Best Buys

There is something very satisfying about going out and finding a good bargain. While running errands today, I found several. Here are the ones I am most proud of:

1. Swimsuit at Target: $7.50 total



2. Necklaces at Von Maur: $3 a piece

¡Cuatro Dias!

The Mexican getaway is fast approaching, T-4 days. I am picturing a white, sandy beach, bluest of blue waters, a drink in one hand, a book in the other, all while being blanketed by the warm rays of the sun and surrounded by 3 of my closest friends. If that's not close to perfection, I don't know what is.

As I patiently await this much needed vacacion, I've put together a mini "I'm Going to Mexico Bitches!" playlist:

1.

• Looking for paradise by Alejandro Sanz

More Alejandro Sanz music on iLike

2.

3.

• Gasolina by Daddy Yankee

More Daddy Yankee music on iLike

5 Down, 5 To Go

Saturday L and I ran in the Drake Relays On-the-Roads 8K race. It turned out to a be lovely morning for a run - the sun was out and temps in the lower 60's. This was a more than pleasant surprise, after we had mentally prepared ourselves for the less than desirable cool and rainy conditions that had been forecasted all week.

L and I both improved our overall times - L coming in at 47:57 and I finished with a time of 41:07. (All results for both the half marathon and 8K here.) I'm pretty sure it was the power of our matching "uniforms" that led us to our improved times.

A Friend-ly Lesson

After getting a tip from L that Scheels was having a killer sale on sports bras and shorts, I hopped in the car and drove to JC. I picked out a few things and headed towards the checkout. As the cashier, Ashley, was ringing up my goods, she looked at the price of one and said, "wow, what a good buy." I replied, "Yeah, my friend texted me to tell me about this sale, so here I am." Ashley then said, "What a good friend - good friends are hard to find." My first reaction was to laugh. She then insistently said, "well, they are." Two things came to mind at this point: 1. Ashley must not have many friends and 2. Ashley is right. I'm lucky to have such a stellar group of friends. I guess I take for granted the little things my friends do, such as text me to tell me about a sale - lesson learned.

While driving home, I thought more about what she said. Two more things came to mind. A. I should've hugged Ash (using the nickname felt right) and told her my friends and I would adopt her, and B. I really am truly blessed to have Grade A friends. I know I have blogged many times about how important my friends are to me and how "kick ass" they are (see previous posting), but this incident was yet another reminder of this. I may not have a ton of friends, but I'm okay with that. I'd rather have quality over quantity any day of the week when it comes to friends.

5 Facts For Today

Fact: Although going to work at 6:30 blows, it does guarantee a good parking spot.

Fact:Non-work related emails help get me through a long day like today.

Fact: Dancing in the car like an idiot will never get old.

Fact: Neither will pretending to find the right key to sing in. "love, love, loovveee"

Fact: I have some of the greatest friends a girl could ever ask for - they pretty much kick ass.

Unforgettable Emotions

While talking to my dad tonight on the phone, as he gave the weekly update on my grandpa, I remembered an article I read last week about Alzheimer's patients and their emotions. With having two grandparents currently living in nursing homes - both suffering from different stages of what I'll lovingly call memory loss - this article truly touched me and brought a little hope and a little peace into my life.

There's nothing good I can think to say about having two grandparents suffering from such a devastatingly deplorable disease, but when reflecting on the findings of the study this article talks about, there is a little sliver of a silver lining. My grandpa and my grandma may not remember 5 minutes after I left that I was there visiting, but this article does gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, I've lifted up their spirits. It doesn't matter if they can't explain their elevated moods - in what little quality of life they have left, being in good spirits has become the important part.

Warning: This One's For the Ladies

One thing I'm not a big fan of is women's health commercials - tampons/pads, birth control, etc. They are so unrealistic and give the most inaccurate view of how women communicate with one another regarding these 'health' issues.

Example # 1: The Midol commercial where they are all at the beach and the one girl cannot believe the other has her period - because why on earth would you want to be on a beach during that time. Then the girl expresses her desire for a brownie, to which the other responds with, "Oh yeah, she's menstrual." Um, I've never heard any of my friends say, "I'm menstrual." It's more like, "Ugh, I'm on the rag dude" or "I hate being a girl"

Example #2: Birth control commercials - it's always "girls night out" or the "ladies luncheon" and what else do they talk about but birth control, and not only birth control but how effective it is and what the side effects are. Again, so unrealistic. Girls do not talk like this...it's more like, "crap, forgot to take my pill this morning"

I like Kotex's response with their new marketing campaign, U by Kotex:



and




Well done Kotex, well done.