I'm alive...

Hi everyone...
I have been totally MIA on the blog over the last week... It's like some weeks I can think of three things to write about every day and other weeks I can't come up with anything...
This week was def a nothing to say kinda week.

I've been busy getting stuff done for school, took the MPRE (so lame), and did a lot of catching up on sleep this week. I love sleeping.

I did not do a Weigh-In Wednesday this week... Truth is I didn't even want to step on the scale, so I skipped it.
I didn't work out Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday this week, which is the longest break I've taken in a looooong time. When I got on the treadmill today, I could definitely tell! After 1 or 2 days off my legs usually feel rested, but I hadn't attempted to run in 6 days and I felt sluggish. Not a good feeling, especially with the Turkey Trot 5k coming up in less than 2 weeks (thanksgiving day!) in Dallas. My original goal was to run the entire thing without stopping, but I'm not so sure I'll be able to do that. I will definitely have to get my butt in gear over the next 13 days if I'm gonna make it happen.

Other than that, not much to report on. I cannot believe that it's almost Thanksgiving and almost the end of the semester! I am sooo not ready for that. I have totally neglected two of my classes pretty much all semester and the finals are going to be pretty difficult. Time to get it together!!!

Hope everyone else had a better/more productive week than I did!
Xoxo

[Posted with iBlogger]

Things that are not awesome: Maine.

Apparently this week I've decided to share all my political commentary with you guys.
By the way - I LOVED reading all of your responses to my post on Monday about abortion and parental notification. There was NO name calling and SO many well-thought out and well-articulated responses. Thank you!!! A lot of you expressed my opinion in the comments better than I did in the original post! Haha. I have the best readers evahhh!

So today I'm moving on to gay marriage. (side note: The more I write on this blog the more liberal I sound.... if I write next week that I bought a pair of Birkenstocks or Toms, someone please hold an intervention! hahaha).

Tuesday night voters in Maine voted to reject a state law that would have allowed same-sex marriage.

I understand why people disagree with the death penalty. I understand why people want universal health care. I understand why people are pro-choice. I understand why people want to raise taxes on the wealthy. I don't agree with those views, but I really do understand why people feel the way that they do. Those things have a direct impact on people's lives.

WHY do people feel so strongly against gay marriage?
I even understand why people don't care... if it doesn't affect you, then who cares?

What I just DO NOT understand is why people feel so strongly AGAINST gay marriage.

My thoughts on gay marriage can basically be summed up by the facebook group "Against gay marriage? Then don't get one and shut the fuck up."

Can anyone please explain to me WHY people care?
50% of heterosexual marriages end in divorce anyway, maybe we should ban all marriages? Or ban divorces? Or here's an idea - let's repeal the marriage tax break. That would help out with the enormous budget problems we have. Or maybe we should give single people a tax break to discourage marriage? Maybe then there wouldn't be so many divorces.

Would love to hear your thoughts... feel free to agree or disagree with me. And as always - please no name calling. We're all entitled to our opinions.

Weigh-In Wednesday

Is it just me or are these weeks flying by?
I can't believe it's already Wednesday again, not to mention NOVEMBER!

When I stepped on the scale this morning I was a little disappointed, given my serious workouts (including RUNNING! whoo!), but then I remembered all that I ate and I think it's fair. ha.

This week: -.5 pounds
Total since January 2009: -13.5 pounds
Still to lose: 16.5 pounds

Slowlyyyyyyyy coming off. I am 1.5 pounds away from what I weighed 2.5 years ago when I graduated from college and 16.5 pounds away from my "goal" weight.

