Project time!!!

So in order to stay in line with my list and to save money I got crafty this weekend! Actually crafty would not be technically correct I suppose considering all I did was paint a dresser I constructed from instructions thanks to Ikea. Oh how I love you, Ikea!

My dresser started out like this

I decided to bring some light and happiness to my small room in my apartment by using Krylon "Bright Spot" in Gloss and Krylon Semi-Gloss "White". My second color is so daring and scary, no? haha.

 After one coat I was wary of the impending outcome...

Second coat was still making me wary... I really wanted it to look smooth and solid! Darn-it I was going to make this work like I wanted it to!

By the third coat I was feeling much better about the outcome...minus the slight dizziness from the fumes in my porch, haha.

Four coats later and...... TA-DA!!!

About that time...

I probably should go through my "List" and mark off what I've accomplished thus far... hmmm, let's see.

1. save and buy nikon d3000 camera with all wanted accessories
    (still want/need to get one more lens to make me happy....)
2. take more pictures!(with and before new camera)

3. try a new recipe/food each week

4. spend more "individual" time with each dog
    (for reasons I cannot emotionally dicuss, this goal will be permanently removed.)
5. work on communication skills
     (working on it!!!)
6. love more
   (again, definitely getting better)
7. go on a "mini" vacation by myself.
yes and no to this one. went to Cali, but was with friends once i got there. gonna do a true solo trip soon though)
8. read more( for fun)
yes!!!
9. be better about organization
definitely getting better
10. craft more, spend less
eh....i'mve been bad, but am currently working on a new dresser.
11. donate more
would you believe i donated 3/4ths of my wardrobe and all but three purses. yes, you read right.
12. do more outside
still doing it
13. learn a new skill
does my camera count? i also can now yo-yo.
14. treat myself better
a work in progress for sure
15. listen to more classical music

16. lose the last 35 pounds by end of year
only 15 more til first goal!
17. spend more time with sister
yup
18. exercise more
yup, get a new trainer next week :)
19. be a better friend
def working on it
20. "treat myself" once a month
yup!
21. blog
look at me go!
22. plant/ grow food
haha, not yet
23. relax more
i try
24. get a better paying job
haha...yeah...bout that.....
25. laugh more.
 again, with that working on it thing....


I think I'm doing pretty well so far. I have about 8 months to go, so no worries :)

And now to leave you with a funny photo from the FSU/Wake Forest Game where WHOOPED on some Deamon Decons (31-0!!!)

Can you tell me what's wrong with this picture?

California - Part 1

For the first part of my documenting my California travels I will have you step into my world as a breakfast crazy foodie lover. It started out as an accident/fun, then turned into a mission. My friend, Gena, and her husband, Eric, and I can all willingly admit we go a little crazy with the food/beer when we get together. This past trip it mostly about the food. I think I brought back with me 40 extra pounds - 20 in food weight and 20 in clothes I bought :)

Each morning we would have the wonderful task of deciding where would would we be starting our day. The first morning Gena and I went to our favorite spot to go together, Old Vine Cafe in Costa Mesa. Dear goodness! I could eat every single item on that menu, it's so unbelievably delicious. I didn't bring my fancy camera with me to the breakfasts in fear of getting food on it (i know, i'm paranoid), but Gena and I did manage to always take pics with our Droids :)

Gena's berry Crepe

My breakfast, the "open-faced" (think biscuits smothered in eggs, chicken sausage, gravy and then topped with spicy "queso") with a side of roasted potatoes - MMMM!

Day two- breakfast at Layer Cake Bakery

Gena's French toast with fresh berries (can you tell she loves berries?)

I had a panini breakfast sandwich with hashbrowns (while also furiously checking my droid for fsu football updates because of the time change)

and as a "toppper" a caramel canelle that Eric and I split.

Day three - Plums Cafe

Eric got an omelet, yes that's an omelet (a very fancy one) and Gena got a waffle, with (surprise, surprise, haha) berries)

I got Eggs Benedict and potatoes. the absolute best eggs benedict I have ever eaten!!!

Day Four - we went back to Old Vines Cafe, this time with Eric.

Gena got the crepe again, Eric got what i had gotten last time, the "open-faced", and I got the standard biscuits and gravy. very delicious

Morning five was spent eating leftovers form our adventures and figuring out how to space bag my clothes I had bought so I wouldn't have to check my extra bag I had gotten to carry all my new stuff :) Yeah, I was very bad.

Look for California part two soon....

So happy!

I am the official owner of a Nikon D3000 camera! I have been dreaming of the day I would get this camera for the last year. Now that I have it I'm like a kid on Christmas morning everyday, haha.
So far I only have two lenses; nikkor 50mm and nikon 18-55mm. I reallllly want to 55mm - 200mm nikkor lenses, but that ridiculously expensive piece will be purchased at a later time.

I took my first 50 shots or so over the weekend on a quick day beach trip to Port St. Joe Beach. The weather was crummy for the first bit we were there, but I got in a solid hour of good shots and  I'm pretty pleased with my test shots I got. Here are a few, completely untouched...










