Update #4

Ok, ok, ok……..I know, it has been a LONG time.  Wasn’t I supposed to be blogging weekly?  Whatever happened to that?  Trust me, it is not because of lack of activity……so much to catch up on.  But I can sum it up in a few simple phrases…..God has truly blessed me with wonderful people in my life  J   I have terrific  friends and am so thankful for their support, company, prayers and love. 

Here’s just a few of the events that have passed - CIAA 2011,Asheville Girl’s Trip, half marathon relay, Prince concert, karaoke & pool at Midtown Sundries,  Bobcats vs. Magic bball game

Because I wouldn’t be able to do the stories justice, I will just mention some random highlights, quotes, and lessons learned from these past 2 months from some great girlfriends and a couple of cool dudes  J

1.       You can run a mile with a broke leg.  This may come in handy as you are planning your escape route from a 3 story cabin.  Just be sure to warn the others

2.       Sometimes taking the road less traveled is not a good idea (especially if you drive a Ford Fusion and that road is red clay with SERIOUS dents and its dark in the woods……)

3.       Invest in yourself…….(a)get some real business cards made;  I’m really not going to believe you work for the IRS if you have a business card that looks like a paper coupon.  (b)get your speakers together! dj, the music you’re playing may be great, but your equipment is horrible 

4.       Johnny Gill and Eddie Murphy have been buddies since Eddie’s “Put your Mouth on Me” video.   You know this because Johnny is in the background playing a guitar, when have you ever seen Johnny Gill playing a guitar?

5.       Not everyone needs to work in customer service/hospitality…..if there have been 2 fights over a bucket of beer in the last 2 weeks, the common denominator is YOU

6.       Be very afraid of grown men who still play fight/slap box………especially if that ish goes on for 15 mins

7.       True friends do not let friends walk uptown with no shoes on in the rain……….I’m not a good friend

8.       If the security guard follows you home from the mall, be careful

9.       I am very good at talking to people who don’t know me.  They wonder in puzzlement, where do I know her from?  You don’t.

10.   Try tackling a drag queen, see what happens

Now, onto my update…….  Let’s see, I have run 2 5ks, visited my Uncle Curtis, went to Asheville – so that makes 2 trips this year, hosted a jewelry party at my house, read 5 books and went on one confirmed date.  I have also done VERY well on my exercise goals. But have fallen short on my nutritional goals.  I went and visited my fitness goal prize at the mall not too long ago, and discovered that it just doesn’t look good without the matching necklace  J  So I have to be extra committed in the upcoming months….the summer is around the corner. 

One way I have been keeping in shape is ZUMBA.  I am a helper for a ZUMBA class on Thursday evenings and have been having a BLAST!  I just ordered some ZUMBA cargos, so I will be official.  But I will be one of those people who wear the ZUMBA cargos to the grocery store and on the weekends, without even working out….SMH

Update #3

Hey folks out there in e-blog land........I have created my vision board : )  It is too cute too!!  I have small wallet size copies all around to remind me daily of what I am working towards.  I have an abbreviated vision board this year because I am targeting a very specific area of my life.... MY HEALTH.  In general I am considered a pretty healthy individual,  I am not overweight and I exercise 1 to 2 times a week.  I have even run several 5k's and typically have a good amount of energy to do the things I want to do.   But I have a hidden secret.....My eating habits are CRAP.  There, I said it.  I get nowhere near the amount of cardio, water, green vegetables or fiber that my body needs.  And the older I get, I REALLY realize how important it is for me to treat my body well.  My metabolism is crawling now, I already had hormone issues, and if I had not started this laser hair removal, I would have a full grown beard.  Not sexy.  So I have made a conscious goal this year to get my body used to being treated well, so that it just won't accept anything else. 

