match.com and avocado tuna salad nom nom nom!

i was 152 this morning...slow and steady wins the race, right?!

so excited cause i made this recipe from CorePower Yoga for tomorrow: Avocado Tuna Salad and i tasted it off the fork and it was deeeelicious! i REALLY like the wheat belly diet if anyone's considering it.  between that and trader joe's i eat SO MANY VEGETABLES!  i feel like i am a plant!!  i mixed my avocado tuna salad with a TON of chopped carrots, onions and celery and then a little greek yogurt and even less mayonnaise to give it some sticking power.  i also added spicy aioli mustard (only 10cal/tsp) and 21 gun seasoning (salt-free!), all from trader joe's. even healthier!

i'm also psyched because i "won" (is it really winning if you're still paying for it?) this amazing dress on re-lilly:

i am soooo psyched i loved this pattern when it came out.  only problem is it's only a 4, but it was $39 so if it doesn't fit i can resell it easily and probably make more money haha :) ideally it will though, and since the girl selling it was only 1 cup size smaller than me i think it should! can't wait for it to come!

i also 'gave in' and got an iPhone 5 because i lost my 4 somewhere, and it's so fun to play on! isn't it funny how new phones seem so different and novel, even when they're not?!

finally, my boyfriend and i broke up, so back to the drawing board for me!  wish me luck here in san diego, also known as 'never never land' because no one wants to grow up!

xx,

a

you know that lace is sex incarnate, right?

battenburg lace is what any southern girl with good intentions and poor execution needs to redeem herself after a successful friday/saturday/tuesday night full of embarassing random flirt sessions/wearing last night's makeup to brunch/meeting your boyfriend's mom with only a dry shampoo shower.

my reward for the first step in operation maximum potential?
 

battenburg lace everything, courtesy of abercrombie summer sale 2012 

(yes, i know i'm 26 and too old to be wearing abercrombie, but face it - if you recognize where any of this is from when it's on, it's because you were shopping the a&f summer sale too).

it whispers quietly (and we all know that sometimes works better than screaming), 'i'm so delicate, youthful and pretty - i can plan a dinner party for twenty at a moment's notice and wouldn't think of leaving the house without my hair and makeup done and i would absolutely never make out with someone i just met...treat me like a china doll and buy me drinks and look past my foul mouth and penchant for dirty jokes.'

are these not some of the most beautiful things you've ever seen?  i only hope they look as innocently sexy on as they do in my plans.  

so what did i do to deserve this wealth of generosity from myself to myself?  i moved my laptop off my bed and onto my desk.  you don't think it's a big deal?  i live in my bed when i'm at home.  first thing i used to do when i got home was prep something for dinner, turn my laptop on and sit on my bed.  i ate dinner, screwed around on the computer for an hour or two, ate something else (all sitting in bed), and thought about being productive.  usually i'd think about it for long enough that i'd decide to eat a good night snack and then eventually, finally, try to fall asleep, hours after i originally could have.

no more. 

now, if i want to use my computer, i have to be out of my bed, and at my desk - double whammy, because in order to make room on my desk, i had to clean it off and go through even more old mail, which was finally easy to do because i knew that the revolting stack of envelopes sitting there obscenely mocking my fear of finance no longer held any weight.  similarly, i would have nothing to do if i sat on my bed eating dinner - i don't have cable so if i'm not actively watching a show on my Roku, mindless snacking isn't really appealing.  

the power of habit strikes again, except now my cue (to relax because i'm burned out from a long day at work) will be followed by a routine that is not food/laptop focused.  and either way, a few hours later, the reward of being wound down enough to fall asleep will be well within my grasp!!

certainly a legitimate reason to spend $350, right?

fine. maybe i'll focus on finance next.

xx,

alanna

you'd think by now i would have matured.

less trashy television? Season 2 of RHOM starting. dream on.
finally reached goal weight? impossible with a 'promotion' at work and unpredictable hours that lay monthly unlimited memberships to any gym/fitness class to waste and limit working out to when it's dark outside, whether that's before work or after.
happy, healthy relationship? my last boyfriend told me, "Until you are willing to accept true pain and sadness as a potential outcome for an emotional investment, you will never experience true love and happiness." yes, he was smart and sweet and clearly quite articulate (not to mention hot) but there'll be more about that later. clearly i'm emotionally stunted as well.
responsible finances? i bought a house. everything after that is kind of blurry and involves things like IRAs and Roth IRAs and TSPs and all i've figured out is how to buy clothes and sell them on eBay for a profit.

