big thighs & sweet potatoes fries

OK, So I have been going up and down with this diet thing. I have however been exercising 3-4 times a week so the exercising part is going GREAT!! I am watching my calories so go me!!!! And as reported I have lost 2.50 more inches (2 in my  hip and .50 in leg) and I don't eat chocolate or sweets(not really into those kind of things, every now and then I eat a piece of cake, carrot cake is my favorite cake).So you are probably wondering ok, whats the problem?... Its the food thing that I am having a battle with. But this is the NEW issues... sodium.. I have noticed that I am eating food low in calories but high in sodium. oh no!!!! Help, any suggestions would be gr8.

I think I am going to buy a George Foreman Grill and see if I can grill items like tilipia, salmon, chicken, and turkey.. I love fish and turkey, not a big fan of chicken though but I know these items are high in protein. I love veggies. I have been getting my veggie intakes in by loading lots of veggies in my homemade wraps.I have been getting my fruit intakes in the morning, by placing bananas in my cereal. Also when I eat my shrimp tacos, it is loaded with pineapples(YUM). I am however going to start eating more fruits,veggies, Greek yogurt, and almond nuts as my snacks.

Since today is Sunday, today marks the first day that I start my INSANITY workout!!! Since I leave in 40 days, this will be my motivation!!!! 40 days of insanity, along with still doing Zumba and piliates.(i cant give up those exercises) I might do lifting too, but I really don't have to, since I am doing the insanity workout and you are just using your body to do the work and mold and sculpt my body. I am excited to see what my body will look like 6 weeks from now. My goal is to be a size 7-8 jean. I don't know how many inches that will be. I have lost a total of 13 inches and I was able to keep 11 of those inches off, and I am gaining muscle. I am proud of myself and what I have done so far.Oh I gotta intake more water. Right now I am drinking about 5-6 glasses of water. My goal is that by the end of day 40 I am drinking 8 glasses and by day 63 to be at 10 glasses a day. I don't mind looking curving or being curving, I just want to fit into smaller clothing. I am ok with being a curvy size 7 or 8 I just don't want to be bigger than that size. Lets see what happens people!! Wish me luck!
Thanks for reading and God blessed!

I've Got a Camera Crush!

Yeah you read it correctly!!!! So I found this camera that I am absolutely in love with it! My goal is to buy a digital camera before I move to STL. So we shall see.  Hopefully I can purchase this beautiful, amazing camera,that I must have like now!!!! I would tell you about it but I don't want anyone to have it before me. I will feel like a photographer with this camera. This post was silly, but I am so excited to purchase this item. Hurry up Craigslist items and sell so that I can buy "Mahogany"... Its sad that I have already named her, but I must speak her into excision. That's all for now! Until next time people,

Stay Blessed and Happy Sunday!!!

Selling,Packing, Moving

Hello everyone. So this weekend I decided to pack up 90% of my clothes and other items.

this isn't me, but this is what my living room looked like this morning. Just add space bags & hangers.

But I got a lot of stuff accomplished and I should be completely done for the most part with my clothing at least by tomorrow. So I am very excited. Which leads me to my next topic, SELLING!!! I sold my bed and mattress on craigslist. Now I just have my dresser and and my dining room table with 4 chairs. I am also selling some shoes and clothing. What I cannot sell, Ill will donate to job/ shelter and/or salvation army. I need/want as much money as I can get before this big move. But that is all for now people. But you are interested in these items or know someone who is message me or you can check my items out on craigslist!!!

SN: 40 DAY until the BIG MOVE!. I wish 40 days would turn into "I leave tomorrow!!"

Be Blessed and Happy Saturday!

Natural Frustrations | I'm Not Trying to Be Erykah Badu JUST Because I am Natural!!

I was just called "Jill Scott". I am sick and tired of all of these natural stereotypes. I went natural so that I could be myself 100%, not so that I could be stereotyped as something more or less than  me. Unlike most, I don't try to be anyone or anything.... I just AM. I am me.

Not Erykah Badu, not Lauryn Hill, Macy Gray, or Jill Scott either. It's crazy how people that wear all kind of crazy, unrealistic, weaves and wigs don't get called a different name  or stereotype as the hair changes {you know, like BECKY or HANNAH, better yet Lee Wang (although they AREN'T clearly themselves {ever}) but the moment we go natural, we're called the names of the faces that wear kinky curly hair, {although it grows out of all of our scalps in a highly textured form}. 

This is the way my hair grows. I hate how people see the one external change and it changes the entire way that I am perceived. Are we that shallow that a change in hairstyle changes how a person is seen? Yes, I do believe that my decision to go natural symbolically represents my mentality (like breaking away from the oh too familiar collective consciousness that too many engage in) but, nevertheless, I am still basically the same person, just a little more aware. Not Erykah Badu, Not little Miss Afrocentric or Miss save the planet. Just Nikki. 

          Dear World, 

 Please treat me the same as I was treated before going natural. 

Yours till death do us part, 

NaturalNikkiDST

P.S. I'm still the same chica as before

New Seasons of my favorite showss!!!

Plus I have a new show that I really like

Single Ladies on VH1

you are NOT winning if...

I have been looking at people's facebook pictures and they have these pictures of them with money in their hands, or pictures with all of these expensive clothing, shoes, and jewelry. At first I thought that will be me... Then I thought about it.... They are not winning, because they live at home! I have been independent for some time now, I have my own place, my own car, my own cellphone, and I(me) pay for everything on my own.... that would include my insurance, my electric bill, my cell phone bill, my cable, my Internet bill, and basic maintenance of my car... From time to time I ask my mother for money but not that often. I usually work two jobs,because I like the idea of having a paycheck every week, but since I am a VISTA it is against the rules and my contract to work another job while a VISTA, so that pretty much sucks.... But I know that once my terms ends, everything will be all good again. Its crazy because I hate being on a VISTA salary, but the good thing about it all is that a large potion if not all of my tuition for school will be paid for! So that is a good thing! Plus since my new assignment is in a new location and my rent and ult. is super cheap that will be an extra 100 in my pocket to save or spend as I so chose! SO THAT MY FRIENDS IS WINNING.

