Fit and Fabulous pt. 2: New 'do, new you?

QUOP

Last Sunday, I got my hair cut and highlighted (highlit?).  It looks FABULOUS. And may I just say, Nicholas Ashmore in St. Pete, FL is very talented. He had me in an out in less than 2 hours! (Ladies, as you all well know, highlighting by itself usually takes that long, not including cut). I just felt like it was time for a change (especially when one has a Groupon 😉. 

Change, to me, is a rejuvenation. It's a reset re-centering on anyone's journey, specifically my own journey to be fit and fabulous. I've covered fit already a few times in previous posts, mostly because I've had a lifelong battle that I'm still fighting with fitness and being confident with my weight. It's a battle I should probably stop fighting and learn to embrace because fighting against my love of junk food and my body-shaming thoughts is EXHAUSTING.  However, looking beautiful on the outside makes you want the rest of your outside to catch up, and then the inside follows. 

Fit and Fabulous

PSA: I haven't posted in like a WEEK, so this is going to be a 2-parter. 

Happy Spring Break! For those teachers and students enjoying their week off, congratulations! You made it 75% through the year! For those teachers and students not on break yet, your week will come quicker than you realize. For those non-teachers and non-students, you still get paid vacation whenever you please, so take it and enjoy whenever you feel like it. 

This week has been a whirlwind for me! I finished up the 3rd quarter with my students (which is what I meant when I said we were 75% through the year).  I also got to see my cousin and her husband visiting from D.C., and we had a blast Friday night. According to my cousin's husband "politics is a sport in [our] family," so that was mostly the topic of conversation. (Not going to get into that for this post, but probably will at some point.) 

Then, last Saturday morning, my mom and I completed a 5K at a local park here in Tampa. It was a glorious morning and we both had a great time! For those of you who don't know, a 5K is 3.1 miles. My beastly mom ran 2.1 of those miles consecutive! (Whereas your girl here still can't run more than a quarter of a mile consecutive. But I'll get there.) HOWEVER, I was the best time for my age group, which gobsmacked me (I've been watching Australia's Next Top Model on Hulu, so that's where I got that word.) My ever cool, calm, collected reaction was "Are you serious?" 😄 

I never thought I could push myself to do as well as I did in a fitness event! But, well here comes the QUOP. 

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - President FDR 

Audrey's Academy Awards Analysis

As I sat there watching the Oscars last night, here are some random thoughts in my mind. 

- I think I’m the only 11-year-old who sat through all 3 hours of The Sound of Music. As such, I’ve always loved Christopher Plummer and I’m thrilled he’s still acting. 

- Gary Oldman is a damn chameleon. I'm glad the makeup artists and he himself won awards. 

- Tiffany and Maya are DREAM TEAM. They were CRACKING ME UP. 

- The montage was great! I am an avid moviegoer and my dad and I were name-dropping the movies. 

- COCOCOCOCOCOCOCOCO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost cried that it was so well-recognized. (I'm a Disney junkie also in case you haven't noticed).  Lee Unkrich is such a visionary! 

- I'm an old lady, so needless to say, I fell asleep way before they ended. Is anyone really surprised though, that Shape of Water won Best Picture? 

- Frances McDormand is a badass. 

I'll probably post something else after dinner, but I hope you enjoyed Audrey's Awards Analysis (yes, I like alliteration too. Can't you tell from my blog name?). 

Btw, special shoutout to Jordan for the positive feedback! Thank you for reading and responding! I had no idea how this was going to go but it's such fun!  

QUOP: Film is one of the three universal languages, the other two: mathematics and music.- director Frank Capra

The traditional first post

Once upon a time, there was a depressed teenage girl who created a blog, knowing thinking no one would care. She just knew she had to express her feelings somehow because she had a lot to say and it needed to come out. 

Now, 10 years(!), 2 medications, and 5(?) therapists later, I still have a voice. It's a little more tempered and refined, thank God, but it still wants to come out. I am DONE trying to make everything perfect. So I'm taking a leap. Starting with this blog. I have no idea who will read it, but I don't care. I just hope someone, somewhere in the universal Internet sees my story and feels hopeful because of it. 

Opening yourself up is scary. Especially to strangers (therapists, Internet readers, etc.). However, it's cathartic as hell and it's a way to regain a balance in life while expressing oneself creatively (if you're doing it in blog, journal, podcast form). I need a better balance in life and I hope this will help me achieve it. 

Comment, share or message me anything you'd like. Just nothing mean or derogatory, please. Just exercising my right to free speech and you can exercise your right to ignore me and my blog. 

Quote Of the Post (QUOP): "Listen cowboy[s and cowgirls], courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."  - John Wayne