This wasn't supposed to be this hard!

So what do two unashamed Backstreet Boys fans do when they come to town? Well we pack up and go, of course. But little did we know the long, painful, arduous journey we were about to embark on…

The day started off smooth. I made us French toast for breakfast. Sweet, unhealthy French toast with vanilla extract and cinnamon involved. We went to Target and TJ Maxx for even sweeter clearance deals and then had major girl makeup time. I demonstrated how wonderful Suave Dry Shampoo is. I know there are better more expensive options out there but this is less than $3 and AHH-MAZING. I used to only dream of what it would be like to not have to wash my hair every day and now I live it! It has a pleasant lemon scent and it doesn’t look chalky or flaky at all. Not only does it absorb oil, but it actually adds body to my hair, makes it so much more manageable, and provides a nice shine. I love it.

So there we were: a beautiful Saturday afternoon, very cute, free windshield cleaning at the gas station for customer appreciation day.. ready to go. When we arrived at the coliseum at a reasonable time, we unfortunately had to wait in the heat in a CROWD that just continued to multiply and surround. We turned into sweaty beasts that were desperate and this finally started making sense to me. It was so hot for so long but we made it!


Then there was the opening act for the opening act..


Next was Matthew Morrison who plays Schuester on Glee. He did a cover of Gold Digger, which I appreciated most.


Then it began. The screaming. The deafening, ear-exploding, painful, make-a-nice-girl-wanna-fight, screaming. Backstreet Boys were on this tour with New Kids On The Block (didn’t care/never got into them) and it became very apparent very early that they were the headliner and that their fans were there in great abundance. In crazy, screaming abundance.

See, Jamie and I got spoiled at our last BSB concert! It was outside so any unnecessary screaming got absorbed and we didn’t have to deal with that. We had fifth row seats and my favorite bsb offered me his hat when it rained. It was all so…. Easy. This was hard!


These guys and their fans made this so difficult for us.


New Kids fans brought it, though. They seriously took it back with 80’s outfits- neon tights, tie-dye shirts, side ponies, etc. ...And there we stood with our hands covering our ears as we had to go into full protection mode of our hearing. We just didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. It was a testament of our loyalty. It really was.

Love running errands

I'm really enjoying running errands on my bike. Today I biked down to Earth Fare for some basil for a side pasta dish I was going to make (postponed until tomorrow) and by Target to check out the clearance situation. Unfortunately I didn't have any noteworthy finds. But I know that Target clearance success happens in waves. There will be great 70% off items week after week and then nothing.. just 30% off BS. I'm not interested in that. I'm a dedicated searcher.

Much of my travel is down a busy parkway and I've picked a couple of favorite/safe intersections for crossing. It's totally acceptable and necessary for me to navigate the sidewalks for my travel. Feels so safe being far away from cars.


It feels really good to not have to rely on my car so much. My basket is carrying tomatoes and herbs just fine but if I put something that weighs even a pound in there it just quits and falls to the side. I'm cool with it!

Fun stuffs

My first trip on my bike this week was to get a tomato that was needed for dinner. It's a good uphill climb getting out of my community, which I hadn't really paid attention to before, and it's a downhill breezy cruise back. I'm so happy about incorporating my bike. My little basket was perfect for tomato-carrying too.

I went to two parties on Thursday evening. First was my cousin's 40th birthday party in Durham and then a Luau-style sushi tasting at Mura in North Hills in Raleigh. Jamie, I found you some entertainment for your colorful, outside summer wedding- Fire Dancers. Just kidding.


North Hills is so crowded. Err.. populated. Self-portrait photo opp..


The nighttime lighting makes me look so tanned. A hair recovery had just occurred for me. I have been living the past few weeks with blond streaks in my hair. I never really came around to liking it. It's back to a beautiful brown color that suits me much better.

Getting hooked up

From the ever-inspiring Julie, I learned about the also inspiring BitchCakes. It’s so motivational to read her blog, because she looks great now from hard work and continues to maintain a positive and honest perspective on weight control and exercise. It’s helpful for women like me with similar concerns to empathize on issues like our legs, but it’s even more helpful to have that reinforced with such positivity. She’s basically like, “Look, these are you’re legs. They’re the legs you have to work with. They do a lot for you… think about that. Think about what all you’ve been through together, etc.” I'm like hell yes, I need to treat these puppies right!

I have been going to the gym for the past few weeks and I believe I’ve reached a pretty dedicated point. I usually go after work so in order to motivate myself I always do the exercise bike first. The bike is fun and I like to increase the resistance as I get into it. Then I spend approximately 30 minutes on the treadmill walking and jogging. And I’ve been ending with the Stairmaster. An hour total and it feels great. Once a week I like doing something different to keep it interesting. I’ve been taking my dog, Ebi, to a no-joke trail near Duke. There are a few hills and one that is pretty steep. There’s no way I could run up it! It’s HOT in NC right now- like 90’s every day, but this trail is shaded and breezy in areas.

I have reached a point where I think about things differently than I used to. I wouldn’t say that I was never concerned about these things, I’m just paying attention more to what I put into my body. I want to make sure that the things I eat are beneficial to my health, and not just satisfying an instant gratification of good taste. I hope that through exercise I can tone my arms and legs, but most importantly I understand that I have to keep the most important muscle in my body, my heart, pumping and my joints strong.

A couple of years ago my aunt gave me a Specialized bike that she wasn’t using when I told her I was going to buy one. I like this bike pretty well and I am getting it ready to be used much more frequently than the occasional trail ride. I live adjacent to a big and wonderful shopping center and I know that I can cut out much of my reliance on my car by using my bike. It’s just unnecessary to take my car every time I need something from across the street. I could also easily walk, and I do sometimes, but like I said it’s HOT and this would just be more fun anyway.


My basket situation leaves a lot to be desired. I found this basket in a thrift store for $1, tied it on with some wire, and wrapped a turquoise ribbon around for good looks. This could probably carry some cilantro home, and that’s okay for now. Most of my trips are to cruise Target clearance, or the grocery and craft stores. I won’t be hauling a lot of stuff very far but I would like something more secure. The problem I found is that all the gear wires are in the way, and it’s probably not intended for this bike to have a basket up front. This one fits perfectly because it’s peanut-shaped so the wires can live free like they need to.