Livin' the Dream!

I have been trying to be more in touch with my emotions, so that I can control them, and more in touch with my thoughts, so I can keep them positive.  It has been pretty amazing so far.  Last night was extra sleepless for me, and I am not sure why, although I do have a lot going on, so that could be to blame.  However, it was really interesting, because as I was laying in bed with a fast-paced song stuck in my head jumbled with seemingly thousands of thoughts about my goals and the things I need to accomplish this week, all of the sudden, I just told my mind to stop, and there was inner silence.  That’s not to say that there are voices in my head, but the song stopped and it was like I had no thoughts!  This is a GREAT thing for me, an over-thinker! 

I had been planning on taking another stab at the Chopra 21-day meditation challenge that I started, but did not complete, in November.  Initially, I was planning on doing this in February, to sort of stagger the changes I am making in my life (lots of New Year’s Resolutions, as I said!), but now I am considering doing it sooner, as it might help me stick to the other resolutions and goals if I am able to focus my mind better and sleep better! 

Well, on to get some things done before I go to Madison to be interviewed for behind-the-scenes dvd footage for the movie I was Key Makeup Artist on with Brant Daugherty from Pretty Little Liars.  It’s my first time doing this type of interview, and I am truly looking forward to it.  Should be a really fun day!  

xoxo,

Mandie

P.S.  Have you tried meditation?  If so, how was your experience, and do you have any tips? 

The perfect time to do a little blogging!  

Last I checked in, I was finishing the China Study (finally), getting ready to do my Primal Blueprint Fitness assessment, and getting quite amped up for Super Saturday.  

Since then, I completed the assessment (which was harder than I thought and will dictate some of my workouts for the next three weeks and maybe beyond), and then we spent a short but amazing time with Tommy’s family on Friday night, the night before Super Saturday.  Then finally, Saturday arrived!  It was wonderful to see my teammates that I don’t get to see enough!  Even better, there are new teammates added into the equation that I am sure are going to rock it!  After the event, we went out to eat to make a game plan on how we’re going to get ourselves on the SS Beachbody, a cruise that they’re giving to people who basically help at least 50 people achieve their goals!  I am SO going to be on that ship and can’t wait! 

Saturday night when we got back to Milwaukee, we went to a friend’s house and watched the Packers game, and then went home and to bed so that Tommy could get his sleep before his volleyball tournament, which was what we did on Sunday!  It went quite well, but not as well as the next one!  

Since then, I have been enjoying being on my own schedule as part of my daily routine - organizing my apartment, marketing myself as a model and makeup artist, and organizing my next two challenges - a 7-Day Shakeology challenge and a 30-Day Beachbody challenge.  

I have exciting stuff coming up, and will be back to blog about that then, but for now, how about some somewhat recent additions to my portfolio?  It has been a long time since I have updated my blog with those!  Yikes!  

xoxo,

Mandie

P.S.  I finally finished The China Study and am still digesting (no pun intended) the information.  I am now pretty far into the Primal Blueprint and read and finished Primal Blueprint Fitness!  =)

P.P.S.  Message me if you’re interested in either of my challenges.

P.P.P.S.  What are you currently reading?  

Happy 2013, four days late!  

This year, I can’t even count my new year’s resolutions.  There are so many!  However, I don’t see myself as being one of the 92% that doesn’t stick to them (yes, that is an actual figure, or so I’m told!).  Some of them may fade in and out (I am not great at getting >7hrs of sleep per night, I haven’t been stretching as much as I hoped, and I definitely didn’t maintain my “stay polished in public” rule when I went to Pancake House this morning and wore purple, green, and red all at the same time), but I plan on making more of a conscious effort this year every day to make myself a better person…  So while my list of areas of improvement is long, and every item on it might not get attention daily, I will continue to always strive toward better!  One of the things on the list is to blog more - not just have an instagram feed in several places, so here I am!

Last night, Tommy and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary.  It was wonderful!  We went to Mr. B’s Steakhouse, which was amazing, and then went and had a drink and some chocolate-covered strawberries at Blu, which overlooks Milwaukee and is GORGEOUS.  It’s funny, because there were two servers attending to us at Mr. B’s, and when Tommy and I went to pancake house (with him in his work clothes and me in my sloppy clown attire) we ended up seated directly next to the two servers from Mr. B’s last night!  It was hilarious, and kind of awkward when I heard them talking to each other about using their tip money from the night before to pay the bill today.  Had we known, we could’ve just said “Hey, we’ll just buy you brunch tomorrow!” 

