4 Things.

1. I went to kickboxing last night. First time back in over a week. 

Felt good. Felt real good. 

I had the cracked out instructor again. 

You know, the one that screams, "UP HIGH!!! UP HIGH!!! DOWN LOW!!! DOWN LOW!!!" as if her life depended on it. It's a possibility she snorts a little somethin' somethin' right before class.

You know what else I noticed about her? She has a non-existent butt. 

And I find that odd. 

You'd think someone who did Turbo Kickboxing several times a week would have a rock hard behind instead of two little flaps.

...

2. I've been wearing my retainer for the past two nights.

My bright red, sparkly retainer.

After this last visit to the dentist, it got me thinking.

It would be a crying shame to have worn braces for so many years just to have my teeth shift again.

He hasn't said so, but I think my retainer wearing is a major turn-on for The Dizzle.

...

3. Speaking of The Dizzle.

I dropped him off at the airport this morning.

He's off to see his dad in Las Vegas again.

They're driving to UCLA tomorrow to get a second opinion on what's been going on with his dad's knee.

I really hope it turns out well.

No offense to the LV doctors, but they don't seem to know shiz there.

...

4. I'm not going to lie to you.

But remember how I was all gung-ho about not drinking for 30 days?

Well technically today would mark 23 days of no drinking.

And, let's see...I'm pretty sure I've had dranks on 6 out of those 23 days.

But you know what?

Compared to the alchy level that I was, I'm not that disappointed in myself.

17 out of 23 days without alcohol?

YOU try that and tell me how easy it is!

...

That's all.

Hope you all have lovely Tuesdays.

Possibly even Taco Tuesdays?

I will try my hardest to refrain from having a margarita.

But no guarantees.

xoxo

Parasailing - 0, Rock Climbing - 1

Remember how Fasha wanted to take me parasailing for a belated birthday present this past weekend?

Well someone should have told him that reservations would be needed in order to do so.

His excuse for not making them last week like he said he would?

"Who would be parasailing these days anyway?"

Oh, I don't know, Fasha. 

It is only the middle of Summer in San Diego where tourist season is extremely high and most people gravitate towards water activities in these conditions.

So I'd place a strong bet that everyone and their mother wants to go parasailing these days.

Wouldn't you?

Needless to say, that didn't work out.

...

Want to know what he did do for my birthday instead?

Fasha proceeded to bust out his iPhone to play Amazing Grace on this new app he purchased by blowing into the bottom of the phone and simultaneously pressing the correct buttons on the screen.

Mad skills.

{All while Princess Sophia looked on with what I can only imagine was strong admiration. I wouldn't know, as English is still not a strong suit for her, so not many words are spoken.}

...

Fasha then held a lengthy discussion on why his hair is looking fuller these days.

He said that he has grown it out longer so that he can comb it back to hide the bald spots.

He calls it genius.

I call it Korean Donald Trump.

...

Now for the kicker.

Fasha then proceeded to give me my birthday gift.

Unwrapped and definitely used.

Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul.

What the...

I don't even have the words.

I mean....what?

...

After the lunch festivities, to make up for the parasailing fail, Fasha took us to go Indoor Rock Climbing at Solid Rock.

That is some workout, I tell you!

A very scary workout.

My heart was beating so hard the first time I went up. I was for sure The Dizzle would drop me.

But alas, he did not. He held on for dear life and promised I would make it down alive.

And guess what? I did.

It was a lot of fun. V Dizzle was basically pro status from the get go.

I thoroughly enjoyed staring up at him and his muscles as I held his rope. Yes, yes I did.

And you know what? By the end of it, I'd say I was a bit of a pro myself too.

And when I say pro, I mean that my heart wasn't leaping out of my chest anymore.

And yes, Fasha was that guy wearing his suit in an indoor rock climbing place.

Because he's cool like that.

...

xoxo 

SPONSOR SWAP!

Just in case you didn't notice my new spiffy Sponsor link on the left-hand side.

Here it is.

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For all of you lovely sponsors who swapped with me for July, I thank you.

After July, I'll no longer be doing the "once-a-month" shout-out for swaps.