So what does that entail?  First...WATER.  I absolutely must give my body the fuel it needs to survive.  I sometimes add a little Crystal Light to my BubbaKeg(by the way, they are the BOMB for meeting your water requirements) when I need some pizazz.  But I have researched and found that I need 10 eight ounce glasses of water daily to remain hydrated and flushed.  Now some of that can and will come from the foods that I consume, but to have a daily goal of 10 glasses is the right start.  Have I done it yet?  Not quite.  But I got the BubbaKeg and I just came up with the goal last week so give me a minute to put it in practice  :) 

Second....CARDIO.  I am actually very good at my resistance training.  I typically go 1 to 2 times a week and use the weights, but I only do it for 30 to 40 minutes.  I am not in the gym all day...I have important things like eating, shopping, happy hour and sleeping to do.  And please forget getting up in the morning(as has been suggested) and starting my day off with a good 40 minute exercise.  The bed feels too good.  But after further review, it appears I am doing the proper number of sets and full body exercises necessary for strength training.  I was even told that my 40 minute rule was good because I don't take long breaks...... usually 30 seconds and I'm on the next set or exercise.  But where I am dangerously lacking is cardio.  I hate the treadmill and elliptical.....I try running but I can't stay consistent.  That's why I am aiming for 4hrs of cardio a week.....I can chop it up however I want to....an hr here, 20 minutes there, 10 minutes over there....JUST GET IT IN!!!  I'm good for 2 weeks in a row achieving this goal.  Wish me luck that I keep up.......My body has never gotten to that place where I feel funny if I haven't worked out......I want to get to that point.

Third....NUTRITION.  Did I mention that I my eating habits are crap?  They really are.  The only times I eat a balanced meal is when I get the daily special from Deli on the Green, when some girlfiriends and I get together and have dinner or when mother is in town or I visit her.  I have passed the fast food junkie stage....that's not my issue.  My issue is that I don't prepare fresh green veggies and my meal combinations are weird.  Who eats bologna and cereal for dinner?  I do.  salami & crackers with cream cheese and jelly?  me again.  a bag of that minute garlic & herb rice?  you guessed it again ME.  WTF?  why the face?  Why do I find it so hard to make and eat a balanced meal?  I love veggies......I just hate making food for myself.  And then I get tired of the leftovers.  That's why one of my goals for this year is to try a new recipe a week.....just to get me in the habit of actually preparing food and not just throwing whatever is fast and in the kitchen together.  This may be the hardest to accomplish.  Maybe I should invite a different friend over for dinner  once a week....that may also encourage me to keep my house clean........hmmmmmm

If I accomplish my goals I get a prize!!  How am I measuring this goal?  By body fat/BMI.  Forget what the scale says but to get my body into an energy producing, fat blasting, hydrated machine.  I really don't know how else to measure, this seems to be the best way.  My target date is 6/30/11 because I MUST stay consistent.  I have a very realistic goal and looking only to drop 3% BMI, but if I don't set my goal until the end of the year,  I will be lax until after the summer.  As I stated earlier, I have made a conscious goal this year to get my body used to being treated well, so that it just won't accept anything else.  Perhaps that will flow to other parts of my life as well.......

                               

                         

                         

Update #2

I met my cardio goal last week!  WOO HOO!  ok, let me not get too excited........ That's only 1 week down and this week ain't looking so good.  But, if I get my lazy bones and go to spin class today, I know I can get my 4 hrs. in for the week.  Ok, its settled, I'm going!  Plus the instructor is kind of cute.  Actually, I'm just telling myself that because I really don't know what he looks like.  I sit in the back and sweat runs all down my eyes and I can barely keep my head up.  But he does have nice arms :)  Hopefully that's enough to make me want to go to class.  I probably should learn his name.
Babies are everywhere!!  Two of my friends just welcomed newborn boys into the world......  all together now - - - awwwwww(sigh).  I joined twitter this week to.  Follow me @amikable2002.......I have no clue what I'm doing or the purpose but I'm trying it out.  So, I did well on my cardio, bought my ticket to NOLA for 4th of July, and did my taxes.  I really need to work on finishing my book club selection and taking my shoes to get fixed.......CIAA is coming up soon and my black shoes would be fierce for a Thursday night party.  After that, the heels will be retired for the rest of the weekend.  By the way, I need to start planning my CIAA festivities.  I need to get in CIAA shape, and not like losing weight or anything but ENDURANCE.  It takes a lot of energy to dance for 4 hrs straight!!!
Why did my taxi driver from NY call last weekend?  are you serious?  i gave you my number to secure a ride to the airport, not for you to start calling me and say you are in Greensboro for the weekend and I should come down........nah

