the time has come

i'm so tired of having a clothes crisis every single morning. i'll be shopping this weekend, thank you very much.

another present to myself

the new ipod shuffle just came out, so i will use this opportunity to get myself the "old" shuffle at the discounted price. a little slow on the uptake, i know, but it will be PERFECT for working out.

go buy this NOW

i just finished the best workout dvd ever.

Women's Health: The Wedding Workout

(side note: the back of this dvd said that it can also

be used for other "special occasions" such as a high school

reunion or beach vacation. so there. i SWEAR i'm

not a wannabe bride. i just wannabe hot for mexico.)

i have MANY dvd workouts. and a problem i have always had with each is the inability to customize the workout. so you can guess what this one does :) THAT'S RIGHT!! EEEK! here's how it works: you have 2 initial options: pre-built workouts or custom workouts.

with the custom workout, you can create your own program from 11-12 minute segments of cardio, upper body, lower body, and abs & core. you can arrange them in any order you want, repeating each as many times as you want. there's also a 4 minute warm-up and 3 minute cool-down that you should put at each end of your workout.

the pre-built workouts are split into two options: the strapless dress workout (emphasis on upper body) and the short/hiphugging dress workout (emphasis on lower body). the beauty of this is that each "workout" gives you a weekly plan with the segments i mentioned before split up between each day of the week. for instance, on monday you do cardio and upper body, and on tuesday you do abs & core. each day is something different. and while the segments are the same, the order they come in keeps your body guessing.

the cardio is the only thing that i feel is "lacking", but you can easily substitute running or another dvd cardio workout for that. but if you're just looking for a quick cardio session to move around a little, this is perfect.

target, $7.99 SERIOUSLY WORTH IT.

moving on.

i had another fun experience today- i went to the public library to renew my library card and checkout a book on nashville for my weekend trip! i also got a 2009 book on mexico for some more tips for riviera maya. and i think the favorite book that i got is a monograph of the sculptor, Richard Serra.

this is Joe. we saw it in st. louis at the pulitzer museum and it was amazing. such a dynamic and engaging sculpture. i perused the art and architecture section of the library today and almost gave up on finding anything i was interested in when i saw SERRA on the thick white spine of this book. i immediately grabbed it and went to checkout. i'm looking forward to some time with my library books and learning more about nashville, mexico, and richard serra. and i'm excited about renewing the library's presence in my life. it's been too long and i spend too much money at bookstores. $1 for a library card and i can have all the books i want for free. seems like a good idea to me.

perfect valentine's

we did it low key last night. our first choice for a restaurant was already booked up early in the week, so instead of searching for a place that would clearly be runner-up, we opted for a night in. it was quite a contrast to last year's valentine's- a romantic, candle-lit dinner at Paulette's... hands down one of the most romantic restaurants in memphis. and it was an absolutely perfect night and one i'll never forget. regardless of the differences between this year and last, they were equally as wonderful, enjoyable, and romantic. 

this year we decided to "keep it real", if you will. 

we picked up a bottle of wine

 went to target and got a movie

 and yummy chocolates

and then went to little caesar's for their $5 hot-n-ready pizza deal (which by the way is the best deal any company that has ever existed has ever invented- we LOVE it).  

it was one of the most perfect valentine's days EVER. we had a wonderful time together, talking laughing, snuggling. 

all of this proves that it doesn't matter where you go, what you do, of how much money you spend, valentine's day is made perfect by the person that you spend it with.

HOLA RIVIERA MAYA!!

i booked our spring getaway this morning!!! aaaaahhhhhhhh i am sooo excited i can't even describe it. april 26 cannot come soon enough. we've got a non-stop flight, all-inclusive resort package, and a GREAT price. i don't know how much it would cost to do an excursion trip to some mayan ruins, but that would be sweeeet. i now have time to do some research and figure out what all there is to do around the resort. that is, assuming that we could peel ourselves off the white sandy beach long enough to do something else. doubtful.

it is also a priority to figure out how financially likely it will be that i can participate in THIS:

PLEEEEEEEASE.

resolutions*

*reloaded

i came up with a NEW new year's resolution a little while back. this is pretty much the only time i can remember actually following my resolutions pretty well... ok, so maybe the reason i've done well with my resolutions so far is because i actually enjoy doing all of the things i resolved to do. it makes it easy. maybe that's cheating, i don't know. but i don't care. because i'm getting s#*t done and enjoying myself in the meantime. but continuing on...

i bought SO MUCH scrapbook paper and card stock in after-christmas sales that i have now created work for myself. but it's fun work. and that's the best kind :) i have resolved to HAND-MAKE ALL of the cards i send out this year: birthday, valentine's, congrats, get well, halloween, thanksgiving, even christmas. i've always had a small passion for making greeting cards with random stuff i find in my craft box. so i figure i can take it to the next level. i mean, it's always so hard to find the perfect card, or i end up thinking "i wasted all that time looking for a card and i could have come up with most of those myself"... christmas will be the real challenge.  s o o o o o  many cards to send, but i'm determined to do it. and everyone will get a unique card. i think i like that aspect the best. truly personalized greetings. 

so watch your mailbox because some day soon, you may receive your very own, one-of-a-kind greeting! i just hope they're not cheesy or stupid. if you think they are, please just keep it to yourself. that's my heart and soul. my blood, sweat and tears. but not literally, because that would be gross, and then you'd be entitled to hate them. 

ahhhhh bargains!!

i finally bought a pair of brown riding boots! i've been searching for them for a few months now. earlier today i saw a pair at banana republic that i felt luke-warm about but they were still $80, even after a plethora of sale reductions. and i definitely liked that $80 more than the boots.

BUT THEN...!! an unexpected trip to kohl's produced a surprising result... for only $32.99!!!

and strangely enough i actually like them MORE than the pair from banana. go figure. i think it was destiny.

boots and i plan on having a long and happy life together.