Love Harder at Yippie Designs

Ok kids. As many of you have heard, loveharder.org is raising money in support of Brandy’s fabulous man for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund (MMRF). I’m trying to do my little part and am donating 10% (or 20% of the special Love Harder bracelet)

of sales from my Etsy shop (Yippie Designs) to MMRF. So please check it out – every dollar donated is a step towards a cure, plus, you’ll get a fabulous new piece of jewelry!

OoO Cupcakes

Ok, interwebz, I need advice.

Is it too cheap/ghetto/disrespectful for me to make my own cupcakes for my wedding? I found these ridiculous damask cupcake wrappers and I’d love to just slap these in a pan, bake them up, and be done with it.

Thoughts?

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

My favorite lolcat of all time.

YIP-PIE.

Tonight, E got a call from his dad. Typical run down of the last week, updates on our condo search, etc. Then, his new step-mom wants to talk to me. Uh…ok, cool – kind of unusual. I had made her a yippie designs piece for Christmas. She said she loved it and people kept giving her compliments. I was surprised. I get a lot of compliments on my pieces when I wear them, and honestly, I think I have some great stuff, but for some reason it’s a bit surprising to hear that coming from someone else. But the next thing she said kind of floored me: she runs a store in Michigan and wants to pick up yippie designs!  O.M.G. Yah, I’m a *little* bit excited. Or a lot. This is really a dream come true, and I’m really hoping it turns into…something. Wish me luck!

Brooklyn Bridge

Tonight I had an easy 3-miler to tackle. What better way than to hop over the Brooklyn Bridge and back.

Sorry these are crap, they’re from my phone, but you get the point. It was pretty freakin’ awesome. Don’t think I’ve ever been on the bridge at night before. I like it up there.

Manhattan Bridge and Empire State Building

Financial District

I Heart My Bike

Yesterday, I became an ‘official’ NYC bike commuter. A few thoughts:

1. My office was a lot farther away than I thought it was. 5 years ago this ride would have been a joke. Uhm, I am old and out of shape. It was a little bit brutal.
2. NYC is hillier than central Illinois (yes, ADoRunRunners, HILLS).  Ouch.
3. There is a lot of wind by the Hudson river. We don’t have that in Illinois, either. Er maybe in Chicago.
4. My office building’s bike parking is a LOT more secure than I originally thought. Reassuring.
5. NO ONE on a bike observed any kind of traffic or bike signal.   Seriously, NO ONE.  I did not see ONE OTHER PERSON actually stop for a red light or yield to a pedestrian. I have a lot of sympathy for pedestrian/biker deaths (seriously they happen like ALL THE TIME), but after what I saw yesterday I’m not even surprised anymore. Seriously, if anyone else out there reading this is a bike commuter I’d love to hear what you have to say cause not a darn one of you seemed to have any use for the rules of the road. I want cars to respect me but I now know that will NEVER EVER EVER HAPPEN because there are a lot of bikers who think they are too good/in too much of a hurry to observe the law. As hugely frustrating as this was, maybe it’s a sign I need to be a bit more involved with TA – I am a member afterall.
6. Bikers are just as friendly as runners. It was cold (it is January in NYC – no idea why I decided NOW is a good time to ride…) so my stupid nose wouldn’t stop running so I stopped to blow it. A SERIOUS rider actually stopped to ask if I was ok. Uh…really, thank you – I actually really appreciate it but I’m totally gross and am just trying to stop snotting all over myself. Carry on. On my way out of work another biker passed me (yah, we know who each other are – wearing the helmet and carrying a seat give it away pretty well) and gave me a “ride safe”. How nice. I genuinely felt safer on my bike with these people out there. But not enough to cancel out #5 (see above).
7. Biking to work is a total psych out in an awesome way. I kept trying to figure out when I would work out yesterday afternoon. Oh wait, I think I’ll have a glass of wine and eat crackers and cheese thank you very much because I just biked 12 miles, SUCKA.

Really, it was a great feeling to finally make the ride and know that it’s a great option for commuting. Riding in the city is a little bit scary (if a street looks a little too intimidating I actually get off my bike and walk it) but at other times super fun (finding a deserted, downhill street – wheeeeee!). Riding home watching the sunset was a pretty awesome way to wrap up my workday. Any other city bike commuters? Got any advice for a newbie?

Today Is Wednesday

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

That’s all.

GF Biggest Loser, Week 1

So I decided to join my office’s Biggest Loser this year.  I thought it might be a good jumping off point for this whole wedding-weight-loss thing.  I was a little scared at first, but this week I lost FIVE POUNDS!  That sounds like a ton of weight to lose in a week, but since my holidays consisted almost entirely of eating and lying down I think that eating right and exercising actually helped me drop weight quickly.  As part of my weight-loss plan and new work schedule, I can use the free classes in my building’s gym.   Last night I went to kickboxing for the first time!  I loved it – our instructor did a great job of making it a total body workout.  It was totally doable but my muscles were really tired today, and not just one set of muscles but my arms, legs, abs, back, everything.  Hooray!  I also started planning my meals at least a week in advance to make sure I have times/ingredients on the right days to cook real, healthy food!

So now I have nine more weeks to maintain this weight loss and lose a bit more.  To win the pot, I have to lose the largest proportion of my starting weight.  There is a side pool running for people to bet on an individual’s total weight loss.  The lowest estimate for me was 8 pounds, the highest was 24.  But mostly, those bets averaged around 15 pounds.  We’ll see how it goes!

What are your favorite stay healthy tips?!

P90X

So here’s the deal: I am horribly, horribly out of shape.  In 1.5-2.5 years I will need to look RIDICULOUS in a wedding dress.  I don’t think the effects will last that long, but hey, it’s something hilariously awful to start so why not?  So the E and I have decided to try P90X.  All I have to say is…I’m terrified.  Here goes nothing!

Engaged!

Well, as some of you may know, I got engaged to a VERY nice boy with a VERY nice ring on December 26, 2009.  Since I’ve been so busy and neglecting my poor blog, I thought I would share this major thing with y’all

My unexpectedly huge rock.

Looking at having a long engagement – probably getting married spring/summer 2012.  For now, I’m starting to develop a loose “plan” so we can budget, pick up things gradually, etc.  I’m EXCITED!  Looking to set up a blog, the only thing stopping me is I haven’t found a template I like yet :-p  I’ll update this when I’ve got a URL!