Pork on a Fork.

Top: Thrifted, $6 (I WENT THRIFTING & IT WORKED!)

Cardigan: Old Navy, $5

Skirt: Papaya, Old

Shoes: Payless, $25

Thank you guys so much for your incredible response to my post yesterday. It was nerve-wracking posting it, and I definitely thought twice before hitting "publish", because I really try to keep things light around here. But I got so many comments and e-mails letting me know that I wasn't alone. And don't get me wrong, I'm a confident lady for sure. But sometimes you just have those days where you forget that it's okay to not be perfect, and the desire to be something you're not creeps up. Anyway, I think you all really understood my heart on the issue, and all of your comments seriously made my day, so THANKS! 

And onto lighter, more hilarious matters.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I'll have you know: I don't cook. Seriously. Every night is fend-for-yourself-night in my house. Like, if it can't be made in a microwave in under 3 minutes or can't be shredded and put into a salad, Matt & I don't eat it. I swear, we eat healthy! It's just a lot of fruit, steamed veggies, boiled chicken (yeah, I know, gross), microwavable rice, and preservative-free microwavable meals. Whatever. JUDGE ME!

So anyway. An agent at work has been bothering me lately about cooking for Matt. Apparently yesterday he got so fed up with this my refusal to cook he asked me what my husband likes to eat (which, of course, I said "meat", because he is a man after all). He then left work and came back with a 3lb pork roast butt cut thingy (I honestly just remember him saying 'butt' and I couldn't forget it), and some seasoning, and instructions on how to cook it. 

There were literally like, three directions. My result was supposed to be a super tender pork roast, tender enough to shred and be able to turn into shredded BBQ pork. But what I actually ended up with was this:

Pork on a Fork.

Let's just say, it was definitely not tender enough to shred. It may have been a bit bloody in the middle. And my husband may have needed a full minute to chew every bite. But he did so with a smile on his face, because that's what good husbands do. And what he knew he needed to do to ensure that I would one day attempt to cook again.

Meh. We'll see.

A weighty issue.

Dotted Top: Forever 21, $13.80

Sweater: Forever 21, $6

Jeans: Kohls, $30

Shoes: Old Navy, $17

Purse: H&M, $28

Necklace: Forever 21, $6

Why did I wait so long to get a polka dotted top? Every morning I wake up and ask myself, what will I pair with my dotted top today? It's all I ever want to wear. So I bought another one, when I went thrifting yesterday (and by thrifting I mean I went to a consignment store and paid $21 for just two items...), and now I have two dotted tops. I figure I will just switch between the two every day for the rest of my life. Hope that's okay with you. No?

One thing about being a style blogger is that I have to look at photos of myself every single day. It's tough. That might sound silly, but for most of my life, I've had the reoccurring desire to attain "perfection", starting with so many other areas in my life, and ending with my body. It's hard to constantly remind myself that a) I've lost about 50 pounds & should be proud of that, b) I'm healthier than I've ever been and c) I do not have to look like a Victoria's Secret model in order to be attractive to myself and to my husband, which are the two opinions that matter most. 

I always thought "Once I reach xxx weight, I will never say anything negative about my body ever again!". That was ten pounds ago. And guess what? I still could find plenty to say. I used to get mad when I'd hear thin women complain about what seemed to be minuscule flaws in their body, but I get it now. I (like so many other women) seem to have this messed up perception of how far we are from "perfect". Like any flaw at all is completely unacceptable, and thighs that are slightly bigger than desirable are "thunder thighs" and a stomach that's not quite as flat as the wall is "a tire". And perfect is so subjective anyway. To the runway, it's 5'11 and 110 pounds, no chest or curves to speak of. To the average guy's magazine, it's a busty, curvaceous, blonde bombshell. Such stark contrasts! And God bless the women who naturally look like either of those things (because I'm certainly not hatin' on the females that are just gorgeous by nature!), but to set the standard that this is what beauty looks like means that for all of us that don't look like that, we have to change. Even if we're healthy. Even if we thought we were happy. 

