All The Boys - What's in a crush?

Let’s talk about crushes. Let’s talk about that silly feeling we all get when we’re 12 years old and we get that first glimpse of a boy, and suddenly there are butterflies in our belly and our hearts are beating just a little bit faster. AH, the crush. What a sweet, silly, innocent thing of childhood. Or is it?

What happens when you’re thirty-something, single, and just poking your toe into the dating pool after a long absence? And you get a glimpse of that guy across the room, the one who stands just so, or smiles with that twinkle in his eye, and suddenly, there are butterflies in your belly and your heart is beating just a little bit faster. Is it still a crush if by all accounts you can be considered a grown woman?

Isn’t it?

Personally, I like a crush. I enjoy the giddy feelings, the nervous anxiety, the sudden flush to my cheeks. I get a giggle out of the little girl in me coming out to say “I think I have a crush”. How silly, and enjoyable it is.

And as someone who has been in a bit of a rut with my self esteem the last few years, the fact that I am now considering myself crush worthy, allowing the butterflies to form, and wondering if maybe, just maybe, I’m causing some butterflies of my own…well, that’s kind of nice to experience.

The great thing about a crush though is that it doesn’t necessarily mean you are interested in acting upon it. The pressure is off a bit on a crush, because it might just be someone you want to observe from a distance, and never really pursue anything with. For whatever reason, you may know this person is all wrong for you, but you can still enjoy the feelings that the crush evokes in you. Safely. From a distance.

On the flip side, there are times when a crush can develop into more. You can take a crush and realize that the feeling is indeed mutual, and then suddenly, you’re no longer just crushing, you are now flirting. And how much fun is that?

But, of course, you’re thinking, “All this talk about crushes Karina, but we came here to read about who YOU are crushing on, so will you just get to it already?” Okay, okay…yes, I have a crush. In fact, I have two. And I’ve decided to share them with you because maybe that’ll force me to actually act out on at least one of them. Because at the moment, I’m lacking the nerve to make a move…so, maybe you can give me that little push I need.

I’ll tell you about my crushes first.

The first is totally innocent and not the one I see myself acting on. It’s clichéd and silly, and simply one that just makes me giggle, so I’m enjoying it from afar. I’ve got a crush on a personal trainer at my gym. I know, how obvious. But it’s not what you’re thinking, “oh, of course, a personal trainer, they’re all hot”. True. But this one, we’ll call him “Coach”, is not your typical personal trainer. He doesn’t have that “I’m so hot” air about him. He’s very down to earth and was obviously not the “jock” in high school, so he comes across as more approachable. He’s also extremely funny. So with that, is it any wonder I got a crush? He’s adorable, and a bit of a flirt as well, but he also happens to be about 10 years younger than me. So, I’m enjoying this crush for what it is, silly, fun, a distraction, but not something I’m likely to pursue.

Although…well, you know, I wouldn’t exactly turn him down if he were to ask me out for a drink. I’m just sayin’.

However, as my budget is about to take a major step in the “tightening of the belt” direction with my brand new car purchase which is in the works this week, there are no immediate plans for future personal training sessions, so Coach and I won’t have any more one on one time for a while. Thus, I’ll have to crush on him from afar for now.

The second crush, however, has potential. That is, if I don’t chicken out it does. This past weekend, as some of you know, I went window shopping for a car. The salesman I dealt with on Sunday, when I took the car for a test drive, was a hottie. Not just in the sense that he’s a good looking guy, which he is, but he had a certain flair about him that you don’t necessarily see too much of here in suburban New England. You all know I’m all about fashion, so when this man approached me not in your typical car salesman uniform of suit and tie, and sleazy wink...

but instead in dress pants, button down shirt and a black scarf and matching kangol type newsboy cap…(no, this is not him)...

I was immediately intrigued. Looking all dapper and very GQ”, even mom (who’d come with me to look at the car) was impressed. So GQ and I sat down to chat about the car, and mom and dad walked away to, as mom would tell me later, give us some space, since “he was obviously flirting with you”. I think he was more likely simply doing the car salesman thing, trying to get a sale, but then…there was definitely flirting involved.

