Beautiful Dirt

I'm a California girl. Almost to a ridiculous extent. Blue eyes. Blond hair. Red Jetta. Cute condo. Beach lover. Shoe-loving-fashion-obsessor. Cold-hating-mild-weather-queen. Music-loving, concert-going, movie-watching, tv-show-addict.....well, you get the point. My one exception: White skin that is never ever ever ever tan. But I've learned to live with that. This means that there is nothing in my body that believes dirt to be a beautiful thing. I'm not scared of it, don't mind it (provided I don't ruin any shoes) and at times even seek it out (camping trips, hiking, running, little brothers, etc.) But again, I wouldn't describe dirt, in and of itself, as beautiful.

Until I went to Utah.

Every once in awhile there is a work trip that leaves a little room for fun so last Tuesday morning after my boss and I finished up at the trade show we were at we threw on some hiking gear and spent the next four hours exploring Zion National Park. It was absolutely breathtaking! I have never seen colors so rich as the red of the landscape and the red of the rock and the red of the dirt and the red sunsets all mixed together in a beautifully majestic masterpiece. It was stunning.

And from now on, I'll be more careful as to what I put a label on just because we don't have it in California!

This Wonderful Wednesday I...

Went to the Farmer's Market and found fabulous fruits and veggies.

Was given a free pumpkin muffin to enjoy for breakfast. I cannot wait.

Wandered down the city street to a Starbucks for a latte with my girlfriends.

Picked out bottles of wine by how much I liked the label.

And I loved every minute.

Boot Camp - Beginnings

This week I have begun a quest for fitness. Not because I think I need to lose weight or look better but because I love the energy and focus gained from being in shape and on a regular workout routine. And any substitution of fat for muscle or improved appearances that come with that....well, I won't complain.

So far things have gone well with my alarm going off at 4:30 and laying in bed in denial until I hear my roommate's footsteps going down the stairs. Then I throw on some gym clothes, tumble in the car, complain that the moon is still out and begin the drive to "The Camp" in Chino Hills. Next comes one hour of intense cardio, upper, lower and full-body workout exercises with the activity changing every 1-5 minutes and your heart rate never lowering until the cool-down at the end. I was tempted to hate my life the first day since it has been so long since I worked out but I found myself really enjoying the time and the hour flies by every time.

There really aren't any words for the satisfaction that comes after a good, hard workout and on the 6am drive back home I anticipate having a wonderful two hours to make coffee, breakfast, shower, iron my clothes for the day and primp before being in the office around 8. While I am tired at points during the day from getting up so early and working so hard I also have noticed a lot more positive energy to pour into my work.

Along with the workout comes a recommended diet plan. While I am not going to ONLY eat egg whites (I'll never understand the point of that) I am going to be following their recommended plan of 6 small meals a day as opposed to 3 big ones and lots and lots of fruits and veggies and far fewer carbs. It's has been fun to be forced to be a little creative with my groceries especially when so much of my diet up to this point has consisted of pastas and breads and cheeses....mmmm. Ok well maybe I'll keep the cheese around.

So far my favorite early-morning breakfast has been a 3-egg omelet with feta cheese, spinach and tomatoes. It was so easy to cook and was made up of things I already had in the fridge. So convenient. My one exception to this whole diet-thing is going to be lattes (let's face it, I'll never give those up) but a combination of watching my spending AND my eating has at least caused me to cut back a little bit.

I can't wait to complete this first week of workouts and see if it EVER gets easier to wake up at 4:30am....but I doubt it.

Financial Fun

Finances have always been a sore subject for me. Yes, I may have taken a number of statistics, account and finance courses in college but have I ever applied any of those principles to my own life....? No. In addition to that, my grandparents have been financial planners my entire life and Grandpa's motto was always "Pay yourself first" but have I ever faithfully saved money? No. And last but not least, my dad has told me my entire life to save as much money as I can and now that I am a real-world-working-woman I should have at least three months living expenses in the bank. Have I done so? No. The moral of the story, I need to start saving!

So here is my plan:

1.) Keep track of every penny spent.

Whether cash, change, check, or card I am going to monitor my spending habits. This will be especially challenging while traveling for work because EVERYTHING is an expense but I know I can do it.

2.) Save $27.40 every day.

This may seem like an arbitrary number but in reality if I were to save $27.40 every day for one whole year I would have $10,000 in savings. Dad's piece of advice to me after graduation was to strive for this number and in this economy and being entirely self-supported I don't think I could make a wiser decision.

3.) Budget.

