A New Garmin Forerunner! (Warning: Nerdy Stuff)

I started to write this post before I wrote my running recap for the week, so some parts may be a little redundant; I don't want to rewrite it though because I was nearly done with this post! As I said, I got a new Garmin Forerunner so I wanted to write a little about that. Or maybe a lot. You know me. (This is not a sponsored post, by the way; I paid for the Garmin with my own money and I'm just writing this for nerdy fun!)

Just for fun, here is a collage of my previous Garmin Forerunners.

Garmin Forerunner 205, 305, 910xt, and 620

The top left is my very first one that I got in (I think) 2007 to train to walk the Indy Half-Marathon. It didn't have a heart rate option, so I eventually used the red one (top right) that my brother gave me. And I thought it would be fun to send the 205 around the country to any readers who would want to try it out for two weeks and then mail it to the next person. I think about 20 people ended up using it! 

When the red one died, the generous people at Garmin actually sent me that black one (the 910xt) as a gift!! (Probably because I give them so much free advertising, haha. They also sent me one to give away on the blog, which was fun.) In 2013, the 620 was released (the bottom right). It had all sorts of really cool features that the previous Garmins did not, so I bought that one (Jerry used the 910xt and then I gave it to my brother when he started running).

Moving on...

I'd been really frustrated with my Garmin Forerunner 620 for about the last year. It's the model from 2013(!) so it's definitely up there in age. It works, but trying to upload my runs or creating and sending runs to my watch was really sketchy. I also had to download updates by plugging it into the computer, which is a pain in these days of bluetooth technology. The watch will work, but it takes FOREVER and in the amount of time I spend working on it, I could have finished my run.

Since I've been running regularly since May of last year, I finally decided that I was going to get a new Garmin. The problem is, I didn't want a "smart watch" or an all-day fitness tracker. I have no interest in an Apple watch or anything like that. I just wanted a watch that I could wear only for my runs--tracking my pace, distance, interval training, etc.

Unfortunately, these watches are practically non-existent now. Most newer watches have so many bells and whistles that aren't necessary for old-fashioned me. The one thing I *really* didn't want was to have phone notifications sent to the watch. It drives me completely crazy when I'm having a conversation with someone and they are constantly looking at watch notifications. It's as bad as looking at their phone.

After reading a ton about different fitness watches, I realized I was just going to have to get one that works like a smart watch--it was inevitable unless I got the absolute basic model and there was a bit more I wanted than that.

Also, I wanted a touchscreen. My 620 is a touchscreen and I couldn't imagine going back to using the side buttons for navigation on the watch. However, that's another feature that is hard to come by on the Forerunners now! I was really surprised. (You can still find older models with touchscreen.) So, I figured I'd try a non-touchscreen watch and see how I liked it.

After reading about a million reviews, I finally decided to get the Forerunner 245 (without music). The 245 has two options: one stores all of your music, which I don't want; the other is $50 cheaper and it doesn't store music. (They are $250 for the non-music and $300 for the music one). (I'll link to them at the end of the post)

I wasn't a fan of the wrist heart rate monitor (chest straps are more accurate) but the wrist monitor is another feature that is pretty standard now. I wasn't sure how accurate the wrist heart rate monitor would be, but I noticed that the 245 allows you to turn off the wrist monitor and add a chest strap if you'd prefer.

Anyway, I received the Forerunner 245 last Friday night (the 18th). I skipped Friday's run because I was hoping to use the new watch and I was waiting for the delivery all day. It didn't get here until 8:30 PM, so I decided to do my run on Saturday instead so that I could use the new watch.

When I first started messing around with it on Friday night to get it set up for my runs, I really had a hard time getting used to the fact that it's not a touch screen. After reading through specs of other watches, I saw that it's actually really common not to have touchscreen. It took a little getting used to, but I got the hang of it (the 620 was actually my only touchscreen watch; my previous Garmins were not).

I was excited to try it out! I wanted to test it outside and on the treadmill. I was very curious to see how it would measure my distance on the treadmill. While on the treadmill, the 620 always reads that I'm going quite a bit slower than I actually am--and that's even with a foot pod (a little clip you wear on your shoe that gives you the info you'd normally get outside with GPS).

I know I've written this ten million times, but here is a quick explanation of the problem I have on the treadmill with my Garmin...

1) The timer on the treadmill is too fast. When 10 minutes pass in "real life" time, the treadmill reads something like 10:08. So, I couldn't rely on the timer and I used my Garmin for timing my runs (the Garmin is perfectly accurate as far as the timer).