Anyway, before I left the dealership that day, we exchanged numbers, for the purposes of the car sale, of course, and I went on my way. Turns out, however, that I will not be purchasing my car from his dealership, without getting into any of the boring details, I’m going through my work to get the car, and they have contracts with other dealerships, so I will not be going back to GQ to purchase my car.

However, GQ does not know this yet, and he has since called me to inform me that they got in a car in one of the colors I was interested in looking at, and would I like to come in and take a look at it. He left a voicemail, and I have yet to call him back.

Here’s where I need that push from you, because here’s where I’m bound to chicken out. I’ve decided to call him and tell him that although I won’t be buying at his dealership, I’d like to make it up to him and take him out for a drink. I mean, what have I got to lose, right? If the guy’s not interested, it’s not as if I ever have to see him again. Easiest rejection to deal with is the kind you never have to come face to face with again, isn’t it?

What do you think? Should I do it? Well, yeah, I know I should do it…but…will I do it?

Ah…the magnificent power of the crush.

Cafe Karina - The Bachelor - "I Cannot Be Silly"!

It's Bachelor time once again! This week kicks off with a singing contest. The girls are given 30 minutes to compose a song, and then they step up to perform for him. From these performances, Jason will pick the girl who will get a one on one date with him. Who will it be?

Molly sings a silly diddy, Shannon does a rap song, the rest of the girls goof off, show off, or shout off. Lauren tries her hand at a real song and actually sounds pretty good. And then Nikki has a complete melt down because she "cannot be silly" and does not even sing happy birthday to her nieces and nephews. And yet, when she finally allows herself to sing, she pulls it off with a lullaby to her future child. What was all the drama about?

When all is said (uh sung) and done, Jason picks Molly for the one on one date. And the date is just a "hang out at home date".

While the two of them are on their "cozy" s'more making date, the rest of the girls find out who will be going on the group date the next day, and who will be going on a two on one date with him. A two on one date which will send one of the girls home. Those two will be Nikki and Stephanie, which sends Nikki into her second crying fit of the day.

Back at the date, however, Jason has given Molly a rose, and invited her to "camp out" with him in a tent overnight...awww, how sweet.

So, in the morning she takes the "walk of shame" in his clothes back to the house.

And then Jason goes on a group date to the set of General Hospital, where Shannon jumps right in to a kissing scene, which quite honestly, just makes her seem like a lovesick fan...poor girl, she's so on "rock start" mode with him.

Jason, however is having a blast making out with all the girls for the sake of "acting" of course...

After all the making out...uh, acting, Jason takes all the girls to a VIP Hollywood party.

But nobody is in a party mood. All the girls are emotional, jealous, and not really enjoying themselves. All of them except Megan who is taking full advantage of the situation to try and play into Jason's arms. I have to tell you, I just still don't like her. Don't trust her, don't like her.

And then Lauren decides she's going to play bossy and "you need to give me a rose tonight or I'm going to get pissed"...and I think she comes across not exactly how she intended to...think that plan backfired sweetie.

Then Melissa breaks down and cries to Jason about how much it is hurting her to see him make out with other girls. They share a very sweet tender moment, and are rudely interrupted by Shannon. But hey, a girls' got to get her time, right? She decides to spill her heart to Jason. Guess tonight is the night for all the girls to cry their hearts out and put it all on the line.

The question is, is Jason buying all the tears and fears?

After all the crying and sharing, Jason gives Naomi the rose for the night.

And then it is time for the Two on One date. Stephanie and Nikki are presented with designer gowns for their special date. But let's not forget, only one of these girls will be coming home from their date...who will it be?

There's a bit of a dance off between the two girls with Jason. It's funny because I don't think I've ever seen a more "civilized cat fight"...but this was definitely a cat fight. Funny. Then Nikki finally opens up to Jason and tells him about her 11 year relationship which ended a little over a year ago and broke her heart.

