Believe Memphis

I'm infamous for telling you a story and then saying, "ok, I told you that story to tell you this story."
Now is going to be one of those times.

Backstory: My dear Gran played basketball for all four years of her little Mississippi high school career. After marrying my Papaw, moving to Memphis and having three kids, she fell in love with University of Memphis basketball around the mid 1950's, and has watched every game ever since. 

My dear 5 foot nothing Gran. I love this picture of her. 

Basketball has been ingrained in me since I was little. I never played, but I always enjoyed watching the games with my family.

Imagine their sheer joy when I chose to go to the U of M instead of my previously chosen other U of M that also goes by Ole Miss.

The infamous 2008 NCAA Final Four

Pretty soon, I applied and did public relations for the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team. We sucked, but I did not care. I loved being at the games, and I loved what this team was trying to do for the city of Memphis, just like the Memphis Tigers have done for the city of Memphis.Trust me, back when we were lucky to win, I saw quite a share of die hard fans.

Now, ten years since coming to town, the Griz are in the playoffs.
AND WINNING 3-2 no less.
Holy shiz, I've never been so excited in my life.
Well, I can think of one time, ahem, making the NCAA Final Four Championship and setting a record of 39-1 wins in all NCAA history, but you know, that never happened.

So, some basketball bitterness aside, I am proud to be rooting on my Grizzlies tonight and pumped that basketball season is still in session. 


Believe Memphis!

xoxo,
 

New Show

Y'all, I am obsessed with tv.
I watch enough as it is, and I probably have over 15 shows on my dvr.
And yet I found I new show that I love.

Happy Endings

Has anyone else seen this? OMG, hilarious.
You should definitely watch it. I haven't had something make me laugh like that in a long time. 
Or maybe my sense of humor is just different.
Plus, this chick that plays Jane is totally the twin of Kim Cattrall.

Do you see it?!?
If y'all are interested it comes on ABC tonight!
Has anyone seen it?
xoxo,
 

Live Music Jams

I really do not go to as many concerts as I should.
I will see the fliers, forget about upcoming performances, and then become jealous of everyone who says they are here or they went to see so and so.
I came to realize this last week when I went to see Sara Bareilles.
I'll admit.
My friends talked me into this one.
I thought of ONE song I liked of hers and it definitely was not the "not gonna write you a love song." (Thank you Kristen D. and Erica for forever making me despise that song. Yes, it is quite catchy the first 52 times...not so much after 167.)
But I still went because, hey, I wanted to go out with the girls.
Oh man, I loved it.
I even drank enough to sing a couple of "love song" notes.
She then did a cover of Mumford and Sons' "Little Lion Man," and I freaked.

Speaking of Mumford, I'll be seeing them, Amos Lee and Avett Brothers at Music Fest this
year.
Perfect timing for my live music jamming revelation.

Until next time, enjoy.

xoxo,
 

Fitness Update

Ok, I know, I know. I told y'all that this was not going to become a weight loss blog.
But in reality, I'm pretty darn proud of myself.
I've lost 9 and a half pounds in the two weeks since the weigh in that shook everything up.

And I sure you are curious as to how I did it. 
It was because of Pure Barre and the My Fitness Pal app on my phone. 

I thought it would be slightly annoying to catalog everything I eat in a day, but because this app has nearly every food, restaurant dish and brand already programed in the search bar, I found that I made better choices toward what I would eat. 
Friends want to go eat at XYZ restaurant? I would just scroll through the options to find out what the best choice I could make while I was there.  


So that's how I did it, PB 3-4 times a week and counting calories. 
Well, and the fact that I cut out cokes completely for the exception of two that I had while on vacation on the beach. 
If I knew it would be this simple, I would have done this a whole heck of a lot sooner. 


On another note, are you like me and wish that the FDA proposal would pass so it would be the law that all restaurants must have their calorie intake on all the menus? 
I don't think it would necessarily deter people from eating the food, but for those who do want to count calories and indulge every once in awhile can at least know how much they are eating.


xoxo,
 

Beaching

This past weekend I snuck away to Destin, Florida.

Like all vacations, it was much needed and appreciated, and now I'll be headed back to work for this four day week with a tan.

Now I leave you with a quote from Phil. 4:6 I've been meditating on. I'm sure some others out there in bloggy land will appreciate:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."



xoxo,
 

Blog Questions

Hello friends!
So I wanted to just have a quick note of saying THANK YOU for commenting on my blog. Gaining feedback and advice from y'all is like cream cheese icing on my red velvet cupcake (it just makes it that much better). 
I'm always in hopes of emailing you back answers to any questions you may have, and with that being said, please leave you email (if it's not already on your blog) for me to give you the proper response that you deserve. :) 
Now with that done, let me answer a couple of questions that I have received in previous posts, but couldn't have the ability to answer via email. (Actually I am adding in some others that I have answered via email, just in case you were wondering too!)


Kimberly O. asked: "What nail polish were you wearing in the (Vlogging) video?"
Answer: I was wearing my tried and true Turquoise and Caicos by Essie. I seriously suggest you all go buy it. I receive at least one compliment on it a day, and it works well with all skins tones.