2) The Garmin just doesn't accurately reflect my speed. When increasing or decreasing speed, the Garmin 620 doesn't really register that change on the treadmill.

3) The distance on the Garmin 620 is very inaccurate on the treadmill. After bitching for years about the inaccuracy of using my Garmin on the treadmill, I finally did a great calibration test that I discovered via DC Rainmaker. I used a measuring wheel, which is very accurate--they are used to measure race courses--to figure out if the distance on the treadmill was correct. You can read how I did it on this post. 

But basically, the treadmill's distance is inaccurate as well. After doing the accuracy test with the measuring wheel, I learned that when you run a mile on the treadmill (when the treadmill reads 1.000) the ACTUAL distance run is 1.059. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but for a 3-miler on the treadmill, I'm actually running 3.177 miles. Not only does that affect my distance, but my pace as well.

However, it was too annoying to recalculate everything after every run, so here is how I logged my runs: I used the distance from the treadmill reading (knowing it was less than I'd actually run) and I used the timer from the Garmin (knowing it was accurate). That way, I wouldn't be cheating myself.

Okay, so I was kind of excited to try out the Forerunner 245 on the treadmill to see if there was an improvement in the accuracy since 2013 (hahaha!). I still used the foot pod because it gives other running dynamics like your stride length and things like that. I'm actually not sure how the Forerunner 245 does without the food pod--I'm going to have to test that as well!

I usually don't even look at the Garmin while I'm on the treadmill (other than my heart rate) because I know that the distance and pace are way off. When trying out the 245, though, I glanced at it every so often to see what the speed reading was. I moved the speed up and down a little on the treadmill to see if the Garmin would reflect the change--and it did!

At the end of the run, my Garmin read 2.54 miles in 25:00 minutes. The treadmill read 2.40 miles in 25:17 minutes. (For clarification, I ran an actual *real time* of 25:00 minutes--I started my Garmin and the treadmill at the same time--so the treadmill timer was 17 seconds fast).

So, going by the accuracy test that I'd done with the measuring wheel, I multiplied the treadmill's distance of 2.40 by 1.059 to get the *actual* distance I'd run--I wanted to see how it compared to the Garmin. And you know what?

The actual distance was 2.54 miles, which is EXACTLY what the Garmin read! All of this nerdy stuff is basically to say that my new Garmin 245 had perfect accuracy on the treadmill. I was elated! I know it doesn't make any real difference in the grand scheme of things, but this was way too exciting for me.

This is the summary after the run, which is the same as the 620. (The only reason my pace was so fast is because it was my tempo run!)

Obviously, this was one single run so I can't say it will be forever accurate. But I've never had this happen before on any of my calibration attempts. I'll keep trying it out. I'd like to try the indoor and even outdoor track as well.

The reason this is even relevant to me is that all along through my training, I've been running significantly faster than I logged. Normally, when running on the treadmill at 5.0 mph, for example, a 3-mile run would be 36:00 minutes--12:00 minutes per mile. When considering the accuracy of the measuring wheel, while the treadmill said I was running at 5.0 mph I was *actually* running an 11:20/mile pace (or about 5.3 mph).

It's no wonder that it felt harder! This makes sense why my pace is faster when I'm outside. I might be running at the same effort but my pace is faster because I'm used to the treadmill telling me that I'm going slower than I am. When I run outside at a pace that "feels like" the treadmill, it's usually faster; and now I know why. 

Okay, I realize this is a SUPER nerdy post. I know a lot of other people have issues on the treadmill as well, so I wanted to make sure to mention all that.

For the less-nerdy stuff, I wanted to do a quick rundown of what I've noticed/liked/disliked about the Forerunner 245:

*You have the option to turn off all phone notifications, so I don't have any of that coming through. Definitely a positive.

*The wrist-based heart monitor is surprisingly accurate. I don't like that I have to wear the watch above my wrist bone (and of course it has to be on bare skin; in the winter, I would usually put my watch over my outer layer so I could see it).

*Using the buttons instead of the touchscreen felt very awkward at first, but it doesn't bother me at all now. The set-up process is very different from the 620, and I admit, it took me several hours to get it all figured out and set up. However, I learned a lot about all of the features from doing that. There isn't really a reason to mess with the screen now.

