Curls!

My cousin Deena asked me if I would do her hair since she was going to a wedding today! I have ALWAYS wanted to do her hair, so I jumped at the opportunity! WE did it upstairs so nana could watch too. Nana loves all things girly so that was a special treat for her!

Deena has the most gorgeous, LONG, hair..she's a beautiful girl!


I used a flat iron to make the curls so they'd be a bit more boxy and wild.


I wish I would have gotten a closer picture of her eye makeup! She's wearing a purple dress so we used different shades of purple in a smoky look.

Her eyes looked like this except I only used liner and mascara on the top.

Isn't she a knock out?!?!

CHEERS!

ENJOYING MY NIGHT!!!

Pictures :)

A post of pictures, not even from today! It's gloomy and I want to veg out. So it's movie time for me! enjoy your weekend!

Read the Directions!

Oh man, I almost fried all of my hair off today.

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I bought a box of bleach, and a box of dye to color my hair since I can't afford to get it done anymore. Of course I only skimmed the directions because I'm A.D.D like that.

I put the whole bottle of bleach on my head and then reread the instructions only to find out I wasn't supposed to put it on my roots yet. Oh boy.

So into the shower I went (I had the bleach on for about 5 minutes) and 14 dollars of bleach went down the drain. Awesome.

I actually was scared thinking my roots were going to be bleached and my ends would be fire orange like all the horror stories something like this:

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Luckily I was spared, and I think it looks better than it did. Maybe softened the contrast of light blond and dark brown?
My hair is lighter than it was, but not in an offensively orange way :) Now I just have to go buy some VO5 deep conditioning treatments and cut off the dried ends.

Eventually I would like to get to something like this:



I am thinking about signing up for a 5k on May 12th!! It's for a good cause and a good friend of mine from work supports it..it's called StrainfortheBrain and it will be my first 5k ever! I'm nervous!

6 days left of work! I can't WAIT!

Brown

I am thinking about donating Plasma...

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I may not be a plasma TV, but I am type O +

If I started now, I'd probably be able to pay for a week long vacation to Florida in late May? I really wanted to go to my 5 year high school reunion but I think maybe it's not in the cards. I looked around to check out if Plasma was a reputable thing, and yes it's great to give to save others..but the politically correct way of saying what I am feeling is that the staff has been rated at poor at best.

I don't know if I would feel very comfortable with that type of environment so I am not sure. Plus I have no idea what's going to happen with Marc's availability to take care of Nana if in fact I could get away for a week. He has a job interview with a highly reputable company on Monday. Hint... If he gets hired (GUYS PLEASE PRAY) then our lives will be so much less scary/ stressful. He would have this job on top of his other job, so two part time jobs = one happy family :)

Also, I don't know if you are all aware, but Fit Mom from "A New Beginning- My journey to avoid the knife" wrote this on her March 15th Blog (she wrote this as a comment on March 20th)... "Hi all. It is me Lee Ann(fitmom). You are probably wondering where I am. I don't know if you heard about the tornado that hit a town in... (took out town for privacy, I have no recieved permission to repost this but I want y'all to know) but that is where I live. The house where I live got hit bad and right now we cannot live there. Needless to say, I am not continuing on the veggie fast right now. Lol. We lost two cars and most of the house will be fixed but thankfully we were at Red Robin that night so we are all ok. We are missing our cat that was outside at the time of the tornado but he was spotted a couple days ago around the neighborhood so he is ok too. Please keep us in your prayers as we go thru this tough time. If you caught media of the tornado, my house as well as the neighbors across the street were the focus of the media."

Lee Ann is a beautiful woman full of courage and kind words. I have really missed her on the blogosphere. Please send her up some kind thoughts...maybe comment on her last blog so when she does have the chance to get back online she can see we all miss her?!!?

How Supportive He Is!!!

You know, sometimes I complain about my husband. I say he's a jerk, he's inconsiderate, he's this, he's that.

But you know what? He is ALWAYS there for me. I think we pick on the ones who are truly there for us because we know their love is unshakable.

My Marc ran with me yesterday. Even though he is all legs and a foot and 5-6 inches taller than me he ran with me the whole way. Supporting me through the run and helping me shave off another 2+ minutes from my time. I ran a 5k in 43:12!!! Who am I?

Throughout the whole run we talked about our goals, and our dreams. We talked about the one day that we can take a vacation and wake up to eat a healthy breakfast and run on the beach. It made me cry. I know one day life will get a little less complicated (don't burst my hope bubble) and we will be able to live the way we deserve.

Through thick and thin (uh yeah, literally) he has been by my side. The one I can tell everything to. My knight in shining armor.

