59 Days Out.....

There are 59 days until the Wine and Dine Lumiere's Challenge begins. Or 59 days for my untrained butt to get back into shape depending on how you look at it.

Spending 45+ hours a week at the office has been killing me. I get home and curl up in bed, or I go right to the barn from work, meaning I have fallen extremely far behind on my training for any of the upcoming races I have. I'm either going to humiliate myself at the Wine and Dine, or I can get myself into shape and accept that this will be a race for the experience and not for the time.

So this morning I got up and ran a solid 4 miles at Crane's Roost in Altamonte Springs.

This place is always under construction

While I'm not happy that it took me 50 minutes to complete 4 miles, I am happy that I completed those 4 miles and restarted my half marathon training!

I not only forgot to him the start button after stopping at a water fountain, but I also have an extremely interesting running playlist. 

The goal from here is to keep up with the training program, and build my endurance as much as I can. The plan was always to take the 10K slow and enjoy the experience, but if I have to take the half marathon slow then I can accept that.

It was hot out and I got extremely gross, extremely fast

To be completely honest, I seem to have really screwed up my training for all of the Disney half marathons. Since I left Running Depot I have found it hard to stick to a program, and extremely lonely. But, my life is far too busy at the moment to find a running group down here. So far I've got the pony, Florida Freewheelers, dance classes, work, and learning how to sew eating up my time. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to manage my time better and find a club to run with.

Bailey was a bit confused about why I was laying on the floor and what the heck this thing is

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Speaking of sewing.....

I had planned to share a sewing project with you tonight! But this happened......

I still don't know how I pulled this one off

For the next three hours...... After a few hours of screwing around with the machine, and basically having a major hissy fit, I managed to figure out what I was doing wrong. Which is basically everything. 

Cali knew I was getting pissed and decided to cuddle to make me feel better!

So, now I'm extremely pissed with the project and taking a break until tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy a preview of the fabric! Hopefully tomorrow goes by quickly and I can get this finished! It is supposed to be a simple beginner project after all! 

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Hurricane Hermine

As most Chicagoans will know, hearing "This is Jerry Taft from the National Weather Center" emit from your phone usually means a fun bout of weather is approaching. Last night I forgot that I had the ABC 7 Weather app set up for alerts and may have flipped my dinner all over the dining room. Whoops. Thanks Jerry.

While hauling the cats to the bathroom, I may have discovered that I am sorely under prepared for any type of severe weather. As a perfect example, the cats got locked in the bathroom but when I realized I don't have a battery powered radio I might have hung out in the living room watching the weather updates. (And then possibly stood on my patio during a period of creepy silence)

Some of the items I realized that I might need for the next storm include:

1) A flashlight that isn't my phone and isn't pocket size. My phone has the potential to die, and probably will because I'm awful at charging it. Plus, my pocket size flashlight spends more time lost than my keys do. 

2) A radio. Not having power means no laptop, and no tv for updates. Plus, my phone is a constant state of dead.

3) A second cat cage. Despite getting the cats almost 6 months ago, I still only have one cage. They love each other but I'm sure they'd rather not be squashed together if we have to evacuate.

Despite not having those three, somewhat major, items, I think I did pretty well for my preparations! The cats and I had plenty of food, and I was totally prepared to not have work today! But alas, I did have work and we got to pie a manager in the face and fill another manager's cube with balloons so I guess it all worked out!

So fellow transplants, what are some things you realized might be necessary during a major storm?

Steele From The Heart

Every little girl dreams of having a pony. I dreamed of a grey pony named Tinkerbell or a black pony named Stardust. My childhood dream was slower pushed aside and I never got my pony. But, as a 25 year old adult, I have finally achieved my childhood dream and got my pony.

"Well hi everyone"

In May I finally found a barn in Florida. It is close to my apartment, close to work, and the riders at the barn are extremely welcoming. After having a few lessons on various horses I was asked if I wanted to try the green pony. She needed a short rider (check), who had time to ride her consistently (check). I said yes and tried her in a lesson.

During that lesson I fell in love with her. She knows her walk, trot, and canter, and how to jump. But she still has her "stupid baby" moments, such as not hitting her correct lead for the canter every time. My trainer asked if I wanted to lease her and my immediate response was "yes". I wanted more than anything to have the chance to work with this pony.

Since June I have been proud to call Cupid "mine". I get to see her as often as I like and work with her on her little quirks. We're focusing right now on building muscle and maintaining a consistent pace for the walk and trot. When I feel like we have both gained some strength I hope to work on her canter leads. Once she gets her leads down (and finds a child) she will be unstoppable in the pony ring.