I guess this is also kind of triggered by the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated that I saw and flipped through at the store the other day. Within seconds, I felt incredibly insecure and unwomanly. And after that, I got mad. I am so sick of society having a say over what I think about my body. I am so sick of the stronghold they keep over women, chanting "Work harder! Get thinner! Eat less! You can be perfect, too!". I know this can all get really hairy and heated, because we all are the ones deciding what we choose to believe in and let affect us, but this is me, being real. And this week, it's been tough looking at photos of myself.

</end awkward personal rant.>

Nicole is doing a really awesome series kind of similar to this post this week. I was going to write for her but never got the chance... you should check it out!

Also, this is seriously, seriously not me trying to fish for compliments. Please don't take it that way. I'm just sharing what's on my heart tonight, maybe in hopes of reaching other pretty ladies who sometimes don't always feel so pretty. I know I'm attractive. How's that for fishing for compliments, huh?! I'LL JUST COMPLIMENT MYSELF! </end self-gratifying statement.>

If at first you don't succeed...

Top: Gap, $9

Skirt: Forever 21, $17.80

Booties: Forever 21, $22

Necklace: Charlotte Russe, $3

Well here was my attempt to fix whatever was wrong here. But I'm not 100% sold on this outfit either, so now I'm afraid I don't like this skirt as much as I thought I did. I just fell so madly in love with it when I saw one of my girlfriend's wearing it! Although she is probably under 5'0 and 90lbs, so probably anything looks cute on her, so... more poor judgement on my part? Possibly.

I'm really trying to learn to analyze my closet and figure out what I actually need (like new heels) vs. what I tend to purchase because it's OMGSPARKLYANDCHEAP (such as Forever 21 jewelry and tops that I can't wear with anything but a blazer, and tucked into a skirt). I feel like I read so much information on putting together a functional, workable wardrobe, but it's just not something I feel I'm really grasping with my own closet. I wonder if this means that I don't necessarily need anything? What a terrible thought. Please don't tell my husband. He'll stop giving me money. And for the record, he loves me in all my omgsparklyandcheap things. What a guy, huh?

Giveaway: Who wants to win $250?!

One of my absolute favorite bloggers is Kristine from Heart Shaped Sweat. She's the hottest mama I've ever seen, and has been super helpful in my own fitness journey! So when she asked me to participate in her giveaway, I was more than happy to support my little ladybug. So in celebration of HSS reaching 500 followers, here's a giveaway to you, from Kristine and I, and a ton of other lovely ladies. 

How many ways can you spend 250 free dollars??? 
I'll give you a crazy number of ways to win the $250 VISA and you figure all the ways to spend it!

Heart Shaped Sweat has grown so much over the last few months! It's amazing to see all that has happened here and I'm excited for all that's to come. I couldn't have made it this far without the support from each of you! I'm so thankful for you little loves of mine :)

Helping me celebrate are 24 beautiful ladies...we're giving away a $250 VISA to one lucky reader! The options and entries are endless. With so many wonderful ladies and all the ways to get to know each one of them, I wouldn't dare limit your options!

Sooooooo get to clicking, making friends, and crossing fingers for the winnings!

Me! HeartShapedSweat, LynetteMarieh, FaithLove&Hope, PerceptionIsEverything, ChasingTexas
HooahAndHiccups, PursuitOfPink, EstherNorineDesigns, Her&Nicole, Kimberly'sKorner DesignYourDwelling, CaravanSonnet, OhSummerCandy, TheLilyField, PeaceItAllTogether

aMileInHerBoots, TheDomesticGeek, GraceForGayle, TheDomesticatedWorkingWoman, AnnieOneCanCook

TheStyleSoup, ABodyThatWontBreak, MommaCandy, Him&Her, GoingWithTheFlow

a Rafflecopter giveaway

February Budget

I'm linking up with the Budgeting Bloggers on Fran's blog Franish. Go check out Fran & the other girls to see what they bought this month!

