Hey, remember the challenges? . . . allenges. . . allenges. . . allenges. . .

That was supposed to be an echo effect, like to an empty room.

But we're not empty now!  It was a hell of a winter, in multiple ways.  There's so much to talk about, but I'm only talking about weight loss today, and it just hasn't been happening.  Still in that same 10-pound range I've been fluctuating in for the last couple years.  You know, the range that's dangerously close to my all-time high.  At one point a few months back, though, I (Chip, in case you don't remember) told Choco that I was just done with the "weight loss" thing as an entity in itself.  I knew I still needed to do it, but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it any more.

So I had my crybaby hiatus, but it's time to just get it done.  We've been experimenting with YouTube, which has gotten me revved up to try again, and I wanted to get back into blogging.  I told Choco I was all for reviving our poor neglected little blog, and she said, and I quote:  "We can def do it.  Want to do challenges again?  Srsly mini ones to start.  Like 5 knee ups."  (I should point out that we were texting.  She completes all words in real life.)  (Except "excite", because that's just fun!)

So:  CHIP SPRING CHALLENGE #1!!!!!!  (That's a really clunky challenge name.  Come up with something better, Choco!)

Um. . . I was hoping I would crystallize my challenge decision by the time I finished typing that.  I want to do a mini one so we don't get burned out and frustrated, but basically I'm thinking 10,000 steps a day.  That SHOULD be a mini challenge because that's already the recommended total on our Fitbits.  But I've been getting nowhere near that.  My cousin has, though!  But I'm not going to set different challenges for us, because that's not fair and I need to catch up anyway.  Okay, it's crystallizing.  I'm typing it.

10,000 STEPS A DAY.  So uncomplicated, so difficult.

Beauty Blog! Mini Spring Haul

First of all:  No, I am not actually a professional photo stager!  Unbelievable, right?

Okay, I have to say this pile looks smaller than the 5 separate shopping trips it took to assemble it.  And it's missing a face wash (because that was really just replacing a staple) and a Vaseline Rosy Lips Therapy (because that baby's already tucked in my purse).

Also, I placed an Amazon order for a few (3) other things.  Mini blog on that when that shipment comes in.

So.  Basically I decided that Choco shouldn't have all the fun of shopping for new stuff just because she didn't have it before!  My own makeup collection has been looking pretty busted and grungy, so I could justify replacing most of it.  Here's what I will use up because it's decent (if not super impressive) and I won't just throw it out:

Cover Girl Professional Loose Powder
A (very) pruned-down selection of lip colors (I actually do have 2 that I love, Revlon Lip Butter in Fig Jam (my MLBB - Google it) and Mark Glow Baby Glow lip gloss in Girly Girl.  (God, I love saying makeup names!)
Avon clear lipliner
Avon Magix "face perfector" - a colorless primer that I've only used a few times

The most exciting purchase was my NYX palette.  Sidenote:  You probably knew this before me from watching YouTube videos, but I just learned yesterday that it's pronounced "nix" and not n-y-x.  * The more you know! *  I should've had it open for the pic, huh?

There's a pirated one.  It looks a lot more glamorous in real life!  15 shadows (I think 8 matte, 7 shimmery), 2 blushes (2 matte, 2 shimmery) and 3 highlighters.  Soooooooo, basically I need to figure out what to do with all of this to create numerous natural glowing looks.  And a smoky eye!  Sometime in my life I will achieve a gorgeous smoky eye and have the courage to wear it in public.  Also, I need to update my brush collection.  E.L.F. supposedly makes great ones, and they're literally a dollar each or something like that.

Speaking of eyes. . . Line Stiletto eyeliner (Maybelline) and City Curls mascara (NYC), both in Black.  (Or Extreme Black or Intense Black or whatever the blackest shade was.)  I forgot to write at the beginning that I actually had a process to this:  I went to www.beautypedia.com, searched "Best" products in each category, and then sorted by price from low to high.  I'd find a few contenders, and then go over to www.makeupalley.com and check the reviews.  I like Makeup Alley because you find tons of reviews from real people, but Beautypedia is a good start because they filter out a lot of the crap so you know where to even start looking.  Anyway, both of these items are exact results of this method.  

Cover Girl Tru Magic mattifier.  This one was an impulse buy - well, I first saw it yesterday and then actually purchased it today.  It will replace the pressed powder compact I keep in my purse (which is also crumbly and old and gross).  I like the idea of just blotting away shine instead of caking on another coat of powder, so I have high hopes for this one.  It kind of weirds me out that it's a balm - I'm wondering if that will feel gooky on top of an already oily face?  We'll see.

