OkieDokie Artichokey - or Why I'm a Total Weirdie.

The people that know me well know that I'm a totally ridiculous piece of craycrayy. And the people that know me also know that I don't super care that some people are totally put-off or annoyed by it.

But some of you aren't quite as fortunate, and don't exactly know about all of my quirks. So since it's been a while since I've done much of anything on my blog, I thought this time around I'd share some of the things that make me the super-unique piece of magic that I am, because lets face it - who WOULDN'T want to read that. 

Also, I'd like to go ahead and apologize to my mother, because after I publish this I'm almost positive I'll never get a boyfriend/get married soooo yeah. I'll get you some grand-puppies.

• I use super fun words and phrases like totes, holla, PTL, craycrayy, and okie dokie artichokey. I really do have a great vocab, these words are just more fun to say, especially when you're in a hyper-cray mood like I get sometimes. However, I also have a modified vocab. For example, instead of using the "F" word when referring to passing gas, I say smeech. The "F" word is gross to me, I'd so much rather accuse my brother of smeeching. 

• A lot of these supes fun words are emphasized by my lisp. Yep, 21 year old grown woman and I have a speech impediment.  It's whatevs though, everyone called me Kip in high school, but I'm almost positive it was out of love.

• I'm 21 years old and a little bit obsessed with art history, especially the Italian Renaissance, while other girls my age are a little bit obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and The Bachelorette. I consider myself lucky that the majority of the drama in my obsession, however, concerns things like whether or not Michelangelo enjoyed painting the Sistine Ceiling (for the record, he didn't - it made his back and neck hurt and he hated the paint dripping in his beard). One time, Target released a special collection of Andy Warhol Campbell Soup cans, and I made my mother take me the day they came out to get a collection for my room. I'm THAT cool.

• The only TV I really watch right now consists of Spongebob and Big Bang Theory, and then I watch every episode of Go On and Baby Daddy on Hulu. I don't have time for TV shows that make my brain work. As horrible as that sounds, I don't even feel obligated to defend it, after I come home from school/3 jobs/church/family functions, I'd so much rather have good humor than actual substance (like most people are actually getting any thing "substantial" from their TV shows anyways, lawlz). 

• I'm a full-time student (art history major at that), I have 3 jobs, I'm active in my church choir and I work in the children's ministry at my church. And I have a very close-knit family, which means family functions are a huge priority for me. So basically, I have no life, which means I can't afford to be in a relationship with people that are super-clingy/always wanting to hang out ALWAYS. WHICH MEANS I don't typically win many guys over lol.

• I act like a total dude half of the time. I burp like a boss (but only in the appropriate settings), I hate talking about feelings, and if I could live at the Ballpark I totally would. And if you're a dude with a weaker burp than mine, I'll definitely call you out on it. BUT I'm totes a girly-girl too. Obsessed with shoes, clothing, and anything that sparkles. So really, I don't even know how you would classify me on the boy-girl-tendency-scale, I'm just all over the place.

• I have the weirdest sense of humor... it's like a mix between punny (HAH), five-year-old humor, and intellectual jokes....but really I'll just laugh at anything - I mean ANYTHING. Ask my coworkers. 

• I AM DEATHLY AFRAID OF ROACHES. I don't even like saying that word, and the fact that I typed it is making me cringe. They make me cry - and I mean like literally sob. I just can't deal with them. I'm totally okay with spiders, snakes, all those fun things, but r*@&#!% make me miserable. When I go to the reptile/bug exhibits at zoos, I have to make whoever I'm with look at the displays before me and tell me whether or not I can look, because if I accidentally look at the Madagascar Hissing r*@&#!%, it's game over for the day.

• I have a 3 year old pet goldfish named FishFish that I treat like a pet puppy. I talk to him, make kissy-faces at him, the whole shebang. Actually, his 3rd Birthday (or adoption anniversary) is exactly one week from now, and I plan on getting him a new aquarium decoration to celebrate. He's great, I love him.

• I'm super in love with Batman, which by now EVERYONE should know. I went with my best friend to the screening of the trilogy for the midnight release of Dark Knight Rises, wore my supes cute Batman t-shirt, and took BatBear with me. BatBear went with me to Batman Live, and recently, I was gifted a supes cute Batman pocket-knife that BatBear uses to defend my bedroom. I call my car the BatMobile, and when I don't know how to reply to my bestie Andrew, I say "Shrimpballs?" and he knows what I mean. FishFish one time died and came back to life like 15 minutes later, and earned himself the nickname "Ra's al Gold" since he's apparently like a supes immortal fish or whatevs.It's a little bit of an obsession, but I'm not upset about it. At least I don't like stupid superheroes like The Hulk. 