And then it is time for Jason to give out his rose, and he gives it to Stephanie. Nikki is going home. She waited too long to open up it seems. Poor girl, it really showed in her monologue in the limo that she suffers from some serious self-esteem issues, likely stemming from her being dumped by her ex the way she was. My heart actually hurt for her a little bit...

And Stephanie? I'm still not feeling her as the one for Jason.

Back at the homestead, the girls are still stressing on the "this is so hard" factor, with another Rose ceremony around the corner.

So, let me break down my feelings on the remaining girls, now that we're down to a manageable number.

There's Jillian. I like her, but don't know that I see the romance with them.

There's Melissa. I really like her, think she's sweet, and I see a certain chemistry between them for sure.

There's Megan. I've already said it, so I won't get into it, but I just don't like her...at all. I get a really bad, phony vibe off her, and I hope he'll eventually see through to that...

There's Stephanie. She's sweet and all, but I don't know...I'm not seeing it.

There's Lauren. Eh...nope.

There's Shannon...she still freaks me out and I don't think she's in anyway equiped to handle the seriousness of a relationship, marriage and motherhood.

There's Naomi, who I like, but feel like we haven't gotten to know all that well yet.

There's Molly. I like Molly. Molly has potential.

So, who will go home? Which two girls will not get roses tonight? Stephanie, Naomi and Molly are safe with roses already.

Melissa gets the first rose of the evening, with Jillian receiving the second. And then there were three. Shannon, Lauren and Megan...who will it be?

Play the shocking suspense music a little longer and then Jason puts down the rose and says he can't give out the final rose. He tells all three ladies that he thinks they are beautiful ladies, but can't see a future with any of them, so he will not hand out the final rose...all three are going home.

See, I told you I was perfect for Jason, right? Because so far, we're totally seeing eye to eye on these girls. Ah, such is life girls...

And then there were five. FIVE...Getting close to the finish line, aren't we? What drama will we have next week?

Guess we'll have to stay tuned and see...

Nitey Nite - Meme

I've been tagged by Julia with the "Sleep Meme". Ah sleep...there are few things in life quite as enjoyable as a good night's sleep.

So, without further ado, here are my responses:

1. How long do you sleep each night?

During the week I average between 6 and 7 hours a night. On weekends, I try to go for 7 to 8 instead.

2. Do you fall asleep easily?

Only if I'm really tired, otherwise, no. I will go over my day, and whatever else is on my mind before I can fall asleep.

3. Do you fall asleep at times not in your bed?

Yes, usually on weekends, when I stay up way too late watching television, I will fall asleep on my couch. RIGHT HERE...

4. Do you listen to music or use white noise to sleep?

Sometimes yes. I actually suffer from Tinitus, which is a condition that causes you to hear this constant buzzing in your head, it's really annoying and always there. For a while it was really bad, and I learned to fall asleep to music, because that would drown out the buzzing to help me actually fall asleep. My condition has gotten better, and actually only bothers me now when I'm REALLY tired or sick, so I don't use music every night, but now and again I still do.

5. Do you sleep through the night or get up a couple of times?

I mostly sleep straight through the night, though I tend to wake up a few times, but only very briefly for seconds, and I NEVER get up.

6. Do you have trouble sleeping away from your own bed?

I do. I can't sleep away from my bed for the most part. I toss and turn, I wake every hour on the hour, I'm never fully rested.

7. Do you need an alarm clock to get you up?

Good grief yes. And let's be honest, my alarm isn'te even enough at this point. I have to trick my brain and set my clock wrong, so I don't know exactly what time it is, so that I'll actually get up. Mornings? Not my friend.

8. Do you ever take medication to help you sleep?

No.

9. Do you/have you slept with pets?

I have in the past, I don't have any pets but a fish now. Somehow, I don't think that would work really well.

And on that note, I'm supposed to tag some folks, but I'm going to open this one up for grabs. Want to do it? Please do, and link back, let me know you participated.

Happy Monday!

