Trip photos 243

Sorry I've been noticeably absent recently-- I've actually been gone for my San Francisco/ San Diego trip-- and I've been back for a week now.. (pictured above-- me enjoying a prickly pear margarita on our first night in Coronado)

Anyway I just wanted to share some photos from the trip with you-- tomorrow I'll probably talk a little about the challenges/ realizations I had while I was on my trip-- and then I'll also share with you a photo of my new *very short (for me)* hair do-- so stay tuned I've got several posts in mind for the up and coming days!This it he view from my friend's aunt's condo (that we stayed in for the duration of the trip to Cornoado/ San Diego)-- it was so generous of them to allow us to stay there for free-- look how close we were to the ocean-- and you can see the San Deigo skyline as well :o)

One of the days we went to both Miramar Speed Circuit and Legoland. Vroom Vroom speed racers!

A squared--or cubed if you count the "A" column we're standing underneath :o)

Darth and R2D2 were both made completely of legos-- fight him I did.. win HE DID NOT!

We spent a day @ the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park! It was pretty neat to see the 2 pandas they had there.. and also be close to a lot of the animals.-- I'll post more photos later!This is me with some sort of African deer and her baby (I don't remember what they were called exactly.. but they were definitely the softest of the animals they had in the "petting" area.

243 -- FREE HUGS

I really like the song "As Long as You're Here" by the Sick Puppies-- so much so I tagged it on my iphone (it does this neat thing where you can use an application to identify any song you hear-- you just have to ask it to listen to it)-- anyway I looked up the song/ video on YouTube. What I came across was actually the Free Hugs campaign which is put to this song! Please watch the attached video.. but I wanted to give you a brief synopsis and then talk a little about it as well.

Basically the video starts out with a John Lenon looking guy with a sign that states "FREE HUGS"-- it starts out with a bunch of people ignoring him and darting past him. We all know we've dodged a few "weirdos" out in public before. As the video progresses it shows people starting to hug him-- then more and more hugs come-- then other people participate with their own signs. Eventually the cops come and shut the whole thing down-- they are banned from giving away free hugs! So what happens in turn actually is really emotional for me-- all of these people ban together and start a petition to override the ban on free hugs! They are able to acquire 10,000 signatures (which is what they need to remove the ban) and then everyone celebrates with a hug. The video completes with a bunch of people hugging.

What I find so great/ intriguing/ emotional about this is the theory behind it! Our society has become so detached from one another-- where we'd rather blog to people we don't know than actually talk to someone we do know! Our society has become so interconnected with "social networks" like facebook, myspace, friendster, linkedin -- but what we're lacking is the physicality-- is the actual face to face *I care about you*. On any one of these social networks I can silently keep up with my friend-- but that's just it.. it's SILENT. I can't tell that ANYONE cares for me because I don't know they are "checking in with me"-- what a shame this is really!

There was a study done that showed that in order for a person to be emotionally happy/ fulfilled they need to feel connected with other people--- connected PHYSICALLY! They found that we need to be touched 7 times daily to be emotionally content (touching-- as simple as someone patting you on the shoulder or grabbing your arm) 7 times! Isn't that amazing.. I sit back and think about that-- and the truth is-- I go days.. even weeks sometimes without touching anyone! When I really start to think about that-- it's absurd-- but completely the truth!-- I'm physically anemic in a severe way when it comes to physical contact with people-- and I'm sure many of you are the same way!

I think that's why this video is so amazing to me! Once people became open to the idea of touch-- they were willing to fight for it. How ridiculous is it that our society has become so "anti- touch" that something as innocent as a free hug would be looked upon as strange-- and such a publicly menacing thing that it had to not only be stopped but BANNED from occurring!

Anyway-- those are my thoughts--- enjoy the video-- and reach out and touch someone today! I'm going to virtually hug all of you now-- lol but remember that doesn't count towards anyone's 7 a day :o)

240.5 My Kid Could Paint That

Hello 281 readers-- this is a crossover post from my other blog, Perfectly Chic -- i loved this documentary so much I felt the need to share it with followers of this blog as well!I recently came across a documentary that I think is essential for any art lover to watch! It is entitled "My Kid Could Paint That" directed by Amir Bar-Lev. The story surrounds young artist Marla Olmstead who started painting at the age of 2 (now 9). The documentary follows her success as an international abstract painter. Her paintings become more and more coveted as the prices of her paintings soared into the tens of thousands of dollars range.