Update #1

This has been a CRAZY 2 weeks!!!!  I have made several dents into my goals for 2011.  Over the MLK weekend I travelled to NYC with 3 of my childhood girlfriends  :)  We went shopping, ATE, took a helicopter ride, ATE and chit chatted.  Seriously, I ate a LOT.  From sushi, to curry shrimp, to chicken parmigiana and chicken & waffles, I ate 2 weeks of my caloric intake in 3 days!  I definitely need to detox.  So this week, I have planned out all my meals.  By the way, those frozen vegetables by Green Giant are the BEST!  Not only are they tasty, but I get my green vegetable intake and can prepare them in less than 10 minutes.  lovin it :)  I am trying out a new recipe this week, and hope it turns out better than my lobster pasta from the past week.  In my defense, it wasn't that awful.  I didn't have all the necessary ingredients to make it work and I was snowed in so I couldn't run to the grocery store once I started.  But I did learn something new, Rotel is an EXCELLENT sub for fresh diced tomato; much quicker and easier with the same great taste.  I just needed another can or some tomato paste to thicken the sauce. 

I have to register to get a certified copy of my freedom papers this week.  They have been working me like a slave; like they did not get the notice that I have been set free.  It is a BUSY time for me as we are in the middle of planning out our fiscal year.  It should slow down in the next week or two and then pick up crazy again as we try to finish off the present fiscal year. 

So I have made some progress on travelling, logging some pictures, trying out a new recipe and I even went to the gym 2 times this week.........but I failed on getting in good cardio and have only put a dent in my book club selection.  The dating story is actually pretty funny this week.........so I was macked by a pastor.  Yep, you heard it right, a pastor tried to holla at me in the Harris Teeter parking lot.  So here's the scene..... I had just checked out of the self service lane and was heading outside.  An older man in a 3 piece gray suit smiled and said, "you know they have shopping carts".  I smiled back and said "yeah I know, I really wasn't planning on buying this much " and left the store.  I had to do some re-arranging and look up directions in the parking lot so I was still outside when he left the store.  Of course he proceeds to my car and starts to chit chat some more.  Then comes the killer; he asks if I am married and then proceeds to ask why not.  Which is a foolish question to me;  why don't I have red hair?  why don't I have black nail polish?  That's just not the situation right now.  But on this day I chose the answer that God hasn't sent him to me yet.  Well then he starts to say that we did not meet by chance and this was divine because he is a pastor at a church up north.  Now, he didn't have a chance in the first place - not that I am superficial person, but he had on a 3 piece, long jacket suit and was NOT born in the 70's !!!!  But he definitely was out the picture now that he announced he was a pastor.  Is that wrong of me?  I am definitely looking for a spiritual mate who is looking to grow in faith, but I don't think I can date a pastor.  I drink wine, I dance, I like secular music, and I detest long praise and worship programs.  Pray for me!

My Vision Statement for 2011

Yesterday, I went to an event entitled "Dreams" that is hosted by my friend every year.  It is meant to help a group of women focus on their goals and vision for their life in the upcoming year and beyond.  It challenges us set a plan for how we want our life to be.  So, on this snowy day, I have developed my vision statement and list of goals for 2011.  I may not accomplish them all but I think its a good start.  This year's blog postings will be about my progress on these goals  (and of course other randomness : ) So here goes..........


I AM THE CEO OF ANDREA NICOLE HARPER ENTERPRISES.  I HAVE THE ABSOLUTE AND SOLE AUTHORITY TO FIRE ANY EMPLOYEES/CONTRACTORS THAT I DEEM TOXIC TO THE WORKPLACE, ARE UNPRODUCTIVE, OR THAT EXCESSIVELY USE BENEFITS WITHOUT RECIPROCAL PERFORMANCE.