Only The Good Friday - The New Things Edition

It's Friday, and that, in and of itself, is usually good news for most people. We all look forward to being able to say TGIF, don't we?

As if that wasn't good enough reason to be in a good mood, Fridays are now also "Only The Good Friday", thanks to blogess extraordinaire Shelly. She's spreading optimism and good feelings with her mission to only post good, positive things on Fridays. And I'm all about spreading the good, so I'm joining her. Won't you join us?

So, that being said, what's good on Karina's menu today?

Let's see, I'll start with my mood, because for the first time all week, I woke up in a fabulously good mood. I've been a little sick all week and just feeling cranky, run down, and even a little depressed. My body was achy, and my mood was sucky. But this morning I woke up without a pain in my body, and feeling recharged and ready to face the world. That, in turn, put me in an even better mood, and I tell you, optimism is not only contagious, it's addictive.

So, here I sit at work (shh), feeling good and ready to be productive and cheerful.

It is Friday, which also means that there is a weekend approaching, and I'm full of good plans. Something happened last weekend that could have been viewed as a bad thing, and therefore would be off limits for me to discuss on an Only The Good Friday post, and that is that my car failed inspection. This is bad, right? It is bad. But the thing is, I kind of hate my car. It's a bit of a lemon, and I've had nothing but problems with it since I bought it 5 1/2 years ago. I've been saying for at least 2 years that I need a new car, but since mine was paid for, I just kept plugging along. Each month, something else will happen on it that tells me "it's time for a new car". If I started naming off all the things that are wrong with it, you'd probably ask me "why exactly haven't you bought a new car?" So, when it failed inspection last Saturday, I decided that was it. I'm not getting it fixed. I'm getting a new car.

I've never bought a new car, every car I've owned has been used, and every car I've owned has had problems I inherited from previous owners. OH, the stories I could tell you about all my cars.

But this is Only The Good Friday, so I'm not going to to tell you those stories. I'm going to tell you instead that tomorrow? I'm going car shopping. Well, window shopping. Because I don't know exactly what I want yet, so I'm going to go look at cars and see what strikes my fancy. I can't wait.

By the way, any suggestions at what cars I should look at? My only must have is that the car be AWD or 4WD or basically really good at handling the snow and ice we get in these parts...suggestions?? I'm open.

Here's another little fun story I can share about good things...I'm going on a cruise. Well, yes, that is good news, but that's actually not my story. My friend Traveller and I are planning a cruise sometime in March. the details are sketchy still, but we're working on it. It'll likely be a Caribean cruise of some sort, but we haven't finalized anything yet.

So, two nights ago, I woke up from a DEAD SLEEP with a thought in my head. When I tell you woke up with a thought, I should probably say that this thought WOKE ME UP. Strangest thing. The thought? My passport is expired.

I will need my passport for the cruise. I know it takes several weeks to obtain a renewed passport. Mine expired last May, when I was unemployed, and I always intended to get it renewed once I had a job, but completely forgot about it. Until Wednesday night/Thursday Morning at about 3AM. I have no idea how or why that thought crept into the forefront of my brain and woke me up. But boy am I glad it did. Now I have plenty of time to send in my application and renew my passport before my trip.

Imagine if I hadn't had that thought. Imagine it is now March, the week before my cruise, and I'm packing and "oh no, my passport is expired!" Imagine? No, let's not. So glad I woke up at 3AM with that thought.

See? Simple things, little things (and even big things), all things that could certainly go either way, but folks, it's Friday. Only The Good Friday. Spread the cheer, won't you?

Go visit Shelley and let her know if you're participating. Or if you'd rather just participate via comment, go ahead, leave me a comment, tell me something good.

It's About Time, It's About Us

I wanted to write a deep, meaningful post today about the new president, about this wonderful feeling of hope in the nation and about how I’m looking forward to a fresh start.

I wanted to, but every time I started writing something I’d get halfway through it and realize that it just didn’t feel right.