Update!....on my LIFE!

I have not been on in a while and I would like to personally apologize for that. I have another blog where I talk about my hair, and I answer people's questions about natural hair care. I am not licensed but I gather my information from my experience and information that I find. Typically if I researched it I have the link where I got the information from. But back to my life. So I took my braids out!

IT GREW IT GREW LOL

Then I put a new protective style back in my hair

I also got back into the gym and I started working out!!! So far I have lost  three inches in my waist, .25 inches in my hips, my arms stayed the same, but I gained 2 inches in my thighs!!!! ugh. That is something that I want to decrease. I want smaller hips and thighs. My trainer said that it probably muscle. A lot of people say that I am crazy, because I want to lose inches and weight in those area. But that is not me. I am currently a size 12, and I want to go down to a size 7 or 9. Below are recent pictures that I took of what I look like now...

I have not ran my 5k yet

However I did find a race to run, that is on July 26th. I am not sure how well I will do, because I haven't really been training like I did for the first one. So I have three weeks to get it together. A couple of months ago I could run 3 miles in 33 mins. So we shall see.  I am going to start one week on the treadmill/ elliptical;. and then the next and final week on the road and timing and seeing how I do. As long as I can run this 5k in under 45 mins I am happy. So we shall see.
Also my new roomie in St.Louis, wants me to run in a 5k adventure race in October, so I got to run in at least one before that. So I am excited about that race.

Yeah so that is a quick little update on what I have been doing. Oh yeah I have 47 days left  before I move to the "Show Me State"

Oh yeah I almost forgot, I found an amuni chapter and that Soror paid my national and local dues, thank you so much Soror, I really do appreciate it and I am so happy that you helped me out! Because I was pretty low on cash. I typed that up like it was past tense, I am still low on cash! So I am happy to join that chapter!!!! yay for my amazing sisterhood!!!!

Oh And I found 2 other organizations that I want to join when I get down there. The Urban League and Toast Masters. I went to one Urban League meeting  down here in the Hampton Roads area and I loved it. So I am excited to join one in STL. I hate being bored and if I am in these organizations, along with Delta and work, I will never be bored!

So I currently work at the YWCA and I love my job, so I was very much interested in volunteering maybe 2-5 hours a week with them. So a coworker/former VISTA helped me find a number for a YWCA in STL. So I called and I inquired about possible volunteering there once I got down to STL. I briefly descibed what I do and what I am experienced in. Next thing I know, the woman on the phone offered me a job there. How cool is that?!? I told her that I already had a job in STL, then she asked me when does my contract end with my new job? I told her then she tells me: "well, we have a program that I would like you to join it is for young women 22-42. I would like you to be a part of that along with volunteering and when your contact ends if you are interested maybe you can work for us!" I was shocked! What a blessing!!! The Lord is soooo good!

Oh yeah I got TWO more things to say. I am not that close with my father or his side of the family so I was able to connect with one of my aunties on my father side and I was able to talk to her. So the plan is to go and visit his side of the family for Thanksgiving! So I am very excited about that. I want to say that the last time that I saw them I was 7 or 8. I am 24 now, so that's a long time. I also connected on facebook with some of my cousins. I do not have a big family. It has always been my mother, my brother, and me. that's it. My mother was in foster care as a child so I have never been to a family reunion or anything because I don't have anyone to reunite with. On my father's side he is one of 7 so he has a big family. So this will all be new to me. I am not use to having a big family and having cousins, aunts, and uncles. I knew I always had them but I never really interacted with them so this is exciting for me. I think that is why I love being a Delta and I loved being apart of my undergraduate chapter, because they were my version of this big family that I never had and also why I enjoy interacting with so many of our old heads.

And lastly education, education, education..I cannot believe that I forgot to talk about that...I am a firm believer in education! I absolutely love to learn! I have two degree now, but I really really want to go back to school and receive my Masters In Social Work! I have already been accepted into a wonderful university and I deferred it for one year to finish out my contract in STL. One of my gr8 friends told me about a very prestigious university in St.Louis,MO. I am now in the process of applying to that school! Now you may all be asking why is she applying to another school if she already got into one already. Here is why.... I am interested in getting my MSW with a concentration in clinical. I am interested in mental health, genealogy, substance abuse, and research... Now I know that is a lot, but this university will allow me to receive my MSW with these different specialise and it all can be acheived in two years! I know that I said this before in previous post, but I am really intriqued my addictions, family/marriage counseling... I really like trying to help adults and teens, not and I repeat NOT children. I also enjoy learning more about aging, because eventually everyone will be old, so you really want to make sure that you have people in your corner that will help make your aging process worthwhile. I finished up everything for the application process, including a 7 page, single space personal statement. Also another gr8 thing about this school is money... they awards over 3 million dollars in scholarships to their students each year, and some recieve 2 years paid tution. They also award AmeriCorps VISTAs with scholarships as well. Now as a VISTA yes I recieve money, but I really want to use my VISTA money to pay off my $13,000 school loans that I have.(not bad for 2 degrees)  I just need to round up my references and transcrips. So I will be in the process of getting those before I leave in 47 days.

So yeah that's what's been going on with me!

Be blessed, Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July!