You can swap with me any day, any time. {starting now}

Unless of course, it gets filled up and you have to be wait-listed.

If we're currently swapping, and not via Passion Fruit,

then feel free to switch over to that, using the promo code with the buy button below.

You don't have to wait for July to be over, 

you can do it now and then I'll just delete your original button.

I know, I know, this gets so confusing for me too.

But that's why I'm hoping this new little set-up will be better for everyone.

...

Let's Swap...FOR FREE!

I'm jumping on the Passion Fruit bandwagon to see how well this works out for us.

Less time with HTML shenanigans = More time for fun.

Anyway, just click the "Buy Now" button below and enter the promo code: SWAP.

Rules:

*Must be a follower of Mish Lovin' Life via GFC 
(Just click that little blue "Join" button on the left)

*Must have my button on your blog within 24 hours of signing up
(otherwise, I'll have to be mean and take yours down. Code on the left!)

...

Doesn't matter what day you sign up, each button gets a 30 day spot!
So don't wait for the first of the month: Start now!

Also, good news! 

Your button will be on auto-shuffle so that everyone gets a good chance for maximum exposure at the top!

...

Happy Blogging!

xoxo

Friday Finds - Summer Wish List

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13

I love doing these little wish lists because it's almost like I'm actually shopping without spending all the money. Almost.

...

Anyway, it's Friday and I have no idea how we got here so fast.

But you won't hear me complaining!

Fasha wants to take me para sailing this weekend.

Me + The Dizzle + Fasha + Princess Sophia

I'm sure I'll have a wonderful story for you all on Monday.

I mean, how can I not with those characters involved?!

I hope you all have just as equally entertaining weekends.

xoxo

My Movie Screening Night..

Last night, The Dizzle and I went to the screening of Ruby Sparks at a little theatre here in San Diego.

It was actually kind of neat because there was a Q&A session afterwards and Zoe Kazan was there along with the directors from Little Miss Sunshine. {I've always had a thing for seeing actors in the flesh because as you should all know, I've had a dream of being famous since I was little.}

But rather than tell you whether or not I liked the film {I did} and if I recommend it {I do}, I thought it'd be apropos to instead share with you the wonderful experience I had going to a screening with about 80 individuals who consider themselves, for lack of a better description, movie connoisseurs.

Let me first start by sharing {and this has nothing to do with the movie} my experience at the concession stand, waiting in line to buy my peanut M&M's. 

I was behind a lady that looked something like this:

She turned around and gave me this exact stare. I kid you not. For about 8 seconds.

So I finally looked right at her and said, "Hi!"

Her response?

"Oh hi. I was just admiring your eye make-up. I wish I could do something cool like that."

So I told her that in fact, I was wearing only mascara.

{Mascara after 8 hours of working}

Then she said:

"Oh, well, I guess your eyes are just cool then."

And just like that, she turns away, before I can explain that it must be the Asianness, to tell her man friend that she stole quarters from him.

Yeah...

...

When the film was over, it was time for the Q&A session. And boy, oh boy, did people have a lot to say.

There were the aspiring writers asking advice about writer's block. 

You had the one guy ask if this movie was inspired by Pinocchio {wtf?}. 

Then you had the 95 year old man shout after every question, "Repeat the question louder!!"

It was all very entertaining, really.

But I would have to say my favorite guy was the big, burly black man that stood up.

To give you a visual, this is what he looked like:

Now, imagine this guy with a very heavy lisp, saying the following as he stood up proudly to give his two-cents on this film:

"Firthst of all, I'd juthst like to thsay that the lathst five minuteths of thiths movie waths the bethst acting i have ever thseen in my life..."

I couldn't tell you his "second of all" because I was so moved by his first point.

...

And that was my evening.

But oh, what an evening it was.

xoxo

Sometimes you've just got to paint by numbers..

A few weeks ago, my {not so} creative juices began to flow.

I was inspired by the paint gods to create a masterpiece.

And I knew it could only be one thing that would allow me to do just that:

Paint By Numbers.

I told V Dizzle my dreams and we looked high and low, but to my dismay,

Paint By Numbers was no where to be found.

My hopes and dreams were crushed. But like most things I get excited about on a whim, 

I quickly forgot about this quest by the next day.

