The Green Dress Challenge (update)

So here's an update on what's going on with my 6-week Paleo diet/Green Dress Challenge..

I am in Northridge for only 6 more days (including today) before I go on Spring Break.
Next Wednesday and Thursday (30-31st) I'm going to San Fransisco for my good friend Camila's 21st birthday, then I will be back in Salinas for Spring Break starting April 1st.

So until April 1st, I am going to be eating much healthier, researching recipes, and preparing myself for the strict and exciting PALEO challenge.

I know this is going to be REALLY hard because this diet is so strict
(no sugar and no grains just to name a few restrictions), but I know it is going to be worth it.
Ever since I moved away to school my diet has severely plummeted, and I am determined to find a better way of eating and feeling about my body.

I'm nervous, but very excited.
(So starting April 1st I will be checking in and blogging EVERYDAY about my experience, my challenges, temptations, and progress).

Wish me LUCK!

the First day of Spring??

The first day of Spring!
(or so i'm told)

Today was insane!! Amanda and I had to drive back to Northridge from Salinas today and I didn't think it would be that bad. We left at like.. 12:40 and needed to be back in Northridge by 5, for a meeting Amanda had to go to.
We gave ourselves plenty of time... if it was a normal day, with normal weather.
But it wasn't... it was POURING down rain, all day.. and HARD!!

The drive wasn't too bad for about the first 2 hours until we go to the 46.
Then it was crazy! It took slightly longer than usual to get over the 46... it was raining pretty hard and the cars were driving slooowww.

Then...
there was the grapevine!

Little did we know...

It took us about 2 hours to get over it... going about 45mph the whole way.
We hydroplaned about 4 or 5 times,
it was terrifying.

Then it got worse. I'm pretty sure I saw the ark float on by.. I was basically driving through a lake and it was TERRIFYING. So.. not exactly knowing what to do or how to handle this... (and being that I was freaking out).. we pulled over to figure it out.

We sat there for a little bit.. thinking that since we were only about 30 miles outside of Northridge, that we needed to just suck it up and go back... so we got back on the road.
About 5 minutes later, I decided that I could NOT do it and that we needed to figure something out. So Amanda called her mom... and here's what her solution was...

So here we are!
We got here around 6ish.. and sat here for a while just kinda hanging out.
We got pizza delivered, and have just been flipping through the few channel options we have trying to stay entertained. No Amanda's been asleep for a while.. and I am TIRED!!
It has been a LONG, exhausting... kinda scary day!

Spring has Sprung!
(kinda)

My new "30 Day" Challenge! The Green Dress Challenge.

OK. Here's the deal.
I have always been a pretty skinny girl... and always very active...
and for the past year or so... this has changed and I am NO LONGER ok with it, AT ALL.
So here's what I'm going to do.

Here's the dress.
I found this dress in my closet this weekend, and I had completely forgotten about it.. and I want to wear it! But here's the thing, it no longer fits.

So I'm going to call this blog/challenge the "Green Dress Challenge" and I am going to tell myself that my goal is going to be able to wear this dress to my cousin Chelsea's graduation in May.


And here's how I plan to make it happen.
After being inspired by my friend Ashleigh Murtha, who lost 20 lbs on the Paleo diet, I have decided that I'm going to go on a "version" of this diet. I am really bad with diets.. and self control with food. So I can't follow the Paleo diet exactly... but I'm going to eat much much better.

I'm cutting out soda and fast food, including Chilis. (as hard as that is to say, I have to.)
and I'm going to start eating much simpler, healthier meals.

Lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and minimal carbs.
and LOTS more water.

I am also going to get a membership at LA Fitness for the rest of the semester while I'm in Northridge.



I know this is going to be difficult... but I DO NOT want to look like this anymore,
and for me it's not even about the amount (or #) that I weight.. it's about what I look like, and liking what I see when I look in the mirror.

So I am going to check in with this blog every day, recording what I have been eating, talking about my challenges, temptations and my progress... and I'll post pictures of how I look in the dress... no matter how minimal the change.

This is probably going to be really hard, so i'm going to need support, but I need to do this for myself. To feel healthier and happier in my own skin.

Traditional ALL GREEN St. Patrick's Day dinner!

Today at my Grandparents house in Salinas we had our traditional St. Patrick's dinner.
Everyone wears green, everything is decorated in green and we eat
corn beef, cabbage, red potatoes, salad and a yummy green dessert of some kind.
It's one of the many traditions that I love having with my family!