As for the past weeks workouts:
Wednesday: Nothing. I got my hair did. No sweating to mess up a fresh blowout! haha
Thursday: Spin class and 30 minutes on the elliptical Friday: Week 5 workout 3 of Couch to 5k. RAN FOR 20 MINUTES STRAIGHT WITHOUT STOPPING!!!! Yes it was only 5.2 mph and no incline, but I don't think I have EVER ran 20 minutes without stopping in my entire life. I was very proud of myself! (as you can tell, ha). Then I did 20 minutes on the stairmaster.
Saturday: I probably did approximately 200 bicep curls while bringing my beer to my mouth at the tailgate. Also did some good cardio hopping around trying to stay warm. Ha.
Sunday: Hungover/exhausted/worthless
Monday: 45 min spin class and 30 min on the elliptical
Tuesday: 1 hour of weights and resistance training with Mario the trainer before classes, then Week 6 workout 1 of Couch to 5k and 15 minutes on the stairmaster after class.

At the advice of It Is Everlasting, I purchased this baby:

It's a Polar F6 heart rate monitor. I used it for the first time last night and really enjoyed it! I thought that the chest strap would bother me, but it didn't. And it transmits your heart rate to the treadmills and ellipticals at the gym in my building! I feel so hard core now! Haha.

So there ya have it. I feel like I'm starting to finally break through and see some results... I hope it continues! I am a little worried about keeping up with my weight lifting, since yesterday was my last workout with my trainer (I am OUT of money, boo!), but I am going to try my best. Also a little worried about sticking with running and cardio during finals and the holidays (I'm a big stress eater during finals), but I can do it.

Hope everyone else had a good weigh-in!

What's everyone up to tonight?

I have a big assignment due tomorrow... If you were wondering how it's going, this conversation just took place via g-chat..

Classmate: i love how when we heard "write a memo" we both interpreted that to mean "go watch tv and work out"

Ha. The good news - I'm all caught up on Biggest Loser and The Good Wife. The bad news? Ask me tomorrow.

XOXO.

Lusting...

Just logged on to NeimanMarcus.com and saw this babies.... I DIE.

It's my blog and I can talk about controversial stuff if I want to

Alright guys... gonna take a break from my usual fluffy dog/workout/bitching about my life posts and get a little deep here...

This article is currently on the Chicago Tribune's home page: Illinois Parental Notification Law Goes into Effect Tuesday

For those of you who don't want to read the article - the first sentence pretty much sums it up:

Physicians in Illinois this week must begin notifying a parent or guardian when a girl 17 or younger seeks an abortion-- a rule abortion opponents long have sought, but which critics say could keep minors from seeking safe procedures.

I don't really want to make this post about abortion, just about parental notification. But I feel like for the sake of honesty, I should post my thoughts about abortion.
Abortion has always been a touchy subject for me (well, duh... and everyone).

I am pro-life. I'm pretty sure I could never have an abortion. I say pretty sure because I honestly don't know. I've never been in that situation.
I think the fact that abortions are still being had is sad. Having safe sex is not difficult. Condoms are not that expensive. You can get birth control at Planned Parenthood. While I realize it isn't the most effective, you can AT LEAST pull out! (I'm sorry, that's gross, I know, but seriously...).

With all that being said, I don't think that abortions should be illegal. While I think if people are SMART and RESPONSIBLE with choices they make about their bodies, abortions would not be necessary, I also realize that shit happens. I do not think it's my place to tell someone that they HAVE to carry a baby to term. Even though, yes, I DO believe that life begins at conception, I think just as tragic as killing an unborn child is, it is equally as tragic to bring a defenseless infant into poverty, abuse, etc.
So basically, while I don't agree with abortion, and wish it wasn't something that had to happen, I don't feel comfortable telling other people that they cannot have them. I still think of myself as pro-life though. Does that make sense?

As for the parental consent requirement... I cannot imagine being a pregnant 16 year old and having to go tell my parent's I was pregnant. And I have a GREAT relationship with both of my parents and always had a very stable home environment. What about a girl who doesn't have a good parental relationship? Like I said, I can't even imagine.

So, what do you think? Should girl under age 17 be able to get an abortion without her parent's knowing? Should she even be able to get one at all?
And why not, throw out why you think I'm wrong/right with my thoughts on abortion.

Crash Bang Elle Woods!

