to thine own self be true, but thou shan't be a douche

Sometimes you find an article and it really makes you think. Sometimes you want to share that article with your readers, even if your readership is only currently dwindling to maybe 10 active people max. Who cares right, at least I get my message out to 10 people. And they'll tell 10 more people, and those 10 people will tell more people, and so on, and so on.  Where was I?

Today in my Bloglovin' list was an article from my new favorite blogging website Coffee and Sweatpants. I'm  totally in love with all the articles they post, especially the Supernatural Recaps (yes I'm that girl). It's almost like a female geek domain and I adore it. Don't pigeon hole them into just that though there's lots of great uplifting stories.

via Coffee and Sweatpants  •  I AM A TOTAL JOSS WHEDON FANGIRL!

I read this article today Why Accepting Yourself Doesn't Give You License To Be A Douche Bag. It's so true and so on point. Why do people think that just because they let their freak flag fly, they're better than anyone else. Furthermore, where did all this sense of entitlement come from? It's horrible.

"Being yourself doesn’t mean walking around without a filter or disregarding the feelings or boundaries of others. That’s not being yourself; that’s being a toddler." via

Take time if you like and check out the article. It really resinated with me so I thought I'd pass it on to all of you!

In other news... Happy First Day of Spring Everyone!!! Hope you're as excited as I am. If you're in the North East I'm no longer jealous of your snow, and I'm sorry it's still cold there. And I'm sorry that I'm just over here enjoying the 60 degree temps and my windows down in the Jeep, yo!

this gif always makes my day - so happy!!!

Things you can't unlearn.

OK, here's the situation
My parents went away for a weeks vacation and
They left the keys to the brand new Porsche
Will they mind? Mmm well of course not.

I'll just take it for a little spin and maybe show it off to a couple of friends
I'll just cruise around the neighborhood,
Well maybe I shouldn't,
Yeah of course I should.

Pay attention here's the thick of the plot
I pulled up to the corner on the end of my block
Just when I saw this beautiful girlie girl walking
I picked up my car phone to perpetrate like I was talking

You should have seen this girls bodily dimensions
I honked my horn just to get her attention
She "Was that for me?"
I said "Yeah!"
She said "Why?"
I said Come on and take ride with a hell of a guy

She said "How do I know you're not sick, you could be some deranged lunatic."
I said "Come on toots my name is the Prince besides, would a lunatic have a Porsche like this?"

She agreed and we were on our way
She was looking very good so as I must say - WORD!
We hit McDonlad's pulled into the drive we ordered 2 Big Macs, 2 Large Fries with Cokes

She kicked her shoes off on to the floor she said "Drive fast speed turns me on!"
She put her hand on my knee, I put my foot on the gas
We almost got whiplash we took off so fast.

The sun roof was open the music was high
and this girls hand was steadily moving up my thigh
She had opened up three buttons on her shirt so far
I guess that's why I didn't notice that police car.

We're doing 90 in my mom's new Porsche and to make this long story short, short
When the cops pulled me over I was scared as hell I said...
"I don't have a license but I drive very well officer!"

I almost had a heart attack that day
Come to find that the girl was a 12 year old run away
I was arrested, the car was impounded
There was no way for me to avoid being grounded

My parents had to come off of vacation and get me
I'd rather be in jail than to have my father hit me
They came in and I got my grip I said...
"Mom! Dad! How was your trip!"

They didn't speak I said "I wanna plead my case!"
But my father just shoved me in the car by my face
It was a hard ride home, I don't know how I survived
They took turns one would beat me while the other was driving

I can't believe I just made a mistake
Well, parents are the same no matter time nor place
So to you other kids all across the land
Take it from me Parents Just Don't Understand....

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Can we just discuss that I didn't look this up, and I typed this freehand word for word. How the HELL is that I can remember all of this information from The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff but I can't for the life of me remember important dates in American History???

I could literally rap the entire song, add to that Summertime - forget it I can rap that too. My mother always said that she wished all my studies in school were rap songs because I'd get straight A's. And it's true.