My purchases this month:

1. H&M Basic Tank Top, (2 of them, black & white): $5.95 each
2. H&M Pink Blazer/Jacket: $41.97 (Was 59.95 but I used a 30% off coupon)
3. H&M Tote: $27.97 (Was 39.95 but I used a 30% off coupon)
4. Forever 21 Rose Studs: $2.80
5. Forever 21 Jewel Necklace: $8.80
6. Forever 21 Lace Skirt: $17.80
7. Forever 21 Pleated Skirt: $19.80
8. Forever 21 Dotted Shirt: $13.80
9. Forever 21 Peplum Skirt: $17.80

Total: $162.64

My budget this month was $150, and yes I did go over, but when you find stuff at Forever 21 that actually looks good, you just buy it. I must spend an hour or more in Forever 21 every time I go to the mall, and rarely do I walk out with ANYTHING other than jewelry. The clothes are just usually ill-fitting, of disposable material or just don't fit my woman-sized body. I know it's more of a teenager store so that makes sense, but whatever. I like skirts for less than $20, okay? I'm going to squeeze my butt into Forever 21 for as long as I can.

I also haven't even worn that Forever 21 pleated skirt yet and I'm contemplating returning it. It was my first time trying on a skirt in that style, and I was completely shocked that it looked good on my thicker thighs. Also, the material is a very nice, thin but rugged cotton-like material, which is a good sign that it'll last longer than the average F21 piece, so I bought it. But now that I'm looking at the pattern, I'm kind of confused as to what I'll wear with it other than a black or white fitted tee (there is a minuscule lime green stripe running between all the cream colored stripes, so yeah... what the heck?). How would you style that skirt?

A few things on my list for this upcoming month are:

• A pair of boyfriend jeans - I had a gloriously amazing pair that I somehow scored (and fit into) at Forever 21 a couple years back, but after losing 25 pounds, the already-loose-fitting jeans looked awful, so I donated them. Every pair I try on now, I seem to have a problem with. Probably because I refuse to try on any pair that costs more than $30, but for a piece of clothing I could see myself wearing all spring and summer (and is a good staple piece), I think I just need to be willing to spend a little more.

• A military jacket that fits - I'm not sure if I really want this, because I'm not sure how much wear I'd be able to get out of it, but if I found one that actually fit, I think I'd go for it. I always like my jackets really fitted because I have broader shoulders & anything un-fitted makes me look huge. But every military jacket I've come across has been huge, even ones in an XS, so I think I'm just not going to like the fit of any that I find. But if I do, I may buy it!

• A fitted striped tee - I have a striped long sleeved shirt that I really love, and I keep thinking of ways I could wear it in the summer but ew, long sleeves in summer will not work. I avoided tight, striped shirts for a long time because I thought they just made me look wide, but whatever. I just like them now.

• OPI nail polishes - I have an affinity toward cheap nail polishes just because I feel like every time I paint my nails, I want a new polish. Well, maybe not every time. But usually every 3rd or 4th time, and I paint my nails 1-2 times a week. I think what's happening is that cheap polishes usually offer sub-par color selections, so I feel like all my options at home are colors I'm not crazy about. I'm crazy about OPI colors (& formulation), and whenever I've tried one, I'm obsessed with it. So I just want a few better colors! Let's see if this happens. It sucks walking away with just 4 polishes but knowing you've eaten away over $30 of your monthly budget (OPI polishes are $8 each!).

• More high heels  - I have to just accept that all I wear is heels and that's okay. I own about 8-9 pair total probably but only about 4-5 that I feel I can wear on a regular basis. Two of which are black, two of which are nude/taupe and one of which is raspberry colored. I want more selection, and maybe more prints, maybe some wedges? I'm not sure. But I honestly wear flats basically once a week: on Sunday afternoons, when I go to the grocery store. So I think three colors of heels to choose from is not cutting it anymore.