I'm in love! And I haven't even BEGUN to play with my 50mm lens!

whew!

Finally all moved into my new place. I was living in a sea of boxes and chaos for way too long, but now I can finally move around the place without causing anymore bruises to my already beaten to crap legs. I'm seriously COVERED in bruises. It looks like I was in a paint ball game with no protection. I think laying by the pool and tanning will fix this :)

I know I haven't been giving updates about what I have done on my list thus far, but that will come later this week when I get a chance to sit down and go over everything and pictures. But first I need to think of what my "new food or recipe" will be for this week. Family birthday dinner night for my sis is tomorrow night, so I think I might try something then. Will report on that later.

But, until then, I leave you with two videos that make me smile

I must be crazy!

Or just really wanted to prove to myself I could do it without crying.

It's a rather known fact that I am a HUGE wimp when it comes to all things spicey food. Pepperoni gets my eyes tearing up at times. I'm THAT big of a wuss. So when my now ex-boyfriend and I started to grow naga jolokia, or as they are also known as "Ghost peppers", I thought he was crazy. I mean these peppers are used for ELEPHANT repellent in India. Seriously.
For reference for how terrifyingly hot these things are:

In 2000, India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale,^[7] and in 2004 a rating of 1,041,427 units was made using HPLC analysis.^[17] For comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000, and pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.^[18]
In 2005, at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, regents Professor Paul Bosland found bhut jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.^[5]
In February 2007, Guinness World Records published that the bhut jolokia was the hottest chili pepper ever submitted for judgment.^[5][19]"

Yeah, that hot.
So what do I do? After watching both Andy and my friend Nick eat half of UN-ripened pepper and watch them CRY, I decide to myself I'm going to eat some. Because I'm crazy. And mostly to do it and not cry like the boys. But to their credit, they ate the pepper and I was merely going to eat the sauce version. Still ridiculous though. I will not upload the pics of the boys crying out of respect/request/threatening of my life, but I will put up a video of someone who has eaten the pepper:



And here's the part you've been waiting for. me eating a piece of pork, that was only one inch by inch big and soaked in Ghost Pepper sauce.
The initial pain hitting me after 4 chews

getting worse

This is really sucking and I'm having a hard time trying to swallow the meat and ghost pepper sauce!

I finally did it after chewing the small piece of meat a hundred times. My mouth was on FIRE. Hot, liquid molten magma fire. Burned for hours. The irony of it? The chemicals in the actual pepper do NOT cause any actual "burns", but the sure as hell feel like it.
Mouth burn fail!

and also the world's most unflattering picture, but it's worth it.


I'm counting this as my "new food" of the week and my adventure for July, because I will NEVER do it again.

Good Music

Doesn't it always seem like we are always on the hunt for "good music" to listen to/download/ blast as loud as possible?

15. listen to more classical music

I have definitely started listening to more classical music. I've read in several places that it can be very relaxing and help push out all that is giving you tension. Well, I have had my fair share of tension in the past year or so, so why not try something new that might help? I'm the first one to admit I couldn't tell you the difference between listening to Mozart or Chopin or anyone else for that matter, but I love exploring. I've been listening to the local classical station in Tallahassee while doing laundry or painting my nails or whatever else I'm doing in my room without the TV on. I have now ventured off into listening at work or in the car. And you know what? I love it! It really does make you just float away and not focus on anything.

After this great discovery I decided to go visit my old 20s, 30s, and 40s songs that I have always loved. I now listen to yahoo radio at work on the oldies/blues/jazz stations. I am absolutely loving this as well. I whole-heartedly recommend for anyone else to do this to. Stress level down!

Sing to me Billy, Louis, Dakota, Etta, and Dinah!

Fresh Start

Since it is only a couple of days removed from my (gasp!) 25th birthday, I felt it would be a great adventure to make a list of "25 things for 25 year old Alyson". I've seen all these other blogs and websites with people and their own personal lists whether they be goals for the year, bucket lists, assignments by others, etc. I decided put this task on myself since I don't technically have any future goals planned out for me. I earned my Masters last summer, and after I completed school all I have done is work. How B-O-R-I-N-G.
So what better way to restart my blog then to start with my list:

1. save and buy nikon d3000 camera with all wanted accessories

2. take more pictures!(with and before new camera)

3. try a new recipe/food each week

4. spend more "individual" time with each dog

5. work on communication skills

6. love more

7. go on a "mini" vacation by myself.

8. read more( for fun)

9. be better about organization

10. craft more, spend less

11. donate more

12. do more outside

13. learn a new skill

14. treat myself better

15. listen to more classical music

16. lose the last 35 pounds by end of year

17. spend more time with sister

18. exercise more

19. be a better friend

20. "treat myself" once a month

21. blog

22. plant/ grow food

23. relax more

24. get a better paying job

25. laugh more.

Looks like I'm working on #21 already.....


and now an obligatory picture of something I love

shoes (designer flats marked down 75% off, love you dillards clearance rack!)

 and red sunglasses