I Did It

I'm sure many thought I wouldn't begin the exercise program.  I know I thought I wouldn't.  Turns out that Hubby gets mean when I promise to exercise with him, then bail.

So...he forced me to the basement and I did...something.  I couldn't really complete a pushup and I was so mad at him that I didn't crack a smile.

We did P90x arms and back today...lots of faux pushups and pullups on my part.

I was in a strange place mentally.

I hope to be better tomorow.

I should add that we also did Insanity's ab workout.  That's some CRAZINESS!  OMG!

Sh*t Is Getting Real

The picture above is my WORKOUT SCHEDULE!!

The Husband is way too excited that I have to join him in the basement.  He has already created a schedule for us to start on Monday.

I really don't want to do it, but my weight has gotten out of control.  I am 5'3.  My ideal weight at this time is 125lbs.  However, I can't get to it.  The last time I worked out with the Hubby. I went from 130lbs to 132lbs.  I was toned and fit in the clothes I wore when I was actually 125lbs, but the scale would not go anywhere near that coveted number.

So lets talk about today. Whoo!  This is hard to write out.  I am 140lbs right now.  That is the heaviest I have been in my life.  I am 30+ years old and the pounds don't melt off as easily as before.  It is hot outside and honey, my thighs are rubbing together.  If it was winter time, I would ignore it.  But the heat and the kissing thighs?  Well, that ain't working out.

I had really fallen in love with my straight hair. I know it sounds silly and superficial to be so upset about this.  I sweat..A LOT...in my hair, so I won't be able to rock my bob the way it should be. LOL! We'll see what I'm able to make of it.  I don't use a flat iron when I do my own hair.

I've scoured YouTube and thanks to Naptural85, I think I have a way to work the curlformers to stretch/straighten/control my hair.  I don't plan on rocking the spiral curls because I can't see how they will work at this length.  Also, I am 100% relaxer free this time.  I don't know how much shrinkage I'll be dealing with.

But ultimately, Whatever!  I have to get these ten pounds off of me.  My thighs don't like each other that much!!!  PLUS, I can't buy anymore damn clothes.

What Did I Do?

I love my new haircut, but seriously, what did I do to myself?  I tried on a dress from last Spring and it is obvious that I have gained ten pounds. OMG!  I have to workout for REAL, but this shorter hair is going to be a problem.

I have a week-and-a-half left until I have to begin.  I'm enjoying my hair's cuteness and giving myself enough time to get the hell over it.  I have to get these ham hocks off my backside.

I probably should have gotten a cut that wouldn't have left the back so short, but I can't change what happened.

I know for the last six months I've been saying, I'm going to get back in the basement and put in work.  But after I put on that sassy dress and it barely made it over my rump-a-dump, I have got to DO SOMETHING.

So, I'll be back in a week-in-a-half, crying about my jacked up hair.  But hopefully in three months, it won't matter because I'll be so damn body beautiful.  LOL!

Hair Gods, please show my relaxer-free hair some mercy!!!

100% Relaxer Free

Uhm...I just went ahead and cut my hair.  I am 100% relaxer free, after 23 months of transitioning.  I likely will not be a curly girl.  I am loving the press-n-curl at the moment.

The back is shorter than the front.  I am using pin curls to maintain it, but the picture above is fresh out the shop.  We will see how long it holds up.  I'm actually a bit nervous.  Ya'll know I can only afford to go to the shop every three weeks...if at all. LOL!

My fly-aways are out of control. I will have to tell the new shop that the Denman ain't working for me. Back to the wide-toothed comb!!!

Almost 2 years

In May, it will be two years since my last perm.  Holy Crap!  I am no longer caring for my hair myself and I am getting it pressed.  I just don't like the kinky look on me.  However, I have reached a point where I may have to go back to it because I am growing out of my clothes (I'm not exercising right now. It makes me sweat).

Here is a look at my hair right now. It is nearly arm pit length.  I'm suddenly obsessed with length.  Normally when I get that way, I cut it.  I was planning to get it cut into a bob, but my mother just visited and discouraged it.  My Husband, who is very supportive, even said he thinks I should wait a little longer before getting a cut.  Deep down inside he believes I'll start exercising with him again and it will be harder for me to make a ponytail with a bob.

I know you are thinking, "Why in the heck did she choose these pictures?"  They best show my hair.  I was wine tasting with my Mother and Aunt.  I, of course, was acting a fool and the only pictures that show my hair, also show me doing something silly.