i did make one big step,though, after reading the Power of Habit, and i already see it making changes in my life.

i finally paid my bills.

     if you happened to have read my old blog entries, you may be familiar with my fear of the mail.  keep in mind, there is absolutely no rational reason to be afraid of that part of the day so many crazy coupon ladies treasure.  i tried to overcome that fear by subscribing to magazines, but now that i have a subscription to US Weekly, Glamour, Newsweek, Cooking with Paula Deen, San Diego Magazine, Lucky, OK!, Fitness, Self and probably others i won't remember until they show up, i've developed a new fear of not checking the mail lest the mailbox overflows, dooming my beloved subscriptions to a life in the back room of some San Diego Post Office.  instead, i check the mail religiously now, but anything remotely unfrivolous or bill-like ends up in a pile that gets pushed to the side, buried under receipts or falls under the bed.  the problem with this [what i call] easy, efficient approach to bill-paying is that they don't go away.  it's taken me 26 years (i had a birthday or two since i last wrote!) but i've finally come to terms with it.  $795 for a red light ticket, $250 for my car registration, $208 for a TX speeding ticket, $625 for my HOA, $450 for a medical bill...and out of all of that, how much did late fees account for?  

$580.00

SO. a few days later, i was thinking to myself about how relieved i felt not to have those bills piling up.  of course, i'm disappointed with myself for letting the late fees get that bad, but all things considered, the pain of dipping into my 'spending money'/'rainy day' fund was nothing compared to the relief i felt from realizing that if i get pulled over in San Diego (and now in Texas, too!), i have an approximately 80% higher chance of sweet-talking my way out of a ticket as opposed to being arrested.  this led me to thinking...what else causes me daily stress, but stress that's so minor i have no problem forgetting about it?  after all, bills can't talk, and if you keep your voicemail full, neither can collection agencies.

here's what i'm proposing:
this bill paying business gets to be my catalyst - the one big [and this is a big change from someone who, when i initially saw a bill, looked at the latest late fee charge and just automatically read that as the total charge since i assumed i wouldn't get around to it until then anyway] change that really kick starts everything else in my life.  this is going to be the thing that makes all of the other things i've been meaning to do but never gotten around to actually happen.

re-starting this blog will hopefully be a great way to document my success [manifesting, obviously...if you don't know, you don't know The Secret and you should!] and remind myself just what i'm aiming for:
low-stress, high productivity living with the time, energy and desire to give back to the world. 
 - operation maximum potential - 

who's with me?

xx,

alanna

YOU read my blog?! OH. no.

so don't worry, this will be a photo filled post eventually.  BUT first, MAJOR. DISASTER.  so trip and i are at pbsc, drinking these: 

 and hanging out with our buds.  meanwhile, i am wearing this:

(if you're interested in stealing my style, that's the Stella and Dot Palm Necklace with Starfish, Lilly Pulitzer Olette Top and Stella and Dot Starfish Earrings - click on any to order, or call Lilly Pulitzer Fashion Valley and ask for Alanna - free shipping!), and i turned to trip and said, i know i'm really matchy-matchy right now!  and he said, that's okay, i know you've been trying to accessorize more...

does this sound familiar!? ya, maybe because of THIS POST from over a month ago!  so i said, how did you know that?  i didn't tell anyone that...and he said, well, i, well, maybe...HE'S BEEN READING MY BLOG SINCE JANUARY!  (hi, hun.) SINCE. JANUARY. that means not only does he know HOW much i weigh, he's been getting WEEKLY UPDATES! 

 so. speaking of which, after drinking three of these yesterday:

(they were good but a little too sweet)

it's time to get back on the "around" 1200 calorie a day diet.  thus, i give you today's plan:

breakfast: (210c.) Weigh Watcher's Smart Ones Egg and Cheese English Muffin Sandwich - SO good and a staple in my diet - they're better than the ones from McDonald's!