Oh, and a few things I do NOT need to be purchasing:

• Sheer, flowy tops. I must have at least 6 and I only wear a few of them. That dotted one I bought this month is lovely and I see myself wearing it a lot, but in general, I'm kind of shying away from wanting to wear tops like this. I'm very pulled to them in stores though, so I'm reminding myself to resist this month!
• Jewelry, especially from Forever 21. If I find a piece I find to be especially unique, then I'll consider it. But I am racking up so many little crappy pieces of F21 jewelry that I either lose or destroy within a few weeks of owning them, and I have SO much more jewelry than I ever wear, so I just don't want this taking little chunks out of my budget this month.
• Tote-styled purses - The last four purses I've purchased (minus one) has been a tote-styled purse. Including the one I bought this month. I do not need anymore right now! In fact, I am probably good on purses period right now. It's so easy for them to take a huge chunk out of my budget!

My Curly Hair/Hair Extensions Tutorial!

So truth is, I suck at making videos. As in, I am a big weirdo in real life and I am at least able to disguise that from behind a carefully written post on a blog, but it just comes out in videos. Sorry if I am offensive/abrasive/hard to understand in my video! I also had to learn iMovie to make this, which I still don't understand. Which makes me feel 100 years old and unable to keep up with the demands of social media. I mean, gosh, I didn't even have a Twitter account until Sam bullied me into it yesterday. I'm a granny.

So I actually filmed my whole entire hair-curling tutorial, but that included with my hair-extension tutorial was 20 minutes long, and no video-hosting site under the sun would host that video for free, so I cut out the hair curling part and just showed you the hair extension part, since that is really the questions I get a lot are about.

But! Remember when I said I already photographed my hair-curling tutorial before filming it? Lucky for you (or not), I still have those photos. So I will include a few of them, just briefly discussing how I curl my hair in case any of you ladies have not mastered that strangely difficult task.

And if you just want to see how I add extensions to my hair (& some general information about extensions), scroll down to the bottom after clicking "Read More" to see the short video I made!

Cloudy Judgement.

Top: Forever 21, $13.80

Skirt: Forever 21, $19.80

Scarf: Rue 21, $9

Heels: Target, $15

Bracelets: Forever 21, $3.80

Scarf or no scarf, this outfit just makes me feel weird. 

I've been wanting a polka dotted top and a peplum skirt for literally ages, and I found these both for less than $20 each at Forever 21. So I think the excitement of it all clouded my judgement, and I wore the two together. In the dimly lit dressing room of Forever 21, this combination looked great. In the broad daylight of my apartment's hallway, I'm a little appalled. 

I was so confident in this outfit, I didn't even look in the mirror before I left the house. And when an agent at work saw me and said, "Wow, Lynette... only you..", I pulled the heart-shaped lollipop out of my mouth and went "Awwwwww yeah!". I might be fifteen. WEAR ALL THE TRENDS AT ONCE!

And yes, I am wearing old granny nylons in these photos. And yes, they bunch at my ankles, because who the heck knows what size to buy when buying nylons. These might also belong to my mother. We may never know.

Featured!

Jacket: H&M, $42

Cardigan: Old Navy, $5

Purse: H&M, $28

Necklace: Gift from a friend

Heels: Forever 21, $20

I'll be ready for real conversation tomorrow, I swear. For now, another list:

1. Fran has featured me on her blog today! I feel so special and sparkly. Go check it out!
2. Turns out it's next to impossible to take a photo near sunset without lens flare. I honestly didn't want lens flare. I just didn't know how to explain to my husband how to not catch it in our photos.
3. I have been so thrown off of my usual healthy-eating-habits since my trip to Atlanta. Yesterday, I had Oreos and carrots all day long. This is not good! I can feel my thighs getting bigger. STOP IT, LYNETTE. STOP IT NOW.
4. I am still working out though. If walking on the treadmill for an hour and judging the guy next to me for running the whole time is considered working out. Just kidding! It's very easy for me to workout 4-5 days a week. It's just hard for me to not eat Oreos for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
5. I took a ton of photos for a hair tutorial on how I curl my hair (& add hair extensions) because so many of you have asked. Only, I think it's going to require at least 40 photos. What a nightmare, right? I  might be able to piece them together to cut it down to 10-15 photos, but I don't know. Would you prefer I just film a video? Do you guys already know how to curl your hair? Are you even reading this? READ MY WORDS, FRIENDS.