Seriously folks, how is it that I can free style type all of this, and I haven't heard the song in AGES and still remember it, but I can't remember simple items on a grocery list?

That being said - I always loved this song because my parents both owned Porsche's when I was growing up. (Not bragging, my father busted his ass, and my momma did too, in order to afford the nice things they wanted in life). I always had this little mini dream of sneaking a drive in them when they were out of town, but thanks to Will Smith and his rap, I learned a valuable lesson and I never got arrested, wrecked my parents cards or picked up 12 year old runaways - Hell I never even sat behind the wheel in either of those vehicles.

"THE MORE YOU KNOW!"

There was no real point to this - only that I had it in my head, wanted to get it out and wanted to see how much of this I remembered without looking it up. I'm totally impressed with myself, and yet still disappointed that I forgot to purchase croutons at the store. Lame!

P.S. How is it that his momma takes him to go shopping for school clothing at what seems to be a thrift store, but her ass just bought a brand new Porsche and went on vacation??

Spring is trying to get Sprung

The weather here in Alabama is always unpredictable, to say the least. Yesterday we had an amazing high of about 76 degrees, sunshine, a mild breeze - literally perfection made by Mother Nature. This morning, the weather is in the 60's, with a chance of rain, and a forecast that calls for the temps to drop in the 30's this evening. BOO! You really can't set anything in stone when it comes to the weather here, but with that being said Spring is trying her hardest to get sprung.

Mike and I took our first walk of the season around our hood last night with June (or dog), and it was so enjoyable. I noticed I felt less winded, and that made me happy. I've sort of fallen off the P90X3 wagon, it's been a week and 2 days since I've worked out, SHAME SHAME! I know. The time change has tossed me for a loop and laziness has set in. I am going to get back on that horse next week for sure.

Spring FEVER!

via Mike's Instagram

I'm happy the earth is waking up again - I'm completely suffering from spring fever. This past Saturday it hit hard. The weather was amazing and the only cure was day drinking on the patio at our favorite new place to eat in town.  I'm happy to say it was the first Saturday that the NEW patio was open and we broke it in right. We got there at opening, and spent nearly 4 hours chatting with our friends and soaking in the sun, breeze and lots of booze. It was glorious.

via my instagram
check out that sweet ass logo, designed by yours truly - and the sweet ass menu designed by Mike!

After a mid afternoon nap fest, the evening was spent with our dear friend AK hanging on her patio and sipping on some more beverages, conversating the night away and I'm happy to say getting nature in on an early high point of the season was a success.

Then the time change hit and while I love having the SUN at 5:00 pm for my ride home, I miss that hour of sleep I lost!

loving lemon.

Right now, I'm loving lemon.  No, not Liz Lemon, although I love that woman more than life can say.


I'm talking about fresh, squeezed lemons. It's amazing what a big difference a little change can make. For weeks, or maybe even months I keep reading about the benefits of drinking fresh squeezed lemon in your water. Not just your ice water but also hot lemon water in the mornings. For added health benefits and overall wellness.  Mike is a huge fan of lemon in his ice water. I'm still not sold on it. Yes, I like it, but I don't like it when I'm eating. If we are at a restaurant it's easier to just both order our water with lemon, I then give him my slice when his runs out of flavor. Note: We get refills a lot through our meal - we are water fiends.

For the past few days - I've been taking some time to fix myself a cup of hot lemon water. I usually workout in the morning so the last thing on my mind is often a hot cup of anything. Usually I'm still battling leftover sweats even after getting out of the shower. I probably should take more time to cool down but time is limited in the morning. I try to give myself ample time to stop sweating before applying my make-up but there isn't always time. (TIME... just thought I'd drive that word home, I need a thesaurus). The kicker, when I put on moisturizer it gets worse, especially when there's sunblock. Where was I? You'd didn't come here to read about me sweating in the morning did you?

