Fantastic Beasts and New Lip Products

I figured since I got my grocery shopping done this morning, I'd reward myself by going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It's been out for almost a month now, so I was a little surprised that I was not the only person in the theater. I loved the movie!  The baker in me really appreciated that aspect of the film and the last 20 minutes totally made me tear up. I could feel the tears welling up, and when I heard someone sniffle somewhere next to me, I figured it was fine to let the tears fall.

I went to Sephora and Macy's earlier tonight to use my Sephora coupon and get some chocolate for my boss for Christmas. I came out with a hand lotion sampler (to give to my boss in addition to the chocolate), a lip product sampler (that way, I can try some new formulas and brands and I don't have to commit to a full size), and a concealer that's better suited for my yellow skin tone. I find that the drugstore ones aren't yellow enough. I had one of the Sephora ladies help me, and she was super nice about it.

New Shoes: CrossFit Nano 6.0

A $20.00 off Zappos.com coupon magically showed up in my email recently and I figured this was a sign to invest in some lifting shoes. I've been wearing regular running shoes to CrossFit in the 1.5 years I've been doing it and the extra cushion isn't the best for lifting. One of the most frequent pointers I get is to keep my weight in my heels. I'm hoping that it'll be easier to do that with these new shoes (CrossFit Nano 6.0). I was so excited to put these on when I got home from work! Size 8.5 fit perfectly!

Here's to smashing PRs and keeping up with the boys in 2017!

My Victoria's Secret order arrived yesterday and my Black Friday Ulta order arrived today, so it's been nice to have packages waiting for me at the door when I get home from work (free and fast shipping...my favs!).

Black Friday Activities

10 AM CrossFit, check! My sister and I went for the Turkey Burner workout. The owner split us up into 4 groups and we rotated through 4 different stations, 7 minutes each. One random thing: I saw one of my former coworkers there, so it was nice to briefly catch up!

7:00 AMRAP: 100 m run, 15 Box Jumps, 30 Air squats
- 2:00 REST-
7:00 AMRAP: 10 DB Push Press, 20 Walking Lunges, 30 Mountain Climbers
-2:00 REST-
7:00 AMRAP: 7 Wall Balls, 7 Burpees
-2:00 REST-
7:00 AMRAP: 400m run/row, 15 Push-ups, 20 Sit-ups

Afterwards, we went back to my parents’ house to eat. We enlisted the help of my cousins and cousin’s girlfriend to help set up our Christmas tree and lights. It only took us 20 minutes since Hugo is pretty tall and with his help, I didn't have to drag a chair along the floor to hang the lights on the columns and up high.

I went home to take a shower and proceed with a productive afternoon!

• Hung up my Christmas wreath
• Turned in my mortgage check
• Got bubble tea
• Got new Nikes to replace my current workout shoes (25% off!). The afternoon coach gave me a hard time the last time I was at the gym. "Tina, you need to get new shoes. You've been wearing those since I've started coaching here." 
• Got cardstock and paper to make this year’s holiday cards
• Sat at the dining table and did some online shopping for Christmas presents for other people and myself, heh. I couldn't help it!  Some of the Black Friday sales were too good to pass up, especially with free shipping deals! I placed an Ulta order and a Zappos order for bright blue Reebok Nanos (CrossFit shoes).
• RJ watched me from the couch. Maybe he is using telepathy to get me to buy him lots of treats for Christmas.

Performance Review

On this year's annual performance review, I received an "exceeded expectations" rating! I was hoping for that because when my teammate left last summer, I took on some extra work on top of the work that I currently do. It was nice to have the hard work pay off.

A celebratory shopping spree was in order, of course:

• New cat mug.  Bah ha, it even looks like RJ. I think he'd have the confidence to rock some pink sunglasses.
• New makeup and make up brushes from Milani and ELF (purchased online, hopefully it'll be shipped out soon!).
• New crafty items: ink pads and liquid pearl pen for Joann's. The ink pads were already 50% off and then I had a coupon for 20% off your entire order (sale and original priced items).
• New underwear from Victoria's Secret. The sales associate gave me one of those tickets that you tear off to reveal a coupon/deal. Mine was for a free full-sized lotion. I've never tried their lotion before, and yikes, they have quite a selection. I didn't want to take forever trying to pick one out, so I went with something safe: vanilla. And now I smell like cake! :)

Brunch with Grad School Friends

Whoo hoo, thankfully, it’s rest day! After going to CrossFit 5x this past week, my legs were definitely feeling it this morning. And my shoulders. And my abs. You get the idea. I went to brunch with two of my friends from graduate school, Jessie and Jenny. I had the “walk of shame” breakfast burrito, and it was delicious!

