3/30/11 - Espalda

Had a doctor's appointment for my back today - yippeee! Everything hurt just in time for her to check me out, too. Went well minus the part where I need an MRI and the funds just don't quite make it for that. I'm hoping that maybe in a few months it can be possible and therefore I can do it then. I got some meds that will hopefully take some of the pain away, however, I still worked out tonight even though I'm really not supposed to. We took it easy and I bypassed anything that remotely made me strain my back. It sure did feel good to work out. That was 6 whole days of nothing. I was starting to feel all jiggly inside!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AMAZING DADDY!!!!!!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN A FEW WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3/29/11 - Femme Fetale

BRITNEY IS BACK!!!!!!! Best $8 I have spent in a long time!! I have been counting down the days until her cd was released and I literally sped home from work to Best Buy to pick it up. SO EXCITING!! The best part about all of this is I am actually excited to put it on my ipod and just run to the whole album! YAY! :-D

3/28/11 - Red Dollar Signs

I met with our loan officer tonight which was definitely a really good thing. Not only did we have loads of things to go over, but it scared the *beeps* outta me! Seeing all of those dollar signs and responsibilities really were earth-shattering. I got to see my credit report and that was definitely an eye-opener as well. Looking at all of this has definitely forced me to set new money saving goals for my future and for my life. Hopefully in the long run, I can improve and live a better monetary life.

3/27/11 - Bargain Babe

Feast your eyes on the latest Spring fashions that only cost me $24.00 total. You heard me correctly. Although the photos make them look awful, I got 2 really awesome outfits for little cash. I had a coupon and a gift certificate that really paid off. It was definitely worth going to try on clothing as I realize I'm in between sizes...again! Ahhhh....what a good feeling to have!

3/26/11 - A+ Home

We had our home inspection today and it all seemed to go quite well. We have a few things we are asking the seller to fix prior to closing, but so far so good. It was SO NICE to be in the house. I really, really cannot wait to be in the house! Then we can really put this hammer to some use (and by we, I mean Domingo hehe)!!!

3/25/11 - Dark Night

Ugh had a bad day today. Back hurt probably the worst it had in a long time and I was exhausted from sleeping on the hard floor. Had to work late and missed out on seeing Domingo for some positive reinforcement. Here's to the looking up and just moving on from this day. Back to my bed tonight with lots of pain reliever meds :-)

3/24/11 - Back Again

I don't know what I did, but my back is bothering me and is the worst it has ever been. I was really hoping that now that I had finally made that doctor's appointment, it was going to magically get better. You know like when you take your car to get fixed and then it doesn't act up for the dealership? That sort of thing. Instead, nope. It only feels worse. I managed to dig deep into my lotions and potions this evening to find my Icy Hot and hope that it will work. I've tried every stretch in the book tonight and each one feels like I hold the position for hours when I've only been there for a few seconds. I really do hope I can get this thing back in working order. It's no fun being limited to things because of pain.

3/23/11 - Silver Locks

I've been blessed at the age of what I am to have such a beautiful new hair color: gray. Not like a soft, supple silver that glistens in the wind or gleams in the light. It's gray. It stands for being old, too much stress, and trying to stand out. I have decided that I will try to go as long as possible without dying my hair only because I really think with everything going on it will just grow back in as quickly as I got rid of it. No matter how hard I try to conceal it *peek-a-boo* there they are again!!

3/22/11 - Lazy Bum

Today was a rainy, gloomy, and yet another busy day. All I wanted to do was jump into my sweats, crawl into bed, and watch tv...and Jeff Dunham is currently on tv with Achmed. Although it took all day, I couldn't ask for anything else. Yay for being lazy and proud of it!

3/21/11 - Grinds My Gears

You know what grinds my gears? Deodorant companies. They think they can go and change their scents and ingredients that they've had for the past 8 years and do something new. Something where they take away their 29 deodorant options to 4. Yes, FOUR! If it weren't for the fact that using deodorant is actually quite important and useful, I would have boycotted it (and saved 3 whole dollars, too)! I mean really though, if something works, why mess with it? It only aggravates your customers (and has them switch brands).

3/20/11 - WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!!

I got the call last night that the offer was accepted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--That's still not even enough exclamation points for how excited we are about this. Neither Domingo nor I could sleep last night as our dreams are coming true! We got to tour the house again today and then headed to a furniture store, hardware store, and to pick out our fridge. We had too much fun doing it all, too. Picking out the paint colors (above) was actually relatively easy and I'm surprised at how well we did it together. We have so many plans and dreams that I cannot wait to get in the house. Closing is May 4th, so get ready for LOTS and LOTS of photos to come!!! I knew 2011 was going to be a big year!