snack: (70c.) container of blackberries - six oz. and a (60c.) Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Cheese

lunch: (60c.) Granny Smith Apple w/ (35c.) Light Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge and (100c.) Thomas' Better Start High Fiber English Muffin with a slice of (45c.) Kraft Singles 2% Milk Pepper Jack Cheese - as previously mentioned, tastes like delicious and incredible grilled cheese.

snack: (90c.) 2 slices of Sara Lee De-Lightful bread w/ I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray and Garlic Salt - basically the only low calorie way to eat 'garlic bread'

dinner: (115c.) Steam Fresh Frozen Vegetables-Cauliflower and Broccoli w/ (40c.) 4 tbsp. of Mango Salsa

dessert/dinner extended: (250c.) 10oz. fat-free frozen yogurt from Fiji Yogurt 

with this menu, I still have 125 calories to play around with before i hit 1200 - so if i want a FiberOne Bar or maybe a FullBar, no big deal!  ETA: Okay, ate the extra 125 calories at lunch...definitely had half of a chocolate frosted cake donut (180c.) and some cauliflower (53c.).  i would say oops, but...that's life - sounds like i'll only be getting 8 oz of frozen yogurt, and no cheese with my apple now!  Now, as always, let's see if I actually stick to this...i really want to start buying these:

[all images courtesy of Lilly Pulitzer]

so that means that i need to stop doing this:

P.S. I am waitlisted for the iPad - I'll tell y'all if it ever shows up!

P.P.S. has anyone heard of Brazilian Blowout / does anyone know anyone who's gotten it?  I'm tempted but at $275 a hit I don't know if it's worth it...

Glamour Brazilian Blowout Article

Studio 33 Week by Week Comparison

and here's a fun glass straw giveaway @ Fashion Meets Food:
http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/2010/05/glassdharma-giveaway.html
and a Cid Pear card giveaway at Kitchen Belleicious:
http://kitchenbelleicious.blogspot.com/2010/05/giveaway-you-wont-believe-your-eyes.html
and Southern Living: Preppy Style's Kate Puck Jewelry Giveaway:
http://www.slpreppystyle.com/2010/05/lallie-and-kate-puck-jewelry-giveway.html

stella + dot & country concerts - the best!!

stagecoach was amazing - sugarland was SO good!  and notice my cute stella and dot necklace? i'm trying to make an effort to wear jewelry every single day and it's actually really fun!!

i saw the bounty hunter last week [with jennifer aniston] and 1) her body is crazy bangin'! and 2) she looks beautiful throughout the movie, and it's really funny.  tonight, i'm going to see kickass (obviously with a guy, yay haha) and i'm nottttt really looking forward to it.  i was supposed to go see the backup plan last night but ended up going to the casino instead...i made $13, woot woot!  this past weekend was HORRIBLE for operation not the fat friend btw...oh well, a new week, a new time to get skinny!!

also do you see the cute necklace? i love it and it was so simple and pretty and easy to wear!  it seriously looked great with all of my outfits - .  you can buy it here

besides that, am i horrible for admitting that i have spent all morning watching jerseylicious, basketball wives, true life: i'm a compulsive shopper (haha this one hit close to home), and what not to wear?

also date last night went well, didn't even make it to the movies, decided to go out and have drinks instead and keep having that talk about how it's weird that i've only been back ten days and we've already hung out so much!!  it's totally a good thing though - i really like him :) it was funny too because last night he had asked if i would be hungry, and i was like i don't know, maybe?  well it turns out he actually was cooking dinner, like he grilled salmon and made a citrus salsa verde...i, of course, had already eaten so i felt terrible!  oops...

so other sidenote, want to see something crazy?  the length of my hair in college and the length of my hair now:

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!?  haha that is crazy person hair!  but it used to be super short so i think i'm preferring this.

annnnyways has anyone see pretty wild yet?  it's on E or Bravo or one of those and honestly, i kind of really like it!  they seem like really nice girls, although they do seem a little entitled/overpriveleged.  i like that they pray :)  and YAY just got invited out on another date tonight...yay!  hahaha remember my post a couple of months ago that i was thinking i should get a boyfriend when i get back?  things may be working in my faaaaavor!!! yaya!

when i grow up, i want to be barbie!

sigh, we're leaving phuket and while i did spend some money (that baller hotel room was not cheap!) i still have more left over then i bargained for...that and when i woke up this morning (albeit very hungover), i weighed in at...wait for it...wait for it...