Not because I wasn’t feeling what I was writing, but because I can’t really seem to find the words to express exactly what it is that I am feeling.

I suppose I’m suffering a bit of writer’s block on this particular subject. I suppose part of it is also the fact that this is not a political blog, and I tend to stay away from writing down my political thoughts here.

But then I realized that my feelings have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with faith.

And that I can write about.

Because it’s not about our outgoing president and how I feel about him and his outgoing administration. And it’s not about our new president, and what I think of his policies and goals for our nation. It’s not even about the fact that yes, I do enjoy the way the words “Our New President” sort of just roll off the tongue.

Politics aside, it’s about the emotions.

Let’s face it folks, regardless of what side of the fence you are standing on, our nation has taken a beating. Finger pointing aside, we’re a mess. Financially, we are a mess. Reputation wise, we are a disaster. And in terms of morale? Hopeless is fitting in more ways than one.

For a while now we (as a nation) have been dragging ourselves out of bed in the morning and going through the motions, but not really putting any of the effort and energy into changing our situations. We’re sort of like the disgruntled employee who bitches about how much he hates his job, but keeps showing up every day, never making a change. Or the abused wife who knows she needs to get out of this marriage, but just doesn’t have the courage to do it. We’re the alcoholic who knows he should probably stop drinking, but refuses to own up to that fact, or the debtor who knows she needs to stop shopping, but can’t put that pair of shoes back on the shelf.

So we keep going…miserable, unhappy, just making things worse for ourselves, and for all of those around us.

And then one day something happens, we hit rock bottom, or we meet someone who sparks something in us, or we have a sudden realization all on our own. But it happens, and we realize that it’s time. It is time to get off our butts and change our circumstances. We’re not sure how we’re going to do it, and we know it isn’t going to happen overnight. We know it’ll be a long hard road, and we’ll probably hit quite a few speed bumps along the way. We’ll probably have setbacks, and even fail here and there. It won’t be an overnight miracle. But we see it now, we see what we can be when we reach the other side, and we’re determined, we’ve got hope, we’ve got faith.

So we take that first step. Little as it may seem, and maybe not the same step everyone else would have taken, but it’s our step to take. So we do.

We put the wheels in motion for change. And that’s where it all begins, isn’t it?

That’s how I feel about this great nation today. It’s not about President Barack Obama (although, I do so enjoy being able to say those words this morning). It’s not about former President George W. Bush (I may enjoy saying those just a little bit more, quite possibly). It’s not about what one has or has not done or what the other one can or can’t do.

It’s about US, the citizens of the United States of America, and about the feeling of hope, newness, and fresh starts that are being awakened in many of us.

Politics will always be politics, politicians will always be politicians, and bureaucracy will always be “the machine”. But WE THE PEOPLE needed something to wake us out of our complacency and take responsibility for our own actions, for our country.

I have high hopes for the future of this nation, and it’s not because we have a new president, it’s because maybe now we can stop focusing on all the hatred and disgust we’ve been so quick to throw at the administration, and start taking some of the blame ourselves.

Put the responsibility on some of our own choices. We can’t change everything, but we can make a difference. YOU, individually, can change the world. Trust me, I see it happen every day, one single person can kick off a chain reaction of change that will change EVERYTHING.

That’s what President Obama represents to me this morning. Not about what he will do, but about what he has already done. Awakened millions to their individual potential.

Yes, we can.

Cafe Karina - The Bachelor - Birthdays, Busts, Bears and Bitching

Welcome to Candid Karina's first edition of Cafe Karina - The Bachelor Recaps.

It's Episode Three of the Bachelor, and there are still plenty of Bachelorettes for Jason to choose from. Who will be sent home without a rose tonight?

There will be group dates, solo dates, and some women who will not even get a date.

The first date of the week is with Stephanie, single mom. Today is her daughter's birthday, and Jason surprise her with a visit from her daughter. Their date turns into a family outing, and Stephanie show's her mommy side, and her family side. The two of them have a great time on their date and I'll admit, I wasn't sure about Stephanie in the beginning, but she's definitely grown on me, and with this date, I could see the potential there between her and Jason. She ends the date receiving a rose, but not just any rose, a lego rose. Too cute.