So, expect to see more of Miss. Cupid, hopefully she'll be around for awhile.

The heart of on her shoulder that earned her her name

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As part of a funny introduction to Cupid I'll share a moment from a few weeks ago.

Some other riders in the barn were cooling down their horses and one had taken off her saddle to do a bit of bareback work. The saddle was sitting on one of the jumps so nothing would happen to the tree or anything. I don't remember if I saw the saddle and disregarded it, or just didn't notice it. Strange things tend to end up in the arena of this barn as people work on desensitizing their horses.

Cupid and I walked over to the mounting block, I tightened the girth, dropped her stirrups, and flipped the reins over her head. As soon as I lined her up next to the mounting block, Cupid saw the saddle and panicked. Thankfully, she isn't the type of horse to run. She began to back up slowly which gave me time to flip the reins over her head so I could maintain a grip on her. I did not want her to start to run and catch her leg in the reins.

She's always following me

After letting her back away from the jump and talking to her in a calm voice I was able to get her to stop and think. We stood for awhile and just watched the pony eating saddle. After standing for about 2 minutes, Cupid let me lead her a few steps towards the saddle. With each step she stood directly behind me as if I were the sacrificial lamb.

Something like this. But in this instance she was trying to find the treats that she thought I had.

Slowly we inched our way towards the saddle and jump, until we were close enough that I could touch it. As soon as I touched the saddle it was like something clicked in her mind. This saddle was just like the one on her back, only it was sitting on a jump. We took a few minutes to sniff and touch the saddle, then she was comfortable enough for me to lead her back to the mounting block and start our ride. (I did ask one of the other girls to hold her in case we had another spook. I did have to throw myself off our mounting block to keep a hold on her reins)

One would think that her reaction to this saddle would indicate that she is extremely aware of her surroundings. Today, my trainer had a whole new set of gorgeous jumps along the one side of the arena. Both of the horses who were in our lesson had "what the hell is that" moments. Cupid glanced at them and kept doing what I was asking her. Some days she's extremely smart, others she's willing to defer the thinking to me.

Just another day in the life of a green pony.

*Correction - I found out at our show in September that her show name is actually "Steele My Heart". whoops.

Lush's Love Lettuce Review

I love face masks. To me there's nothing more relaxing than using a face mask after a stressful day.

One of my favorite lines of face masks is Lush's Fresh Face Masks. I used to use them religiously in high school, then I stopped because life got too busy to take the time and use a face mask. Recently, I've been able to find the time for luxuries like face masks.

While at Mall of Millennia I stopped by Lush to see if they had anything that could help my skin. Recently I have been having more breakouts than normal and wanted to correct this issue. As I mentioned in a previous post the sales girl recommended Love Lettuce and let me tell you, that girl is a genius.

My Lush haul from that trip, including Love Lettuce.

Lush describes Love Lettuce as "our exfoliating ground almond mask that scoops up dirt, oil and debris and washes it all away. Exfoliation is an important part of good skincare, as it removes the buildup of dead skin that can clog your pores and cause impurities. Love Lettuce is a great example of how just a few ingredients can make a fresh, effective product for the skin. We blend calming French lavender oil with seaweed and honey to nourish and soften skin, and to balance oily T-zones."

While I personally hate to fully support the description that companies issue for their products, I do have to admit that Lush is spot on for their description of this face mask. 

While the pot this mask comes in seems fairly small I was able to get four and a half uses out of it. The four uses were full face with part of my neck and the final use was focused on my breakouts and T-zone. While I do wish I was able to get more applications out of this mask, I am pleased that I was able to get about five applications. At a price of $7.95 (at the time of this post), that breaks this mask down to $1.59 an application. I feel that is a fair price for a quality mask.

What it looks like when first opened. You can see the almonds used to exfoliate. 

This mask gently exfoliates but is also strong enough to help banish any rough spots. Towards the last two applications my face became very dry from forgetting to moisturize while running late for work. This mask assisted with the dry skin without being irritating. It was not an instant ticket to soft, moisturized skin but it did help my skin repair itself faster than it normally does. (Forgetting moisturizer is a pretty regular thing in my life)

I also felt this mask lives up to the claim that it clears pores and draws away oil from the skin. Oily skin is not a huge issue in my life but it does occur from time to time, especially when it gets extremely hot and humid out. This mask helped clear up an oily patch that was present when I started using it. Unlike other masks that clear up oily patches it did not dry out my skin or make my face feel "tight". 

Smooth application and even coverage! 

I wish I could claim that Love Lettuce cleared up my breakouts but unfortunately I can not say that. What I can say is that I believe this mask kept my breakouts from becoming severe and prevented anything major from forming. As someone who can occasionally resemble an appaloosa this was greatly appreciated. 

