Woo HOOOOO!!!!!!

SO very glad that David Cook won tonight!!! I gotta say, I honestly thought Li'l Arch would steal it away, but I was pleasantly surprised at 8:59 tonight! Definitely the right choice, given the two.

I love...

Jason Mraz's new album. It is wonderful. I loved his first one and all the live stuff from that time period, but I didn't really care for his 2nd album (didn't even buy it). This new one is great though!!! And half of it is all live stuff. You should check it out! Try "I'm Yours" for starters.

I also love my gym!!! I actually look forward to going everyday! I've only missed Saturday since I joined. I have developed a nice cut/blister on one of my toes from the positioning of my toes and their nails, which hurts like a mother when I'm doing anything other than sitting still. I also got a cushion for my spin class and went yesterday and discovered that WOW what a difference a few inches of padding makes! My butt didn't bother me at all. My legs were another story! It was still much easier than the first time for me. I had a different instructor that I think I like a little better...we worked in 2 minute intervals for 3 sets and then 1 minute intervals for 2 sets. It made the time fly by!!! I'm going again to my first instructor on Thursday. I think I can handle 2 times a week for now.

Only 2.5 weeks of school left!!! I cannot put into words how much I am longing for summer!

Vi-o-lated!

Wow. Why did no one tell me that taking spin class would leave me feeling like I've been violated in my lady parts?? I expected to be sore in my legs. I feel like someone tried to assault me!!! I mean it literally feels like I've got bruises. Sometimes it hurts to sit. However, I LOVED IT!!! So much fun, so invigorating, and so the toughest thing I have ever done workout-wise! There were 3 first timers in the class (it was Spin 101) and I felt like I kept up pretty well. I don't think I've ever sweated that much during a workout. It was wonderful. I did make a poor choice, however, by getting there 30 minutes early and deciding to do the elliptical for 30 minutes prior to class. What a dumb move. Because of this, my legs were nearly fatigued by the time class started, which resulted in my inability to stand for much of our first standing song (we totally spun to Bon Jovi's newest album). I did, however, make it through the entire last song standing the whole time!! I was so proud of myself. I love it. I'm going again at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. I'm thinking spinning on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be good with regular workouts or other aerobic classes the other days.

I also made it in at 4:30 again this morning and walked 4 miles. I love this place!!

Step One

I did it! I pulled out of our driveway at 4:36 yesterday morning to make it to the gym before 5. It was wonderful!!! I just learned that I've got to go to bed earlier now. Having a tv to watch the whole time definitely helps. I went back and tanned after work. And today I have my first Spin class at 5:30, followed by Bible Study at 6:30. It's gonna be a busy night! I am so excited about spinning, though. I've always wanted to try it, and I hear it's a surefire way to tone up your bottom half and shed pounds quickly. I hope I don't embarrass myself.

I cannot get motivated to do anything at school. I'm tired of the whole place and just ready for summer! 3 weeks and 1 day left. They will not go by fast enough.

Lastly, I'm really considering skipping work tomorrow because my beloved NKOTB will be doing their first comeback performance on the TODAY show!!! I need to see this.

Seriously?

I mean, come on, Little Archuleta. As if the world needed more proof that white people look terribly awkward when they try to be hip. What the heck possessed him to do "With You"??? I mean, this was his choice right? Because Paula chose the Billy Joel and the producers chose "Longer"? So that means that HE chose Chris Brown??? I haven't been made that uncomfortable by a TV show since the "Dinner Party" episode of The Office. I really hope that kid gets sent home.
David Cook surprised me. I hated his Switchfoot but really loved "The First Time Ever..." Syesha was my favorite. I couldn't believe they gave her such crap about "Fever." It was amazing. I wish she'd win. I just really don't want her to be gone tomorrow but judging from the past few weeks' votes, she will.

I joined a gym today for the first time in my life!!! I am super excited. So excited, in fact, that I'm getting up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to go work out before school! I'll let you know how that works out.