...

Fast forward to my birthday weekend and The Dizzle surprises me with not one, not two, but three Paint By Numbers sets: Pandas, Fish, and a Horse. 

I mean, come on now. Could it get any better than that?

And let me tell you, getting back on that Sober Saddle opens up a lot of free time. 

And I mean, a lot.

So what could be better than to bust out these gems in our times of need? Not much, I say.

{I told V Dizz he could have the Horse set. Because it was the ugliest. You're welcome, Boo.}

...

About an hour passes of quiet concentration on our masterpieces when I could tell our focus was starting to falter.

These sets give an age of 8 and up, but....umm, what?! I'm pretty sure even Thomas Kinkade would've been given a run for his money on this thing.

It is dang hard filling in those little spaces.

And then they expect you to mix the number 2 paint with the number 10 and come out with the perfect color combination for the panda's fur?

Oh no, sir. I'm not that talented.

The panda started to look yellow. Very yellow. And last I checked, yellow wasn't one of their colors.

...

So this was as far as I got before The Office consumed all of my attention and I had to put the paint brush down.

...

Maybe tomorrow night I'll try to tackle this advanced activity.

xoxo

P.S. The winner of the $50 Swim Spot giveaway is:

Congrats, Em!

Email me and I'll get you your prize! :)

Whatever happened to 30 days no alcohol?

{Dress: Old Navy}

Clearly welcoming alcohol back into our lives over the weekend was something we didn't think twice about. Twelve days sober and that sweet sweet liquid went down smooth. A little too smooth.

And then I was asleep by 11:30pm.

And then the morning came and I was reminded what a hangover felt like.

But what're you gonna do?

I was turning 26 and celebrations were to be had.

I couldn't be the only sober one at my party, could I? {Besides the cute pregnant lady, of course.}

I had a blast though and many thanks to all of you who came out to celebrate.

And even more thanks to all of you who were so kind to send some b-day love via the social network.

You guys rock.

The Dizzle and I are back on the Sober Saddle.

Time to lose the weekend beer bloat.

...

xoxo

p.s. last chance to enter this giveaway!

26 today.

I don't know how he did that, but I'm loving it.

...

Yesterday was birthday celebration festivities.

Good times were had with some good people.

However, you know you're getting old when the birthday girl is asleep in bed before midnight and everyone else is still up having a ball in your honor.

Oh, twenty-six...I have a feeling you're going to be a wild year. {Not.}

I'd post pictures, but my camera died and the battery hasn't charged yet.

I'm sure you're all devastated by this news.

Have no fear, it's charging as we speak!

Anyway, The Dizzle is taking me to La Jolla today to celebrate my birth.

Just him and me. My favorite.

Hope you all have lovely Mondays!

xoxo

Friday Finds - Birthday Edition

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

I kind of spent several hours some time putting together a little birthday wish list for myself.
Not that I'm expecting to get any of this, but I mean, don't let me stop you if you feel the urge to spend money on a complete stranger that you've never met before. Cool? Cool.

Too bad I couldn't just win the lottery for my birthday, then I could buy all of these lovely gems.
In fact, I'd buy it for all of you guys too.
{I know. You're welcome.}

...

It's been 12 days with no alcohol today.
Surprisingly, it's gotten easier.
I mean, do I want a beer at most waking moments? Sure.
Would I enjoy a glass of wine or four in the evening after work? Always.
But it's also been nice feeling less bloated and a little more healthy these days.

I will have you know, though, that I have every intention of drinking myself silly this weekend for my birthday festivities. {Don't judge.}
And don't worry. I'll get right back on that sober saddle as soon as the weekend is over.
Right? Right.

...

I hope you all have fun filled weekends enjoying this summer weather!
Don't forget to enter the Swim Spot giveaway I've got going on HERE!

See ya on the flip side.

xoxo

P.S. I'm over on Shireen's blog today for Fly Away Fridays talking about that god-awful marathon again ;)

P.P.S. Many, many thanks to Vicki Christine for making my little blog into something real purdy. 

She's pretty amazing, isn't she?

Am I the only one that takes offense to this?

Has anyone heard of Buffalo Exchange?