Ramblings.

Blazer: H&M, $50

Top: Gap, $11

Skirt: Forever 21, $17.80 (exact here)

Necklace: Valentines Day gift from my husband!

I don't have much to say, just a rambling of things:

1. I got a new skirt. It's the one I'm wearing. Do you like it?
2. I think I'm finally recovering from my cold. Only took a week. Am I a wimp?
3. Today I had waffles for breakfast, popcorn for lunch and a McDonalds flurry for dinner. I don't even know how that happened. At least I went on a 5 walk. In the freezing cold. While I'm sick. Am I crazy?
4. This past weekend, I realized that I get stressed out too easily, I am too comfortable, and I don't challenge myself. This outfit is what I was wearing when I realized this. How was your weekend?

February 2013 Ipsy Bag

This was one of my favorite Ipsy bags I've gotten so far. A mini eye shadow palette? Seriously? And a mini mascara, primer, and what appears to be a full-sized gel liner? Way to go, Ipsy. Way to go.

I forgot to individually photograph the Lash Cards ($6.99 per pack of 10) and Pixi Flawless & Poreless primer ($29 for full size), but there wasn't much to say anyway. I haven't used the lash cards and doubt that I will. I usually just set my makeup mirror flat on my vanity and look down at it while I apply my mascara, which stops me from getting mascara on my skin. Lash cards just seem like an unnecessary step. And if you can't figure out how to put on mascara without getting it on yourself, I doubt you'll be able to finagle a lash card into place and use it properly. And I only say that because Lash Cards just look like a headache.

Also, I like how the Pixi Flawless & Poreless primer made my foundation look on my skin, but it seems to really accentuate all the blackheads on my nose, which is really horrific. I bought some Bioré strips over the weekend just in case, you know, this primer was just letting me know it's time to Bioré. But yeah. Moving along.

I'm seriously excited about the eye shadow palette. Not that I think I honestly will use it much. I'm too in love with my Lorac Pro Palette. But it added such great value to my bag! And I've been so curious about Coastal Scent shadows ($1.99 per single shadow) because they have such great value palettes. Here is the four shadows swatched (clockwise in the palette, starting with white):

As you can see, there was a ton of fallout with that second shade, but the other three shades were of surprisingly nice quality! Definitely a step above drugstore quality.

Now onto the loveliest gem of my bag. I also forgot to individually photograph the packaging of the gel liner (forgive me! I was in and out of sanity this week with this stupid cold). But you can see it photographed in the first picture. It's from MICA Beauty ($30), a brand I've never heard of (which happens a lot with Ipsy, I'm finding). I used to use gel liner but switched to the Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner pen because it had a pointed tip that made winging out my eyeliner so much easier. But nothing is quite as pigmented and deep as gel liner, in my opinion:

Look at that gorgeous winged liner! I will admit, it took me a smidgen longer to get the look, but gel liner is SOOOO long-lasting, and so worth the trouble if you want your liner to last! And it almost seems easier to make it a smooth line, because you're essentially painting it on with an eyeliner brush. Love it.

Lastly, I received POPBeauty Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara (full size is $18.50). I love receiving samples of mascara because it means I don't have to go out and buy more mascara when my current one is up. I also don't really have a "favorite" mascara, so I'm still kind of on the look out for one that really wows me.

