Brad Paisley

My plan was to run errands today, but when I got in the car, it decided not to start. I'm way passed tired of crying about things not going my way. And since I had that talk with my boss about giving my worries to God, I decided to talk to God about it. Somewhat sarcastically, I took a deep breath and said "Alright, God. What is it you want me to do?" I'm serious. In the parking lot of our apartments, I wiped the tears from my eyes and spoke out loud to God. I went back upstairs and prayed. I called my boyfriend and yelled at him for a few minutes, telling him I was going to call him back after I fixed everything. I called a cab and rode down to the car lot that was supposed to work with me. The app process was too easy. I tried two different cars. One wouldn't turn, due to lack of power steering, and the second car died on me in the middle of the test drive. When the lady finally showed up, she didn't offer any assistance to me. She had me steer the car into oncoming traffic, while she pushed me into the middle of 28th street. I hung out at the gas station with these unprofessional car salesmen until they figured out what they were doing. Finally, I got to ride back with the manager. All she had to say was "I don't know what car you're going to buy now." She offered no alternative solution. I asked if I could pay out a larger down payment on a different car, which the younger girl threw me the keys to and told me to test drive. When I got back, feeling excited about finally finding a decent car, the lady behind the counter told me they were unable to help me today but I could come back tomorrow for a cheaper car.. seriously. It was 2000° outside and they never apologized for any inconvenience. I started to cry, but decided I'd look ridiculous walking down the street alone, sobbing. I hadn't been defeated. I prayed and asked God to show me which car He wanted me to have. I stopped by every car lot on the way home and finally... finally found salvation. I walked inside, voice shaking, sweat dripping, throat choking back tears, and I asked the question I had asked 4 previous lots on my long walk: "I have $240 cash and $600 coming in one week. Do you have any cheap cars you can work out a deal on? Really, I'll take anything." They looked at me like I was crazy but an older white man, who reminded me of my uncle (who happened to sell me my first car) said he had one he could show me. We walked up to the car and I remembered hearing my boyfriend say how he hated Chevys, (which turned out to be a lie). Immediately, Brad Paisley's song "Mud on the Tires" popped in my head; the part where he sings about gettin the keys to his brand new Chevrolet. Believe it or not, when we got in the car and turned on the radio, "Mud on the Tires" was playing. My heart cried. I was so happy and in disbelief. People say you'll know when God's talking to you. God knows the best way to get my attention is through an obvious sign like that - the only kind I would understand. We signed the papers and they were more than willing to work with me. If you follow my blog, you know how important it is to me to have a car in my name. So much weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So much. I'm praising God's name today, and never again will I deny that He exists. He's there, you just have to let him be heard.

The BURN!

Don't you love it? The burn you feel during your workout, where it hurts so good? It hurts but it feels like progress so you don't want to stop. When I run on the treadmill I can go all day, till I get that tiny cramp in my side. But lifting my baby dumbbell or doing crunches, I never get tired. I feel proud of the burn. I feel thinner and toned immediately. And the next day, the day after a good workout, when you feel sore and hurt, that's a great feeling. It feels like you accomplished something. You did something yesterday that was more useful than watching Family Feud and stuffing your face with hot fries. The burn is good.

Buying veggies and saving for a car.

The thing about healthy food is that it expires. It should disgust you that the twinkies and brownies that have been in the pantry for over a month are STILL in one piece. I made the mistake of buying extra vegetables and fruits last time I shopped. I just threw away 5 bananas. :( Lesson learned: when shopping healthy, don't stock up. If it's good for you, it goes bad. While I'm on the subject of spending money, this week, money is tight. I'm giving up on my plan to just buy a car straight up. Something always goes wrong and there's always an issue getting the tags renewed. I don't have time or patience to fix other people's problems. Cody does. His hobby is fixing up cars and making them badass, while I couldn't really care less how cool it is, as long as it runs. I have a little less than $300 to my name. Rent is due and Cody is helping me by buying everything we need this week. I'm trying my hardest not to spend ANY money. When payday comes I WILL get a car. I don't want a car payment, but it will help fix my credit, I suppose. No Ifs, Ands, or Buts about it. This time next week I will have my own car, with legal tags, and no problems! Side Note: since the boyfriend is buying dinner all week, I won't be eating as healthy.

I guess I'll eat the broccoli.

Doesn't that look more delicious that
a fat-ass burger? Ok, maybe not.

A burger would taste better. Thick, greasy meat and cheese, covered in toppings and condiments...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Can you tell my fridge is empty? I'm starving. But now would be the perfect time to enjoy all those vegetables I bought two weeks ago. They've just been sitting in the fridge, looking at me, making me feel guilty for ignoring them. Ok, ok, I get it. Dammit. But I have to admit that eating my greens does make me feel a lot better than a McChicken ever could. I'm not gonna lie and say it's always filling and satisfying to have a salad instead of pizza, but afterwards my body does feel better. After I gorge myself on a large meat-lover's with extra cheese and peppers, I feel pathetic. I feel full and tired and I don't have the energy to wipe the sauce off my face. But after a big salad I feel light and happy. Does life have to be about meals? You eat to survive, not the other way around. If I just get it in my head that my goal is to be energetic and to not jiggle, I can enjoy these vegetables as much as a bucket of boneless buffalo wings with extra ranch. Here goes....