Hope everyone's Monday is off to a good start... here's how we started our week in fabulous-land:

Last night at about 1AM Elle Woods was snuggled up under the covers with me (she always sleeps in bed with me and usually likes to get under the covers. Yes, I realize she's spoiled rotten).

this is a pic of her under the covers so you get the idea

She rolled over and fell off the bed. She crashed into the night stand, knocked all my books off, knocked the alarm clock off, knocked the lamp off (which I luckily caught mid-air despite is being pitch black), and ALMOST knocked my jewelry box off. Luckily I grabbed the night stand in time.

We were both under the covers and she took all the covers with me (Ripped the sheets off of the bed). She almost took me with her!

It was so hilarious but you could tell she was scared shitless. Poor baby. She got up and went into the kitchen and got a drink of water. She came back in, looked at me, looked at the bed, then went and laid on the other side of the bed on TOP of the covers, like she didn't trust her usual side anymore. I was laughing all night.


Happy Monday!

Busy week ahead

Howdy everyone!
I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween! I actually don't like to celebrate Halloween.... not sure why, I just never have. Probably because there aren't really many options for costumes for girls other than dressing like a skank. And I'm not really into that.
Soooo I went to Champaign for the weekend. We tailgated all day Saturday and went to the game and saw the Illini beat the crap out of Michigan. It was SUCH a great game and it was so much fun to watch them win for a change! It was actually the first time that Illinois has beaten Michigan since 1983... before I was born! Whoohoo! My friend and his parents put on an awesome tailgate, as always, and I think I ate/drank more than 10,000 calories on Saturday. Seriously, it was ridiculous.

Looking ahead at the week: WHooaaaa there.
I have a TON of work to do. I CANNOT believe it's already November. Seriously where the hell did this semester go?!

Also coming up this week - Christmas card pictures!!! Elle and I are having our pictures taken on Thursday. I'm super excited about them.

On top of all the regular school and life stuff going on this week, I am taking the MPRE on Saturday. (For you non-lawyer readers out there - the MPRE is an ethics test that all lawyers-to-be have to take) I know it's supposed to be pretty easy, but I do need to do some studying for it this week. Not sure when that will be taking place, but I'll figure it out. Have to!

I am having kind of a stressful night trying to get my financial situation figured out. As my mother says, I am currently in a financially embarassing situation. I had to call my parents and ask for money for the first time since college. I hate hate hate asking for money from them at any time, but I especially hate it right now. My dad's business is seriously struggling and they don't exactly have tons of money laying around to share with their 24-year-old daughter whom they are already supporting way past an age where most people should be cut off.
I HATE not being able to support myself. I hate not having a paying job. Hate ittttt!

Alright, I'm off to scrub my bathroom, then to read for evidence tomorrow morning (I know, try not to die of shock).

Everyone say a prayer for me... I need it get through this week!

p.s. Sorry this post was a bit of a downer... it seems be a Sunday night trend around here, huh?

Weigh-In Wednesday

Confession: This weigh-in actually took place yesterday, since I knew that I would be out last night drinking and eating and such.

This week I FINALLY had a good loss. WHOOO! Who knew that not skipping workouts would pay off?!

This week: -2 pounds
Total since January 2009: -13 pounds
Total since August 2009: - 7 pounds

My trainer was so proud of me he brought my Halloween candy! Haha. Only 1 fun size piece though... too bad. That 1 piece was delicious though!

Of course now that I've lost 2 pounds this week, all I can think about is Giordano's stuffed spinach pizza... mmmmm.
But don't worry... I am staying strong! Since I'm going to Champaign this weekend I will be doing enough drinking and eating Friday and Saturday to last me for a looong time. No need to get a head start on all the WW points I'll be consuming!

Now in other news - I have made some BIG plans! Well, big for me at least. My friend over at It is Everlasting has inspired me! I have decided to start training for a 1/2 marathon! Ah. (To my real life friends who read this blog - I hope you did not just die from a heart attack). I have professed MANY times that I HATE HATE HATE running, so I'm not even really sure WHY I want to do this... I guess just to challenge myself and prove that I CAN do it? And to give myself something else to work towards in my work outs besides the numbers on the scale?

