Thursday, May 3, 2012

Things That Inspire Me...

Hey everyone! First of all, thank you so much for all of your support through the process of figuring out what the hell is wrong with my neck/back/shoulder. It means a lot! My MRI went pretty well I think. I am actually now pretty convinced it is indeed my neck. While I was in there they stabilized my neck and it was almost like it was in a brace. I have NEVER felt as much discomfort in that shoulder or arm in my life... it was actually quite painful. HOWEVER, when I got off the table and out of the stabilizer brace thingy, my shoulder actually felt better than it has in a long time. Very little discomfort, stretched out and just better. So much so, in fact, that my training session today was amazing. 7 rounds on the heavy bag with zero problems, no fatigue and even my breathing felt better. It was crazy! I am waiting to hear back from my doctor about when I can get the results but I'm feeling pretty optimistic. There was one casualty though. I had to take out all of my ear piercings and go figure, one actually closed up IN AN HOUR AND A HALF! And I had that one for 10 years. The scar tissue in the bottom hole of my industrial just completely closed it up. It is sad because I loved that piercing but I guess if I am on the road to getting better it is worth it.

I went to Whole Foods tonight to replenish my grocery supply. I walked out with mostly produce since I'm still working on the pantry. I got some carrots, cucumber, spinach, artichoke hearts, portobello mushrooms, and cauliflower. I also got 3 of the small Vita Coco coconut waters (on sale 3 for $5, I got 2 pineapple and one peach and mango) because it is the only brand of coconut water I can actually get down. I think Zico is kind of yucky :X I have some great meals planned so sit tight :)

I have been doing a lot of thinking about life and where I am and where I want to be and realized that I have a long way to go. What I'm doing and what I want to do are two very different things but I've decided that life is too short and now is the time to start chasing my dreams and make things happen for myself. I have some projects planned for myself and I'll fill you in on them once I get rolling and make a good deal of progress. Exciting things are happening because I've decided it is time for me to focus on becoming the person that I dream of being.

Which brings me to the real subject of this post, inspiration. I know that I've been bringing it up a lot, but I'm REALLY happy that I joined Pinterest. I know that it is a great way to promote my blog and all of that stuff, but I have found that I love it more for the inspiration it provides me. I love seeing things that are cool and then coming up with ways to make them my own. I decided that since I don't have food photos for you today, I'd show you some things that are inspiring to me that I've found on Pinterest.


Repurposed Etched Spice Jars. This DIY project is beautiful and gives your kitchen such a unique look AND is a great way to recycle your old bottles. I'm really loving these.


How cute are these Oreo Pops!! I love things on a stick and these Oreos are so easy but look really great! These will be a great holiday treat using Candy Cane Joe Joe's.


How hilarious is this mustache Rainbow Cake? I've always wanted to try making "tie dye" cakes and this one is just too cute. I need to get on that :)


I'm pretty much obsessed with these Melted Ice Cream Cupcakes. They are so adorable and I wish I had though of them! These inspire me a lot to really push my creativity :)


Finally, this presentation of a beautiful summer fruit salad is brilliant. I tried to click back to the source but couldn't find it. I think it is so simple but really smart and pretty to look at. 

So the moral of this really long (sorry) story is that I've become really inspired by the things I've seen on Pinterest and just all around me and I'm hoping to be able to use this inspiration to create some new, fun things. I'm also hoping that this inspiration will find its way into some projects I have in my head that I'm really pushing to make a reality. It's time for change my friends. And I'm bringing you along for the ride!

Sorry this has turned into a mammoth post! Just one more thing though. As of last night, I've gotten my paws on tickets to the UFC fights in Jersey on Saturday! I'm so excited because I've never been to live fights AND to make it even better, Nate Diaz (one of my favorite fighters) will be fighting in the main event and will be cornered by his bro (and my all time fav fighter) Nick. SO. AWESOME. Yay!

Ok, I'm done I promise! Thanks for bearing with me! Have a great night!

17 comments:

  1. WOO HOO! I am so excited for your journey! As you know, I am definitely on board with making our visions into reality. Joining Pinterest is on my summer list, and I can see how it will be very inspiring! The mustache cake, the oreos pops, and the waffle cone fruit salad all make me think there might be a little creative food baking / prep in your future. ;)

    I love the spice jars! Have you seen Angela's (Oh She Glows) mason jars filled with dry goods? That is a project I definitely want to take on, even in my teeny kitchen.

    Sounds like a painful yet productive MRI, I will keep my fingers crossed for a neck remedy that won't be invasive. Perhaps weekly neck massages?! Hooray for great workouts!