I think it’s a sign that Tommy and I eat out together entirely too much, but that will change come Monday.  Monday is when I start my next Beachbody challenge group (message me if you’re interested) as well as when Tommy, some friends, and I start the 21-Day Primal Blueprint challenge.  We both have experience following the primal diet plan (him more strictly than I), but not as strictly as we will be starting Monday, and not with the other lifestyle aspects of Primal living as much.  I already downloaded f.lux to my computer, so it was fun to watch it change as I worked on it this afternoon!  

I am finishing up reading the China Study…  It’s a book about how harmful consuming an overabundance of animal protein is.  Between that and eating primally, I am starting to feel really guilty about the huge nutrition project that I did with all of my students my last year of teaching.  I told them to have six servings of the grain group per day.  WHAT?!  I am sure that following the food guide pyramid is still still better than what they ate before, but I still feel responsible for being tricked by the USDA’s food guide pyramid.  Yikes.  I am trying to think of a way to make up for it, perhaps as a way to finish my Master’s degree.  If you have ideas, let me know!

Well, I have a few more things on my “to-do” list before I head off to do the Primal Fitness Assessment and then down to the Chicago area for Super Saturday tomorrow - SO PUMPED!  I will write another personal blog in the next few days!  

xoxo,

Mandie

 P.S.  What do you have going on this weekend?

P.P.S.  Do you have any ideas for how I can right my nutrition instruction wrongs to get my Master’s degree in 2013?

As you can see, the training schedule is getting pretty intense here!  I am doing it out of order, and definitely skipping some of it…  Fortunately, thanks to Beachbody, I am in great shape.  I just want to walk as much as I can so that I am ready, as walking is a different repetitive motion, and I don’t want to be sore for the event!

I saw these Phlox on my 6.2-mile walk last night, which was incredible!  By the way, I must say that I did not know they were Phlox - that was my mom who told me that!  They smelled so good!

During my walk, I also got the chance to walk past the Quadracci Pavillion/Milwaukee Art Museum, which is always gorgeous!  Here are a few photos!

In the second, you can see an ad for an exhibit I am extremely excited about - my favorite painter is involved!  I will definitely be checking that out!  

As I traveled North, I also passed the Northpoint Ice Cream stand, which has recently been painted very appropriately for my purposes!

And as I traveled further North, the sky was turning pink over the lake (also appropriate!) and was beautiful, so I snapped a couple of pics!

So that 6.2-mile walk put me at exactly at 45 miles of training so far, which is 3/4 of the event itself!  I still have a long way to go, but look forward to every step!  Well, almost every step!

Still accepting donations!  =)

www.the3day.org/goto/Mandie

xoxo,

Mandie 

Like I imagine most people do, I HATE running errands.  And, as a woman who is self-conscious about her skin, I also hate meeting people without makeup on.

This Sunday, Tommy and I came back from Madison, and he asked me in the car if I wanted to go with him to meet up with the people for whom he is going to house sit in a week or so.  At first, I almost said no.  I didn’t feel like doing much of anything (was tired from the wedding the night before), and I wasn’t wearing makeup.  Instead, I said yes. 

SO glad that I did!  The people were absolutely fascinating…  It was one of Tommy’s current or former patients and his wife.  He is an ex-colonel, and she a former teacher, and they showed us around their house, we had a glass of wine, and then went out to Transfer for pizza.  Their house is amazing, and garden even more beautiful.  At dinner, they told the most amazing stories about their travels to Australia, India, all over the place!  They were so interesting, and I shudder to think about how much I would’ve missed out on had I decided to go home!  (Plus, I think it will help Tommy that I know where everything is and what needs to be watered when!).

So, from now on, my plan is to be a “Yes man,” or as I like to think of it, a “Yes Mandie.”  

When someone (especially someone I love!) asks me to do something, unless I can’t, I will say yes!  I’ll blog my experiences and we will see how it goes!  =D

xoxo,

Mandie