*I like that there is an option for "Treadmill" when choosing a workout. On the 620, my options were Run, Bike, and Race. Each of those just simply means that you can change what info you see on the watch face. When running, for instance, I want to see different info than I would for biking (for example: for running, I like to see minutes per mile; for biking, I like miles per hour). So you can set up profiles for those. With this Forerunner 245, there are a few extra profiles to use, and one of them is Treadmill. Again, I like to see different fields on the watch face for treadmill running than I do for outdoor running.

This is on my Run setting--I can see my route. You can also use the map in real time to see where you're going, but I haven't done this yet.

*You have the option to turn off activity tracking (I only wear the watch when I run, so I don't need it trying to track my steps, heart rate, sleep cycles and even menstrual cycles--yes, you can track that--and all that stuff).

*It's extremely fast when syncing to my phone. I barely blink and it's synchronized. I can create a workout on my phone and instantly send it to my watch. With the 620 model, it was about a 50/50 shot of having it sync to my watch. And if it did, it took at least a dozen tries--turning the watch on and off over and over. I've had no problems at all with the 245.

*You can see on the watch face the heart rate zone graph that I normally like to look at on my phone app.

I also really like that I can see my heart rate per split on a single screen (I couldn't do this with the 620):

*The race predictor on the watch is much more realistic than before. It used to give me predictions like 24:00 for a 5K or 3:50 for a marathon, etc. There is NO WAY IN HELL I could run those times without training like a beast for at least a year or two. This predictor was definitely more realistic.

This Forerunner 245 has all of the cool features that the 620 has, but there are a TON of new features as well. If you're super interested, I'd check out DC Rainmaker's review (he reviewed the Forerunner 245 + music model). But overall, I am really happy with the new Forerunner and I think it was the perfect choice for me :)

Here is a (Amazon affiliate) link for the Forerunner 245. (An affiliate link just means that if you buy it through that link, I may get a small commission, but it costs you nothing extra.)

Continue Reading...

Premium Happy Scale App Giveaway (my favorite weight-tracking app!)

I have a lot to catch up on as far as posts, so I'm going to try to work my way through them this week. I was going to do the post about the handmade crafting small businesses (see this post for the info if you sell handmade items!) but I decided to give that one more day and today I'll post a giveaway :)

(I'm not receiving any compensation for this post; I just genuinely love this app and since it was on my Favorite Things list, I thought a giveaway would be fun! Much thanks to Russ, who created and developed the app--more about him later.)

When I wrote my post about My Favorite Things, I included on it the Happy Scale app that I use to track my weight. I LOVE the app--the graphs are awesome and super informative without being overwhelming, I love that you can see predictions of what your weight will be on certain dates or when your weight will hit a certain number based on the rate that you choose (such as your current rate of weight loss or a predictions of x number of pounds per week, etc).

The main purpose of it, though, is to utilize a math algorithm to figure out your trending weight (the app does it so you don't have to!). So if you were to weigh yourself most mornings and log it, the algorithm looks at trends over certain periods of times to predict your *actual* weight ("moving average") on that morning. So if I eat really high-sodium Chinese food one night and my weight jumps up four pounds overnight, the Happy Scale app shows your moving average weight to predict what your weight actually is (apart from the water retention from the Chinese food that will likely be gone by tomorrow anyway).

It's very hard to explain, but it's especially helpful for people who have a hard time getting on the scale and letting the number influence your day. If you follow your weight trends (moving averages), you can see that eating 150 extra calories the night before didn't *actually* make you gain two pounds the next day.

As a total numbers nerd, my favorite things about the app are the charts and data that are broken down. For those of you that hate graphs and charts, they're actually really simple to follow--I have a hard time reading a lot of the running graphs on my favorite running app, but these ones on Happy Scale are very easy to understand.

So here are some of my favorite features:

This graph shows all of my logged weights from as early as February 2001(!) to the current. I obviously didn't have the app back then (smart photos didn't even exist) but one day, when I was particularly hypomanic, I backlogged everything I could find about my weight. (I will explain the red and green sections in a moment)

You can also view charts from the past year, 90 days, 30 days, or 7 days...

Graph for the past year

Graph for the past 90 days

You may be wondering what the red and green means. This is one of the coolest features! You can set this to be a comparison of the past 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, last year, or all time. You can change the colors it uses, but I have mine set to Last Year. So the top of the green area shows where my weight was last year at that same time--and the green means my weight is lower now. The red area means my weight is that much higher than the previous year at that time.