The day he asked me to marry him:

Last night he even cooked us dinner! Not only did he make dinner, he made us a VEGAN dinner! A green bean casserole from the Mama Pea cookbook!

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In everything that I do, Marc is here to support me. To tell me that everything is going to be okay and not to worry so much. As a woman I think I get carried away by all the things I feel like I should be doing in order to be productive. I know with Marc I can be myself and not worry about those societal pressures. I truly am a lucky woman, and I need to take the time to remember to tell him how much he means to me.

Kocham Cie Marek!

Good Golly!

Want to learn what I have a test on tomorrow?




Now you are as prepared as I am!

Go us!

Longer post later kids, this girl has to figure out anaphase and prophase, and OMGOLLYphase.

I pulled a Nixon...

Yes, I've pulled a Richard Nixon..

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I have officially resigned. My last day of work is April 5th. I'm going to miss a few people here at work, but other than that I am looking forward, not backward!

Everything has been set up to make the transition as smooth as possible. I'm excited for what my life will look like now. I'll finish up this semester of school and go through the summer getting prepared for my first semester at Mount Mary. I think it's good that this summer I will be able to get closer with Nana and be able to make sure she is comfortable with me and our new schedule.

I'm nervous but I'm excited. I can't worry about things that I am not sure will happen.

Thank you all for your well wishes and wisdom. I've had a little bit of grief about this decision, but with Marc and I on the same page, and happy about our decisions, so no one else's worries matter.

In other news: I lost three pounds this week and went running 4 times! I can say I'm addicted for sure! Last week Friday I ran the 5k in 50 minutes, yesterday I ran it in 45 minutes! So in 8 days I've shaved off 5 minutes!In the above photo I was wearing my Mount Mary College shirt and a few people smiled and waved at me... one guy even pointed at my shirt and gave a thumbs up! That was cool.


I was trying to be like Reese Witherspoon LOL! The sunglasses are awesome because they can see past fog and makes everything look sunnier :)

My last run was perfect weather wise, 54 and cloudy. Does anyone else prefer cloudy colder days for running? Marc hates it, he's such a sun worshiper. He says the sun energizes him and helps him get his mind off of running because he enjoys the scenery.

So I have a debate to ask your opinion on.. Marc and I are thinking about getting rid of our cellphones. Our bill (I researched and believe I got the lowest price for our "needs") is 113 dollars a month for 700 shared minutes and unlimited texting. We do use our phones a lot but not for Internet purposes at all. We decided to see how much it would cost to add a land line to our apartment (24.99 a month), and think we will be getting it with an answering machine and getting rid of our current plan. That would be a lot of savings, and frankly we want to save in every way we can. Some people are worried about our decision because of emergencies, like what do you do if your car breaks down..etc. Do you think it is necessary to have a cell phone now, or is it all modern conveniences that have (pretty much) taken over our thought processes of normal?

Okay begin...

The Times, They Are a'Changin'

Every time I go to tell you guys a big change is going to happen it usually falls through. This time I think we have finally figured it out. So be ready for me to drop a bomb on you...

I may be able to quit my job in the next few weeks.

There, I've said it. Phew. This has been in the works for a few months now but our original ideas of Marc being able to work extra hours, or extra jobs just hasn't feasibly worked out.

I wanted to bring you guys into my little secret now because I'm worried about it, and I need some help. We will have to cut out frivolous spending by 75%. I will be selling my car (to pay the remainder of my surgery bill, and Mount Mary expenses). With all my (magical) savings, we would be okay, and still be able to save around 400$ a month. If there was an emergency, we could use that savings money for said issue (read: car problems, etc).

If I was being completely honest with you:
1) I'm scared to death
2) I can't keep going the way that I have been (16 hour days)
3) Marc needs help with Nana
4) My lifestyle needs to change in order to achieve optimum health

This means no more Netflix, Sharing a Car (love how Netflix was before the car), A sense of risk at all times, spending money goes from 200$ to 50$ a month :(, no more cellphones (we'll get tracphones).

So, I'm excited and I'm so so nervous. I feel like we are going to have a lot of bills coming our way but I'm going to rely on student loans, maybe scholarships, maybe oddjobs?!?, maybe a few extra dollars here and there if I monetize this site (and start passing out business cards or something LOL?!)

What are you guys thinking about this HUGE transition in my life. I know I have probably been pretty vague here about how it would work financially but just know I'm a broke college student who is just trying to survive and not jump off a bridge in the meantime.Source

So guys what do you think? Am I making the worst decision of my life? Will I be able to pull this off? Any words of wisdom to share?!?

RUNANG!