So yeah, I make myself a fresh cup of lemon water.  It's pretty simple. I know a lot of people will boil water to make this like they would tea, but I don't have time to think that far ahead in the morning. OK I have time, but I don't want to. Instead I use my Keurig.

via

Making Lemon Water using my Keurig...

• Get your favorite coffee mug, and squeeze in some fresh lemon. I've seen some people use half of a lemon, but since I'm still new at this and working my way up the ladder I take 1-2 slices (disc shaped like shown above) and squeeze the juice into my cup.

• Turn on the Keurig and get annoyed that it takes "forever" to heat up. Wait for the little mug lights to pop on to tell you it's ready.

• Trick your Keurig into thinking you're making a mug of joe by opening the compartment where you set your instant tea or coffee cup and then shut it. 

• Wait for the coffee size lights to light up and flash - then choose the amount of water you'd like to add to your lemon juice.

• The machine will go through it's cycle and then shoot out hot water for you to enjoy with your lemon juice. Simple, right?

• Enjoy.

I usually do this after I take a shower, before I've eaten anything (and usually after my workout) sipping on it while I'm doing my make-up. I usually brush my teeth first, if you have sensitive teeth maybe wait to brush after you finish your lemon water.

I'm not a fan of REALLY hot drinks, I usually wait for my coffee to cool a bit, or my tea, and same goes for this - it's still warm but I can sip it without worrying I'm going to burn my mouth.

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10 Benefits of Drinking 

Warm Lemon Water Every Morning

 via Tasty Yummies (side note: I'm currently obsessed with this blog)

1) Aids Digestion. Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. It’s atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract. The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating. The American Cancer Society actually recommends offering warm lemon water to cancer sufferers to help stimulate bowel movements.

2) Cleanses Your System / is a Diuretic. Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials in part because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Therefore toxins are released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy. The citric acid in lemons helps maximize enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification.

3) Boosts Your Immune System. Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds.  They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) found in lemons demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects, and is used as complementary support for asthma and other respiratory symptoms plus it enhances iron absorption in the body; iron plays an important role in immune function. Lemons also contain saponins, which show antimicrobial properties that may help keep cold and flu at bay. Lemons also reduce the amount of phlegm produced by the body.

4) Balances pH Levels. Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body. Sure, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). Lemons contain both citric and ascorbic acid, weak acids easily metabolized from the body allowing the mineral content of lemons to help alkalize the blood. Disease states only occur when the body pH is acidic. Drinking lemon water regularly can help to remove overall acidity in the body, including uric acid in the joints, which is one of the primary causes of pain and inflammation.

5) Clears Skin. The vitamin C component as well as other antioxidants helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes and it helps to combat free radical damage. Vitamin C is vital for healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. It can actually be applied directly to scars or age spots to help reduce their appearance. Since lemon water purges toxins from your blood, it would also be helping to keep your skin clear of blemishes from the inside out. The vitamin C contained in the lemon rejuvenates the skin from within your body.

6) Energizes You and Enhances Your Mood. The energy a human receives from food comes from the atoms and molecules in your food. A reaction occurs when the positive charged ions from food enter the digestive tract and interact with the negative charged enzymes. Lemon is one of the few foods that contain more negative charged ions, providing your body with more energy when it enters the digestive tract. The scent of lemon also has mood enhancing and energizing properties. The smell of lemon juice can brighten your mood and help clear your mind. Lemon can also help reduce anxiety and depression.

7) Promotes Healing. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), found in abundance in lemons, promotes wound healing, and is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue, and cartilage. As noted previously, vitamin C also displays anti-inflammatory properties. Combined, vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of good health and recovery from stress and injury.

8) Freshens Breath. Besides fresher breath, lemons have  been known to help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. Be aware that citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should be mindful of this. No not brush your teeth just after drinking your lemon water. It is best to brush your teeth first, then drink your lemon water, or wait a significant amount of time after to brush your teeth. Additionally, you can rinse your mouth with purified water after you finish your lemon water.

