First and Foremost

Thanks to my sweet friend Laura for this survey! PS: Go check out her blog – she’s an amazing graphic designer and incredible girl!

1. First thing you do when you wake up in the morning.
I hate admitting this, but I check my phone. I check text messages, read emails, and if I have enough time, scroll through my instagram and facebook feeds. The first thing I do once I’m out of bed is brush my teeth. I’m obsessed with brushing my teeth.

2. First thing you reach for when you open the fridge.
Lately? Eggs.

3. First things you do when you go to the gym.
Say “Heeeeeeeey boys” to the front desk attendants, laugh when they say “Heeeeeey Orso” and then go downstairs for my workout.

4. First thing you do you when you get home from work?
After I throw my purse on the counter and kick off my shoes, I read the mail. I’m always excited if I’ve gotten a new magazine.

5. First car.
A 1995 Honda Civic. I named it “fluffy sheep.” Does that make any sense? No. But it was a manual and I liked it.

6. First car accident / traffic violation.
I got pulled for speeding but got out of it. That was the only time I cried and got out of it. Now I’m like ugh, here we go, let me just hand you my wallet.

7. First thing you wanted to be when you grew up.
I kid you not, I wanted to be a brain surgeon.

8. First choice beverage.
Water.

Then wine.

9. First choice breakfast.
Is this a serious question? I said eggs earlier, but if nutrition didn’t matter, I’d eat COOKIES.

10. First choice dessert.
I just answered that.

11. First song that comes to mind…
Right now I’m obsessed with Rihanna’s “Diamonds.”

12. First major purchase?
Hmm, does my tuition count? My student loans never end.

13. First job:
Besides babysitting, I worked at Sonic as a carhop with Nikki and Megan. For 16 year olds, we made so much $ in tips.

14. First time you flew on a plane.
When I was 3 we moved to Hawaii for a few months. The first plane ride I remember was to Disney World when I was 6.

Answer one of these questions in the comment section below! I’d love to hear your responses!

The Hungry and The Healthy

I didn’t blog yesterday and I feel like it’s been days. I guess it has been since Friday that I published a post, but daaaaamn, when I break from my routine I’m all sorts of confused. I’m back!

THE HUNGRY:

Saturday morning, I woke up and immediately went to CVS. The Girl Scouts candy made it to SC…and into my mouth! A few of us sampled all three bars.

• Caramel & Coconut – This was my favorite! It tasted very similar to the Samoa cookie but crunchier.
• Peanut Butter Crème – This one disappointed all three of us. It wasn’t bad, just not peanut buttery enough.
• Thin Mints – This one tastes exactly like the cookie. Other than the shape, there's no difference.

Are they worth the $4.99/box price tag? No. Was the hunt to find and try them worth it? Yes. I’m a chica on a mission when it comes to new food finds.

THE HEALTHY:

This workout will get you sweating like a madwoman! Or madman, whichever you are, dear reader of mine.

After posting that I use Spotify, some of you requested a list of music I listen to at the gym. Here’s my most recent playlist. It’s pop heavy, which is just fine for workouts.

If you also use Spotify, I can share my playlists with you! Search for me. Christina Orso is my name in case you forgot. ;)

Have you tried the Girl Scouts crunch bars yet? Thoughts?

What’s your exercise move? I love pushups, cartwheels, and hula hooping.

What’s song gets you going in the gym? “Shake It Out” is my current favorite.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. Pure Barre –  I’ve done 3 classes in a row and I’m going again tonight. It hurts to sit, walk up the stairs, and lift my arms. So awesome! Lots of ladies signed up for the 20 class challenge.  They’re all champions for joining!

I also love the fact that we’re getting gold stars by our name. Great motivation!

2. Speaking of challenges, remember the Saving Money Challenge two of my coworkers and I had for March? For spending the least amount of money dining out, I won! Woop! My savings went to Pure Barre. Double win.

3. Holidays. This weekend, I’ll be celebrating Easter with my family and going to Seder with intern Sean’s family. I’ve always been curious about Jewish holidays, so Sean’s family invited me to see what it’s like. I’ve already studied this book.

I’m just as excited to don my bunny ears with the family! Best of both worlds.

4. This bumper sticker. You Only Live Once.

5. Pastels for Spring. Here in the South, it’s perfectly acceptable to dress like an Easter egg. Some call this color blocking. Others may call this offensive.

Cosmo Pink Polo, Coast Apparel

Lush Green Cords, Loft

Turquoise Tote, Longchamp

6. To fire up the pastel party, I painted my nails in a new Essie color, Barefoot in Blue:

But toned it down with some neutral flats:

HAPPY SPRING!

How will you be spending this holiday weekend?

Are you on board the pastel train or the neutral train? I ride both.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. The other day I told my coworker/cube mate Rachel that I thought peanut butter & jelly sandwiches were so much better when someone else made them for you. A couple days later, she brought some in for us!

This made my entire day. Love her!!

2. Greeting cards:

I’m not sure that they’re appropriate, but I love them anyway.

3. The bakers at the Daniel Island Publix are either blind or crazy. I know St. Patrick’s Day is coming, but really? Shouldn’t they have renamed this?

