perfume with minimal fruity notes so it literally embodies all my favorite aspects in a perfume. Next time you are at Sephora or Macy's, etc., definitely try this perfume- you'll love it!

• Sephora by OPI Nail Polish

OK so if you know me, you know about my nail polish obsession. I love getting manicures as much as the next girl but there's something so wonderfully relaxing and satisfying as doing your own nails.  I've been a fan of OPI for well over 12 years and when I found out they were collaborating with Sephora, I was beyond excited! I've accumulated quite a number of these polishes and when my older sister told me earlier this summer that Sephora was discontinuing this line (and that all of them were on clearance/sale), I had to stock up on my favorite shades. When I went to Sephora here over the weekend, I picked up this color below called "How Cute is That?" and I love it! I put it on last night and it looks great with my tanned brown skin haha! Definitely run by your local Sephora or check out their website because now all of their polishes are 3 for $10 and I stocked up when they were $4.50!!! Some of my favorite shades ("I'm Wired"; "Mr. Right Now"; "I Think I Cayenne") are sold out but they still have a TON of options left online!

• Seche Vite Top Coat

On top of loving to do my own nails rather than getting manicures, I have to have the best tools/options. I am obsessed with this top coat (find it at Sally Beauty Supply or Amazon for an economical price and free shipping) since it dries almost instantly! I put a layer of this top coat on after two coats of color, even if the color layer isn't completely dry.  This top coat dries within 30 seconds to the touch and leaves a hard protective layer over your polish and gives it a beautiful shine.  I usually put a fresh layer of this top coat every few days if my nails start looking dull and usually keeps my polish from chipping for 10 days minimum! Definitely check this out and try it for yourself!!!

• Amazon Prime Instant Video

Ooooh, Amazon prime. One of the best investments I've made since I like to order things online and on top of free two-day shipping, I get unlimited instant streaming from their collection of tv shows and movies! I love watching shows (from the beginning of the series) that aren't on Netflix yet or if I want to start a new series.  Lately, so many people have been telling me to watch Suits (from USA) and I never really got into it until a couple weekends ago when I marathon-ed seasons 1-2 of Suits (currently in the 3rd season) and 1-3 of Covert Affairs (currently in the 4th season).  I must say, because of Amazon Prime, I am now obsessed with Mike Ross on Suits (ugh even though he's breaking so many laws practicing as a lawyer without a JD or license!!!) and the budget version of Alias, also known as Covert Affairs.  

• Este Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliner in Blackened Cocoa

Finally, I am obsessed with this eyeliner. I posted about my love for the Blackened Black version of this eyeliner before but I am seriously in love with the Blackened Cocoa one.  I felt like the black version was a bit too severe for everyday/office wear so I decided to try a little brown option and I layer this with the brown liquid liner from Sephora's makeup line.  Not only does it define my eyes really well, it rarely smudges and looks great with my skin! Definitely check this one out if you are looking for a classic liner but perfect for day-wear!

What are you loving this week??

Four Years Running!

Happy 4 Year Running Anniversary to me! August 8th holds a very special place in my life. I started running four years ago in hopes of changing the direction my life was going and to try and be happy again. It's been an incredible journey and I am thankful that I've been able to stick with it even after all these years of ups and downs.

after my last half marathon in April!

On August 7, 2009, I was at my cousin's son's wedding in New Jersey and completely miserable. I was extremely overweight, stressed out from my first year of law school, and generally felt more alone than I ever had in my life. Annnnd to top it all off, I was sitting at the reception with all these beautiful skinny Indian girls as if that wasn't intimidating enough!

My sister, mom, and I at the wedding reception I mentioned- August 2009

The very next day, I chose to make some changes in my life and vowed to get healthy because I 1- didn't want to have the health problems that my parents/grandparents do/did and 2- for my own vanity (I mean, who doesn't want to look their best at all times??).  The very next day I started doing research online and found Women's Health Magazine's website and some weight loss articles that helped jumpstart this new stage in my life.  I started walking on my treadmill at home 3x a week for 15 minutes at first and increasing the duration by 15 minutes every 3 weeks until I was eventually running for 45 minutes straight through September 2009. I was pretty intense with changing what I ate and making sure I ran every other day in order to turn my life around. The first 40lbs came off quickly but the second 45lbs took nearly a year, which culminated with my first half marathon February 2011! During my last semester of law school, I had some health issues but I ultimately got through that time in life and even though I still see the after-effects, I am trying to do things the healthy way now.

After my first half marathon- Disney Princess HM 2011

After law school, my running journey was a very up-and-down/bumpy so it's taken me a while to get where I am now.  I used running as my outlet during probably the most frustrating 15 months of my life thus far and it really was one of the main reasons I made it through with my sanity!

I ran quite a number of races and 2013 has been probably my best year of racing! I have PR-ed in the following distances this year: 5K, 8K, 10K, and Half Marathon! I'm hoping for another half marathon PR when I am in Detroit in October but I'll be happy to just finish.  I'm excited for the actual course so time won't be an additional pressure to get over the Ambassador Bridge fast enough or even to get through the Windsor Tunnel in record time! 

I'm excited to keep running.  I literally ran to save my life and even though I've plateaued with a net 60-65lb loss since my heaviest, I am happy.  It's been a long time since I could say that but I am actually happy with myself.  Yes, I may have a glass (or three) of wine one night but I still am active and make sure that I don't restrict too much from my diet or else I will just binge on it the next day.  If I want a tootsie roll, then I will eat a tootsie roll! 

ANYways, today's post was to recognize this milestone in my life and share a little of my story! Here's a picture of all my race bibs (minus my PTI Runway 5K bib) and medals I earned over the past four years:

What was the trigger that got you running/active?