9) Hydrates Your Lymph System. Warm water and lemon juice supports the immune system by hydrating and replacing fluids lost by your body. When your body is deprived of water, you can definitely feel the side effects, which include: feeling tired, sluggish, decreased immune function, constipation, lack of energy, low/high blood pressure, lack of sleep, lack of mental clarity and feeling stressed, just to name a few.

10) Aids in Weight Loss. Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. Studies have shown people who maintain a more alkaline diet, do in fact lose weight faster. I personally find myself making better choices throughout the day, if I start my day off right, by making a health conscious choice to drink warm lemon water first thing every morning.

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I am honestly not sure if all this is true - but it's a really simple thing to do in the morning AND why not try right? It's been two days and I have NO complaints. I guess I'll check back and let you know how it goes after continued sipping. Cheers to see if this will help all of the above!!!

What have you tweaked or changed in your daily routine to make your health a little better?

things we do / don't do

In our lives there are things we do, and things we don't do. It's a personal choice and one I'm really thankful I have in this life... so I thought I'd make a list of things Mike and I DO and DON'T DO...

THINGS WE DO

• Purchase as much as we can from local shops vs. the big box stores. Supporting local businesses is what helps your local economy. Win/Win right? For every dollar spent in a local establishment that isn't a chain you're are most likely going to find that money will filter back from that business into your own community. Spending money at big box stores and chains and usually guarantee that you will spend money there, that money goes back to the employees pockets who will then most likely get a huge discount and then spend it back at the same company and that money goes into the big company's higher up's pockets in another town, in another state, far, far away from your little town center. BUY LOCAL!

• We Recycle (Paper, plastic and aluminum) - if there was an option to recycle glass we'd be the biggest supporter of that in our area. I mean, all the beer wine booze soda we drink, we'd do so much for the environment if we could stop tossing those bottles in the trash. Seriously there is only so much DIY you can do with beer and wine bottles people! 

• Eat Vegan as much as possible until 6:00 pm (VB6 diet). It feels amazing to not be weight down, or slowed down by meat and dairy. I always thought it was total BS but I am a true believer now. Just don't take away my bacon yet, ok? We usually have meat at dinner. Truth is during the day I don't miss it and often times I opt to eat a vegetarian meal at dinner. If I can still have cheese I'm happy. Every once in a while I will revert to NEEDING meat. It's happy medium. Eating less meat is better for the environment too but I won't get into all that right now.

• Enjoy the great outdoors. Winter is rough (mentally) here in Alabama. Until recently I didn't know there were ski slopes in the area, I may need to take full advantage of that next year. I hate that the weather here is cold, bone chilling cold and wet, with little or no snow (last month's "blizzard" for AL and GA not included). I need snow in the winter, it makes me happy. So while this girl hates to sweat I'm itching for Spring and kayaking and camping again.

• Watch LOTS of TV and MOVIES. I'm ok with this. Some might say it rots your brains (that's what my parents always told me), but I think it stimulates my mind. Maybe not as much as reading a book would, but I'll be honest, Netflix is my BFF right now. Between that and Hulu I'm a happy camper.

• We don't use cable TV. We cut cable quite a bit ago and neither of us has missed it since. We still get basic local channels, and have internet but literally other than 2 shows on CW we watch NOTHING live, unless it's a football game. Everything was DVR for us, and we slowly made the choice to switch and haven't looked back.

• We collect vinyl. We've been doing this for years. When I first moved in with Mike he had a few albums and I brought mine from home, given to me by my father. Together that totaled maybe 30-40 records. He had a great turntable given to him from a co-worker, that worked so well. We've since amped up our collection bordering on over 100 different albums and upgraded our record player as well. I'm happy to have something to get me jazzed about searching for music again. I feel like a teenager again when searching for vinyl, even though I just used the term jazzed which I'm pretty sure my nearly 70 year old dad wouldn't even say (he's too cool for that).

• Spend frugally.  We try our best not to over spend for anything. Clothing, groceries, shoes, etc. That doesn't mean we don't treat ourselves from time to time. I am also learning that if I want a quality product, or say something I want to last a very long time, that I need to save my money and make a large purchase (say for a nice pair of boots) - that will last me for years to come.