3/19/11 - Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

If all those rumors about getting some sort of illness from having the phone glued next to your head were true, today would be the day it happened to me. My phone went EVERYWHERE! We had our offer countered last night and put in another one. We aren't letting this baby go. This is our house. We want this so bad and it will be done. Every text and phone call today made my heart jump and nerves kick up a notch. The suspense was unreal!

3/18/11 - Too Sweet

In celebration of our office winning a sales contest, everyone got to go celebrate at the local pub while the girls stayed behind and enjoyed the quiet office. We brought tons of sweets to satisfy our cravings and had some good conversation. It was definitely fun! I even got to sneak away for a bit to quickly look at a house and put in an offer...eep!

3/17/11 - Go Green!

Kiss me! I'm not Irish!! Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone out there! I made sure to wear my green with pride today and run around pinching those who were not wearing their green proudly. This one guy at work even said I pinched him like his mother, haha - oops. Now if I can only find me lucky charms in hopes to purchase a house soon!!!

3/16/11 - Money, Money, Money

You lucky kids get to be graced by another fabulous photo of myself today. Anyways, today I take back all of those really wonderful things I have ever said about Illinois and thank them for being smarter than the average bear (and myself) in mailing me my state income tax return. Someone (uh not saying who) forgot to fill out the routing info for direct deposit for their return. The state then took it upon their hands to cut a check and mail it to me instead of sending it back for the correct info. It was definitely a good surprise to get in the mail today and no bills for once. Hallelujah!!!

3/15/11 - Bob the Blob

I found a unique way to occupy my time today. My inner child managed to resurface most of today and I kept my hands busy at work while I rolled, flattened, and stretched my Silly Putty. Bob the Blob was created long enough to make me laugh for a few minutes until I dropped him and his head got stuck to his mid section.....and then I had to make him disappear. Oh, the joys of my creativity...

3/14/11 - Sweaty Stephy

Ok, so working out is great because it's good for you blah blah blah. Tonight was so not fun. We ran a million miles, did a thousand push-ups, a gazillion lunges, and a billion presses. I left the gym sweaty and smelly. I'm such a catch. I'm sure Domingo feels so lucky sometimes, haha.

3/13/11 - Proceed with Caution

My awesome coworker's birthday is tomorrow and Domingo and I headed up to my office to make sure we made it known on the second floor that it was her birthday!! Everything was covered with caution tape and it was so fun to do!! I know for sure that she will have an awesome birthday. Definitely one to remember for sure....that is....until next year! Muahahhaahahaha!!!!!

3/12/11 - Famous Dogs

For those of you who do not live in Chicago or haven't visited this amazing city, I am sure you are all aware of the awesome food we have. Well, low and behold - if you do watch the Food Network channel, you may have seen these puppies (no pun intended) featured at one point or another. The hot dogs covered in delicious fries are from the one and only Gene and Jude's! They may look strange, but their taste is awesome. Not even kidding, you have to give these a try. Definitely was a treat after a long day of house hunting and offer writing. PLEASE PRAY FOR US!!!

3/11/11 - Ironically Calm

Today was a rather strange day. A massive earthquake in Japan caused a tsunami that ultimately wiped out villages and left thousands of people dead. After seeing images and footage from all of this, it breaks my heart that these helpless people couldn't do anything but hold on for dear life to attempt survival. Ironically enough, back in Chicago, Domingo and I took it rather easy and had a calm evening. It was nice to relax (Mickey is doing a recreation of our relaxation above) and enjoy each other's company.

3/10/11 - Ms. Cosmopolitan

I love nothing more than coming home from a long day of work and receiving a little present in my mailbox (nooo not steamy poo from the kids down the street this time)!! I got my Cosmopolitan in the mail today and I LOVE just checking out the beauty, fashion, and photography all throughout. Even though the grocery stores do already have the magazine out in their stands and I thought the whole purpose of my subscription was to get it before it's released, I'm still happy nonetheless. See? I'm working on my positivity, haha!

3/9/11 - No Negativity

This year for Lent, I have decided to give up being negative and turn to my inner positivity buried very, very deep inside. It's been quite a challenge thus far as it is so natural for me to turn to my negative side and spit out what I am thinking to the people around me. It definitely tends to catch up with me at the gym as I constantly snap back to my trainer and to his workouts only because I hate the pain and sweat my body exudes. My trainer caught word and has already began to use it to his advantage. We shall see how this goes...keeping my fingers crossed!!!

