Official What's In vs. What's Out Hot List:

So I’ve decided to do an official City Girl Chronicles short list of what’s in and what’s out.

What’s IN:

Men shopaholics: long gone are the days of the lady shopaholic because more and more man have outrageous shoe collections just like we do.  So ladies don’t expect to see your men venting in front of the T. V. yelling for a cold beer, nope now he’ll be standing in the dressing room line along side you with an arm full of skinny jeans and dress pants.  

Gucci Guilty perfume: Seriously I just rubbed some of this on my wrist from a sample in my Cosmo magazine and I’m officially declaring sweet scent as IN!

Calling up mama: Yes, calling your mother more than once a week or a day for that matter is totally on the cool radar so go ahead and dial those digits!

                 What’s OUT:

That old “Opposites Attract” theory: Remember a few years ago when all those celebrities were getting engaged but the relationship only seemed to last a few weeks and then it was on to the next? Well those poor souls were hooking up with opposites that they hope they could eventually change and after a few more dates and conversations they realized that picking out a ring on date 3 was probably a bad, bad idea. Now days people want more in a relationship so their looking for a partner who already has more in common with them from the start and it seems to be making relationships last longer.

Black fingernail polish: Seriously not cool! Do I really have to say anything more? Well, unless your into Goth but otherwise go for the lighter color!

Being enemies or even “frienemies” with anyone: Life’ short so instead try to live, love and laugh, you'll find it takes way less energy than hating someone!

Keep reading, 

My Mama Said...

Today's post is simple:  We all have bad days but we can't let them get the best of us! Smile and press on and remember:

Keep Reading,

My Ah-Hah Moment has arrived...

I have been stalling all day to write this entry but I’m refueled and ready to go! I got a big dose of inspiration today from a co-worker of mine who really seemed put the whole “working on my book” thing into perspective for me with a few simple words. Instead of looking at it as “working” on my book my co-worker suggest that I stop looking at it like its work because it’s suppose to be my passion so I should be happy to do it and really I am... Maybe I had been thinking of writing my book in terms of working on a term paper or something so I kept putting it off.  But with this new way of thinking will really do wonders for me and give me a boost! I’m going home tonight and knocking out some pages! Sometimes it really does take an outside perspective to give you a new outlook on things!

On another note, I got my home office up and ready this weekend so I really have no reason not to write. My husband bought me a shiny new flat screen monitor and helped me hook everything up! I kinda need to put my books away though. I love to read and so I have tons of books everywhere, let me repeat that, EVERYWHERE! We have a small library in our entertainment room on the first level of our house but all the bookshelves are full as the ones on the additional bookshelf in our home office, hall closet and the shelves on my desk so there are all these books randomly stacked up around my desk and I seriously need to clean that mess up!

So close but so far away...

But here’s what not going to happen, I’m not going to go home and clean up the books and then find an excuse not to write so I will go home, write then put the books away and if I don’t get around to putting the books away, then I won’t care because at least I would have written something! I feel like I’m in my “Ah-hah” moment when I finally realize something really important in life! I know, I such a nerd!

So you’re all my witnesses, I vow to write tonight and finish chapter 1 at the very least... The only thing I’m doing by not writing is standing in my own way, there are enough people out there trying to get in my way, so I don’t need to do it to myself!






Keep reading,

When Co-Workers Attack!!

Good morning! Today I decided to work out because I only lost one pound at this week’s weigh in at my Weight Watchers meeting which isn’t bad but isn’t good either. So far I’ve lost a total of 10 pounds so I need to lose about 6.5 more to meet the Weight Watchers goal and for my own personal goal, I need to push myself a bit harder and hit another 10 pounds. Nothing else new going on this week... Just gearing up for a few trips during the next few months, still struggling to find time to write and still going home every night and doing nothing to help my book progress!

On another note, one of my co-workers/friend is currently pregnant and will be going on leave soon which I’m not looking forward to at all because that means I’m going to be stuck in the office for a month and a half without anyone to talk to because I really don’t get along nor talk to any of my other co-workers. I’m so not looking forward her leaving!!!  Oh that reminds me of a funny story, well not funny but just a random story. One of my “not-so-friendly” co-workers is hell bent on stealing my position and not only is she new to the job whereas I’ve been here for YEARS but she doesn’t know anything and tries to turn everything into a big deal so that it seems like she know something others don’t! Do you know how annoying it is to have someone trying to steal your job who is a MORON and who thinks they know everything but knows NOTHING! Every day I have to come in and hope she has not totally wrecked anything in her futile attempt to feel important!