So in order to start my training, I am following the Couch to 5k plan and am going to run the Turkey Trot 5k in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.


Yesterday I did Week 5 workout 2 of the Couch25K (C25k), which is:
- 5 minute brisk warm-up walk
- 8 minutes jog
- 5 minutes walk
- 8 minutes jog

I actually did it relatively easily! On the last 8 min jog I even stretched it out and jogged for 10 minutes. (I know for you experienced runners out there this sounds totally pathetic... but I am NOT a runner, so it's pretty impressive for me!) Tomorrow I am going to spin class, so my next C25K work out will be Friday, and I'm supposed to jog for 20 minutes straight. I'm not gonna lie... I'm pretty nervous about this. I don't think I've ever jogged for 20 minutes straight in my life... even in high school when I was playing basketball and working out like crazy.

If I am able to successfully complete the Turkey Trot 5k, I will start training for the half. I am going to try to run a 1/2 in Hawaii in February. One of my good friends from undergrad is now playing basketball at Hawaii Pacific University, and I was planning on going to visit him in February anyway, so I am going to try to time the visit to be the same time as the 1/2 marathon there. I found a 12 week 1/2 marathon training program online that I'm going to attempt to follow... Not gonna lie, when I look at it right now, I get frightened. But I have about 16 weeks as of right now to train, so i think I'll be okay.

Now, for all you runners out there - any advice for me as I begin this training journey? Any gear that you guys use that you find especially helpful or not helpful? I am thinking about getting a heart rate monitor... my trainer suggested Polar. I think they have some without a chest strap, which is what I'd prefer, but I wanted to ask if you guys use one and what you think. Also - do any of you use Nike+? What do you think about it?
Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email: legallyfabulous1@gmail.com

XOXO,

Exciting Things!

Since my last post was a bit of a Debbie Downer, today I have decided to write about the exciting things going on in my life!

Tonight I am going to the "Night of 100 Drag Queens" at Sidetrack, a gay bar in Chicago.
One of my best friends works there, so he got me a ticket. It benefits Equality Illinois, which is an organization that works for equal rights for members of the LGBT community in Illinois.

This is the 17th annual "Night of 100 Drag Queens", which 'showcases the talents of both amateur and seasoned performers in a hilarious revue filled with wild, wacky and outrageous routines.' I have never been before, but I have heard that is is hilarious and am so excited!
Don't worry, I will take LOTS of pictures!

One of my friend's is having a pre-party starting at 5:00 PM, then we're going to another bar at 7 because they're previewing their new menu for dinner, then heading to the show at 8. I'm really excited for the pre-party at 5 though... this friend is a pretty high-up VP at Diageo, which is the company that owns almost every major drink brand in the world (think Bailey's, Smirnoff, Johnny Walker, Guinness, Captain Morgan, Cuervo, Tangeuray, Dom Perignon, Ketel, Ciroc, etc.). He gets a RIDICULOUS "allowance" of booze each month, and always has the most ridiculously stocked bar. He has been known to break out $500 bottles of wine when he has people over, so I'm SUPER excited to go to his place before the show!


And this weekend, I will be going down to Champaign for the Illinois vs. Michigan football game. Unfortunately I realize that the Fighting Illini are one of the worst, if not THE worst football team in the NCAA, but I still love going to games!


I have a good guy friend (who is not dating one of my best girl friends) who played football for Illinois when we were in college. He is from Champaign and his parents always throw huge tailgates that are SO much fun. I am so excited to party with them on Saturday! It's a 2:30 PM game and it's supposed to be 57 degrees and sunny, PERFECT tailgating and football weather!
I am going to be taking Elle Woods with me... she LOVES tailgating!


Do you guys have anything exciting coming up this week/weekend?!

XOXO