Kimberly O. asked: "How are you liking the Nook? I was interesting in getting one but I might just get an iPad. Also, I've been wanting to read Water for Elephants for a while now. If you read it let me know what you think."
Answer: I love my Nook! But I will admit, I will always love the feeling of holding a real book, turning the pages, smelling the paper, etc. I know many people love the iPad, so I would suggest instead of the Nook. It is relatively cheaper now that the new version is out and has a lot more possibilities on it, but that's just my own opinion. I actually read Water for Elephants in January when the wave of movie production was in the air. I wanted to read it before the movie came out, and let me tell you, LOVE is not a great enough word for this book. It won't get too deep or anything, but it was a definite fun read and something I would recommend.

Tickled Pink asked: "What eyeshadows to you like from MAC or do you use another brand?"
Answer: As it may appear, I have an obsession with MAC shadows. It was only until Urban Decay's Naked palette did I ever go another route in shadow since probably high school. I guess what lures me in is their wide array of colors and the fact that they last a whole heck of a long time. Some of my favorites I use on a daily basis are:
Tempting - a golden topaz brown with shimmer (If I had to recommend only one, this would be it.)
All That Glitters - a light, champagne color with shimmer that I wear on my brow bone and in the inner corners of my eyes
Satin Taupe - a medium purplish gray color
Woodwinked - a light golden brown
Antiqued - a dark, rich brown with some reddish undertones


And as always, keep the questions coming!
xoxo,
 

I Need a New Computer

No, seriously.
I physically NEED a new computer.
Wonder why?

Or more specifically this.

And remember on my first vlog where I was telling you my computer was janky?

Yep, that's my computer being supported by a fruit bowl AND my purse. You know, so the screen will not fall flat on the table. 
And no, I did not drop my computer. It was my senior year of college and one day after opening up my Dell, the bottom right corner of the screen frame popped out. I thought no big deal, and popped it back in. 
Oh, that was just the tip of the iceberg.


So now I need your help. What computer do YOU use? Do you like it? I want to get a great account of what is good out there, before I drop a grand on just buying the holy grail of computers and get a Mac. 



HELP,
 

Summer Shine Vlog Review

I made another vlog! 

This one is a little bit longer, so I apologize in advance.

Also, I had some of y'all ask what my nail polish color was in the first video. It's called Turquoise and Caicos by Essie and is an awesome shade of blue. This video however I am wearing Mint Candy Apple by Essie which is a little bit greener.
P.S. - YouTube obviously hates me since it gives me the worst screen shot EVER.

Items mentioned:
Cosmedicine Medi Matte
Queen Helene Mint Julip Mask
NARS Sheer Glow Matte
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion 
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Freeze It Hairspray Original 

xoxo,
 

Time to Shut. It. Down.

Lets be honest here, I didn't think I would ever write this post. Ever.
And yet here we are.
I'm writing about my weight.
Lets first start off by saying that I am completely, utterly, honestly happy in my body. I have curves, real curves, that I am not ashamed of nor do I want to get rid of. 
What I am ashamed of are my eating habits.
I'm a lover of junk. I'm a lover of snacking. And I'm a lover of eating whatever my nieces eat when I have them over to visit.

Lets go back to what started this wake up call in my life.
I had two doctors appointments relatively a week and a half apart. When I went to the first one, I had myself weighed in and although the number didn't surprise me, I took it as a "Ok, Whit. That's fine. You can manage that." attitude. My BMI wasn't off, and I was healthy.
Then I went to go see a second doctor for another check up. Weighed again. And I nearly fell off the scale.
I had gained 8 pounds in a week and a half.
That's not cool.
Granted, my nieces were in town during that whole time period, and I love to cook for them and take them out to eat.
But if I keep this lifestyle up, I could go to a place that I don't want to go.

So here I am, calorie counter app in hand (My Fitness Pal, if you're curious), making a lifestyle change.
I'm still going to eat what I want to eat. But it will be in moderation. And I will have a lot more awareness toward what I put in my mouth all day. And I'm going to be exercising. Ugh, the one thing I hate. But like they always say, getting to the gym is half the battle.

And no, this blog is going to become a cronical of my fitness journey. I may give an update here and there, but in reality, this post was to keep me accountable, to put me out there, and to let any other women going through the same thoughts as me to know that it's normal to have a wakeup call if you so need it.

In the meantime, wish me luck. :)

xoxo,
 

Maxi Dresses

I absolutely adore maxi dresses. Unfortunately they don't always love me back.
Case in point, I can rarely find one that actually is long enough for me.
I mean, I just want it to touch the ground. I don't have to have it dragging behind me.
With the styles I've loved out lately, though, I would be lucky to have a long knee length dress much less not having to worry about legs giving me a case of maxi high waters.

And by a stroak of luck, I found this little (and very long) thing.

Anthropologie's Endless Lengths Dress

I ended up styling it with a chunky necklace, beaded belt, and gold sandals. Comfortable and cute. Unfotunately I wore it to a work event, and am unable to post a picture. :( Next time, I promise!

I'm also in the process of ordering a couple of maxis from Old Navy that (say it with me) come online in "tall." We will see how this one ends up looking when I get it in the mail. I got it in both the fushia and the black, and although it is pretty basic, I can really jazz it up with some jewelry and maybe even a belt.

Any other long maxi dresses I need to know about?
xoxo,