• I'm also super obsessed with food. I love trying new foods and indulging in deliciousness, I just eat relatively small portions. However, I go through weird phases with my food too. Like one time when I was a kid, I was so in love with tacos that I had a taco charm on my charm bracelet. OR Dad likes to point out the time when I refused to eat seafood for like 2 years, which he thinks was a direct result of me watching Finding Nemo (which could totes be true, who knows.) Also, people often identify me by my cult-followings of foods like McRibs and Spicy Ketchup, and my Christmas&Birthday gift-cards often match up accordingly.

• I'm a little bit weird about odd numbers. I can't stand things being even - ie. I have 3 piercings on one ear and 1 on the other; I always grab napkins in sets of 3 or 5 (3 if it's for myself, 5 if it's for me and a friend); I use odd numbers in my interior design/decorating; my AC in my car has to be set on an odd numbered temperature; the volume on the TV has to be set on an odd number; etc.  

• I like weird music. I listen to groups like The Weepies and Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros, which are totally amazing to me but totally not for other people. 
  
  And then two seconds later I can turn to Beastie Boys, Zac Brown Band, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and System of a Down. I'm tellin you, my taste is all over the place.
• I don't like to party. I'd much rather have a movie night or go to dinner with my friends. So sue me.

•  I'm very expressive. I make weird faces and do weird hand gestures and blahblahblah, mostly because it's fun and I don't care that people think some of the faces I make are dumb. You'll be okay. Most of them are me pretending to be you anyways.  

Anyways, that's basically me. Those are the things that make me weird/unique/whatever you want to call it. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Peace out Girl Scout.

My Heart on Inauguration Day

I've never really watched the Presidential Inauguration before today. Even being a total newbie to the process, this ceremony was overwhelmingly beautiful to me. For a minute, it didn't really matter that I hadn't voted this president in, or that I hadn't really approved of him from the beginning. I just had an amazing, patriotic sense of peace come over me.

That is until I checked my Newsfeed on Facebook, and just ONE tiny, probably stupid, status posted by a friend of mine caught my eye and broke my heart. This status wasn't horribly inappropriate, most people probably wouldn't have even noticed it.

It simply said "okay wait one minute... how that white woman get a spot in the Brooklyn tabernacle choir?"

And upon reading that, I just snapped.

I probably should have kept my mouth shut and ignored the post, but I couldn't, and my fingers typed and clicked 'post' faster than my mind could even try to decide to sensor myself. I posted, with all the snobbish attitude possible to give to a Facebook comment "clearly you've never been to a Brooklyn Tabernacle Church service." Which really is MUCH more clean and friendly than what I had wanted to post.

Our Youth Group at Brooklyn Tabernacle

But I meant what I said from the bottom of my heart. The last time I had visited New York City, I was with my youth group from church. My youth group, which was also led by our choir director, had listened to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir for quite a while, and our church choir sang several pieces that were originally Brooklyn Tabernacle arrangements. So when we took a missions trip to New York, we planned from the very beginning to attend church on Sunday morning at Brooklyn Tabernacle. We were eager to go, and it was EASILY one of the major highlights of my trip. That church service was one of the most beautiful, amazing, and spiritually moving services I've ever been to in my life, and I've told many people before that if I ever moved to New York, it would primarily be in order to attend that church.

But the reason I posted my comment the way I did, was because of the fact that when you walk into Brooklyn Tabernacle, you are greeted and met by a sea of Christ-loving faces from many different nationalities and backgrounds. Looking around the congregation during the service, I noticed that there was not one ethnic group that was more prominant than the other, and this was even more evident when watching the choir perform. This was so comforting to me - just to know that I was in a church where there was no judgment based on skin color, and even though the music was more soulful than many 'white churches' are use to, it was all very clearly OF GOD and made specifically for the purpose of praising His name, which the congregation and choir did in perfect unity.

And this is the reason I'm going on this rant. The fact that someone could be SO narrow-minded as to make a comment such as "how that white woman get a spot in the Brooklyn tabernacle choir?" It's just so horrifying to me.

Brooklyn Tabernacle is not a white church. It is not a black church, even, or a Hispanic, Arab, European, whatever church. Brooklyn Tabernacle is unique and amazing because of the fact that it is legitimately a 'people' church, where skin color really does not matter, unlike so many other churches in the nation. And that is what makes it so great!