3/8/11 - Ball of Heaven

It's a good thing I work out so often and so hard because with all my food blogs, I totally need it. I went to Whole Foods today after work for some gourmet food (aka: expensive) and I found the most amazing thing ever made on this earth (besides beans). I found Mac N Cheese Croquettes. It was just a ball of heaven. I could have eaten like 80 of these.

3/7/11 - Grocery Monster

You know your life is full of such excitement when you blog about going grocery shopping. Yep, I finally buckled down and did an important errand in order to feed myself this week. I managed to buy more dessert items than actual food though (and not on purpose...sweets are just way better). I also gave in to some good 'ol mac n cheese, which I will be proud to say that I can probably eat the entire thing in one sitting. And if it isn't obvious enough, Target should really pay me for endorsing their Market Pantry items. No, really. I think it would be a genius idea. I'll have my people call your people to discuss. Yay food.

3/6/11 - Doggy Friend

On my way home from the city this morning, we came across this guy walking the cutest little doggy on the streets. Vanessa and I decided that this poor guy probably wasn't too thrilled of the fact that his puppy had a pink sweater and little red booties on, but that dog was too cute! I of course had to grab the camera and snatch a quick photo. I can't wait until I have my own doggy!! :0)

3/5/11 - Girls Night Out

Vanessa and I had a Girls Night Out in the city just the two of us Saturday night. Her boyfriend was kind enough to let us take over his apartment while he was out of town. We bought so much junk food and booze and afterwards headed out to a Mexican restaurant called Zocalo for a fun evening. We shared some food there (as we weren't hungry from the earlier snacks) and had some margaritas as we chatted and listened to the live Spanish music. It's really a great place and definitely recommend it to people!! We had a lot of fun!

3/4/11 - A Chandelier of Luxury

My mama sent me this awesome chandelier to hang and organize your jewelry! I had my eye on it and she beat me to it and got it for me. It looks really cool in my bathroom and gives it a little touch of glitz and glam. In case anyone is wondering, it's made by the same brand as my spoon rest (see 2/10/11 post) and am hoping to just decorate my entire place some day with all of their products!

3/3/11 - The Gang's All Here

It's official! Fuzzy has found his way to Chicago and has completed my happy stuffed family!!!!! Fuzzy (the pale yellow ducky on the left) has been with me for 20 plus years and even though we had a trial separation, we have found each other again!!! So excited to have him here and cuddle with me!!! YAY!!!

3/2/11 - Best Kept Secret

A coworker and I were discussing another evolving dilemma, trying to walk in high heels that are too big (and too tall). She mentioned that she recently stuff toilet paper in her heels to help push her feet backwards and to better fit the shoe. We discussed how a sock would probably work better. Now please focus your attention to exhibit A above. I thought I would give it a whirl this evening with these absolutely adorable shoes that I have been dying to wear, but are too big. I stuffed these suckers with some socks and (tada!) what a difference it made!! I pranced around my apartment with ease and much more comfort than ever before. We will put it to the ultimate test this Saturday night when I attempt to wear them in the (gulp!) city for a night out on the town. Wish me luck!

3/1/11 - Katy Caterpillar

Say hello to Katy. Katy Caterpillar was won out of the claw machine and given to me by a coworker. This nice coworker knew my true age and decided I would have a blast with it. Boy did she know me right!!! Katy was held hostage today by a WD-40 can, hung over the desk in hopes of a rescue (but fell to her death in my trashcan), got smushed in a door, was poked and squished, and best of all sat on my shoulder and watched me work. What would my days be like without such creativity?

2/28/11 - Car Diaper

First of all, I apologize for the delay in blogs. I sort of have lost internet connection at home. Apparently my "internet providers" have moved out of the apartment below me and have taken their internet with them. I am currently looking for new "internet providers" nearby. :-)

So, today I woke up at 4:30am to someone scraping their windshield of their car. I fell back asleep and woke up exactly 15 minutes later to the same person still scraping their windshield (yes, my room is that close and I really can hear all of this). At this moment, I begin to yell "TURN YOUR CAR ON" in hopes they'd get the hint. As I walk to my car later on in the morning, I realize there is a quarter of an inch thick of ice covering my car in every inch and crevice possible. Now I feel bad for yelling.

Fast forward to the end of the day. I'm walking to my car after work and I realized my car melted. I mean it really melted to the point where it looks like my car peed all over the garage, haha! I think a car diaper would have definitely come in handy today!!