I ALSO HAVE THE ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY TO HIRE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ALIGNED WITH THE COMPANY'S GOALS AND VALUES; THOSE WHO ADD VALUE TO THE BOTTOM LINE.  I AM IN CHARGE OF ASSIGNING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE COMPANY TO THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO I DEEM FIT AND CAPABLE.  I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR DECISIONS MADE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE COMPANY AND WILL NOT RECRUIT/RETAIN EMPLOYEES WHO DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM.

I AM AN EMOTIONAL, COMPASSIONATE,  AND INTROSPECTIVE WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN CAREFULLY AND PURPOSEFULLY MADE.  I AM PLEASED AT THE WORK BEING CREATED IN ANDREA NICOLE HARPER ENTERPRISES.


In 2011, I will:
Be open, thoughtfully
Give my body the things it needs to work well
Be the primary source of my confidence

And finally, my list.  I may not do them all, some have no rhyme or reason, many were suggested by "friends" and some are just for fun!

31 Things to do Before I'm 32
1. Read 32 books
2. Blog weekly
3. Run five 5ks 
4. Run an entire 5k
5. Log 140 hrs. of cardio
6. See my niece dance
7. Get my shoes fixed
8. Ski/tube
9. Visit fam in Memphis - August tix purchased - they moved :(
10. Finish vision board
11. Create my lounge
12. Create my guestroom
13. Write mission/vision statement
14. Travel to Asheville
15. Volunteer at high schools
16. Go on 5 trips -
17. Log 300 pictures
18. Become more than financially active in my sorority
19. Get my JP Morgan statement & P&G shares in an account
20. Get clothes down to one double hamper
21. Kiss passionately
22. Make 1 recipe a week ....46 Total - prob 30 :(
23. Make all medical appointments
24. Take advanced swimming lessons -
25. Try 10 brunch spots
26. Go to painting class
27. Visit my uncle 3 times
28. Host 3 things at my house
29. Go to Bobcats game alone
30. Go on 4 confirmed dates
31. Babysit for a mom

New Year's Resolutions

I hate going to the gym in January.....it is waaay too packed.  Filled with people who have made new year's resolutions to work out more and lose weight.  You can never get on the machine you want and there are a lot of lollygaggers.  By February it calms down and all is back to normal.  Not that I am against people making resolutions to get back in the gym, it just makes my time in there longer which I am totally against.  I don't like to spend a second longer than necessary in the gym.  Sooo many other places I would rather be.  
A few years ago I made my resolution to work out on a consistent basis, and i have kept that up pretty good :)  Yay me!  Now I need to take it up a notch.  This year I need to get more serious about my cardio.....and committ to 4 hrs a week.  I need some help on keeping me accountable........I hate cardio :(
I also resolve to become more than financially active in my sorority.  I will join some committees and give service to mankind.  I resolve to keep in better contact with loved ones........even if its just a text or quick email.  We are not promised tomorrow so let's cherish each other while we can.  And last but not least, I will not get my priorities confused with my options  :)  Concentrate and focus on what is best for ME, and whateva for the rest!

The Holidays

It's  been a long time......I shouldn't have left you........   :)  But I'm back!!!!!  And so much foolery and nonesense have occured in the last month I don't know where to start.  From altercations at a club,  running a 5k, to chastising homeless people in Las Vegas it has been a whirlwind month.  Plus to top it off, I had my 31st birthday  :)  But we won't get into all that (to protect the innocent.......namely ME)  I want to discuss buying Christmas presents.  I want to discuss this because it's EXPENSIVE!  There are 21 kids on my list this year.......and none of them are mine.  WTF?  why the face?  I enjoy buying presents for people and always try to purchase something I know they will like, but really.....if I have 21 people to buy for no one is getting a great gift.  It's definitely going to be the thought.  I think in 2011 I will focus on buying birthday presents instead.  That way, each child will get a nice gift at least once a yr. and get some stocking stuffers for Christmas.

Ok, so here's my ultimate thought.  As a parent, it is your responsibility to make your child's Christmas great and memorable.  I know that family makes it special and being around love and all that is priceless, but YOU are Santa.  Don't expect extended family members to purchase Santa gifts for you....that's for the parents and then grandparents and such..........not for cousins and aunts, etc......Just my thoughts.......