4. Tweet tweet.

5. On the row machine at my gym, there is a fishing game. The fish swims up when you pull, and sinks when you stop. You have to eat the baby fish while avoiding sharks. I was immediately obsessed and couldn’t stop playing. I’ll be so sore in the morning.

Also at the gym, I noticed that I wear entirely too much green and purple. My Longchamp tote, Camelbak bottle, socks, sneakers, and headphones are all in those two colors. Are there any sports teams who wear green and purple? If so, I love them.

6. Spring nail colors. My favorite hues:

Essie’s Lilacism.

O.P.I.’s Bubble Bath. (Giada wears this on her show!)

China Glaze’s For Audrey (Tiffany & Co. Blue)

China Glaze is definitely my favorite nail polish. Some bottles of O.P.I . are too thick, and some bottles of Essie peel too easily. DO NOT waste your time with Essie’s top coat. The best top coat is Seche Vite!

7. New apps. Words With Friends is out. Draw Something is in. I just started playing last night. Here are two drawings that made me happy:

#1 - I have no idea who you are, but thanks!

#2 – The answer is ketchup. Hi Courtney! :)

If you want to play, my username is Christaleena.

What I’m Loving Wednesday

1. It is very rare that I touch a cookie that isn’t homemade. To me, that’s a sin. Homemade cookies are too easy to make to justify ever eating cookies full of preservatives and, dare I say, trans fats? Thanks but no thanks. However, when Nabisco decides to celebrate their 100th birthday with Birthday Cake Oreos, well, that’s a sin I’d like to commit.

Thank you Mary for blogging about this!!

2. FitSugar’s article on The Worst Pickup Lines Used at the Gym.

Tell me: have you ever picked anyone up from the gym? I can’t flirt at the gym anymore. I realized at my last gym, then when you flirt with someone and then realize you don’t like them, you have to see them ALL THE TIME. Yikes.

3. Serious Eats’ recipe for Steamed Salmon with Chard, Pine Nuts, and Raisins.

4. I haven’t had any meat or poultry in a 1 full week! I love this. I can’t say that I feel any different, but I’ve enjoyed increasing my fruit & vegetable intake as well as experimenting with new foods. The Morning Star spicy black bean burgers are SO good. Not sure why they call them spicy though…

5. Another thing I refuse to consume is soda. La Croix sparkling water is a great alternative. Their water is free of sodium, sweetener, and calories. My two favorite flavors are Lemon and Grapefruit.

               

6. I am by no means a coffee connoisseur, but I must say I really enjoyed my sample of Starbuck’s Casi Cielo coffee. It’s so smooth! The Spanish major in me also loves its translation: “Almost Heaven.”

7. This Golden Girls Valentine’s Day cards:

8. Last week ABC News 4 and Charleston Wine Pairings elite matchmaking service offered a contest for a free consultation and wine pairing. A few of my friends suggested I sign up and I thought, oh what the heck? Um, I won. YIKES. This could be so fun or so scary…!! Buffie, you better match me up with someone nice!! : )

Don’t forget to enter my Sweet Potato Popchips giveaway!! You have until February 21st at noon!

Best Moments of the Weekend

*My healthy lunch from Ali Baba Deli: Pita bread, tabouli, fattoush salad, grilled vegetables, and pomegranate muhammara. Swing over to Daniel Island just for this muhammara. It’s one of the best things I’ve eaten.

I’m loving all the veggies I’ve been eating since I started being repulsed by stopped eating meat/poultry/eggs. It has been 5 full days and it’s so easy! I know I said I wouldn’t give myself a title, but if I did, I’d be a lacto-pesco-vegetarian, right? I’m eating some dairy and fish, but no meat, poultry, or eggs. Enlighten me.

*The lovely Starbuck’s cups.

*My facial from Facelogic. This was incredibly relaxing and my face now feels as soft as baby’s skin! I highly recommend Dina if you’re thinking about going to Facelogic.. I also purchased this Dermalogica starter kit that they used on me.

*A visit to TCBY for frozen yogurt! I had a strange, yet delicious combo. +

with

*The Vow. I thought the movie was really good, but not as passionate as, oh, say The Notebook? Does anything compare to that movie?  I shed no tears, but came close a couple times. Deep breaths and shoving gummy worms in my mouth fixed that.

*Winter decided to grace Charleston with its presence Saturday night. The cure for the blistering cold? Winter gear + beer.

Oh, and hot chocolate for good measure. I am unsure as to why I wore a hat, mittens, and a scarf, but no socks or real shoes. Clearly I was in a rush for the necessities. 

*Brunch with Rachel at Hall’s Chophouse. I love that before bartender Darryl handed me the menu, he asked me, “Beets, right?” Well, of course. I, for the 29862968th time, got the Blackened Salmon Salad with a side of beets.

*After brunch, Rachel and I went to HIP HOP CLASS. No joke. I didn’t fall! It was sooo much fun. Definitely worth laughing the whole time! Immediately after that, we did Body Pump. 2 hours of exercise on a Sunday? Heck yeah!

And just for giggles, let me tell you about the worst part of my weekend. On Saturday as I was leaning down to adjust my bike at the gym, I knocked my head into one of the handlebars. I smacked it so hard I gasped aloud and now have a bruise. Seriously, will I ever grow out of this clumsiness?!

What were the best moments of your weekend?

GIVEAWAY coming tomorrow! Hint: It’s going to be SWEET!