Afterwards, I went to the nearby Target to wander around. I ended up with a new Captain America tank top, hee hee.

Treat Yo'self!

I was feeling kinda meh about going to spin class this morning since I knew it was going to be a substitute instructor, but I went anyway. Go me. Afterwards, I went to do some grocery shopping and then to Target to get some boring stuff (vacuum cleaner bags and cotton rounds) and fun stuff like this tank! I got another one that was USA themed and then one that says lways Napping." Heh. I got some good deals with the Cartwheel app and stuff that was already on sale this week.

My original plan for today was to go see the new X-men movie, but the reviews didn’t seem that great. I thought it’d be more productive to tackle a bunch of household stuff instead (so. much. laundry.) and save the money for another summer movie. Finding Dory maybe?

I tried out a new purchase from yesterday- an Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in Carina. It really should have been named “Hella Bright” because that’s what it is.

I switched out my winter comforter for my summer one. I need to take the winter one's cover to my parents' house to wash. You could probably make a whole other cat from what's clinging onto fabric. I just can't wash it in my little bucket of a washing machine because there's no room. RJ wasted no time getting hair on the summer comforter. Sigh...

Brunch with Jenny and Jessie and a Productive Shopping Day

Quads are coming in! :)

Busy day today!

I met up with Jenny and Jessie for brunch at Ted's Bulletin. I really wanted some French toast, but since the healthy eating challenge doesn't end until tomorrow, I went with the omelette (which was still yummy!). Afterwards, I wandered over to Target (bought a pair of earrings on clearance, heh) and Kohl's. Then I stopped over at my parents' house and then went to the mall near my house to walk around. I went looking for the yellow dress that I had found about a month ago. I was telling myself that if I did well on the healthy eating challenge, I could get the dress. I couldn't find it!  Oh well.  There will be other dresses, ha ha. At least I got some steps in.

I went home to feed RJ and then I went back out to Ulta and DSW. Ooo...Ulta. Fun times!  I've had my eye on some Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks. They have a pretty amazing color range, and the reviews have been positive. My left hand was covered in swatches by the end of my stop there, so I had to ask one of the Ulta employees for a makeup wipe. I promise I'm buying something and didn't swatch all these for nothing! I came out with Carina and Potion, pretty much polar opposites of each other. Super bright vs. very dark.

I went a few doors down to DSW. I have been looking for a new purse because my current one is getting kinda dirty and the straps are slightly fraying. I didn't want to bring that on the work trip next week. I found a dark pink one and thought to myself "SOLD!" I told the cashier that I saw the color and had to have it. "I can tell you liked that color," she said as she pointed to my phone sitting on the counter, which has case in the same color. Heh.

CrossFit and Shopping

9:30 AM CrossFit, check! Jeff shaved off his beard! He has kinda a babyface underneath it all, ha ha. 3 x 5 front squat at 65 lbs.

WOD: 10:00
Start off with 800 m run
In the remaining time, AMRAP:
25 kettlebell swings (26 lbs)
20 goblet lunges

I got through 2 complete rounds and then tacked on 1 KBS in the last second.

The sun was actually out today, which was so nice. I did quite a bit of shopping this afternoon.

• Ulta. I had a coupon and an Ebates gift card to use. I bought The Body Shop body butters in strawberry and mango (OMG, they smell so nice!), NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Budapest, and a self tanning mitt.
• The healthy eating challenge states that  you can have a treat on Saturday or Sunday. There are 4 options: dark chocolate, wine/cider/beer, popcorn, white or brown rice. I went to Whole Foods to check out the dark chocolate there. Yikes, it was a little expensive there, so I went next door to CVS. Ah, buy 1, get 1 50% off. Perfect. I bought 2 bars each of 85% and 90%. As I was walking out, the homeless guy with his service dog were sitting not too far away. I see him there pretty frequently. I asked him if he wanted some chocolate. His face lit up, "Sure!" I handed him one of the bars of chocolate and continued on my merry way. :)
• I went to Marshalls to get Mom a Mother's Day gift: a teacup/saucer set and 2 picture frames for photos I printed from my uncle and aunt's 50th wedding anniversary.
• My last stop was New York & Company where I bought 2 lace sleeveless tops.