I have never stuck to a budget. My primary reason has been that I've never had a steady income. Working part-time as a waitress through college means if you need the money you pick up a shift, you spend your tips, and use your paycheck for bills. At least that was the way it seemed to always work out for me. Now I have a fixed income, fixed bills, and a student loan payment looming just 3 months ahead of me. Now is the time.

All of these financial resolutions shall begin in earnest October 1st since this month there are a number of large payments (Doctor, dentist, dresser, etc.) which need to be addressed first. Is this another excuse? Well, maybe. But if I only have one more month of excuses left I'll let this one slide.

Hustle & Bustle

How is it already Labor Day? The month of August flew by with multiple work trips to San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, GA and Las Vegas. It was a challenge to keep rested and encouraged when are working almost 60 hours a week among strangers and my boss but I made it through safely. Although it is a lot of work to be go-go-going for such a continuous amount of time there were a few little treasures to pick up along the way.

A café bookshop in the Atlanta airport. Why haven’t I found one of these before? Specialty coffee with the walls lined in books and the purr of the jets on the runways just outside the windows made as pleasant a setting I could have imagined while waiting for my flight for 5 hours.

The World of Coca-Cola. History, soda, and lots of creative fun. Be sure to notice the sweet new tank top! "Have a coke and a smile."

Wandering the streets of Vegas at night.

Attending a Broadway show alone. The Lion King was particularly phenomenal with outstanding costumes and props, some of the most powerful performers I've ever heard or seen and a moving story.

Even with all of the little treasures though, it is a wonderful thing to come home. I may be a creature of unusual affections but I miss all of the little things while I'm gone. My bed, my clothes, my bathroom, my car and the people I love! But now that I am back in the comfort of my own home for a couple of weeks I can enjoy all of those things fully and need to catch up on laundry, go grocery shopping and continue my quest for a new dresser in my room. Hooray for being home!

The Need For...Sleep?

The transition from college to a career has been a challenging one in many facets but one in particular: I have to get up before 8am every day. I have never been much of a morning person and even the last year at school have really discovered that I am losing my ability to just skip out on sleep. The years of my freshman and sophomore roommates convincing me to stay up all night at the beach and then survive a whole day of classes ceased to be feasible by the time graduation rolled around.

This makes things particularly difficult when one MUST now be up early and yet one LOVES being out late! I think eventually I will learn just the perfect balance but this week I stayed out a little too late once or twice and then Andrew paid for it on our Friday night date...I was asleep by 11pm. So much for a movie that night!

The highlights of this week's late night adventures included a return trip to my all-time favorite coffee shop, McClain's.

Located in downtown Fullerton and open 'til 4am it was a refuge for all late-night study sessions while at Biola. Now it is a little too far to visit frequently but when a dear friend from Biola suggested a coffee date I un-hesitatingly agreed to drive down to her neighborhood for a visit to my favorite little spot. It was the scene of a wonderful girl chat and female bonding time which was much-needed considering I do not work with ANYONE my age and a lot of my local friends go to a grad school near where I am living and working but are home on summer vacation. So I have been a little friendless.

The second late-night highlight included my best friend Becky who was in town visiting from San Francisco, Disneyland 'til midnight, and a ride on the new Star Tours!

I suppose the trick is a lot of coffee and dedication to getting up with the FIRST alarm but I'm still working on the latter of those...ah well, the quest for a well-balanced and well-examined life continues!

My Red Jetta

This last week has been full of a mission. Just one goal consuming all of my attention: I needed a new car. I have been driving a 1992 Lexus SC400 for almost three years now. It has been a very reliable little car up until a few months ago when it started costing a few hundred dollars a month just to keep it running. Then last month it was a $700 bill for a tune-up and a starter and this month totaled a little less than $600. In addition to that, I had heard from a few reliable sources that my transmission was nearing the end of its days. Well no wonder, the car had over 176,000 miles on it!

Thus, I came to the decision that I must get a new car. I researched used cars and gas mileage and types and brands and insurance ratings and financing and all of the mess that is involved in making a decision about a new car. After five whole days of dealers and car lots and phone calls and research I found myself at the Volkswagen dealership of Pasadena. And I found the one. A 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SE with 13 miles on it, great gas mileage, good insurance ratings, and a really affordable monthly payment for a 3-year lease! Three days and 12 hours in the dealership later, she is mine and her name is Vicki.

So now I would like to introduce her to you! A 5-cylender engine, bright red exterior (obviously), black leatherette interior, satellite radio, blue tooth, “butt warmers”, lots of trunk space and just the cutest little fit for me you ever could find! I could not be more pleased and have been loving every second of driving her around. I also am officially a car-lease expert, thanks to the head of my marketing department who took it upon himself personally to oversee the “help poor little inexperienced Melissa not get duped” process. So call me if you want to lease a car!