This is me at Grandma's drinking my Gin Lime Ricky.
(basically a gin and tonic with lime... yumm!)



Here is the adorable table!
A shamrock covered table cloth with matching napkins.

This salas was super yummy but I
LOVED the bowl it was brought in! It's a huge/shallow bowl
and I want one just like it!

The drink station!
Complete with printed recipes of green drinks
(alcoholic or non).

This was our delicious dessert!
A carrot cake with green frosting, and the carrots
came from my grandparents garden!

BROWNIES! made with Creme de Menthe!

Homemade bread! Enough said.

It was an amazing night filled with good conversation, jokes and old stories!
I love being home.


The FREAK moment of the night came when we went to leave and as we were getting into the car the back windshield shattered!!
The weather is horrendous, super windy and rainy, but this was just not explainable!
So Amanda and I decided to pretend we were on some sort of wild goose chase on the way home since we were in the back seat, watching the window continue to crack and while getting hit by the rain! It was so strange!

"Beauty and the Beast.... of Burden"

This is going to be a LONG blog, so be warned.
Yesterday (day) was horrible.
I went over to the DZ house to hang with my little and have our usual Wednesday morning coffee date and left in tears. It's a long story so I'm not going to go into it.
Putting that aside,
I have officially decided that yesterday didn't start until 4 pm.

So on Friday Gail (an amazing, smart and pretty girl)
asked Maegan and I if we wanted to go see "Beauty and the Beast" at the Pantages for the student price ticket of $30, an opportunity that I could NOT refuse.

We got all pretty dresses up and left for our adventure in Hollywood (which I'm usually not to fond of) around 4:30. Gail and Natalie (another very smart and pretty girl)
picked me up, and we were off!

After we got our amazingly discounted student price tickets, we had time to go get dinner before the show started. So we started driving around trying to figure out where we wanted to eat.
We ended up at an amazing little hipster-like cafe called "Urth Caffe," it may be one of my new favorite places. I want to go there with a book and sit there, drink their amazing coffee and read for hours and hours and just enjoy the atmosphere.

I had a brilliant mocha mint drink.
(You'd think they would just call it a mint mocha, but I guess a mocha mint is more unique).
It was delicious!

For dinner I ordered a chicken and cheese quesadilla and it was verrrrry yummy!
It didn't go very well with my coffee, but I figured if I wanted the coffee with my dinner than I was just going to have to deal with the fact that coffee and a quesadilla aren't a normal thing you usually eat together.

Such a YUMMY drink!
I swear it was Christmas in a cup!
It doesn't get much better than that! (March or not).

After our brilliant dinner we went back to the Pantages where we prepared ourselves for the show we were about to enter...
Which, with the show we knew we were seeing, with all of its "Disney Magic" there was no way we could really be prepared for all it had to offer.

The amazing women that occompanied me on this adventure!
(left to right: Maegan, me, Gail and Natalie. Melody was taking the picture)
With everything that's been going on in my life lately I feel like I should write a blog especially for them. These women are always there for me, always so positive and encouraging and they are all my sisters in my sorority (both alumna and active).

I took pictures of EVERYTHING, I was so excited.

The show was amazing. The costumes were PERFECT, the sets were beautiful, the set changes were seamless and the actors were breathtaking. The music and the dancing was brilliant! I loved all of. Watching these shows always makes me want to go audition (or figure out how to) because I KNOW that I could do it.

Now, aside from the fact that this show was amazing, and it was only my second professional show i've seen... the highlight of my night came at intermission.

After running to the bathroom the second the lights came on, I sat back in my seat waiting for the show to start. I saw someone walking down the isle with a girl, back to his seat, that looked really familiar to me. I SWORE that it was Lee Dewyze (the current American Idol winner)...

So I told Gail to walk down to look at the pit with me, so we walked down there. As I got closer, I KNEW that was him.

So I'm standing 2 feet away from him thinking to myself, "I HAVE to talk to him.. I'm going to be so angry if I know that's him and I don't.." (side note: Lee Dewyze is a BIG deal to me! He was my favorite all season and I have been talking about meeting him ever since).

Ok. So I walk up to him and here's how it went from there...

Me: Are you Lee Dewyze?

Lee: Ya I am.

M: Oh my gosh! I'm Corinne, I'm a huge fan.

L: I'm Lee nice to meet you! and this is my girlfriend.

M: I'm a huge fan, I watched you on American Idol

(babble babble babble)

I know i'm not supposed to, but can I take a picture with you?

L: Ya! Totally!