I wimped out on my math test today.. Instead we went RUNANG!

Let's just talk about how much I sucked today, okay? Well, I didn't suck..but it was so freakin HOT out I wanted to die (temp said 71, but man oh man it felt 101). I really needed a sip of water, but I left the bottle in the car since it was only 3.1 miles! I have noticed that when I am jogging, I am jogging at a faster rate than I have been. Even with walking a lot this time around, I ended up at 46 minutes, which isn't too shabby since last Friday I was at 50 minutes, jogging the whole time! Progress right? Maybe? I'm spending the rest of my night knee deep in Biology homework (test tomorrow OMG) and then the rest of the weekend will be crazy Algebra study time. Including a 3 hour tutoring session on Friday. I love my life. (thanks for all the sweet comments and words of encouragement last post!)

I never showed you inside my awesome cabinets! I took crappy pictures but you can see what I've got in there!
Marc laughed when he opened the cabinets because everything was pushed to the front. Sorry fellow shorties, Marc has no empathy for us!

Beanka was being so cute trying to save us from a huge fly! She got all hyperactive so when I tried to take a picture with her, she wasn't having it!

The Salad that made me late to work:

Totally worth it..



In the mix: Figs, Romaine, Mango, Strawberries, Chickpeas, and sliced almonds. I'll be making a Cinnamon Vinaigrette to go on top here at work since I ran out of time at home!


Bad news...I need to sell a kidney.
I really don't know what to do about this... I can't go without teeth...BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY (well, I have about half of this as my entire life savings, don't laugh I'm a broke ass college student!) Let's do a benefit concert. F**k Farm Aid, let's get some Czesia Aid!!

Ok no more time for fun, on to Chromosomes, Cellular Reproduction, Meiosis, Mitosis, and all that sexy jazz.

Buttmunch

I can't cross my eyes.




If I'm not smiling, I look like a buttmunch, people tell me this all the time. Well maybe not the word buttmunch, but I have heard that I look like a Biotch.


It's only Tuesday, and class is driving me to drink. I spilled a whole bottle of purple dye in Biology.

I have a math test tomorrow (totally unprepared).

I have a Biology test Thursday (even more unprepared).

I actually have heartburn from the stress (I never EVER have heartburn) actually I don't know if it's heartburn, it feels like a acidic volcano is about to explode through my esophagus. TMI I know!

I had a dream last night that my sister was reading my obituary to a group of people..I was still alive.

All I want to do is run, but I have no time to. My life frustrates me to the point of insanity. I think I am going to snap...

Ok guys, I am counting on you. Can you help me feel better? Any helpful words or quotes that might help me along?

In the meantime, I'm just going to grin and bear it. No one ever said achieving your goals was easy.

New To Us Cabinets!

Marc just finished putting up some new cabinets! We've gone almost 2 years with only 2 so it's nice to have a few more, plus a whole countertop to come! These were going to be donated to a house charity, but I'm so glad that my father in law thought of us!

Since we live in Nana's basement, we don't have to worry about "resale" issues, so we set these up Czesia height! ha!! I can't wait to go home and fill them up!


I recently won a contest from Amanda at Ramblings which totally made my day! The prize was a book of our choosing from her list, and I chose The Omnivore's Dilemma. Right now I am learning about GMO corn and the weird weird places corn is used (ummm how about everything, food and non food related!) I know this book is going to further help me understand the ramifications of the food choices our society render fit for us to eat. Knowledge is the battle here for sure.

I was going to run this morning but when my alarm went off at 7:30 I was like HELL NAH! I wish I could have the determination to do things in the morning that I do at night! I know I'm set up for at least 4 runs this week so it's all good! I will be running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I hope I don't hurt something! They are only 3.1 miles so maybe it will be ok?

Full school day tomorrow, I can't wait for spring break. I kind of want to bash my head into the wall...but I'll keep holding on and hope for better tomorrows!

Food List:
2 Vegan Banana Muffins
Fruit Salad
Coffee with Soy Milk
Green Salad (napa cabbage, romaine, carrot, cucumber, sliced almonds) with homemade Almond Ginger Dressing
x2! I ate a lot of salad today, like a whole head of napa cabbage LOL! That dressing is to DIE for! Get her cookbook, I wish I could tell you what is in it!
Chocolate Tofu silk Pie

Calories: 1376, BOOYAH!

Beat Pink Shorts!

I ran another 5k today! Marc and I have decided we will run Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday mornings. Tomorrow is going to be stinkin' early but it's worth it! I can tell that both of our moods have improved 10 fold since the weather has changed and we've been running!