137.5!!!!

that is a total loss of 21.5 pounds!!! now unfortunately i stress ate today so i'm sure i'll be back up to 143 by tomorrow morning, but still...amaze, no??

so anyways, i have been watching this fab show that got pulled off the air (unfortunately) after only like six episodes (maybe eight...i could get up and check but i'm entirely too lazy).  lipstick jungle was put on the air right around the same time as cashmere mafia (whose name i prefer), but evidently neither of them were good enough to last.  while lipstick jungle is funny, some of the writing isn't very good and a lot of the sex scenes are just weird - way more 'serious' then the silly SATC ones.  the reason i kept watching, though? okay, there were two:

1) robert. buckley.  

 

O. M. F. G. can you imagine waking up to that every morning?  i would die! 

and 2) Lindsay Price (who play's Victory Ford)'s INCREDIBLE wardrobe and styling - it's like a grown up version of Blair Waldorf:

oh? what's that? another shirtless picture of robert buckley snuck in? i wonder how that happened...no but seriously, i like nico's outfit in the last one.

i scored lipstick jungle on amazon for like 16.99...totally worth the money, i recommend :) 

and before i forget, two amazing giveaways to check out:

Theta Mom's Milkdot Stoh Tote Giveaway 

Smart and Sassy with Sprinkles' Kate Spade Big Apple Zippered Chrissy Giveaway 

omyg congrats and phuket!

congratulations to juliana @ a blonde walks into a blog for winning the stella + dot giveaway! 

i love being an independent stylist for stella + dot and am so glad to introduce y'all to their jewelry!

AND thank you to KAG - i was the winner of her huephoria wine glass giveaway and am so excited to receive it in the mail!

now, my real question...katharine mcphee:

 

she is absolutely gorgeous and so talented - i don't really like her first CD because i'm not really into R&B but you can still tell how incredible her voice is - why did she never become super popular?  she also has a ridiculously good figure, and she used to have beautiful long brown hair (although they've cropped it and bleached it for her new CD)...weiiiiiiiiird, i wonder if this CD will help her blow up more?

anyways!! i have been MIA for so long (i have a ridiculous amount of posts to catch up on!!) because we have been in phuket, thailand!

last night, we visited a strip club that involved balloons and darts in the show...seriously.  and our hotel is incredible - three pools, private jacuzzi that opens up to the pool with a swim up pool bar, just amazing!  only thing...there is one king sized bed.  it's me and three guys.  

ha! now get your mind out of the gutter...our time so far has involved them getting into flexing fights in front of the mirror, racking up what i can only imagine will be thousands of dollars on the bar tab, and accidentally matching...with the only clothes they brought off the ship. 

and before i forget, i wanted to say a HUGE thanks to Beth @ Social Climbers and Jennifer @ Southern Living: Preppy Style - they both sent books to me on the ship because they were doing a book exchange and i couldn't participate (our library is full of military history and weird sci-fi) so i was SO excited when we received mail and i got some amazing girly books to read!!

ok, have to get back to watching more lipstick jungle (finished all of gossip girl season 2 - AMAZING!) and working out...i was told yesterday during the hours of drinking and pooling that while my legs were 'great, [you] just need to tighten up your core'.  men.

top 2 tuesday, giveaways, and if i am dead tomorrow, this is why...

so, when we have trouble making water onboard the ship (reminiscent of the whole "water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink" thing), they'll shut off hot water so people take faster showers.  i put off washing my hair as long as i could, but i finally had to and honestly, it was too freaking cold to get back in and rinse out my conditioner, so if y'all just check back in a couple of days i'll be able to tell you whether there really is a difference between leaving in Redken All Soft Heavy Cream for five minutes or two whole days.  i'm hoping i end up with incredible, super soft model hair.  more likely it'll just be kind of dull and dirty looking.  oh well, can't win 'em all. 