(picture being taken..I was shaking)

L: You don't have to be nervous, its ok!

M: it's coming out really dark cuz I can't use a flash..

L: Well track me down after and we'll take another one. I'm gunna be on American Idol tomorrow you should check it out!

M: Oh ya! I definitely will.

L: Do you want a hug?

M: YES!

(hug)

L: Are you really a fan?

M: I'm a HUGE fan!

L: well here (reaching in pocket) it's the only one I have on me but you can have it!

(handing me a guitar pick)!!!!

M: Oh my gosh! Thank you!

L: ya! it was nice meeting you!!

I went back to my seat and I was FREAKING out!

Now Maegan had seen me talking to someone... so when I got back to my seat she asked me, "Who were you talking to?" and I said, "Hang on! I have to sit down." (I sat down). So then Maegan was like, "Who was that??!!" and I told her, "MAEGAN! THAT WAS LEE DEWYZE!!"

Then we proceeded to have a freak out-star struck-girly moment!

(The pick!!)

After the show ended (I cried), we walked out and waited for Lee to come out. (Maegan's wish during dinner was to meet a famous person in Hollywood). So she told me, "He's right behind you!!" So I walked up to him, tapped him on the shoulder and asked if we could take another picture with him. He agreed. Maegan was freaking out! As we went to leave he looked at me and said, "Corinne, right?" (and I died a little inside), "Yes!" "And Maegan?" "Yeah." As we left he said, "It was really nice to meet you Corinne, have a good night!"

Mission Accomplished.

Best. Night. Ever.

And as we left the parking lot, we listened to "Beast of Burden,"

and all I could think about was how I just met the man behind that AMAZING voice.

= ]]

Across The Universe

"I've just seen a face I can't forget the time or place where we just meant she's just the girl for me and I want all the world to see we've met!.."

"All You Need is Love."

"Let it be."

"Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other, something in the way she woo's me, I don't want to leave her now.. You know I believe in how... You're asking me will my love grow, Well I don't know..."

"Across the Universe" is a movie music will Beatles music. I had never seen it until I decided to buy it one day (it was on sale), I watched it.. and I loved it.
Now I watch this movie at least once every other week, it's become part of my life!

I love this music. It brings me back and let's me live in an era I feel as thought I was meant to be a part of. Maegan and Amanda are both convinced that I am a flower child reborn!

(My mother agrees with them.)

This is Jim Sturgess. He is the actor that plays Jude in "Across the Universe." He is beautiful, and has a beautiful voice and a beaufitul accent. = ]

Getting excited for the rest of college... and beyond!!

Today I'm meeting with an adviser again about changing my major and I'm really excited.

I know changing my major from Journalism to English when I'm this late in the game is crazy, but I really want to do it, I really think I can do it, and I'm really looking forward to doing it.

I keep thinking about my future, and my life after college. I know I'm going to move home, and I know I'm going to be working a lot to save money to go back to school and get my teaching credentials. I don't know how all of this is going to work, but I'm excited!

I'm going to be a teacher.
I'm going to be a high school English teacher.
I'm going to be a teacher that teaches more than just my subject.
I'm going to be the teacher that teaches and inspired kids to know they can do anything they want to do. I want kids to love high school, and to love English.
Obviously, I know not everyone will love English... but I at least want them to be interested and inspired, regardless of what they are wanting to choose as a future career.
I want to help them to be as prepared as they can be for college and for their futures.



Thinking about high school English keeps making me feel like I want to read books like "Lord of the Flies," "Hamlet," and "Cannery Row."
I didn't exactly "read" these books in high school, but I studied them,
and I feel like I should really READ them now.

One book that I DID read in high school was call "Kindred." This was a book that we didn't have to read in high school, by California standards, but our teacher wanted us to.
This book is about an African-American women living in California in 1976. She is married to a white man, and through some sort of sci-fi experience, she is taken back in time to a plantation in the south in the 19th century. Time in real life is stopped while she is gone, and she could be on this plantation for 3 years, then go back to current time and have only been gone for 5 minutes. Eventually her and her husband are taken back together and because he is white and she is black, they can't be "married" so he has to pretend like he owns her so that they won't be separated. It's pretty complex, but oh my gosh, it was my favorite book I actually read in high school... I may need to think about reading it again.

My ultimate goal is to be an English teacher at my Alma Mater, Salinas High.
I'm in love with this high school, and this town and would give anything to be able to teach there.
I'm going to do whatever I can to make this happen because when I fantasize about my teaching career, this is where I picture it happening.