This stuff is pretty nice! Here is a photo of my lashes with two coats of this mascara on: 

So that's it for this month! I just received my Birchbox yesterday, and while I haven't posted about it yet, I will say that I liked the contents of my Ipsy bag much more than my Birchbox. I love the quality of the samples I'm sent in Birchbox, but it's hard to beat Ipsy when they keep sending makeup samples (as opposed to tons of perfume and lotion and face washes and whatnot), even if it is just mid-range makeup.

What about you ladies? Do any of you have a monthly beauty box subscription? Do you like it? Thinking of switching? Let me know!

White blazer & Jeans

Blazer: H&M, $30

Top: Target, from a friend

Jeans: Kohls (find similar here), $30

Shoes: Target, $15

I'm still sick. And I'm mad about it. Today is precisely day 5 1/2 of having a lovely mixture of a stuffy/runny nose, my throat being sore, and my wisdom tooth deciding to make it's painful entrance into my mouth. I know the tooth is just bad timing, not sickness, but I'm a wimp, and pain and sinus-y stuff is my kryptonite. The only console seems to be staying home, refusing to workout and eating cheesecake.  My pants have all become tighter. Stretchy pants are looking better and better. Yesterday was my first time showering in three days. It's bad, guys. Real bad.

But I have good news!

It turns out all of you are geniuses. I'm so blessed to have the smartest, most fashionably savvy women in the world reading my blog. Because I fought all of you when you told me to pair this awkward shirt with a white blazer and a pair of jeans, and as it turns out, you were right. It does look nice. I'm still not totally sold on the ruffly top, but I know ruffles are supposed to be big for spring this year, so maybe I'll hold out and see if this shirt looks more stylish to me in a few months.

Also, I also wanted to share with you the new exclusive 10% off code for Kohls.com. You can use code TENFORBLOG through March 9th.  It can be used to stack savings with one other department level code as well.

My daily makeup products & routine!

A lot of you have commented on and asked about my makeup, so I decided to post about the products I use on a daily basis. It's a mix of drugstore and high-end products, and just a collaboration of things that  work the best for me! As much as I love high end makeup, if I can find a drugstore product that works well, I will not waste my money on a high end product. And I definitely think that a girl can get by on all drugstore products. But these are my personal favorites. Let me know if you have any questions. I love talking beauty!

If I had a date for Valentines Day...

Dress: Target

Blazer: H&M, $30

Necklace: Forever 21, old

Shoes: Forever 21, $22

It's me and Matt's first Valentines Day together as a married couple. Cue the doe eyes and sappy music! But unfortunately, our jobs & our church does not recognize this blessed, holy day of love and matrimony and is keeping Matt and I separated and unable to celebrate this day at all! Matt will be working until 5 and I will be at praise team rehearsal from until late at night. We even tried to celebrate the day before or after, but last night Matt worked until 9pm and on Friday, we've have plans with some friends of ours after work. So sadly, I do not anticipate a romantic date or fun plans out for Valentines Day. Sigh. There's always next year, right?

But that doesn't mean I can't pretend I'm going out! And I'll even go as far as to get dressed up like I'm going out. Even if it means wearing a dress and heels while sitting on the couch watching Gossip Girl. A box of chocolate may or may not be involved. Maybe even a Diet Coke. Things could get really wild, okay?

Anyway, Fran was talking recently about having a closet full of dresses but always wanting to buy a new one when a new occasion came up. I have several dresses in my closet that I bought for a specific purpose and then never re-wore. This is one of those dresses for me. I bought it for my bridal shower this summer and wore it with a pair of strappy pink sandals, and it was so cute. But it's obviously pretty short, and the bright orange lace makes me feel like it's mostly appropriate for summer. But it's so short that I don't even feel comfortable wearing it out and about. Mostly just to indoor summer gatherings. Like a bridal shower. Which is just so specific, and the reason why this dress has not been out of my closet. But I decided I liked the color for Valentines Day, and black tights seemed to make this dress feel a tad more appropriate (and less like I'm walking around naked), and I'm actually pretty pleased with this outfit!

Burn.