The next date is a group date, and Jason is taking eight women with him. On this date are Melissa (who's already had a one on one with him), Shannon (the stalkerish dental hygienist), Nikki, Naomi, Erica, Jillian, Megan, and Kari (who I don't think I've ever seen before...where has this girl been?) and they're all going to make "casts" of their busts for a breast cancer awareness charity. An excuse for Jason to feel up a bunch of girls all for a good cause. Also an excuse for Jason to keep his shirt off for half of the episode. No complaints here.

We also get to see a little bit more about the girls' personalities...some which we could have done without knowing about, to be honest. That chick Megan? I just don't like her. I think she's completely full of herself, and is one of those people that likes to hear herself speak about all the good she does, but probably spends more time talking about what she does, then actually doing it. She really comes across as very fake for me. Melissa I really like, I think she's sweet and real. Shannon still freaks me out a little bit. Did anyone else hear the crickets chirping when Nikki and Jason were speaking one on one? Jillian I'm really beginning to like as well. She's goofy and fun, but down to earth and real too. And obviously Jason agrees, because he gives her the rose for the group date.

The next date is a solo date with Natalie. Natalie the high maintenance chick is late for her first date with Jason...not a good start. And yet, the perfect date for her includes a necklace and bracelet that are brought in by bodyguard in a locked briefcase...worth over a million dollars. If you're wearing a million dollar necklace, then I suppose a trip on a private jet to Las Vegas is almost to be expected right? Right...from a jet to a helicopter flight over Vegas. Now that's a date! But here's my question, how is this helping Jason "find out if there's more" to her with this date? It's sort of a superficial date, isn't it? As they're walking in the restaurant Jason says "walking in with the girl everyone is looking at it felt good"...superficial. So, he decides to dig beneath the surface, and all she can talk about is clothes and bears. Bears?? Really? Bears? The date wraps up with a private performance by Kate Voegele and some dancing. But, besides the fact that he's obviously attracted to her and wants to like her because he's attracted to her, there's no actual chemistry there. He's just not that into her. Natalie doesn't get the rose, she's going home. And she does not take it well at all, which really kind of shows her true colors as just a bit immature and not at all gracious. Granted, I'd probably be pissed too, but she showed an ugly side which I'm sure made Jason glad he sent her packing.

Back at the mansion, once the rest of the girls find out Natalie is gone, they get really nasty. In the meantime, Jason, spured on by Natalie's remarks about there being "mean girls" at the house, is on a mission to find out the truth. He's also, apparently, on a mission to kiss as many girls as possible in one evening.

The stress of the drama between the girls in the household begins to be too much to handle for some of the girls...namely, Shannon, the stalker. I'm sure she's a really sweet, real girl, but she still completely freaks me out.

Then Lauren tells Jason that Megan and Erica are the two trouble makers in the house, and Megan eavesdrops on the conversation, so you know her claws come out.

The rose ceremony takes a turn, Chris asking the girls to open up, speak candidly and say what needs to be said before Jason makes his decision. And so, the drama begins. The girls get ugly, Shannon gets sick, and I think Jason gets wise to some of the inner tension in the house. Of course as Shannon is getting sick, Megan is calling her a bitch...really? Pot? Kettle...Unfortunately that does not happen in front of Jason for him to see...of course.

And then Jason starts handing out roses. The first goes to Molly, the second to Lauren, then Melissa, Naomi and Shannon. At this point you can see Erica, Nikki and Megan shaking in their boots. And Kari? Well, noone ever really sees or hears from here, right? Nikki gets the next rose, and with with one rose left, it goes to Megan. WHAT? Oh Jason. Silly silly boy.

So, it is Erika and Kari who are going home tonight. Such is life.

Nine girls left...what will happen next week. Come on back, let's discuss. What did you think this week?