Overall I would happily recommend Love Lettuce to individuals looking for a good mask. It will probably not be on my list to clear up breakouts, but it will be on my list for a good exfoliating and cleaning mask. Plus, the ingredients are mostly natural which is always a plus in my book!

Back of the pot with ingredient list. Not the expiration date and production date.

Fresh Ingredients: Agar Agar Gel (Gelidium cartilagineum) , Kaolin , Honey ,Fullers Earth , Glycerine , Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis) ,Ground Almond Shells (Prunus dulcis) , Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) ,Chlorophyllin , *Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool ,Fragrance . *Occurs naturally in essential oils

Please note all of the black pots that Lush products are sold in are recycled. They have a program where you can bring in 5 empties and receive a free face mask, so remember to save those pots!

Orlando, The City Beautiful

When I was young my mom enrolled me in a program called Safety Town. The idea behind the program was that young children would learn about fire safety, road safety, and playground safety among other things. I lasted a few days in the program before my mom removed me. The idea that I would be in danger gave me nightmares. To this day I don't like dealing with the idea that I might be in danger. (Pretty ironic for an equestrian isn't it?)

On June 12, my adopted city was attacked. For the past week I have felt like I did when I went through Safety Town; scared, and threatened. But I have also never felt prouder of this city.

I have watched this city pull together and stand with each other. Individuals have organized blood drives, fundraisers, support events, and so much more.

Today, I attended the Candlelight Vigil at Lake Eola with a friend who is a member of the Orlando LGBTQ community. Seeing all the support for the victims and first responders was amazing. Everyone was there with one goal; to let the world know that we will never be knocked down, we will never waiver from being a city where everyone is welcome.

I fell in love with Orlando because of the "vibe" of the city. The diversity and acceptance that can be found in here is what makes this city great. It is what encouraged me to make this city my home.

From what I saw tonight I know that Orlando will rise from the ashes of this disaster and be greater than ever. We will never forget what happened or the individuals who fell, but this city will recover and we will learn from this experience. No matter what you believe in or who you love, The City Beautiful will always welcome you with open arms.

The following images were taken today at the Candlelight Vigil:

This banner was flown around Lake Eola before the Vigil.

Just one of the many memorials that were/are located at Dr. Phillips

A small portion of the people at Dr. Phillips honoring the fallen. 

Florists were handing out these flowers to everyone. This was one of the many acts of kindness and community I witnessed at the Vigil.

The organizers of this heart were inviting everyone to come and place a flower on the heart. They had pre-cut flowers available. 

Ribbons that were hanging on trees around Lake Eola.

The flags are still at half mast. This image gives you an idea of the amount of people that were present. It was taken around 5:00PM. Well before the official beginning.

This rainbow appeared over Lake Eola right before the Vigil officially began. 

The entire lake was one large group of people. I've never imagined this many people would show up.

You can faintly see all the candles. Everyone was sharing lighters and matches to help keep the flames lit despite the wind.

The fountain was light as a rainbow. I'm not sure if this is an everyday thing but tonight it felt special.

Goodbye May, Hello Curling Wand

Well, May ended on both a positive note and a negative note.

To get it out of the way, I am no longer in the audition process for Orlando Concert Band. It was a fun audition process, I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity. But I feel it's for the best for both parties involved. Orlando Concert Band is a bit more intense than I would like, and towards the end of the audition process I was starting to burn out. I wish them the best of luck with their upcoming concerts and look forward to seeing them perform in the future!

In the mean time I will be searching for a band that better fits my personality and playing style.
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On a high note I received a huge honor at work. I don't really want to go too much into my job, but I was one of five people selected to start this group in our Orlando office. I can't say that I'm not super nervous about this but I am so grateful that my manager saw the potential in me and is giving me this opportunity.
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So, the rest of this post is pretty much covering random minor things that have happened since I last posted.

Florida Tan, or Arena Dirt?

If you guessed Arena Dirt then you're right! I have officially found a barn in Orlando! It is a mostly adult barn and extremely relaxed. I am currently working on finalizing a lease on one of the resident ponies. The same pony who I may have fallen off last week. When you go from riding an extremely seasoned schoolmaster to a "green" (maybe more on the yellow side ;-) ) pony, I guess there might be a spill or two. Hopefully, I won't keep leaving covered in this level of arena dirt.
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I wandered over to the Clermont area to meet a friend for dinner last night and ended up at the Crooked Spoon. This was probably the best dining experience I've had in the Orlando area. The wine selection was awesome and different than most restaurants. It seemed like everything they had was organic or from a smaller winery. I got the Eggplant Terzetto and it was to die for. Perfectly made, with the right amount of flavor. I am definitely dragging my mom to the Crooked Spoon when she's back in town. 