It's this store where you can Buy, Sell or Trade gently used clothing.

When I was introduced to Buffalo, I basically thought it was the best invention ever.

So as of late, I've been in my "purging" phase and wanting to get rid of a lot of clothes and purses that have been sitting in my closet forever, never being used.

I thought Buffalo would be the perfect opportunity!

It's like Goodwill, but I get MONEY out of it!

What I didn't realize was the anxiety and the scrutiny I would feel upon entering that store with my bags full of old clothes. Clothes that I paid good, hard money for. Clothes that I hand-selected to reflect my style, my personality. Clothes that I was sure the lady at Buffalo Exchange would jump at the chance to buy from me, thanking me profusely, with maybe one single happy tear shed.

Boy, was I wrong. So wrong.

I walked up to the counter, several bags in tow, smile on my face, dollar signs in my eyes.

I was so sure that 80% of what I had to offer would be snatched up.

Let the games begin.

She quickly started pulling items out of my bag.

Ooh, she grabbed my H&M faux leather jacket. That's for sure a winner - - wait, what? Why is she putting it back? Why isn't she tagging that shiz for keeps? That bi-atch! Does she think she's better than me? Is my stuff not good enough for this store?

Okay, okay...now she grabbed the Gucci bag. Why is she inspecting it like it's not real? Doesn't she know I'm Asian and would only give her the real stuff? Now she's calling over an associate to inspect it. This is embarrassing people. {gasp!} She put that back too! She's not taking it? What the...

...

That torture continued for another 30 minutes.

And you know what she took after raiding 4 large bags full of my precious items?

One dress.

One dress that she said was a tank top {probably so she wouldn't have to pay me as much}.

You know what I got for that one dress that cost me $50 retail?

$4.75 in cash or $6.25 in store credit.

I almost threw up right then and there.

I slowly grabbed my rejected clothes, tail between my legs, head bowed in shame, and took the store credit.

{To which V Dizzle put towards a lovely new pair of pants.}

I don't know if I have the courage to go back there again.

Maybe Goodwill is the place to go.

At least there, they'll make me feel like my things are made of gold and lined with precious diamonds.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

...

xoxo

P.S. Don't forget to enter Swim Spot's giveaway!

Swim Spot Giveaway!

So, I'm kind of really excited about this giveaway that Swim Spot is generously offering you guys.

Not only does this site have tons of cute designer bathing suits {I put a few of my favorites below},

but they also have a few other really great features to help you pick out the perfect one that will fit your body, just right.

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They have their "Fit Specialist" that allows you to pick which body shape you are {because let's face it, we can't all look like those bikini models up top} and they give you tips and tricks for wearing the right suit just for you.

...

They also have their Bikini Builder that lets you mix and match different tops and bottoms to create the perfect fit for you and your style.

...

And last but not least, they have the cutest little swimmies for your kiddos, too!

I mean, I don't even HAVE kids, and I want to buy her this.

{How cute is she??}

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Swim Spot is allowing me to give one lucky winner a $50 gift card to anything on their site!
So let's do this!
Get on it!
Whatcha waiting for?
GO, GO, GO!
Summer won't last forever!!

*Only mandatory entry: Must be a GFC follower of Mish Lovin' Life*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Domesticated or Sober?

• When your Friday night consists of a nap at 8pm. Then, a walk to 7-11 for some popcorn and candy for your movie night with your boo, to which you promptly fall asleep on the couch about 3/4 of the way in.......all before midnight?

• When you wake up before 10am Saturday morning, hangover-free, and excitedly walk to the new grand opening of the Grocery Outlet {hello, low prices!} to get ingredients for Mancakes. Which, P.S. The Dizzle could not stop ranting and raving. And people, I am not a cook. So this was pretty amazing that I successfully did this.

• When Saturday night, you're the only 2 sober ones at the bar, drinking water, and analyzing the different levels of drunkards around you...and in my case, being slightly jealous? But look how much FUN V Dizzle is having. So.Much.FUUUUN.

• When your "Sunday Funday" consists of 26 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes, 47 episodes of The Office, a little rooftop lounging, and a large pizza to share?