Revlon Photo Ready BB Cream:  Lord.  I needed to replace my foundation, and I had 2 contenders, both of which I've tried before and liked.  I won't tell the whole boring story, but basically there was SOME reason why I couldn't get either of them at any store I went to.  Since I'm going to try to kick ass at skin care and go for that natural glowing thing (I love saying "natural glowing"), I went with a BB cream.  I have to have SOME coverage no matter what, so I'll go light since it's spring (or WILL be).  I didn't do my full research method here, but I remembered this being one of the "best" products mentioned on Beautypedia, and it was relatively inexpensive. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer:  Basically a staple replacement.  I went through 2 tubes of this before trying Maybelline's Dream Touch Lumi concealer, thinking it might be PERFECT where the Age Rewind was just pretty darn good.  Not so much.  I was going to wait out the Dream Touch because it's really not horrible, but as luck would have it, I noticed that I really AM at the end of it, so I went ahead and got the Age Rewind.  

Rimmel Stay Glossy 3D lip gloss in Popcorn For 2:  First, how cute is the name?  In the tube, this looked like it would be a natural make-your-lips-shiny-with-a-hint-of-healthy-peach-color gloss.  When I put it on, I actually got a blue sheen!  That's part of the "3D", I guess - it's like a duochrome effect that gives it that Crystal Barbie color.  Crystal Barbie is my sister's and my term for that iridescent pearly. . . you know what?  Here:

Anyway, it was still kind of pretty, but definitely more clear/shiny than peachy.  It would probably be best over another color.

Skin care items might be another blog entry since it's past my bedtime.  Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream and Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum.  Following Paula's (Beautypedia founder) skin care routine advice, and vetting her picks on Makeup Alley.

What it is/What it could be/What it should be/What it might be/What it will be/What it never in a million years. . .

LIFE A (Super Happy Fun Life):

I'm somehow fabulously independently wealthy.  My home base is in a big US city (I haven't decided which one), but I can - and do - fly anywhere at the drop of a hat.  I see family as often as I want to, and travel whenever and wherever I want.  I have a richly appointed home that still reflects my personality, and it's immaculately kept by a a staff who rivals that of Buckingham Palace.  I have a personal chef who creates food so delicious I don't even realize how healthy and low calorie it is, and I don't even need a personal trainer because I LOVE to move my body.  (I.  Must.  Dance!)  I read to my heart's content, go to any museum/concert/movie/park/street fair that I desire.  I also spend days lounging the world's most comfortable bed (seriously, check Guiness) binge watching tv with no guilt because I just can.  I take fabulous trips with my girlfriends, or sometimes just fly them to my house for a week for some quality girl time.  Every man who meets me falls in love with me a little or a lot (depending on whether they're already married), and I love some of them back but no one can tie me down.  Everyone wants me at their party and I always charm all the guests, but there's still an aura of mystery about me because I fiercely guard my privacy.  Somehow I'm an amazing singer.  Like, not to the point of being a professional and having to record albums and go on tour, but I always blow people away at karaoke.

LIFE B (The Life I Should Have Had If I Had Made Lots of Correct Choices):

I live in Indianapolis.  I love living in the city, and I'm close enough to see my family often, if not daily.  I live in a nice (if not MTV Cribs level) home that is clean and pretty and shows my taste.  I make a comfortable living as a an actual paid writer.  Novels are the dream, but I will also accept short pieces, magazine features, lucrative blog, etc. for Life B.  Or, "last resort", English teacher - but like at a ritzy private school where I get paid big bucks.  Comfortable living means that I have no debt, a nice savings cushion, am fully insured, take traveling vacations 2-3x a year, and wear beautifully tailored clothes and expensive leather shoes.  I shop Nordstrom or Sephora for my beauty products, not CVS.  I know how to cook clean nourishing food for myself and others, and know how to do things with coconut butter that make me forget sugar even exists (most of the time).  (I'm not a food Nazi.)  I alternate yoga and running to stay thin and toned and Zen.  I have a cluster of girlfriends who actually will go to dinner or the movies or bowling just for fun, and don't act like you're acting them to launch a space missile when you try to make plans.  (Also, I'm actually social and therefore also am not the space missile launch person.)  I'm in love with someone who would marry me in a heartbeat, but respects the fact that I adore living alone and will gladly take however much time I give him.  I may or may not have a small child, but that decision is/was made deliberately and not by the default of age/finances.