Top: Marshalls, $15

Skirt: Charlotte Russe, $16

Purse: H&M, $28 (exact here)

Necklace: Forever 21

Boots: Forever 21, $22 

I have been so good all winter about avoiding the flu or a cold or even the sniffles. Yes, I've been neurotic. Yes, I use hand sanitizer like it's required to sustain life. Yes, I wipe down every solid surface around me with countless Clorox wipes wherever I go (including when I was on an airplane last week... I have no shame in wiping down a filthy airplane). I don't touch door handles, I don't touch my face with my hands, I don't touch people, I AM HARDCORE. And it's all worth it if I can avoid being sick.

But last night, I started feeling a tiny itch in my throat. I tried to ignore it by drinking buckets of water all evening, but by bedtime, it was quite apparent: I had a sore throat. And by morning, it was even more apparent: my throat was burning like a thousand suns.

And what's even worse, is that I feel I can narrow down where I got this little annoyance from to one particular event, the only time I can think of that I wasn't on crazy germ patrol. It was last Saturday. I was at Old Navy. My alarm went off on my phone, reminding me to take my birth control pill (we're all adults here, right?). And as I went to put it in my mouth, I dropped it. Onto the floor of Old Navy. Gross, right? But what could I do though? I couldn't skip a pill, right? And I figured I'd rather have dirt in my system then a baby. Let's just be real. So I tried to dust the pill off a bit, popped it in, and I went along my merry way.

Well 48 hours later, after a long 3 mile walk in 23 degree weather with my husband, I found myself with a sore throat. At least, I guess, I don't have a baby. Right?

Anyway. This is my outfit. Just an excuse to whine about a sore throat.

Who's ready for an awkward conversation?

Cardigan: Old Navy, $5

Top: H&M, $18

Jeans: Kohls, $30

Necklace: Charlotte Russe, $3

Purse: H&M, $28 (exact here but for $39.95, I had a coupon!)

Heels: Payless, $25

Hello, friends! I'm back from Atlanta, and not inside my apartment complex, isn't this a lovely surprise? I haven't posted an outfit photo in a week. Have you all missed my clothes? Is that weird? It's only weird if you make it weird.

Speaking of weird.... back to the title of this post.

A few weeks ago, I was e-mailing back and forth with a fellow blogger (we'll just call her... Kristine), and she mentioned that when she googled "Lynette Marie", the first website to pop up was a site for an escort. You know what I mean by escort, right? There are no children in the room, right? Okay, good. 

Kristine said she thought it was hilarious that this particular escort (who literally is also named Lynette Marie) is also blonde, built somewhat similarly to me (sans a couple of big girls if you know what I mean), and has her face blurred out in all of her pictures. Kristine also demanded that if that was me, I indeed must tell her, not because she was interested in "my services" but because "it would be hilarious" if I were a blogger by day and an escort in Vegas by night. HA! 

Let's clear this up, shall we?

Back when I first started my blog, I was interested in registering it under a domain name. So one day, I checked a domain registration site to see if lynettemarie[dot]com was available. When I saw it wasn't, I was curious to see what the website was. Needless to say, I was quite horrified when I went to site and saw that it was owned by a strikingly similar blonde who likes to.. well, whatever it is that escorts like to do. I prayed to God that none of my readers ever tried to find me at lynettemarie[dot]com and accidentally found my hotter, older, more sinful look-a-like, and that they didn't wonder exactly what Kristine wondered.

Oh Lord, I do apologize to all you curious cats who are going to that website right now out of pure curiosity. I just thought I should let you all know... THAT ESCORT IS NOT ME. I live in Michigan, not Vegas. I am a minister's wife, not an escort. And I just like to blog under my first and middle name, IS THAT SUCH A CRIME?

Fitness Friday!

Hello from Atlanta. Take a peek at my week so far:

In the meantime, it's that day again! Since I'm out of town and don't have a lot of time to spend on a computer, I'm not going to be able to link up with the normal Fitness Friday link up, but I really like being able to post about fitness every Friday! So I'm doing it anyway.