I'm sure if we had incorporated alcohol over the weekend, some of these activities would not have happened. Or if they did, the memory of them would be blurry.
But, you know what? 

Sober or domesticated - - I enjoyed it all.
Even if only water was being had, at least my Boo was right there with me.
Am I right, or am I right?

xoxo

Cowles Mountain Hike

Saturday morning, we woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Guess that's what happens when you don't drink the prior night away.
It's been so long, I couldn't remember quite how great it feels to wake up on a weekend before 10am like that.

Anyway, we decided to go for a little hike at Cowles Mountain.
Which, apparently, claims to be the highest peak in the city of San Diego.
However, with only 1.5 miles to the top, I'm not quite convinced.
But it was still a nice little workout that got the sweats going.

Once we got to the top, covered in dirt and dust, we spent about 10 minutes trying to get the self-timer to work just right. But more importantly, I found the most perfect afro ever seen since the 70's. It was magnificent. So much so, that I had to not so sneakily take a picture.

...

Coming down the mountain, my right knee wasn't too happy with me and let me know every.single.step of the way.
I know I'm turning another year older next week, but something tells me 26 is still a little young to feel the aches in these bones. I blame it on all that stupid running I did.

...

Speaking of birthdays, I want to give a very special shout out to a very special lady. I've known her for a few months through the ol' blogging world and she's always making me smile and laugh with her consistent comments on my silly little posts. She definitely makes me feel like I've got things worth reading every once and awhile. What a gem!
So without further ado....

I hope you have a fantastic day!!!!
{And, no surprise, I hope you drink a ton o' alcohol. Because I can't. You know this.}
P.S. You can go check out her blog: here!


...


xoxo

Day 5 - No Alcohol - TGIF?

How has it only been 5 days that we've banned alcohol?

I really have to go 25 days more?

I actually suggested to V Dizzle last night, when no one else was around to hear, 

that we could just drink the night away and no. one. would. know!

He didn't take the bait.

So here I am, going in to my first weekend without alcohol. Wish me luck.

I really don't know why I chose July to be the month for this.

Middle of Summer + My Birthday Month.

Real smart, Michelle.

I just need to remember why I'm doing this.

A) To prove to myself I can

B) To give the ol' liver a break

C) To lose those extra post-marathon lbs.

...

So last night's "Thirsty Thursday" was spent at the gym instead, 

doing Zumba with Kathy Griffin.

Which, okay, clearly...it wasn't her. But, hot damn, if there was a Kathy Griffin look alike contest, my money would be on this chick to take home the gold.

And let me tell you, this 55 year old had some moves. It was highly impressive and even more entertaining.

I really suggest you all get yourselves down to a Zumba class if you can.

Shaking your tail feathers with a bunch of middle-aged women and that one token Latino man who really takes his dance moves seriously?

You won't regret it.

...

After the gym, what would normally result in a bottle of wine or a 20 pack of Bud Lights,

it was instead filled with water, popcorn, 21 Jump Street, and nail polish shenanigans.

Don't get too jealous of our wild nights over here.

...

Happy Friday the 13th, friends.

Hope you all have fantastic weekends!

xoxo

Ladies Night with Magic Mike

Last night, the girls and I went and had some grub then proceeded to drool over half naked men for about 2 hours.

Oh, Magic Mike.

It was like an up-close-and-personal viewing of Chippendale's. And I'm not going to lie...but I liked it.

Except the part where they had to go and throw a cheesy story line in there and take away from all of the drooling. 

Not the greatest of actors. Not the greatest of stories.

But, oh. Oh, that dancing.

Channing, you sure know your moves don't you?

I never really thought much of him {or his acting}. 

But during the movie, alright fine, I can see what you ladies like so much.

And, Matthew...you weren't so bad yourself.

Here's a little eye candy for your Thursday:

...

All throughout the movie, I just couldn't help but wish I could go home to someone with that kind of body, those kinds of moves, and rub coconut oil or something all over their chest and abs.

Then I remembered, oh wait...I can. ;)

{Sorry to whore you out, Boo. But it was necessary for this post. I'm sure you understand? 

The ladies and I appreciate it greatly.}

...

xoxo

Happy Thursday!