LIFE C (The Life I Could Have If I Got Off My Ass, That Would Actually Be Pretty Sweet):

I live in my current city because let's face it, my family is The Waltons.  I rent a nice little house that is - wait for it. . . clean, pretty, and reflects my tastes and personality.  I love having people over to drink wine and play board games because I am just that cool.  I have a job that I enjoy and that pays the bills and leaves plenty of room for extras.  (Going to the doctor for antibiotics when I have bronchitis isn't a luxury, it's just something I do when I'm that sick.)  I am damn close to being debt-free.  (Except for the student loans, which I've accepted are just going to be my mortgage.)  Enjoying the job means that I like my coworkers, excel at my work, and don't carry anything over from day to day.  I get out with friends at least once a week, and spend fun time with my family too.  I know how to cook healthy nourishing food and do, but still enjoy a DQ crunch cone once in awhile.  I hit the gym a few times a week and am at a "normal" weight.  I keep my wardrobe updated and take care of myself beauty-wise.  I have a college-level-serious boyfriend, ie one who doesn't live with me but is still monogamous.  We have a blast whatever we do, whether we're dressed up for a black-tie event (I dunno, maybe his brother is getting married? Not many black-tie events here.) or at home eating pizza and making fun of whatever's on TV.  I am organized.  Not Martha Stewart level, but if you asked me to produce a document or needed to borrow my car keys, I could accommodate you in under a minute.

LIFE D (The Life I Actually Live Right Now):

I live in my parents' basement.  Okay, not the actual basement, the back room of a split level house.  I work at a job where the stress-to-benefit ratio is way too high.  Way too high.  I constantly feel "in trouble" at work because I literally an unable to complete everything I'm supposed to do in the amount of time I have, and I'm busting my ass so I can make peanuts doing it.  While I've made great strides in paying down debt, I'm nowhere near where I want to be in regards to being in a position to move out and be comfortable.  I'm 50 pounds overweight, 60-70 from where I'd like to be.  I hate all my clothes but never buy more because I feel like I'll be wasting money on clothes I "won't fit in very long".  I spend my evenings reading or watching Netflix.  I rarely go out, partly because of the blah rut feeling, partly wanting to hide my fat self from people who haven't seen me this way, partly out of embarrassment of friends having to meet me at my parents' house.  The idea of dating is almost laughable and completely impossible.  I'm constantly planning some big get-my-life-together push, but it never happens.  I do have flashes of joy - hello, Vegas!!  Hello, spring! But for the most part. . . . RUT.  ROT.  Same diff.

Why I'm Not Living Life A:  I never play Powerball, and I'd have to get a personality transplant.  (Or just be drunk all the time so that my social inhibitions were lowered.)

Why I'm Not Living Life B:  I didn't make the choices that would have led to Life B.

Why I'm Not Living Life C:  Clinical depression?  I think mostly laziness, and the feeling that things will just magically work themselves out and fall into place.  I never want to accept the fact that TODAY is "tomorrow", if you get me.

Gah, it's too much!

For someone who had an unplanned complete day off work, I've done surprisingly little vacation planning.  The fact that there are a three-year-old and her grandma running around the house might have something to do with it, the MELTING SNOW might have something to do with it, but basically I'm just getting overexcited and having difficulty focusing.  Basically, every single Las Vegas-related website leaves me nodding along to every single suggestion listed.  My plan was to post a list of my 10 Must Dos (in addition to the ones my cousin already listed), but I can't zone in at all because ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's spring and this is soon and Vegas Vegas Vegas!  So now I have to look again, and this time I'm going to take actual physical notes.  I'll report back.

Sorry for the half-assed blog entry, but I know Choco has been on the edge of her seat all day and I had to give her SOMETHING.

We have to eat sometime!

Definitely not a definitive list, but I did find a few places that might be fun to eat.  I'll go into detail why I chose them at a later time. :)

From the top of the Strip... all the way down.

I was going to email this to Cousin Chip but I decided that the whole world would like to know my take on Vegas.

Stratosphere - rides at the top (never done it. The thought scares me shitless. I would be willing to do it if you wanted to because I'm forever doing the "facing my fears" thing.)

·         Big Shot - $15.00 - prepare to be shot 160 feet in the air at 45 miles per hour.

·         X-Scream - $15.00 - propels you and several other riders headfirst, 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere

·         Insanity - $15.00 - extending out 64 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower at a height of over 900 feet, this Vegas ride will spin you and several other passengers in the open air at speeds of up to three 'G's

·         SkyJump - $109.99 and up - After a short elevator trip to the top of the Stratosphere Tower, the jumper is connected to a high-speed “descender” and led to the edge of the platform. Just take that last step and plummet through the sky 855 feet, or the equivalent of 108 floors.