...annnnd i came back to finish this entry this afternoon, and there is no more water available on board.  four diet cokes later, i'm pretty sure i'm getting more dehydrated, not less.  unfortunately, i may or may not have eaten half a slice of cheesecake at dinner (what?! these are stressful times!) so i have to do jillian michaels again.  

so.

if i die tonight of dehydration, just know that i loved you all, my blog friends, and more importantly, that i was trying to burn that sinful cheesecake right off my not-so bikini ready hips.  death before dishonor, right?

top 2 tuesday a la jimmy choos and a baby, too:
top two dream vacations:
all expenses paid resort -
my fam always does celebrity cruises, which are amazing, but i'd like to switch it up a little
greek island cruise - 
i went to italy and greece for vacation when i was younger, spent a summer a few years back studying in southern france, and have now been out and about in the middle east...i may have a bit of the travel bug, but i am not really the 'real' bugs and camping type.  so maybe a resort in the greek islands? greek island cruise? basically anywhere surrounded by those beautiful blue domes:

perfect place to sport these Lilly Pulitzer McKims I found on sale (only $91!) at zappos:

here are some amaaaaazing giveaways that y'all should check out:

kristen @ kristen's palace's cookbook giveaway!
and thank you so much to Shopaholic in Alabama - I won her Mardi Gras giveaway!!
(the first giveaway I've ever won!)

 p. freaking. s.

i totally forgot - the most exciting that's happened all week - 

Kassim Osgood? gorgeous San Diego Chargers Player?

well...i see him tagged in this photo and he's wearing a pacific beach shore club drinking glove (and y'all know my love for pbsc) so i comment on it and say 'hot before, even hotter now with the pbsc glove!' or something like that, and,

he. 

writes.

me.

a message.

kassim osgood, professional NFL football player, takes the time out of his day to message me personally on facebook and say,

 "thank you prettylady"

so...y'all are all invited to the wedding. 

aaand a romanceless valentine's day...sweet.

i just realized the saddest. thing. ever. this will be my first valentine's day in as long as i can remember (literally since i had my first kiss) that i won't kiss anyone on valentine's day! what has my life become!?!?  you all make out with your boyfriends/lovers/husbands extra hard in honor of the poor people who can't!! (heh that is kind of gross, please do not actually think of us while you're doing it)

my depression is further compounded by the fact that i made a budget today - if i save 20% of what i earn pre-taxes, pay my bills and my taxes, i'll only have [$xxxx] a month to LIVE on! how will i eat?! how will i go out!?! (i'm not posting the number because i think it might be kind of rude and there are obviously people in the economy who are struggling much more than i am, but it is still going to take an ADJUSTMENT!)  i think i will either have to get a boyfriend (still part of my brilliant plan) or stop going out as much.  or pregame more.  or start smuggling alcohol into bars.  i did that once in a water bottle, horrible idea because when you're trying to subtly pour it under the table you tend to spike your own drink.  i was smashed.

annnyways, y'all have to check out becca's (lovely yellow ribbons) zazzle store.  she hand draws everything, and she's crazy talented (she doesn't know i'm posting this, it's just that i just looked @ her store again and i'm obsessing).  

so, speaking of my romantic history (we were, weren't we? especially in honor of the lack thereof that will occur tomorrow?), i was looking for this quote:

"When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I'm already better than them." - marilyn monroe

to post on My Brunette Reality's comment section because she'd been having some trouble with rude people, and it reminded me of something that happened to me this summer.  i was going to a school for work, and i was gone for like three weeks.  i knew two girls who had met their now-husbands there, so i was like, great, i'm going to meet my future husband (i always think i'm going to meet my future husband, keep in mind...and we have to have a cute story of how we met so i always take mental notes during first meetings with guys), so i'm having a great time, going out and meeting people in class and at get togethers and so forth (this is in newport, RI for anyone familiar with the military).  i come back, after three weeks, future husband-free (although i did meet a gorgeous, super tall officer dentist who's messaged me a couple times over deployment - we only hung out once before i left because his residency hours were so restrictive), and i hear a rumor that i was hooking up with one of the instructors!  what the f!? i wish!  when i first became single (after aforementioned abusive horrible boyfriend), i also heard rumors that i was enlisted (enlisted and officers can't date) and guys would be nervous to talk to me because they didn't want to get in trouble.  so MBR, i feel you - who are the girls that plot these things and think them up and spread them!? so. weird.