The best part about my run today? I beat my time by 3 minutes! A sub 30 minute 5k is in my reach! I know by August I will be right where I need to be to do well, plus I'm really hoping to reach my goal weight by my birthday, May 1st. I feel great and very optimistic!

There was a lady wearing tiny pink shorts who was running down the path and would pick up her speed and pass me! This isn't really her, but just for a visual! Source So I would pick up my speed and pass her! We kept doing this a few times, until I tapped Pink Shorts on the shoulder while I was passing her and said, come on your turn! She laughed so hard, but I didn't see her again. I hope I didn't offend her, it was quite obvious what she was doing! I totally made her eat my dust, pink shorts and all!

I ate some chicken today! It was really good! After our run, Marc and I decided to grill out (it was like 80 out, so HOT!) so we made grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs. The kabobs included zucchini, cauliflower, and onion, but when it was done it tasted all of charcoal. Even though it wasn't so tasty, Marc and I ate it all! The chicken was the star of the meal though. I like to think that it's okay to have some meat here and there, especially after running far (for me).

Food List:
Mama Peas Vegan Banana Bread (made into muffins)
Banana
Coffee with soy milk
2 Small Chicken Thighs with Barbecue Sauce
3 veggie kabobs
Green juice
Mama Peas Chocolate Pie (made with tofu!)

Total Calories in:1205 Total Calories Out: 750
I know I should probably eat more, I might be hungry when I get home so I will eat I swear!

The first and last recipes are from Mama Peas Cookbook! Guys if you bought this, you would NOT regret it! It's the best book ever!

Back to reality tomorrow, school time is back again :( Can't wait for SPRING BREAK!

I Just Ran a 5k!

A "ran" a 5k yesterday! It was more like a very slow jog, but I never stopped! I mapped out 3.2 miles on our favorite trail on Lake Michigan! (Pic not from yesterday, but one of my favorites with me and my Beanka Baby at the trail I ran on yesterday)

Today I am feeling pretty stiff but I can't tell you what it felt like to accomplish what used to be the impossible!


I had just planned on walking, and sometimes jogging but I just kept telling myself "You run because YOU CAN!" It really helped. I ran for those that couldn't, I ran for my former self, I ran to chase away the "I can'ts".

It's the farthest I have ever ran in my entire life, and I can't wait to go again! Actually Marc and I are running again tomorrow! I'm going to work on my time and by the end of the summer I want to run a 5k in 30 minutes. Right now I'm at 50 minutes, which is a long time but I wanted to continuously run so I slowed my pace! Either way, I'm extremely proud of myself and what this could mean!!! Maybe I'll be a runner???!!! Loved the calorie burn too, 811 cals in 50 minutes? I'll take that.

Love you guys! Happy St Patty's Day, I'll post again tonight I'm sure with the shenanigans of the day. I'm working a few extra hours then it's off to enjoy some Bailey's or Guinness or something. :)

The Best Thing I Ever Ate...

Have you seen the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network?

The gist of the show is stating what celebrity chefs deem the top foods in different categories..so today I have my own food item to add to my personal list of best things I've ever eaten! Ladies and Gentleman I give you Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps from The Cheesecake Factory! Source

These delicious jewels actually come with chicken, but I subbed in shrimp and man I am telling you it was FREAKING DELICIOUS! I got spicy peanut sauce everywhere and licked my fingers clean I couldn't get enough! Plus the calorie count is an estimated 200 calories for the whole thing! I didn't eat the green sauce, but I got every drop out of the peanut one. I really want more of these right NOW! Since I did so well on my lunch (and was quite satisfied) marc and I decided to go 50/50 on a chocolate coconut cheesecake..HEAVEN! it was ridiculously calorie heavy but all good cheesecakes are! I fit it into my calories for the day and savored every bite!

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To be honest, I would have had two entrees of the lettuce wraps than the cheesecake but it was nice!

We happened to be near the Cheesecake Factory because I had to go to my oral surgery appointment. 433 dollars later, we're set for the beginning plans. now my orthodontist, Prosthodotic dentist, and my surgeon are all on the same page. We'll see what they come up with!

It's been so nice and warm, and I'm in such a good mood! I think it's because I've added coffee back into my life! I couldn't go a day longer! Now I only make coffee with a touch of soy milk, no sweetener even stevia or agave. It's actually pretty good that way!

So life is good, the weekend is upon us (I have to work Saturday morning ick) and I'm HAPPY!


Food list:
Fruit Salad, Coffee with Soy Milk
Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps with Green Tea
Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake
Kale Salad, with homemade Dijon vinaigrette
Skinny Elvis Sammie!
Total Calories: 1385, booyah!

Wish me luck, I'm going running tomorrow!