On and here’s the funny part, she has also some how convinced our boss that she knows what she’s doing, I feel no need to set him straight because I look at it like this, when I leave for good and she has a field day ruining everything that I organized and built over the years, those actions will speak for themselves!






Happy Blogging!

A Day of Firsts...

Yesterday I was so overwhelmed with, well life that I just could not find any time to blog, I’m sure we have all had this happen! Anyways yesterday was my first day of classes, my first day of Weight Watchers Meetings and my first day back to work after a 3-day weekend so as you can see I was a bit preoccupied!

School: went well, fairly easy (first days usually are)

Weight Watchers: very cool! I learned a lot and received a lot of great reading material and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT! I set up my etools minus the app on my blackberry because I’m having some trouble with it downloading properly. After work I went shopping and found some great snacks and Weight Watchers food to kick start this whole new process! I’m super excited and am diving head first into this with all I’ve got! So my next meeting/weigh-in is in a week and my goal for this week is to lose 3 pounds. When I was checking out at the store, the clerk asked me if I had joined the program and how it was going…  Since it was my first day I didn’t want to mislead her but I told her it was AWESOME!! Too misleading??

Returning back to work: well it was atypical day and nothing really news worthy happened… went basically like this: Work, lunch, home… (That’s the short version).

When I got home I had planned to blog but I was so caught up in reading my Weight Watchers material that before I knew it, it was time for bed. 

Keep Reading, 

From My Heart To Yours...

February is the month of love and though Valentines Day had come and gone, it doesn’t mean we can’t still take a little time to show some love!

Ever wonder why we only really celebrate love once a year when love is the one thing that brings everything full circle!

Well today I decided to list a few things that I really love about myself! We all have to learn love ourselves more, we have enough people in our lives making it hard enough so today is my day to mentally pamper myself!!

What I love about myself:

• I have a great smile (I should show it off more)
• I love to read (knowledge is everything)
• I’m helpful and kind to others (best way to be)
• I love my long hair (fluffy and soft)
• I love my adventurous spirit (whoot whoot!!)
• I’m focused, when I put my mind to it! (yeah, if I put my mind to it)

So there you have it, a few things I love about myself! Show yourself some love and list what you love about yourself! 

Keep Reading,

The Journey Begins...

Thirsty Thursday has finally arrived and boy am I thirsty… for the weekend to arrive that is!! Right now I’m sipping a warm cup of tea and sitting at my computer wondering how much longer this day could possibly be…  On another note I have recently been inspired by one of my fellow bloggers, Lesley, blogger over at Yeah, Write and Ireland Ever After to start working on my book again and I'm so grateful that she was featured on FTLOB’s this week because after I visited her sites and read her posts I was very inspired by her journey in becoming a published author!

For the past 12 years or so I have made several attempts to write a book, submit queries to publishing companies and in the end I became very discouraged by lack of any interest and  instead of sticking it out and staying focused I basically did the worst thing possible, gave up! What was I thinking!? But I love to look toward the road in front of me rather than look back at my mistakes so I’m starting fresh with a new found inspiration and will stay focused no matter how many rejections I get or how many times I don’t hear anything back!

So here’s me giving myself a big “Cheers” to this new journey in my life and here’s me taking a second sip and then giving Lesley a thank you “Cheers” for inspiring me to start this journey (again)!

I’ve also updated my other blog, Live, Love, Laugh, Check it out, there’s some great stuff over there!

Keep Reading,

 

Attention City Girl Readers:

Recently I've received a few emails from readers suggesting that I focus my blog on Inspiring and Empowering other women. I didn't really think that this was the right focus for my blog at this time but then I thought long and hard and reviewed my own life and the journey I have had.  I struggled with the idea of talking so freely about my personal experiences but then I was reminded of something that I've always wanted to do and that was to help people. I never knew how or to what extent I would do this, all I knew was that I had a desire and a passion to help in some kind of way.

Last night, I thought more about the idea of inspiring girls and women and empowering them to live their best life possible, "Could I do this, did I have what it took to help these ladies?"

Right now, I don't know but I really want to try and I'm willing to take this adventure head on. So within the next few days and weeks you will see changes and updates being made to my blog. I'll be focusing on topics that inspire and empower girls and women, I'll be providing personal development posts which will be largely based on my own life, lessons I've learned and research I've done or information I have obtained from professionals.


