Unseasonably Warm Weather

Unseasonably warm weather is what the Weather Channel is calling it. I don't think 100+ degrees in April in the desert is unseasonably warm. Ha! I truly am not ready for this weather. Sad thing is, it's only going to get worse. We may have a few cooler days here and there, but from about May to November we'll be roasting here in southern Arizona.

It's times like these that I really miss Kansas. I think back to the weather now in Kansas. They're starting to get their spring storms. I love nothing more than a good thunderstorm, a cloudy day, or watching storm clouds build up in the horizon. Most people here think I'm crazy when I tell them my favorite weather is cloudy, stormy, and rainy. What I wouldn't give for a nice thunderstorm in Yuma! Hot and sunny weather day after day after day after day wears on a person. Please pray for a storm my way :) He he!

Forecast says 103 for tomorrow. Maybe I'll get a tan ;)

Portfolio

Tonight I worked on my portfolio with my beautiful friend, Brandie. Here is just one thing that came out of tonight. It was a lot of fun... mostly goofing around, but some good pictures from it! :D

Est Inspiré

It's about 10:30 tonight and I'm finally thinking about work tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm working on my portfolio. I have a client coming in and were going to do some color and styling and then we're going to have a little photo shoot. I'm trying to put together all my ideas and a to do list (nothing like waiting until the last minute). I'm looking at some stylist's photos to get some inspiration and I'm getting really excited. I'm not going to give anything away right now, but I will post some pictures as it comes along :)

I have one year to put together an amazing portfolio!

Proportion

About 2 months ago I was walking around Target looking at bags when I glanced over my right shoulder and noticed that they had already put out this season's swimsuits. This was JANUARY! I wasn't even thinking about summer or swimsuits yet. It got me thinking about the last time I actually wore a swimsuit... well last time I was comfortable wearing a swimsuit. It's been a while. Then this weekend I watched all my neighbors pack up their cars to go to the river or lake wearing shorts and tank tops. I'm so envious of people who can wear those things and be comfortable.

Now I'm not one to complain about my body. I know what I look like and how I got here. I have tried dieting, exercising, starving, etc. But I get so discouraged when I don't see immediate results... I'm a little unrealistic. Ha! Lately I've been trying to eat smaller portions, eat healthier, and eat organic (when I can). I also have been making good use of the elliptical we bought a year and a half ago. I love yoga. I love working out... I just need to stick with it. I want to finally be able to wear shorts in the summer. I want to go on the float downs with my friends. I want to feel good about myself. I am much more realistic and motivated this time around. Eventually you get to a point in your life where you're just tired of being overweight. I was finally at my breaking point. I decided this is NOT how I want to be the rest of my life and I... ME... MYSELF... had to do something about it. The fat wasn't just going to fall off me one day. I had to do something... so I am! :)

I have been working out, eating smaller portions, and eating right for 2 weeks now and I already feel so much better. My cravings for carbs and fast food are subsiding. I know this is what I have to do if I want to live and long and healthy life. And one day I will be able to throw on a pair of shorts when it's 100 degrees out and feel good about myself. I will be able to buy the clothes I like and feel like I look good in them. I will be able to go swimming in PUBLIC for the first time in a long time. I will one day feel good about my body and the work I did to get it there. I will feel good about all I accomplished...

Sunset at La Jolla

Yesterday we took one of our many day trips to San Diego. We actually went on this particular day just to be in the rain. Is it sad that I check the forecast to go to San Diego on rainy days? It was such a beautiful day. It was chilly, overcast, and dreary.... my favorite. After eating and playing at Dave & Busters we headed to La Jolla (one of my favorite beached/towns). When we go to the beach it was almost sunset. I had never seen the surf so big at that beach, which is why there were so surfers out yesterday. It was pretty cold. I couldn't imagine how cold that water was, but I guess their wet suits keep them pretty warm. I loved just watching the waves build, the tide come in, the seagulls scavenge, the couples walk their dogs, the preteens play a game of 'football', the joggers run, and the group of friends warm up near their freshly built beach fire. At one point we saw a surf board washing up to shore with no sign of it's owner. We later spotted the surfer farther out swimming around in search of his beached board. It was kind of funny :) I was imagining a Jaws movie until we found the surfer... kept looking for a chunk missing out of the board. Anyway, this is one of the pictures I took from yesterday of 3 friends heading out to surf at sunset.

Introducing...

.......my blog!!!! I never thought I would have one of these, but lately I feel like my husband is getting really tired of hearing me talk. So I decided to put my thoughts down here.

For those of you who don't know me my name is Nichole. I'm just a small town girl from Kansas trying to survive in the deserts of Arizona. I moved from Kansas about two years ago when I married my husband, Chris. We're stationed on a Marine Corps base in the desert. As much as I miss home and complain about the desert I really think I'll miss this place. We're about 2 1/2 hrs away from San Diego, 4 hrs, from Vegas, 2 1/2 hrs from Phoenix, and 3 hrs from LA. I will miss being able to hop in the car and take a little day trip to the beach. I will miss having such beautiful cities so close to me. Chris will be out of the military in a little over a year and we'll be on to our next adventure. We've been tossing around a few ideas, but haven't really decided on anything quite yet. All we know is where we go next will hopefully be HOME. I really want to settle down, build a clientele, and eventually start up my own salon.

You'll find that most of my blogs will probably be about my adventures in hairdressing. I see so many crazy things daily. We always say that should start up a reality show about our salon... just set up cameras in our mirrors and go!

Hairdressing has always been a passion of mine. I can remember back to when I was nine years old converting the half bathroom into my own salon for the daycare kids and neighbors. Of course I wouldn't CUT the hair, but I did do a mean wash and style! Mom had to shut me down when a little girl got a round brush tangled up in her long hair all the way to the scalp. It didn't smash my dreams though! Ha ha :D