Julie texted me later to say that they were going to get sushi for dinner at the house. So, I wandered over there with the Mother's Day gifts. We also planned to make brunch for Sunday, so we went to Safeway to get milk, sausage and flowers to give to my aunt. I wandered down the ice cream aisle and stared longingly at the ice cream selection. Sigh. On the way home, we stopped by my uncle and aunt's house to deliver the flowers and also check in with my uncle who is currently undergoing dialysis.

I left the chocolate at my parents' house and didn't end up eating any since we had sushi for dinner. Julie said that she had moved the chocolate so that a) Mom wouldn't accidentally eat it and b) so I wouldn't be tempted to eat it if I'm at the house when my sister wasn't around to police it.

This healthy eating challenge apparently requires some teamwork.

I got a few compliments on this lipstick while I was out. It's Stila All-Day Liquid Lipstick in Bacca.
Mom said that I looked like the Catwoman image on my t-shirt.

CrossFit and New Coloring Book

9:30 AM CrossFit, check! I worked on my push-ups and hanging knee raises.
Partner WOD…Katherine was my partner because Julie had to work today.
A) Complete 2-mile Run–split up any way
B) AMRAP: 10 Pullups, 20 box jumps, 30 squats
While Partner A runs, Partner B completes the AMRAP. You can choose any way to break up your run (1 mile, 800s, 400s, 200s). Score is time to complete 2 mile run. We finished a little over 18:00.
Whew…that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. New workout top, courtesy of last night’s trip to Target.

Post-CrossFit fun…

• Kitty snuggles…because you can never have enough.
• I haven’t put on makeup since last Tuesday! Hello, winged liner. I’ve missed you.
• Did some grocery shopping and went to the mall looking for a jump rope (how else am I suppose to get better at my double unders if I don’t practice at home??), but they didn’t have the kind we use at the gym. I came out with a coloring book and colored pencils instead.

I went to my parents' house to eat Five Guys burgers with Julie. I brought my new coloring book with me, and Julie asked me if I was less stressed. No, not really. That's not really why I bought it. I bought it in preparation for the CrossFit gym's healthy eating challenge. I figured if I was color or doing something else with my hands, I wouldn't be snacking. Julie opened up to the front page and colored a leaf and said that was all the attention span/patience she had for it. Hah.

Surprise at Target

I decided to take a rest day today from CrossFit. I'll be going to class tomorrow anyway.

"Personal space? No such thing,"- RJ

Blast from the past: I was at Target earlier this evening, and I was surprised to see my very first boss in line too! In high school, I worked as a library page, reshelving books. Over the years, we’d chat when I was there to check out a book or return something. She told me to come by sometime because the building recently got a facelift.

There was a Target Cartwheel app coupon for Champion workout apparel and some brands of cosmetics. I came away with a new workout top and a eyeshadow blending brush from E.L.F. 

When I was in the dressing room, there was a woman who wasn't able to get out of her dressing room! Yikes! Target staff had to figure something out.

“If you ever need a job, you know you can come back!”

Plank Challenge Results

OMG, I was feeling so anxious of seeing the plank challenge results this morning. A notification popped up on my phone (deep breath)...out of 7 people, I was #5. Ok, whew, I wasn't last. The winning time was 6:05, and since I had a time of 4:00, I have 125 burpees to do per our agreement. Sigh. At least there was no deadline for when you had to do them, so I can do a few each day to chip away my total.

I skipped out on CrossFit and went to breakfast with Jenny and Jessie from graduate school instead. Heh. We went to Ted's Bulletin like we did last time. It was so fun to catch up! I handed off the beaded heart order, and Jessie was SO excited and pleased with how they turned out. They will be given to the students in her teen parent program for Mother’s Day.

I thought about ordering the “cinnamon roll as big as ya head,” but went with the “walk of shame” breakfast burrito instead. Yum! I walked around the nearby shopping center afterwards. Kohl’s had these really soft t-shirts, and since I had 2 coupons, I didn’t feel so bad buying them.

Lazy Saturdays are the best!

My sister brought her friend over to my place for dinner on Friday. We had a fun chat over Indian food take-out. My sister texted me this yesterday. Aw, that’s one of the nicest things someone can say about me!

An Awesome Friday!