I can say one thing for sure though: It is so, so hard to be healthy when you're out of town. And when you don't have your own car and are stuck going to eat wherever your shuttle van is going. I'll be honest and say that no one made me eat the giant bowl of frozen yogurt on Wednesday or the delicious cheesecake on Thursday (NO ONE SAYS NO TO THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY, NO ONE), but this girl is used to living off of pretty healthy food. It's been kind of fun eating out this week, but my stomach is soooo ready for some food with decent nutritional value!

Coincidentally, it's also hard to work out when you're out of town (especially when you're at a conference that has three daily sessions). Here is my sad little weekly workout log:

Saturday: 40 min. cardio, arms + lower body
Sunday: 50 min. cardio
Monday: Nothing (this was the day I left for Atlanta and didn't get to my hotel til after 10pm)
Tuesday: 25 minute cardio (which I actually highly regret, because it was performed at 5:30am, and it made me feel sick and I spent the rest of the day exhausted for it.. that last photo up there is photographic evidence of my misery)
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: Nothing
Friday: I'm flying back home today, but after a few days of poor eating and getting very little sleep, a workout is probably not what my body needs. Not today anyway.

Anyway, in light of a bad week of working out, I found this survey floating around on the web somewhere and I honestly can't remember where from or else I'd link to them! But I saw it and tweaked it a bit, but thought I'd answer some questions about some of my fitness preferences!

1. Fuel

For whatever reason, I pretty much can't do any cardio with even an ounce of food in my stomach. I have to not eat about 2+ hours before I run or eat incredibly light all day. It used to be really irritating but now I just work around it.

2. Favorite body part to train

Butt! Only because mine is a flat, flabby nightmare if I don't do something about it. It's not like squats and lunges are actually fun. But neither is a floppy butt. I also really like arms, because my arm muscles respond very quickly to weights. I've amped up my arm workout in the last three or four weeks and am already a little scared of my growing biceps, so I may take it back down a notch.

3. Workout gear

Every month I tell myself I'm going to use some of my clothing budget to invest in better workout gear. But then I get to the store, and $15 for a sports bra feels like highway robbery, and really, what's wrong with owning only one sports bra if you work out 5-6 days a week? Yeah. I know. I need another sports bra. Or three. I'M WORKING ON IT!

But really, I usually wear just some yoga pants or capris, my Nike's, a tank or tee and my one, hot purple sports bra.

4. Sports Drink

I bring a Powerade Zero to every workout sesh at the gym. I've been looking into finding some good protein drinks for after my weight training sessions, but most of them seem pretty high calorie, and it's hard enough for me to keep my calorie intake at a low enough level without the help of a calorie-laden drink.

5. Time of the day to workout

I'm 90% useless during a morning workout. I get woozy and tired way fast (and apparently nauseous and irritated... see photo above). Usually my best workout comes somewhere between 5-7pm, when I've gotten a lot of food & water in my system to help my energy level stay up.

6. Workout shoe brand

Nikes! Mostly because they're cute, if we're being honest.

7. Post-workout meal

For whatever reason, I feel I usually end up with either eggs or turkey bacon (or both) on my plate after a workout, and steamed veggies. Anything with some protein!

8. Rest days: 1x a week, 2x a week, never ever ever, or other?

Usually rest 1-2 days a week but I'll take 3 days off if I need to or my schedule forces me to. I want to keep myself on a consistant schedule and keep working on my goals, but I never want my life to be totally centered around the gym.

9. Music: Current Playlist

I get really bored by music when I workout if it's not constantly changing and upbeat, so I just put on the Pop Fitness station or the Israel Houghton station (for some holy pop fitness!) on Pandora and go with that.

10. Number one reason for working out

To tone up (look better) and be strong and healthy! My goal is to be more motivated by keeping my body healthy than I am motivated to look good. It just is too slippery a slope (in my opinion) to be motivated to work out solely by how you feel you look.