lastly, tomorrow is your last day to have 20% of the net profits from your purchase on www.stellanddot.com/alannastrei go to benefit Save the Children's Haiti Relief Fund! 

annnnnd the real last best part?!!?  
i weighed in at 141!

peanut butter, leopard new balances, top 2 tuesday...

i know exactly why i'm single...it's things like what i'm doing right now:
eating crunchy peanut butter out of the jar. 
with my finger.
and it's the bottom of the jar so my whole hand is peanut buttery.
...wait, it gets better:
it's my roommate's peanut butter.

ok, now that i've gotten that confession out of my system, are you ready to die rachel zoe style? [i definitely just got peanut butter on the keyboard.  sh!t.  now she'll be able to smell it [or sense it or something] when she gets back...i should have been more crafty about this]

 

LEOPARD PRINT SNEAKERS!!!! NINE WEST AND NEW BALANCE TEAMED UP FOR 2009 (yes, i'm behind the curve...forgive me, i LIVE ON A WARSHIP!) to develop amaaaaaazingly cute sneakers!! must. own. immediately!!

speaking of must own immediately, looking at everyone's wintery snow pictures reminded me that it is still winter, which had me looking at some winter weather jewelry, and i am really, really, really considering this gorgeous bib necklace - it's been in instyle, people, etc...

 

stella + dot natasha bib necklace  

and it's soo pretty and versatile and inevitably timeless...

and speaking of snow-envy, i decided to participate - here's my poor, northern virginian snow-bound home:

and that was before the 10-20" they were expecting today!!

before i forget, i want to add that the caveat to my peanut butter eating is that we're finally in a port, so i can replace my roommate's jar tomorrow and she'll never be the wiser! i am not of the 'steal food and don't replace it' variety, don't worry :D speaking of being in port, i hung out with these two hoodlums last night (and a third hoodlum, not pictured, in case you're keeping track):

 

i hear this morning someone making fun of one of them for getting in a fight...let's all laugh at the fact that i don't even remember said fight, and i was THERE!  it's like my drunk memories are stored in a different part of my brain...

ok, so my top two tuesday (jobs), a la Jimmy Choos and A Baby, Too:

realistically: i would love to laterally transfer and become a public affairs officer (possible now that i got my SWO pin!!)

not-feasibly: i would love to be a waitress!! i used to be a server at morgan run country club in rancho sante fe, and i loved it!  i love working in food service - you can fix every problem and there is always a way to make the customer happy!  the only problem is that with a paycheck like that, i was experiencing way too much "champagne tastes on a beer budget"

sidenote: got care packages today from my mom and cousin, very very thoughtful and if you know a girl on deployment, send her MAGAZINES! they are a hot commodity out here...the other most popular thing i received in my care package?  bacon salt! yes!!!!! thank you mom! slogan?  "everything should taste like bacon".  i wholeheartedly agree, bacon salt maker people. and i'm a vegetarian.

and finally, have y'all noticed everyone on facebook has a celeb pic up instead of themselves? i was like oh, lame trend, so dumb, blah blah...and then my best friends turned into britney spears and tara reid.  thus, i give you my drunken celebrity doppelganger (this is so sadly accurate that my mother sent me a facebook message that said, and this is a direct quote: "stop drinking. you look terrible." - very supportive, mom.  also you don't even recognize your own daughter?!!? or your own 'not' daughter?!)

   

and besides, i would never post such a hoochie bra showing picture if it was really me!! i tell ya! 

annnyways, i also wanted to thank sweet darling Kitchen Belleicious for my first award of February! 

thank you thank you thank you!  i am going to pass this award on to six lovely bloggettes:

lovely yellow ribbons

essential luxuries

lola's journey to and from

peach bellini bride 

the pink washingtoniette

sparkles of life 

(she and i are both named alanna, and we both have the sparkles in our blog titles...it's a sign!)

some of them have very small fan bases so far, so please check out all of their blogs - they're amazing and hilarious and i read them religiously, and they're totally over the top! (in the good way, obviously)

finally, check out these two giveaways:

short southern mama's lydia and pugs giveaway

miss kriss's thomas paul tote giveaway 

enjoy!!