• We like to day drink. And we honestly like to drink period. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to. Usually one night a week, on the weekends. We may have a bottle of wine on Thursdays (TV night). And sometimes we'll have a few drinks on a Saturday afternoon. Since I've been back on the workout wagon, I realize I can't drink a lot on Friday night and function through a workout the next day. Both acts will hinder any progress I might make. I'm mindful and think it's OK to unwind with a few stiff drinks. Who's with me?

• We don't discuss politics with family. Or at least we try not to. Usually because most of us don't see eye to eye on most issues.

• We believe Love is Love. PERIOD!

• We try to be as positive as we can. To BE THE GOOD in the world. But let's be honest sometimes we're negative, cynical, and sometimes down right sarcastic as hell. It's just who we are.

THINGS WE DON'T DO

• Shop at HELL-mart. Aka the big W. It's a personal choice, one I constantly hear people say they can't always make. "The food is so much cheaper at Wally World." or "Everywhere else is too expensive." I used to think the same thing. Sure it's convenient, you get everything under one roof, but in the end I don't find that it's always cheaper. Mike and I make 2-3 stops on shopping night. Yeah it blows driving to more stores but I'd gladly hit up Target for paper goods and beauty stuff, and then hit up Publix or a Mom n' Pop grocery store for food than suffer even one second at Hell-Mart.  Bottom line, I hate the company, I hate their policies, how they treat employees is awful and frankly the quality of their shit is well... shit. Besides why would we get produce from there when we could go to our local farmers markets AND a local hydroponic farmer to get REAL, FRESH, non-pesticide ridden produce that's from our own backyard and never trucked in from across the US and who knows where else? We wouldn't, that's why.

• We don't watch the Olympics. Yep, I said it. Blast me, call me un-American I don't care. I just have never gotten into the Olympics. Yes I love snowboarding, and I like figure skating OK but it's never truly been my thing. Gymnastics is sort of entertaining but if I'm being honest, we just don't watch this stuff, or give it much thought, honestly. Sorry Olympic hopefuls I know you work hard and I am VERY proud of you but I just don't have the desire to watch the games. Unless of course you're talking about X-Games - then I'm all in. Unless you count Shawn White I have no clue who any of the Olympic athletes are this year other than him. I've watched Shawn's career since he was a wee baby snowboader. I big puffy heart him.

• We don't watch Award Shows. I used to be huge into award shows as a kid. American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Movie Awards, I always wanted to tune in. These days, not so much. I mean the only thing currently making me want to watch this stuff is when awesome women like Amy P. and Tina F. are hosting Golden Globes, but even then I'd rather just catch up on re-caps after it happened. It's not to say that I don't think it's great - movies should be awarded. Actors should be praised for doing well in their roles. Hell I've enjoyed in the past when I've discovered some of my artwork won an award. I just don't have the patience to sit through it all, or listen to the red carpet banter. What I do love, is catching the BEST parts THE FASHION blogged to me (and everyone) by two of my favorite Hollyhood bloggers Handbags and Handguns and Day Old News. These ladies always do awesome coverage of ALL award shows and all the clothing. Not just for the women, but for the men too. So keep it up ladies!!!! Your recaps are all I ever worry about come award time. So can you all tell me who got Best Picture? I was happy to hear Matthew got Best Actor. "Alright, alright, alright!"

• Attend Church. I know that will bother some people, and others will be like big deal. Living here in the Bible Belt it seems like it's sort of a big deal. I'm ok with this. I know in my heart I'm a good person. I am very spiritual and have my own beliefs. Mike is a very, very good and honest person as well. We enjoy ourselves, do unto others as we'd have done to us. We respect people, we are compassionate, giving and caring. We abide the law and we don't take. I know there are many other lessons to be learned both in life and in church, I just don't see the reason to force ourselves to go to church ever week. There is more to it than that but let's not get into a religious discussion here. Bottom line - I respect others beliefs, and religious practices and I'd ask the same of them when considering my personal beliefs and my own way of practicing. 