I'd like to clarify that the person who posted that status is probably one of my favorite people in the world, and I really do love him to death. But knowing the person the way that I do, I know that he's a man of God who attends church regularly and happily, and I think that's what made his comment so shocking to me. He probably didn't even think of it as being an offensive comment in the first place, and I know he was just making a light-hearted joke. But to know Brooklyn Tabernacle, and to love them so dearly, just led me to take that comment to heart, because I knew it wasn't right.
Thankfully my friend didn't comment back, I think he knew we were both on different pages with that status, and I would have hated for it to come between us as friends.

Ultimately, I think the main issue is that when there are churches, organizations, and institutions as amazing and multi-cultural as Brooklyn Tabernacle, that people still have a tendency to see nothing but color and nationality differences. It breaks my heart that some people think that way, but I find it so incredible that there are safe havens like Brooklyn Tabernacle where the only thing that matters is serving and praising God.

BluePrint Diary

So I finally ordered the BluePrintCleanse. 3 days of it to be exact! A few days before it was scheduled to arrive, I started prepping my body for the cleanse - I cut out coffee, Diet Coke, meat, and everything else that makes the world go 'round, and was down to fruits and veggies. And now, the cleanse begins!!! Here's an overview of how this works - to last me 3 days, BluePrint sent me 18 bottles of juice - 6 a day. Each juice has a number on its label (1-6) and I drink them in order throughout the day, with water in between. No big deal? Right, except I'm also not exactly suppose to eat anything else, unless I absolutely need to, and then I can have a couple slices of cucumber or a bit of celery. I'm excited to see how this goes, less excited that I'm already having Diet Coke withdrawals.

But here goes! I'll share step-by-step with you how it all works out.:)

DAY 1

10.10am - juice arrives! I've already been drinking warm water to get my digestive system going, as per BluePrint tips.

10.30am - starting juice 1. This one's called Green Juice, and it's made of (all organic) Romaine, Celery, Cucumber, Apple, Spinach, Kale, Parsley, and Lemon. Looks veryyyy green and tastes very green too. I can tell this is the one I'll love the least (and lucky me, I get it twice a day!). STILL OPTIMISTIC FOR THE REST!!!

11.40am - gym and water - feeling pretty good so far, haven't felt really hungry. I did a little over five miles on the elliptical without too much problem.

12.55pm - finished my workout. Still not really hungry, but I'm starting juice 2, which is a pineapple, apple, and mint blend. So. Flipping. Delicious.

3.00pm - juice 3: green juice again. Do notttt love this one. Although I have to admit, I feel very awake and energized right now.

5.10pm - juice 4: spicy lemonade (water, lemon, agave nectar, cayenne). Yeah. They're not joking when they say 'spicy.' It's not like horribly hot, but as soon as you drink it you can feel that warm, tingling sensation of cayenne down your throat. Overall, delicious!

6.30pm - juice 5: I got super excited because it was red, so I thought 'berries! Yum!' No. Not really. This juice is made of Apple, Carrot, Beet, Lemon, and Ginger. It's not as rough to get down as green juice, but it tastes like a Christmas candle smells, so you get the idea. I'm still impressed with the fact that I haven't felt super hungry yet, but I still miss solid food.

8.15pm - juice 6: final juice of the day! And it's a Cashew Milk made with water, cashew, agave nectar, vanilla, and cinnamon. And this one is ooooohhh so good. It's like happy, delicious, dessert in a bottle, and I couldn't ask for a better way to finish the day.

I still haven't had to resort to any cucumber or celery, and I'm still not really hungry, though the spaghetti the rest of my family had tonight smelled heavenly. But really, I feel pretty good, and I've felt alert and awake all day, and I'm pretty sure tonight I'll be able to sleep soundly. PLUS, my skin is pretty much glowing already, like all this organic juice and water is already making a major difference in my complexion, so that's pretty dang sweet.

DAY 2

7.30am - woke up this morning for work, didn't feel sluggish or fatigued like I usually do in the mornings, so that was kinda nice.

8.00am - juice 1: back to green juice again. It's still not my favorite, but for some reason it doesn't taste AS funky as yesterday. Am I getting use to raw organic veggies??! Eh, maybe, but I'm not mad since I feel as good as I do.

10.30am - juice 2: I'm not gonna lie, my head was hurting a little bit before this one. Not enough to make me miserable, but just enough to be annoying. As soon as I started drinking my pineapple/apple/mint though, I immediately felt better. I'm gonna go ahead and say that this one and the cashew milk are my two favorites for sure.
Oh and moment of weakness: I was so tempted to be a cheater when my boss walked in with a pizza from Pie Five, but don't worry, I behaved.

12.05pm - workout and water. Oh lord, my stomach is growling a little and I'm only halfway through my hour on the elliptical. I'm determined to be a winner though!! Oddly enough, I can't wait to get off and have my green juice.