During my life I have overcome bulimia, depressions, abuse, suicidal thoughts/attempts and so many others issues. I was always ashamed to talk about these things mainly because people close to me made me feel ashamed but then I realized that I had overcame all of this for a reason, an important reason and I could use these experiences to help others realize that there is a rainbow at the end of every storm and a light after every dark day. Life can be inspiring and can be lived out in the best way possible!

Additional experience includes working within teen peer-groups to help support girls who struggle with life and all it's pressures. I believe all of this experience will aide me in my quest to help others.

Keep your eyes opened for many changes to come!


Keep Reading,

What Dreams May Come...

Happy Tuesday! Its Tasty Tuesday over at FTLOB but I don't have any tasty recipes to share with your so  today I’m taking a little bit of a different route on my blog and posting a response to something I found over on Mallori’s blog, Aiukli. So one of her 30 days of truth exercises was to list something that she wished she had done in her life and this really struck a nerve with me because most people have that one thing that might have changed the path the of their lives forever had they gone ahead with it so without further ado here is mine…

List something you wish you had done in your life:

I got married fairly young in life. I was about 24 when I said those 2 little words that would forever link me to the man I loved so much and looking back over our marriage, I couldn’t have picked a better person to spend forever with! That being said, I often wondered what life would be like for me if I had not gotten married until I accomplished some of my own personal goals? Please don’t get me wrong, I love being married, it's one of the a greatest gifts in my life!  But its worth noting that from time to time thoughts flood my mind causing me to wonder about how life would be had I just waited a few more years. Marriage can be a joyful thing and it’s also a giant comprise to building up your partnership for the better and sometimes what one person wants just might not be all that beneficial to the marriage so we put our dreams on hold always with the intent to come back to them, of course we all know that rarely ever happens.

When I was younger I dreamed of being an artist, of painting and writing poetry and traveling all over and meeting many different kinds of people. I was never really your traditional girl who dreamed of going to college, meeting the right man, getting married and having a child. Nope I was far from that, in fact I never even thought of marriage until the day my husband asked me… (Seriously)

So we got married and well, with a mortgage, car notes and bills stacking up there was no room to go off exploring my creative side. I needed to work a regular 9-5 job, pay the bills and be a good little housewife and so that's precisely  what I did. I wasn’t angry and I didn’t blame anyone, I just understood that this was what needed to be done. I built a small art studio in one of our closets and would paint from time to time but life was always stepping in and preventing me from spending too much time enjoying my passions so my art studio became a semi-storage room and my life became jam packed with, well life stuff…

So the one thing in my life that I wish I had done was wait to get married until I accomplished some of my own personal life goals, however, I’m so blessed in my marriage and wouldn’t change it for anything!

Keep Reading, 

12 Steps, Withdrawal Is Already In Kicking...

So I had to post again today because I’m 3 days clean on this healthy eating diet and I’m seriously going through some sort of withdrawal and aggression stage in this healthy recovery thing! I don’t know what step withdrawal and aggression come into play but I’m definitely there! Early this evening I decided to run out to the market for some cream to put in my tea tomorrow morning and ended up spending 45 minutes in the ice cream isle.  I looked at almost every carton and flavor and I think at one point I had one in my hand ready to check out!  But my fluffy thoughts of sweet bliss were so rudely interrupted when some random guy in the same isle asked me something. I have no idea what he said and I honestly didn’t care, but I practically ripped his head off mainly because he was bothering me while I was lost in my ice cream fantasy and secondly because he was BOTHERING me! Oh the nerve! Needless to say, I pulled myself together and go out of there (minus the ice cream) as fast as I could.

So some people might criticize me for comparing my food diet to some sort of drug recovering program but think about this for a minute; a lot of the foods we eat have so many foreign chemicals, dyes, artificial flavors and who knows what else in them so take into considerate that after years of eating these kinds of junk-things, our bodies start to depend on them and trying to go cold turkey really isn’t the easiest thing in the world! Have you ever craved something like McDonald's or Wendy’s or some other food from your favorite restaurant, well you're probably craving those chemicals and you don’t even know it!  

 I’m only on day 3 and I’ve been in a foul mood all day. I’m smelling and tasting foods that are not there, I’m thinking of food every second of every minute of every hour (this is no joke) and it’s killing me that I reeaally want pizza, tacos, and Chinese but all I can eat is fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch and a small dinner.  Then I think of how far I’ve come (3 days is a lot, seriously) and of how tired I am of feeling bad about myself every day when I get dressed and I realize that I can get through all this, I just have to take it 1 day at a time.