Circus Circus - Adventuredome, roller coasters and theme park rides. All day pass - $30

Slots a Fun – We will walk by this. We may go in and have a look around. They used to have street fair style coin pusher games.

Riviera – “The Riv” is classic Vegas. And by classic, I mean run down. It’s still a great place to check out. Lots of movies have been filmed here. Not that you will be able to tell.  

Wynn and Encore - This is beautiful resort Vegas where the classy people live. We will stop in here. They won’t let us stay though, we aren’t rich enough.

Treasure Island – There’s a big pirate ship outside. They used to have a show called the Sirens of TI. I highly doubt they do it anymore. You know what they say though, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. In this case, it means Kahunaville. Live DJs, hawt flair bartenders and the Otter Pop… a luscious blend of vodka, curacao and Sierra Mist… The last time I had one of them; all the lights in the hotel casino went out. Literally. It was awesome. TravelZoo has a half off 6 drinks coupon. It’s $29. I used this the last time I went. If you’re interested, we can split the cost of another one. J http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Las-Vegas/Restaurant/96459/Kahunaville

Venetian and Palazzo – This one’s another beautiful place to see.  The Grand Canal is pretty and there’s expensive shopping in there. They do have awesome frescos and walls.

  

Casino Royale - Is truly forgettable. There may be some good gambling here. They always want to pull people in here. I think this is the place that has cheap tshirt vendors. I’ve never purchased one.

Harrah's – This is an average place for average people. I quite enjoy the Mac King Comedy Magic Show though.

Mirage – There’s a volcano outside. In the evening it erupts a few times an hour. The inside of this casino is less than volatile.

Quad – This used to be called the Imperial Palace. They renovated it since I was there last. I am looking forward to seeing what they have done. Supposedly, it’s a frat hangout.

Stay tuned for more! We still have all of these left:

Caesars Palace -

Bellagio -

Flamingo -

Bally's -

Paris -

Planet Hollywood -

Cosmopolitan -

Coke World -

Vdara -

M&M World -

Aria -

Monte Carlo -

MGM Grand -

Tropicana -

New York New York -

Excalibur -

Luxor -

Mandalay Bay -

Bucket List

By the way, sidebar:  have always loved the concept of a bucket list, but hate the name "bucket list".  It just doesn't sound pretty!

Like I told my beautiful cousin, I've been thinking too hard about this, feeling like it's some cosmic homework and whatever I come up with here is absolute.  But sheesh, it's not like it's laminated!  So let's start throwing stuff out there. . . (yes I totally copied some. . . )

1. Be debt free.  (And have a savings cushion and basically get all my financial shit together.)
2. Have a baby or make peace with not having a baby.
3. Go on a cross-country road trip.
4. Walk down the Vegas Strip at night and look at all the lights.
5. Go to Hawaii.
6. Go to New York.  (The city, I've been through the state.)
7. Go to Europe.
8. I'm just going to put in a catch-all category for travel here because I LOVE seeing new places and pretty much would like to visit them all.  Count me in for sleeping in a castle and hanging out at an Irish pub.  Seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night.  Walking the streets of Jerusalem (except w/o getting bombed).  Looking at the Sydney Opera House, not on a postcard.  Making fun of Seattle hipsters in person.  Visiting all the places Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up.  
9. Brush up on my high school French to the point where I'm fluent in French.  Probably just completely relearn French because all I remember are a few random vocab words and the poem Maitre Corbeau.
10. Brush up on my high school flute technique, refurbish my flute (or probably buy a new one), and be this cool chick who plays the flute to relax.
11. Find a perfect red lipstick and actually wear it in public for days when I want to be a badass who pulls off red lipstick.
12. Feel good and beautiful in my body.
13. Create a home that is a sanctuary and delight to myself and anyone who  visits.
14. Write a book.  
15. Pick up at least one craft beyond the level of buying supplies for it and pretending I'll start.  
16. Become organized and collected in my professional life.  
17. Get a professional bra fitting.  Have an underwear collection that is 100% beautiful (or at least 100% rip/hole/etc-free).
18. Figure out a way that I can do some actual good in the world and go do it.
19. Have a man who loves me.  Not sure what I'll do with him, but I want to experience that at least once.
20. Continue being a cool aunt as the kids grow older and I can't just wow them with endless gum and quarters anymore.  

Okay, that's 20 so I'm good for now.  I just typed these as I thought them so #11 ended up being the red lipstick one.  I think it's important to have some shallow goals on your bucket list!