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    1. Thanks Ingrid! I have spent too many years being unhappy and feeling unfulfilled. It is going to take a lot of hard work but I'm ready for it :) I think you will love Pinterest, I can't wait to see what boards you will have! I definitely have some plans to make some new treats :)

      I love the idea of storing your food (spices, grains, flours, baking supplies, etc.) in glass jars. It is beautiful and perfect kitchen decor! Functional and pretty!

      Thanks Ingrid! The relief was an unexpected yet welcome surprise :) I agree, the workout was definitely the best part of my day!

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  2. It sounds like you're at the beginning of a great road right now! I love that you're so motivated about it and it'll be fun to read about everything in future posts. I'm excited for you!

    I love all of the pictures, but that mustache cake is the best. So cool! How do you find things for Pinterest, by the way?

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    1. Thanks Molly! I'm very excited too :) I can't wait to share everything with you all!

      Isn't the cake hilarious? For our office New Year's card, we all wore face mustaches. I rocked the fu manchu, LOL. Most of my pins on pinterest are repins that I found on pinterest. If I see something I like on a blog I pin it...but mostly I just do random searches, repin the people I'm following or I'll just go to the sign in page and look at the random pins they feature :)

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    2. Thanks! I might have to start doing searches for things when I have some time to kill. I'm enjoying Pinterest but I'm not that involved with it yet.

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  3. This post made me smile!

    That's awesome about the fight. My husband I were just talking, today, about maybe going to see one... It's so expensive though! Is the one this Sat less because it's not on PPV? We're not far from Vegas so we thought it'd be cool to go there, for the weekend, visit the convention before hand to meet some fighters and then see a fight. We'll see!

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    1. Aww yay, I'm so glad!

      Thanks, I'm really excited! Truth be told, I got the tickets through a connection at no cost. I have no clue where I'll be sitting or how much they cost but I'll let you know once I pick up the tickets :X If they weren't free you better believe I'd be watching it from the couch. I want to go to that convention so bad, I'd be so jealous if you go! Who are some of your fav fighters out of curiosity? :)

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  4. That's so great about your neck/shoulder! Hopefully this is the start of a healing process!

    Great ideas on pinterest again, especially those spice jars!

    Have fun at the fight!

    Gabby @ the veggie nook

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    1. Thanks Gabby! I agree, hopefully some solutions are just around the corner :)

      Thanks, I love the spice jars! My sister in law drinks those Starbucks frap drinks in those bottles so I'm going to ask her to start saving the bottles for me :)

      They fights were AMAZING!

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  5. I think my favorite picture is the one of melted ice cream cone cupcakes; those look fun, not to mention tasty. This is a great post! You're inspiring me by sharing your inspiration. I'm glad your neck is feeling better too!

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    1. I know those cupcakes are so ridiculously cute! I definitely want to try and make those :)

      Aww thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

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  6. Sounds almost like you were in traction while in the MRI machine. Sure can't wait till the results come back. Anyway, just open your freakin' bakeshop already!

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    1. It felt like I was in traction, it was crazy lol. I am waiting to hear back from the dr about when i can come in to go over the results. Hopefully they can get me in soon.

      Haha, one day!

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  7. I love it that you wrote a super long post. It's great to read what's going on with you and get a little more insight on your life.

    I hope you get good news from your doctor. I never heard of an earring hole closing up so fast! Weird... I had my ears pierced twice as a kid, but they got so infected I had to let them close up. My doctor said I was allergic to nickel, which is probably why cheap jewelry sometimes makes my skin itch. I don't mind not having pierced ears as an adult.

    I'm really, really proud of you for focusing on becoming the person you dream of being. You can do it! You're such a good friend and talented person. You deserve happiness and fulfillment in everything you do.

    Oh, Pinterest...what would I do without you? Hmm...I'd probably be more productive, but oh well. :)

    How was the fight?

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    1. Aww thanks Sage! That's very sweet of you to say :)

      I hope so too! I know it was crazy! The top hole stayed open so I put in something to keep it open but the industrial is gone :( Bummer, it was my favorite one too. I had my nose pierced in grad school but had to take it out because I was allergic to the jewelry too!

      Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. All of you inspire me and motivate me so much. I can't even say how much I appreciate it.

      Haha I'm with you, Pinterest does eat up a lot of my time but it also inspires me and is helping me to be productive in other ways :)

      The fights were amazing!! Thanks!

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  8. Great post - I totally agree that Pinterest has a lot of inspiring pins. I'm following you now:-)

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    1. Hi Dalia! Thanks for stopping in :) I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I love Pinterest ;)

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