I haven't been wrapping my hair at night.  I've been pin-curling and shockingly, it is far easier and far more comfortable for me.  However, I do end up with the bends you see in the pics.

The Saga Continues...

I am 17 months post relaxer and it is crazy.  Since I took a little break from working out, I decided to also take a break from doing my hair.  I have been getting it straightened for the past couple of months.  I forgot how simple straight hair made my life.  I literally wrap and go.

But my donut (flabby stomach) is starting to return and I am going to have to go back to the basement to get my body right and tight again.  That means that paying all of that money for a fabulous flat iron will be useless.  I've been thinking long and hard about this. I've decided that if/when I return to exercising, I will continue to go to my current stylist.  However, I will only let her wash and blow dry my hair.  Maybe I'll co-wash it in between visits.  That should cut down on the time it takes to do my hair on wash days.

Since I wasn't obsessing over my hair, I passed the summer by reading.  Here are some of the highlights.


Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness by Toure:  From the title of this non-fiction book I thought he was going to rant about how America has really become a color-blind society. I was wrong. I loved this book because to Toure, post-blackness means limitless. It means that BlackAmericans should drop the phrase, "Black people don't do that."  Gone are the days when we had to feel restricted because of our race. That does not mean that racism does not exist, but it means that we don't have to let our race or racism keep us from accomplishing things outside of what is expected of black people.  Toure used stories from his past as well as some other Black Americans to get his point across.

Room by Emma Donaghue:  This is a fictional story of a kidnapped woman and her five-year-old son.  What made this book so interesting is that the boy is the narrator. I thought it was going to be annoying to hear this story from his perspective, but he made it very intriguing.  He didn't have the influence of experience. All he had was that room and his imagination.  He made me realize that you really can't miss something that you've never had. With that said, the boy and his mother go on a frightening, emotional and thrilling journey to find their version of freedom.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn:  I loved this book.  If you are news junkie, the best way I can describe this story is a mix of the Lacy Peterson and Casey Anthony stories on crack!!  In this thriller, a wife disappears.  Through the search for her, we learn about her husband's dirty secrets, her crazy secrets and why so many marriages fail.  At the end of this book, I found myself saying do I really know my husband? Does he really know me?  Of course the answer to both questions is yes...at least I think it is.

Up next for me is a book called Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Wrapping & Reading

Since I nearly had my scalp burned off to get my hair straight, I decided to rock it for two weeks.  The back is silky straight, the front is poofy (lol) thanks to exericising (yes, I'm back on track..kind of). I create a decent style by rolling and tucking the front and leaving the back out. I'm learning to work with what I have. At night, I seal my ends with some aragon oil and wrap my hair.

That leads me to the point of this post.  Since I haven't been obsessing over my tresses, I've had time to pick up a book... or three. I got sucked into all the hype surrounding the "Fifty Shades" books. 


http://www.eljamesauthor.com/books/fifty-shades-of-grey


I needed something simple just to get me back into the groove of reading. "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" were just what the doctor ordered. I read all three books, in about four days. I am not a fast reader.  The books are just that simple.  They are dripping with erotica, grammar errors, typos (like my blogs) and plain old fashion  fantasy.

It's the same old story. Powerful man falls for unlikely girl, who could be pretty if someone spruced her up.  The twist is that the powerful man is a FREAK, but that's not what pulled me through the book.  It was the fantasy.  The idea that a man would pick the girl no one really sees and protect and love her.

The first book does a good job of holding fast to that fantasy.  The second and third books really reveal the authors inexperience with plot and character depth. To me it read like this, "Happy sex, punishing sex, OBSTACLE (repeat)."  I literally skipped through the steamy scenes just to see if my predictions about what would happen at the next "obstacle" were correct.  I'd say nine out of ten times, I was right.

The odd thing was that in my mind the lead male character had a British accent that I couldn't shake, even though the story is set in the U.S. Once I read about the author I understood why.  She's British. LOL!

 EL James never claimed to be Toni Morrison or Jane Austen.  These are her first books. It was her dream to be a writer and she did it!.  She self published these books, they caught fire and now she's inked a movie licensing deal worth millions.

I tell you... dreams really do come true.

So.. if you're stuck in a rut, a plane or a car,  these books will help you out.  Just don't open the book expecting Pulitzer Prize winning writing because it's not there.

The next book on my list is Toure's, "Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?"