Cube-icals

We reorganized Ella's room last night! Well...more like just plain organized, really, since there was no rhyme or reason to it before. I realized about halfway through the process that I should've taken a before picture, but I didn't, so you'll have to settle for an after. I discovered Target's awesome Cube-icals! That shelf was just $50 and the fabric bins were $6 each, which is ridiculously cheap for such cute things! They're exactly what I was looking for and it came together so well! We got it done in about an hour and a half last night between 10 and 11:30, which is the latest I've stayed up in a while. Here's the finished product:

So cute, huh?? Like I said, you should've seen it before. That entire wall was COVERED with junk...including a huge gray tub full of toys that she NEVER plays with. We were even able to get all her Barbies and kitchen stuff into those little bins. Brilliant!

In some sad news, my Ganny died last night. She was my grandma's sister and very close to my family my whole life. She kept me until I started school and always had tons of stories to tell on me. Every person I ever brought for her to meet heard the story of how, when I "couldn't-a been more than a year old!" looked her right in the face and told her to "Tet up!" which she thought was hilarious and my parents thought wasn't so much. She also made the BEST desserts I've ever had in my life. And cinnamon rolls. Man. We will miss you, Ganny. Love, Little Tet Up (what she called me).

My Rant Against Acrylics

I mean, I guess that's what I have. I've been getting my nails done for almost a year now. I loved it, but I just got tired of it. It became more of a hassle than the "luxury" I thought it'd always feel like. It also kept me from playing the guitar, which I don't do often at all, but I still want to when I want to, right? So today I went to get them taken off. (I should also add that instead of getting them done I'm wanting to tan, so really that's a ig reason too:) ) In retrospect, I probably should've waited until they'd started lifting (I just had them done Saturday before last), but I didn't not know this. Actually, in retrospect I wouldn't have had them take them off at all.

I've only had fake nails once before, when we got married, and taking them off was a 2 hour long soaking in acetone that led to the most ugliest nails I've ever had. I thought, "These people are professionals, surely there's a better way!!" Their better way was working a thin piece of plastic between my actual (paper thin by now) nail and the ridiculously thick layering of fake nail on top of it and pushing it under as far as it would go trying to make it pop off. I don't know if this sounds painful yet, but it was, especially since they hadn't started lifting on their own yet. She did the pinky one and I only winced a bit, but it took 3-5 minutes to do that one. She started on my right ring finger and I was in a lot of pain, and I whimpered and the lady's like "It hurt?" I said, "Yes, very much" and she went and got a bowl of acetone, stuck my nails in, covered them with a towel, and stuck a lamp over them for about 30 minutes. I'm just glad that she's stopped trying to pry them off with a plastic fingernail. So after that she comes back, shaves off what's melted down and goes back to prying. The right hand did fine. The left hand...oh, man. My left middle fingernail is now split at the top for about 1/8th of an inch down. As she was forcing the plastic nail between my two nails, my weakened real nail split and she's now running that plastic nail very quickly right across the meat under my nail. I did more than whimper this time. I kept saying "It's going under my nail!!" until she stopped. Then I looked up and saw her mouth form into an "O!" and her eyes get really big and she started rubbing my hand. I looked back down to see blood seeping through the crack in my nail. I gotta tell you, that's the worse pain I've ever felt in my life I'd say. It hurts me to think about it. But she put some super glue type stuff on it and it doesn't really hurt. I find that my right pinky, the only one she popped off without letting it soak first, hurts the most, probably because there is a small hole in it where I can see the meat and where the meat can feel me. This was a horrible experience. My nails are sore and of course have those lovely ridges, like rings on a tree, where I'd gotten fill after fill after fill. It feels weird, looks weird, and really hinders my ability to scratch my nose without looking like I'm picking it.

So, that's my nail experience. I urge you, readers (if there are any), stay away from acrylic nails!! And if you must get em, for God's sake, take them off yourself or let me know a better way for someone to take them off. Man alive.