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I've discovered that one of my coworkers is a huge Diamondback's fan. We've been enjoying taunting each other about these games.

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Perks of being a Disney annual pass holder that lives locally. Now I've got to figure out what to do with the whole set of these.

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I went to Ulta today, on the hunt for hairspray and something that will work better on my hair than a curling iron. My hair will not hold a curl no matter what I do. My coworker had recommended this curling wand. With the $20 price tag I figure it's worth a shot. 

Here's a preview of how my hair looks with no product.

I'll be back with a review at a later date. Hopefully it works!

While at Ulta I also saw this palette and seriously considered it, until I saw the price. I love Urban Decay and I love the colors in this collection but there is no way I can justify the $60 price tag at the moment. I'm hoping to get a good coupon so I can go back for it. 

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Finally, enjoy the cat photos of the day. Bailey was very curious about what I was doing with the curling wand box and needed to see how it tasted. The silly cat has decided to take an interest in everything I touch. 

This is how we sit when I write any of these posts. She always has to be touching me when I'm home. 

Lush Haul 5/21

I am an absolute lush for Lush Cosmetics. ;-)

(I feel like this post calls for that.) 

When I realized that my skin was threatening to breakout on a level that could compare with my high school experience, I decided it was time to splurge on my skincare and take a trip to the local Lush Cosmetics. 

I am extremely lucky that my nearest Lush is 20 minutes away as opposed to 90 minutes from when I lived in Illinois.

When I got to Lush I was immediately welcomed by one of the sales girls who was doing a bath bomb demo. Because I already have a pretty big stash of bath bombs and bubble bars I started to wander around the store.

It has been over a year since I last stepped foot in a physical Lush store and I was curious about several new products I had seen online.

Having used their Big Shampoo in the past I was curious about the new Jersey Bounce shampoo. The salesgirl reassured me that it had the same volumizing properties as Big but it was not as drying as Big. I decided on a small pot of the Jersey Bounce and continued my lap around the store.

The next product I hunted down was Lemony Flutter. Lemony Flutter is a cuticle cream I have used for years with great success. After my trip to Chicago last week my cuticles have been extremely dry and cracked. This product has always been able to restore my cuticles (and dry hands) to a softer state in no time.

After getting these two items I was approached by another sales girl asking if she could help me with anything. We spoke about the fresh face masks for a bit and she recommended Love Lettuce based off my skin type and issues. Here's hoping Love Lettuce keeps me from looking like an Appaloosa this week!

The final item I got was a complete impulse purchase. I had heard about it from another blog and liked the idea of a mask with caffeine in it for the mornings. Hopefully, Cup O'Coffee was worth the purchase! So far I like the scent and the texture looks pretty decent!

Lush Haul

I'll try to comment about these items after I give each one a few uses. My rule of thumb is that you never know how a product works until you've tried it for a week or two.
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As far as other fun updates in my life:

Congrats to my little brother who graduated with his Bachelors last Saturday!!! I'm so proud that he joined the ranks of the NIU Alumni! Go Huskies!!!!

NIU CLAS Graduation

If it wasn't obvious from my Chicago comment earlier, I went home for his graduation and got to see my family and my moms pets.

If this doesn't qualify Pumpkin for sainthood then I don't know what will.

I also got to go to the Kenosha outlets and hit up White House Black Market. For some reason the Kenosha White/Black is so much better than any of them here. While I was at White/Black there were all these boxes around the store. This initially irritated me because normally all the clothes are hung up, but one of my favorite sales girls quickly rushed over and informed me that the boxes contained sweaters that were $10 a piece! Apparently the Kenosha White/Black had gotten an overload of inventory from one of their stores and they needed to move it quickly to make room for the new items! 

Yellow isn't my favorite color but who can resist for $10!

The final update I have is that I am currently in the middle of the audition process for the Orlando Concert Band! While I lived in IL I had played with the Crystal Lake Community Band. I love playing in band so when a friend told me about the Orlando Concert Band, I knew I had to try out. Currently, they do not have any spots open for a full-time flutes so I am auditioning as a substitute flute. So far I have played with the for one rehearsal, I have three more to go before I find out if I will be accepted as a sub or not. 

It's nice to have this out again, even though the music is mostly marches.

As a parting note, enjoy a picture of the trouble twins. They're so not happy that I won't let them sit on my laptop while I type this. 

They look innocent but I swear they're not.