It’s been a pretty good day! Let me count the ways…

1. I had a check-in with my boss, and she’s pleased with all the work I’ve done this year and even acknowledged that I took on a lot more work when my teammate left last summer.
2. I checked out a new craft store that opened nearby. I bought a new set of dies, but was most amused by this cat coloring book I saw on the way out. Obviously, it was meant for me. Maybe next time. What was interesting was that the location online didn't have any coupons. I clicked on another location to get their coupon, but the register wouldn't take it. WTH? The manager came over to explain that it was because the location wasn't officially opened yet. She was able to override the error and give me my discount, whew.
3. I baked some chocolate cupcakes to take to my parents’ house tomorrow for their birthday lunch. Of course, I ate one for quality assurance.
4. Ah, freshly laundered sheets are currently in the dryer. I will sleep well tonight!
5. With the weather getting warmer, it’s “no pants” weather inside. Bah ha. What’s the cat gonna care? It’s “no clothes” weather for him all the time, not even a collar.

Shopping, Plank Challenge and Cunning RJ

Today was spent shopping! :D My coworker Michelle is having a yard sale sometime in April, and she invited me to join her. Oh, perfect! I have some clothes that I want to get rid of because they don't fit as well anymore. I'm anticipating more room in my closet, so I got a head start on buying new clothes (hah). I came away with 3 dresses, one from JCPenney and two from Marshalls. The two from Marshalls are the exact same lace dress, but since I couldn't decide between black or coral, I went with both!

I decided to participate in a plank challenge. Here's how it's gonna go: everyone who signed up has to submit a video of them doing a forearm plank on April 1. Longest time wins. If you're not the winner, for every second between you and the winner, you have to do a burpee.

Julie texted me this evening to say that there was sushi at the house. Of course, I had to go over there and help them eat it. Julie helped me with form. The first time around, my butt needed to be closer to the ground. This picture was taken in the second round.

RJ! ARGH! I left him sleeping on my bed and then went to my parents' house for dinner. I come home and the cut up chicken tenders I left on the counter were gone! There was a piece on the floor just outside the kitchen. He was asleep so I thought they were safe! I went to go find him, and he was on the bed where I had left him earlier, licking his chops. UGH!

Brunch with the MPH Girls and CVS Haul

When I was looking up the restaurant that we normally go to for brunch (of course, I had to look at the menu and drool over my options), I found out that it closed!  Jenny quickly made another suggestion, so when I looked that restaurant up, one of the food options was a "cinnamon roll as big as ya head."  Oh, yes, let's do it.  We got one for the table to share and I got an omelet for myself.

I took a CVS survey the other day, and as compensation, they gave me $10 in Extra Care Bucks. I also had a $3 of $15 makeup, $5 of $25 purchase, and $6 of $30 coupon to use too, so this entire shopping trip cost me a little over $12. Oh, and I also got $5 back in Extra Care Bucks too. The Mike and Ikes are for Julie. My current powder and gel liner are about to run out, so the Maybelline deal came in real handy. Mwah ha ha.

Apparently, my butt made the perfect perch to sit on while watching whatever was going on outside.

CrossFit and Craft Time with Tina

9:30 AM CrossFit, check! It was funny to see some folks that were in last night’s class. Yay for us dedicated folks! I worked on my back squats. 3 x 5 at 85 lbs. I figured this was a good weight to start with since it’s the first week of the strength cycle. The WOD was 75 burpees and max clean and jerks in 7:00. It took me all 7 minutes to do the burpees. I probably could have done one rep of the clean and jerk, but my arms were jello, especially with all the rowing we did last night. It was almost like karma because a few days ago, another fitness blogger was challenged to do 100 burpees and I sorta smiled to myself like "Oh, I'm so glad that I'm not doing that." Mmmyeah. While 75 is not 100, it's still a lot! I was slightly tempted to not go, but I missed 2 classes this week and I told Maria that I was going to go, so...yeah.

By the way, I got this workout top from Target last night (along with the blue and green versions) on clearance for $3.88 (!?) and a long sleeve workout top on clearance for $8.38. Mwah ha ha. If you're looking for new workout clothes, Target had a bunch on clearance...both tops and bottoms.

My friend Michelle asked me if I could do a card-making session with my banana pudding sous chef and her card-loving friend. Oh, sure! We made origami samurai hats and several cards. I mean, check out the amazing talent. In exchange for my time and supplies (I didn’t feel comfortable accepting money from her), Michelle made me a tray of macaroni and cheese. Kitty was super curious. Commence food coma.

We made samurai hats with mouse wrapping paper.

"Macaroni and cheese? I like macaroni and cheese!" Mmhm, nice try.

CrossFit, New Jacket and Valentine's Day Cards

My two goals of the day were go to 6:30 AM CrossFit and shop for a new jacket (warmer than my fleece but not as fancy as my peacoat). Bonus points for going to spin class too. All items were checked off today.