Combined Forces

I love blogging.  Love everything about it.  Meeting new people, having an outlet to share my thoughts, feelings, and trivial tidbits with all of you, love the comments (few and far between that I receive, they are still always appreciated and valued), love the relationships that are formed, and the way it allows me to be creative.

I love blogging so much that at one point I realized having just one blog wasn't going to suit me any longer, because I wanted to be able to spread my wings a bit.  

Candid Karina has always been my main blog, the one I use for my personal tales of woe or funny circumstance.  Here at Candid Karina is where you get to know the real me.  

But the real me is a writer, a poet, and at times a photographer, so I branched out and started posting at Creative Karina as well.  There I would share with you my prose, my photography, and other muse inspired works.

The real me is also a bit of a pop culture junkie, so I opened up Cafe Karina, and served up a weekly fare of television show recaps, book and movie reviews, and other random fare.

This was all working beautifully, until suddenly my real life caught up to me, and blogging time was cut shorter, and shorter and shorter.

Suddenly, I could barely keep up with one blog, never mind three.  Not even mentioning my guest writing appearances on blogs such as SheWhoBlogs and Inspired Bliss.  

All this going on and suddenly I found myself overwhelmed and practically ready to throw in the towel.  Was I ready to give up blogging forever?

The answer to that question is a resounding NO.  Of course not.  The thought of giving up blogging makes my heart beat fast and my palms get sweaty.  That is simply not an option.

But what was I to do?  Because although I blog for me, more so than for anyone else, I also realized that the quality of my blog posts were deteriorating.  I just wasn't feeling the love anymore, and therefore wasn't giving my all.  And because of this, I'm sure you, my dear readers, were also losing a bit of the love.  (It's okay, I get it, I wasn't really producing praiseworthy content here).

I want to keep doing this blogging thing, but I want to bring back the level of blogging I was proud to present to you during my "peak".  I want to look back on my blog posts and be able to think "Yes, that was worthy of pushing the "publish post" button".

So, what to do?

And then it hit me.  I'm going back to the beginning.  One blog.  One place where I share my thoughts, be they personal, creative, or pop culture related.  One single venue, all efforts combined.

As of this moment, Creative Karina and Cafe Karina are merging with this blog, Candid Karina.  They are not closed, they're simply moving in.  You can now find all your Karina content in one location, how handy is that?

Let's see how this works, but I for one am excited to be back to focusing on what's important, which is the writing, the sharing, and the relationships.  Hope you enjoy the changes as well.

As for Inspired Bliss and SheWhoBlogs?  I'll continue to post there as well...but I'll let you know here whenever any of those posts are up.

So, first up here at Candid Karina?  Come on back tomorrow night for the next installment of Cafe Karina's Bachelor Recap.

Where In The World is Candid Karina?

So, here's the thing...there's A LOT going on my life right now, and I'm slightly over-extended, so the blogging has been the thing that has suffered. I've had a few people ask me if I was okay, where have I been hiding, etc., so I just wanted to pop and say thank you for your concern, but all is well in the world of Candid Karina, I'm just a little busy.

So, I'm taking a very short hiatus from this blog...VERY SHORT...I'll be back next week, with some changes. I'm in the process of decluttering and streamlining pretty much everything in my life, and my blogs are also going to get some cleaning up.

So, enjoy the rest of your week, and I promisse to be back with some goodies, some fun, and more regular posting next week!

Wanna be a Mobster?

Okay folks, it's the New Year and that means we're all heading to the gym and eating healthy. This week.

Everyone has these New Year's Resolutions and for a whole lot of people that means the good old "lose weight, eat healthy, go to the gym" thing. Right? Right.

Well, as you all know, last year I really did get serious about finally getting my body back. I started Jenny Craig with my mom on August 27th, and as of today, I've lost a little over 23 lbs. As my goal was initial 20,and then I added an additional 5, that means I'm less than 2 lbs. away from my goal. I'm playing with throwing another 5 lbs out there, mostly so I can have wiggle room to eat and not have to worry as much, but we'll just see how that goes. Since I plan on hitting the gym and toning and maybe adding some muscle, I may leave well enough alone.