What is most interseting to me about the documentry is the fact that she literally came out of nowhere when as a "novelty" she was asked to show a couple of paintings in the local coffee shop-- and things took off from there. As her paintings become more and more in demand speculation started to surround her family (her father who dabbles in art is suspected of either assisting Marla with paintings or completely creating the paintings himself). It's facinating to watch as even the director of the documentary who was 100% confident in the autheniticty of the work, starts to wane in his faith as the documentary progresses.

I give this documentary a perfectly chic rating of 10.0 for the way it grabs you, tells a story, and really questions the authority of modern abstract art.

240- Broccoli- It's What's for Dinner!

This is what I ate for dinner last night! It's a little concoction I made up comprised of a sprig of broccoli, a splash of balsamic vinegar and 2 tbs of crumbled feta. This would made a good Mediterranean side or you can actually eat it for dinner like I did!

240.5 Yummy in my Tummy Take 2

I just had to share the perfect little summer treat! I bought some mango sherbert (as an alternative to say strawberry ice cream)--- and I mixed it up with some fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to be exact!) It's super yummy.. and nice to look at as well :o)

240.0 There's no Graceful Way to Hike Up Your Pants

As the summer is upon us I'm stuck in a bit of a dilemma as I pull my summer wardrobe out I'm noticing that NONE of my clothes fit me! This is awesome, annoying and terrifying all at the same time! Especially since I haven't been required to wear dress pants to work for the past month (we were allowed to wear jeans if we donated to Ronald McDonald House). Anyway, after having not had to wear dress pants for a month I come back to find that all of them are too big! They seem to fit ok when I leave the house but I notice that as I walk they slide further and further down my hips causing an immense case of "droopy butt syndrome" (Where it looks like I'm wearing or diaper.. or perhaps like I *should* have been wearing one). This also has brought to mind the fact that there is no graceful or attractive way to hike up your pants. I'm having to constantly pull and yank them up after sitting, while walking etc. The worst part is that not even my belt is remotely snug anymore.

Why is this terrifying you may be asking? Isn't it great that none of my clothes fit because that marks real change? Well not entirely! You see I've been a size 20 for as long as I remember (I even remember being a size 20 in 5th grade when I was excited that they actually made Levi's in a size 20 that didn't have an elastic waistband). Honestly, that was like the most exciting day of my life because I could wear a brand that everyone else was wearing-- but that's an entire different story.

Back on track. Why is this terrifying? Well you see since I've been the same size my entire adult life and beyond.. I have clothes... I have a TON of clothes actually that I've been able to accumulate over the years. My sense of style has always been unique because limited to the "plus sized department" and a few key stores like Lane Bryant, I've had to rely on a keen sense of matching things that fit with contrasting colors. I've had to search through all the trash that's out there to find a few items I truly love-- nothing that screams "plus sized department"-- things that fit in enough but are outside the box of the normal fashion realm. Throughout the years I've been complimented on my style (which honestly developed with a bit of effort but really out of my necessity to not be viewed as the token fat girl).

So the fact that my clothes don't fit-- well that's scary! I'm going to have to venture out and not only financially commit to a whole new wardrobe but also I'm faced with the fact that I won't be able to shop in the stores I've been so accustomed to. As I lose more and more weight it's going to open the doors to many MANY new stores. I'm going to have to put more effort into keeping and developing my sense of style. I'm going to have to seriously hunt for things I truly love and not just buy things because I now fit into them. I'm going to have to be careful not to overspend on items for the same reason! The entire situation is daunting already and I'm not even there!

I never expected to have this sense of insecurity before. I want to hit my goal weight so bad! I really do.. but I'm starting to get intimidated! Not only for the clothes reason (which sounds so materialistic and stupid) but also from the aspect of the men department! I've already had so many issues with men in my life.. I know as I continue to lose weight I'm going to have more men approach me.. and not only approach me but more men coming at me for the WRONG reasons. I need to be careful as I've been redirecting my focus from yet another failed relationship (which I've been careful not to mention on here-- ).

I'm spending this time redirecting my focus from men.. re-focusing my attention to working out/ losing weight-- re-focusing my thoughts and actions toward my friends and family and God.. and just trying to keep my head on straight. This is tough! I can't believe how none of these things really came to mind before! But I guess there was something so poignant about hitting the 50lbs lost mark that really had me thinking. This entire process has really been amazing. It really has. I'm excited to see where this will take me in the next few months.