Keep Reading,

Another Day In The Closet...

Wow, I’m so excited about another Cleaning Out The Closet Wednesday over at FTLOB’s! If you all recall, last Wednesday I really went in and pulled out a lot of old baggage the needed to be removed. This Wednesday I think I’m going to stay on the surface and just take a look at what needs immediate attention.

So if you've been reading, last week was really rough but I’m getting over all that inner drama that I caused and have regrouped and centered myself. I know I have a lot of personal issues I need to sort out which is another reason why I LOVE Wednesday’s theme!  I think today I want to focus on things that have recently taken place in my life, the struggle I’m having with myself and fully understanding why I’m here. 

My entire life, I’ve always believed that God has a purpose for every person and that everything means something, that there really are no coincidences and that in due time the meaning of everything will be revealed, so that being said; recently I took a hard look at my life and at almost 30 years old I felt like such a failure. I could not think of anyone whose life I had impacted in a positive way, I have no children, and I really think my job is meaningless I mean I'm a Coordinator! As a child I always wanted to be able to help others and to be honest my job just does not afford me this opportunity and really I feel like I'm worth so much more than this. Besides being married, I have not accomplished any big feats in life. So imagine if you will, for your entire life being under the belief  that you are special in God’s eyes and that He put you here for a special purpose and then basically getting a slap in the face by realizing that almost 30 years in, He still hasn’t used you to do anything worthwhile!! Maybe He passed me over for someone better! Yeah those thoughts really hurt to think about!  

So anyway,  I really let this bother me and it completely rattled my soul. I started wondering all sorts of crazy things, like what I had done to God, or if He could even hear me, and  had He finally given up on me? All these questions ran through my mind…Then after taking a personal hiatus, I realized it was me, I had faltered in my Faith and trust in Him, I thought I had faith but then I would show doubt by having a plan B "just in case", what a contradiction! I had gone my own way instead of His.

So while I took my personal stay-cation, I was able to realize, it's not so bad, I’m still young and trying to figure this life thing out so maybe God is just waiting for me to get a better grip on my life and then He will give me my special job… 

So today, what I’m cleaning out of my closet is the fact that I feel so guilty for getting mad at God, for blaming and questioning Him instead of looking at my own actions and thoughts.  

It hurts me more to I think I’ve damaged my relationship with God then to believe that I've done the same with any person on earth. People come and go but God will always be there… 

Keep Reading, 

Things To Do Before I'm 30...

With my pending 30^th birthday in the horizon this summer, I checked my schedule and just don’t see any way I’m going to be able to celebrate this year so as much as I hate to have to do this, I’ve decided to postpone my milestone birthday and remain 29 for another 12 to 24 months. Oh, I just hate to disappoint and I was so looking forward to celebrating but I just don’t see any way around this…

That being said I now have some additional time to start working on some things that I want to do before I turn 30. First thing on my list, lose weight. Yes I know this is very cliché but this evening I pulled out the scale and wiped off 2 years worth of dust, breathed a deep sign, closed my eyes and stepped on… I’m not going to divulge the astronomical 3 digits that taunted me from the scale below, I will tell you that I had to reweigh myself and then take off all my clothing items and reweight myself a third time just to make sure I was getting the correct read… Yep… I was and very disappointed to say the least! I have a plan to lose 20 pounds and I know I can do it!

The next thing on my “To-Do Before I Hit 30 List” is to find a better job! Or I guess I should say a more fulfilling job. I’m so fed up with all the drama, nonsense and high school antics that take place by some of my co-workers that I don’t even bother to talk to anyone anymore. Of course there are other issues with the job and maybe I’ve just hit that point where I need something new but either way, I’m so ready to go, therefore this is right up there at number 2.

Next, I plan to revive my face so I have started a facial regimen be combat any early signs of winkles, I don’t have any yet but hey, now’s a better time than any to start the preventative method. Oh by the way, in one of my other posts I briefly mentioned that I wanted to share some of my facial products and this regime was what I was referring to. 

So I started using Oil of Olay Pore Redefining Scrub, Oil Of Olay Deep Cleansing Clay Mask, Oil Of Olay Active Hydrating Cream and Oil Of Olay Night Firming Cream. I use the clay mask about twice a week, the scrub once or twice a week and the other two products daily and I just started this facial treatment and have already noticed a glow on my face and my skin looks so much fresher and vibrant!

So there’s my short list and there will be more to come so stay tuned! 

Keep Reading,