That being said, maintenance is gong to be a big thing for me. Never again do I want to see that 25 lbs, therefore, this will be a lifelong lifestyle change for me. Also, my mother still has some weight to lose, and in the process of my own weight loss, I've inspired a few friends to do their own.

I will say right here that I loved doing Jenny Craig, however, the food was a bit on the pricey side (although delicious) and therefore I had to stop going last month. Mom also cannot afford to keep going, so we've decided to start our own "support group" if you will. A few of my friends, and a few of mom's friends are joining us.

Our first meeting is tomorrow. We'll get together, do some meal planning, weigh-ins, share ideas and recipes and other things. Mostly we'll motivate each other to stay and/or get in shape. I'm calling these meetings "Mind over Body"...or "Mob" meetings.

And I want you to join us virtually as well. What do you think? Are you in? Here's the plan, every Wednesday I'll post a Mobster post, and you check in with your results, your plan for the week, your challenges and wins for the prior week, etc. We motivate ourselves, each other, and possibly others as well. You can post your own post on your very own blog, and just link back here, or you can just post in comments, if you want to.

Let me know if you're in, and I'll make sure I have links to your blogs on Wednesday. I'm also working on a button for the posts...hopefully I'll have it by Wednesday.

So? Wanna be a Mobster?

Monday Musings

Today is the first Monday of 2009. Something about that jsut makes me want to get all organized and productive and stuff...don't you feel it? It's a new day, a new week, a new year...so much lies ahead of us just ready to be conquered.

Well, at least that's how I feel today.

So, I figured no time like the present to re-launch my Cafe Karina blog, which has been dormant for a few months now. I have lots of goodies in store for you this year over there, so I'm inviting you to take a quick gander over there and see what's on the menu.

I'll be back here at Candid Karina with a full post tomorrow though, so don't stray too far, okay?

Happy Monday!

Only The Good Friday - 2009 Edition

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to 2009. It's time for Only the Good Friday, and I thought we'd start off the New Year with a bit of a celebration, because I don't know about you, but nothing makes me feel better than the idea of celebrating. So, in keeping with Shelley's plan for spreading good cheer on Fridays, here's mine for today.

How about a little video:

And here's one more:

And since today is January 2nd, that means that we're all just getting started on our New Year's Resolutions. Or, possibly some of ous have already given up on them? No, of course not.

Anyway, I found some celebrities' New Year's Resolutions, and I thought it would be fun to share them with you:

BRITNEY SPEARS:"I would like to stop worrying so much because I worry all the time. And to learn how to be happier, just in general. And to stop biting my nails!"

EVA LONGORIA PARKER"To give up meat."

FERGIE"It's always the same: to work out more and eat healthier. I'm trying to go organic, eat more raw."

ASHLEE SIMPSON"All my focus is on my son. Every day, being a better mom and learning with him. It's an incredible experience."

CARMEN ELECTRA"To have more fun! I was just with Jenny McCarthy not too long ago, and she said, 'Carmen, life is supposed to be fun.' And I remembered that, it stayed in my head. And that is my goal."

JAMIE FOXX:"I'm looking for the right woman. I need a magnifying glass! I'm trying to find that rare jewel."

KANYE WEST:"My resolution is to be as nice as possible to the press."

AISHA TYLER:"To be happier! I'm a pretty happy person, but I try to be as happy as I can."

BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN:"It seems to be to stop smoking every year. We'll see how it goes this time."

KATHY GRIFFIN:"To eat more carbs!"

CAMERON DIAZ:"I have always had the same New Year resolutions: to stop smoking, to start wearing a bra and to stop shopping."

See, celebrities are just like us...uh...sort of.

Well, I'm going to leave you with those thoughts for now, but if you're curious about my own resolutions, they can be found here.

Also, be sure to go visit Shelley to see what she's got in store for you for her own Only The Good Friday Post.

Happy New Year everyone!