1.15pm - juice 3: green juice. Right now, it's so good. Maybe it's just because it's the only 'food' I'm taking in right now, but I'm not mad. Part of me blames it on my work outs!

2.40pm - juice 4: spicy lemonade. I've gotta be honest, everyone told me this was the best one, but I disagree. The taste is good (your typical lemonade with a bit of a kick), but there's no substance like some of the other 'thicker' drinks. Oh well! At least it tastes good!

4.30pm - juice 5: still tastes like Christmas candle. Yep. But I feel good!

7.15pm - juice 6: cashew milk is still sooo yummy, but I'm not gonna lie, I dunno that I'll last till bedtime. I'm starting to get hungry.

8.45pm - I caved and got vegetable broth.:( but it's organic, and it's allowed so I don't feel too bad. All I feel is delicious, warm happiness. Who woulda thought I would ever cherish vegetable broth so much?

And here's the weirdness. Totally going to bed at 10.30 on a FRIDAY NIGHT. Crayycrayy? For sure. I dunno if it's because I had a long day or because healthy eating makes me not have a stupid sleep schedule, but I'm crawling into bed and soo not mad about it.

DAY 3

So I totally had my alarm set for 9.30 because I thought 'eh, it's Saturday, I'm allowed to sleep in a bit.' Somehow or another, I woke up well before 9.30, and felt wide awake, like I had legitimately gotten a full nights rest. Totally new experience for me. Usually when I wake up, I feel groggy and miserable and ready to go back to bed. The only reason I stayed in bed until my alarm went off was because it was just soo comfy cozy!

10.20am - juice 1: green juice - hurr we go. Once again, I don't mind the taste so much anymore.

12.25pm - you know what's the best? Looking at yourself in a mirror and thinking 'dang, I look good.' That's the best. That's all! Haven't started juice 2, just thought I'd share. :) time for mason twists and sit ups with a medicine ball!

12.45pm - juice 2. SO YUMMYHAPPYHAPPYYUMMY. I'm not gonna lie though, I'm kinda depressed that this is my last pineapple/apple/mint, it was definitely a juice to look forward to in the day. Oh well, one drink closer to solid food I suppose.

2.25pm - juice 3: Last green juice eversss. (Or for the duration of this cleanse). And I'm not even mad. Especially since I'm drinking it on the way to the Arboretum in Dallas sooooo yeah, totes not mad.

4.30pm - juice 4: is it horrible that I'm so glad to be done with Spicy Lemonade? Didn't love drinking that one, I dunno why, it didn't taste bad, but I didn't feel like I got much out of it, though I'm sure I did.

6.30pm - juice 5: the stupid beet juice isn't as bad today, surprise surprise. But it helps that I'm distracted by Django Unchained as well:P

8.15pm - juice 6: my last ever cashew milk. I'm sad about this, juice 6 was like heaven! But I'm feeling wonderful, and I'll go ahead and admit now, I may indulge in some organic vegetable broth before bed.

Also, I'm a liiiittle bit nervous about easing back into solid foods tomorrow, especially since we're going to be having a special lunch for my cousin at Olive Garden. But I'm determined not to make myself sick by shocking my system, so I'll be good.


DAY AFTER!
I woke up feeling wonderful this morning, and was totally stoked to start my morning off with a banana (yay solid food!) To be perfectly honest, when we went to lunch at Olive Garden with all the family, I didn't feel the need to over-indulge, and I didn't have as much room TO over-indulge in the first place. I was even good and chose salad over chicken and gnocchi! Which is a pretty big deal if you know me.

BluePrint has been good for me in that I can already see big changes in both my wellness and my appearance. I have more natural energy, my skin is clearer, and my stomach is flatter (I'm posting a picture, but the difference is more drastic in person than on the screen I think). Overall, I'm really glad that I did BluePrint, and I think it'll inspire me to be more healthy throughout the near future. I would definitely do it again, as soon as I saved up enough to splurge on it, but I'm at least glad I did it this time!

Favorite Photos of 2012!

As you are all aware, I'm a little bit obsessed with taking pictures. Maybe I'm a total loser, but hey, photos are the best way to keep memories, and one of my favorite things to do in the world is go back through my pictures and relive the events that took place.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that last year, I did a "favorite photos of 2011" entry. And, because I really just can't help myself, I'm sooo flippin excited to share my favorite photos of 2012 as well! Yayayayayayayyyy! Now they're not all perfectly in order, but enjoy, find yourself, andddd if you aren't in as many pictures as you'd like to be (or any) then spend more time with me the coming year, you'll be sure to make the 2013 entry. ;)

(just a warning, there's a LOTTTT more photos this year lol)