At CrossFit, I chose to work on my push presses and I worked up to 75 lbs. The WOD was 8:00 AMRAP: 8 wall balls and 8 burpees and then a 2 minute hollow hold after the 8 minutes were over. Ugh, that hollow hold was so hard. Doing it for 20 seconds is already difficult, but 2 minutes?! Maybe that should be another 2016 CrossFit goal (my first on was a 100 lb bench press).

My sister reported that she dropped Mom and Dad off at the airport successfully this morning. “They were like, bye! And zipped over to ticketing without looking back.” Hah. I don’t blame them though. They’ve been looking forward to their 3-week vacation to Taiwan to see friends and family.

I went to the mall to shop for a jacket, but stopped by Target first (even though I went to another location yesterday, hah). I'm very pleased with the jacket that I got...Columbia brand, 3-in-1, 60% off. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to use it since it's been so "warm" where I'm at, but I'm sure that it'll start to get colder when January and February come around.

I rolled my eyes when I saw that Target was already setting up for Valentine’s Day, but then I realized that I need to do the same for my card shop. I cranked out a few this afternoon when I got home.

Udon with RJ and Office Card Order

I didn't wake up feeling 100%, so I decided against going to spin class this morning and instead went to get Christmas gifts for my parents instead.  I also worked on my office card order while listening to “The Chronicles of Narnia” music. 20 down, 20 more to go

Because everyone likes to eat with an audience :)

New Liquid Lipstick and Split Jerk PR

My boss is flying home today, and I didn't have anything major on my work calendar today, so here's what I did on my dreary day off:

• Went to the post office to mail a holiday care package to my cousin who is currently in dental school. Funny enough, most of the care package was candy. I’m sure there is no shortage of toothbrushes where he’s at. We included one just in case, hah.
• Purchased Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards that my sister and I want to give to the CrossFit coaches to say thank you and Happy Holidays.
• Bought a pair of cobalt-colored heels I’ve been thinking about for the past month. The coupon I had sealed the deal.
• Played with makeup I would otherwise only wear out of the house on Halloween. Check out the photobomber. I bought this NYX Liquid Suede product in Stone Fox at Ulta yesterday. It's a unique color, and I had been thinking about getting it since the product launch months ago. I had a coupon, so of course, I didn't want it to go to waste.

5:15 PM CrossFit, check! We tested on our 1 RM split jerks and I PR'ed at 100 lbs. Eee, so excited! I'm finally able to lift triple digits over my head. Then we did 100 wall balls (I’m in red). I should have done 150 (Karen workout) since I had time left in the 10 min cap, but I just got tired!

Then I went to spin class, and then I went to my parents' house where my sister made me eggs and I talked about the workout and she told me about her office happy hour. The end. :)

Shopping with Julie and Baking Cookies

Sunday Funday!

• Survived holiday shopping at the mall with my sister. We spent way too much time at the Lego store. There is some really cool stuff there! I ended up getting a 3-in-1 set plane set for my cousin who is a pilot. I went to Sephora to use the rest of my gift card and I had a $15 off a $50 purchase, and I came away with 2 Sephora cream lip stains, a Marc Jacobs Honey perfume rollerball and a Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara (I'm usually a drugstore girl, but I thought this would be worth a try since I had the coupon and gift card).
• Baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for the office. My boss and I have a presentation tomorrow…so maybe people will pay more attention to the cookies instead of me. Heh.
• Multi-tasked with watching “While You Were Sleeping” on Netflix. This movie is 20 years old. Wow!

Harry was soaking up some sun at my parents' house.

Christmas ornaments that I bought for my boss.

Crafty Loot

I decided not to go to CrossFit this morning because I wasn't feeling 100% yet. My goal is to make it to Monday morning's class though! My sister said that the coach said "We're missing a (last name) sister..." Yeah, well, I'm sure you don't want what I have.

I slept in a little and then went to the mall with the intention of only getting lunch. But THEN, I went to Joann's to "walk around" (err...we know how those trips go sometimes...) and came out with all these goodies. The die cutting items were 30% off. The colored pencils were on sale too and I had a coupon for the coloring book, which wasn't on sale. The coloring book and pencils are a Christmas present for a friend, so it's not like all of this was for me! (That's supposed to make me feel better).

Oh, and I got some stamps from the post office for this year's Christmas cards. I spent the rest of the evening working on some anniversary cards that worked placed an order for (40 cards, yay!).