• Have children yet, and we are OK with that, currently. One day we'll be parents, that day isn't today.

• We don't cause trouble and we don't bother no body. If you know the song this lyric is from, you're awesome!

• Drink Budweiser products if we can help it.  We love beer. We recently have fallen into the craft beer obsession. Trust me once you go craft, you'll never go back. I try to sip on my old faithful Mich Ultra but it's just not good to me anymore. I also discovered that it was to blame for most of my headaches from drinking. (That's my one Budweiser exception, Michelob is brewed by Budweiser - and now it's safe to say all Bud products give me a headache). If you haven't seen the movie Beer Wars you may want to check it out. Budweiser to me is the Walmart of Beers. They are shady, and often dishonest to the public. I'm not sure how they treat their employees - but let's just say I'd rather buy from a small time craft brewer (or even a large one like Sam Adams) than sip on Budweiser. And let's be honest, most beers taste 100% better and ole' Bud. I swear I'm not a beer snob either, our other exception to the Bud rule, Natural Light. It's the best damn creek beer there is out there. Especially ice cold on a blistering hot day kayaking. On tap? Forgetaboutit - DELICIOUS! SO yeah, we love our "trash" beer as much as our high end beer. Not snobby, just picky.

• Agree on EVERY TV show. There are quite a few shows I watch that Mike thinks aren't great at all, but it's all good. There are few he loves that I'm not that into. Biggest ones that stand out, He's not going to sit and watch Supernatural with me (though he's tried) or Hart of Dixie, but at the same time I'm not really going to sit and watch and entire episode of WWE RAW with him either. I used to, and I was a pretty big Wrestling fan in the late 90's early 2000's, but I'm just not as into it now. Most TV we agree on, often times there are ones we don't.

• Eat at Chain Restaurants / Fast Food.  I won't say we NEVER do this, there have been times it happens. Most recently, while Christmas shopping (not really recent) we ate at Chili's. Let's be honest, I like the Southwestern Eggrolls and while it's not awesome cuisine it's passable bar food. That being said we would MUCH rather support local eateries in our area. Downtown alone we have a great pizza joint, a great place to get a burger (best burger in town), a Thai and sushi place, one to get a good steak, one that's all italian food and awesome, and a new high end meat n' three type place as well. Add to that a small sandwich shop with speciality items, a Chicago style deli with subs and pizza that's open late after hours on Saturdays and a Tex-Mexican joint that is a local to AL chain and we've got EVERYTHING we could want. If none of that is exactly what we need we have quite a few authentic Mexican places sprinkled throughout town, and a few Japanese and Chinese places. I ask anyone, for the love of it all - if you had all of this LOCALLY sourced good food to eat why the hell would you to go Olive Garden? Or Outback? Or Applebees?  Why would you travel twice the distance to eat previously frozen food that the cooks microwave or reheat for you? Why on earth would you pay top dollar for that stuff? We also had a great seafood place that closed shortly after Olive Garden opened. To be fair, we always had a great experience there but others complained. We are still depressed it's closed. I haven't had a notable meal at a chain restaurant in years, so why subject myself to that again? That being said, I will be honest, I sort of miss the deep fried green beans from TGIFriday's. Not enough to go back... and every once in a while this girl craves Hooters. Yes, you got that right. As far as Fast Food goes, it's usually when we are short on time, or traveling that we decide to eat at any fast food place. It's another never say never but we try to avoid it at all costs if at all possible.

• He doesn't use Facebook.  I still have mine, however aside from a status update, or checking in on my best friends from back home and their kids I really don't use it. Mike has canceled his all together. He was over the political BS, and other BS posted by people. I can't say I don't feel the same way. I am literally sick of hearing about every bowel movement. I just can't seem to delete mine, yet.

So there you have it... a few things we do, and don't do on a regular basis. Is there anything you passionately DON'T participate in?