So, as you can see for my 90-day graph above, my weight is quite a bit lower than it was last year at this time.

When I first open the app, I enter my current weight for the day (note: my Wednesday Weigh-Ins vary slightly from what I post here; when I take my weigh-in photos, I am obviously holding my phone, which adds a little weight (0.4, usually). What I post on the app is my weight when I am NOT holding my phone.) 

Here is the logbook that shows each weigh-in. Like I said, the moving average and loss/week are based on an algorithm that takes big-picture trends into account. (My "start date" for all of my current stuff is from when I started losing weight in May of this year. I still have all of the data from before, but the algorithm only takes the dates from May forward into account for now.) Sometimes, I will scroll through the logbook to see, "Hmm, when is the last time I was in the 140's?" or something like that. Right now, I'm very excited to get into the 140's again.

This is the screen that you see when you open the app:

The recent stats at the top show my moving average (this is more like my "true weight" based on the trends algorithm, although I hadn't logged my weight in nine days leading up to yesterday--a super stressful week--so it's not very accurate at the moment). It shows my 10-day low weight and my latest entry.

You can set mini goals to show your progress along the way--I have mine set up for five-pound increments, so it shows the progress of that:

It shows the weight trends--how much you've lost in 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, and all time. I have mine set to compare my "moving averages" rather than my 10-day low weight. The moving averages show the bigger picture.

Then, it shows predictions (there are several options that you can set up for this). If I want to see my predictions based on whatever I commit to losing each week, I can tap on "commitment" (I have mine set on 2.00 pounds, but that never happens, haha!). My current rate (I believe that's over a 10-day period?) and then my overall rate from the time I chose to have this weight loss summary start (which was in late May, when I started counting calories).

The app saves all of your data, but if you want a "start over" date, you can just have it start tracking from whenever you'd like--I chose the date in May because I felt like it was a new beginning. But I can always change it back later.

And then there are weight graphs, which is are super fun to look at. Since my history is so long, I can't get it in a screenshot (or even 10 screenshots!) but you can scroll right or left throughout the months and/or years to see the charts. These two are from 2009 and 2010 when I lost 125 pounds. The blue line is where my weight was. The green is the difference from the year prior. Pretty cool, right?

Another favorite feature is the reports. You can choose weekly, monthly, or yearly. (I *think* you need the premium version to see the monthly and yearly ones.) Here is an example of each:

You can scroll through to show any week, month, or year that you want! Notice that the week I chose was #1,084--that's how many weeks worth of weights I've logged! Haha.

I really can't stress enough how much I love this app--whether I want it to be or not, weight loss/gain/maintenance is a big part of my life. So this is my favorite way to track it all.

The version that I have is actually the premium version. I started with the free version in 2016 (there wasn't an upgraded version at the time) and after I wrote about it on my blog, the app developer, Russ, was so kind to give me a lifetime membership in 2018 when he started promoting the premium version. He also gave me five codes to use for a giveaway, which I did!

I don't normally think about app developers, but Russ is SO kind and very open to questions/thoughts/ideas/suggestions. He has also lost over 100 pounds himself while using the app, and he's made the app his passion (as well as his job--I had no idea how much work goes into creating and maintaining an app).

(Note: Some of the features I've shown here may be premium features; because mine is premium, I can't see exactly what the free version is like.)

Anyway, the super generous guy that he is, he gave me not one, but FIVE codes to give away for a 1-year subscriptions to the premium version of Happy Scale! (The ONLY drawback right now to Happy Scale is that it is just for iOS users--so you'll need an iOS device to use the app. I know Russ would love to someday develop an Android version!)

To enter for a giveaway for a 1-year subscription to Happy Scale, just fill out the form below (the info is for my eyes only, just so I can notify you if you win). I will select five winners using Random.org one week from today: December 16th, 2021 at 10:00 PM ET. If I don't hear back from you (via email) within 48 hours of my posting the winners, then I'll move on to someone else. One entry per person, please.

I will email you if you win. But if you don't and you're still interested in the app, the prices are super reasonable compared to a lot of subscription apps out there: it's only $1.99 for a month, $11.99 for a year, or $39.99 for a lifetime. You can find where to download it here.

Continue Reading...

Requests (and a couple of cool deals)

This has been Jerry and me lately! I was going to post a Friends meme to start off today's post, but then I came across THIS Friends meme, and it seemed more appropriate, hahaha:

Sadly, I did not get any transformations to post today for Transformation Tuesday! Please please take 10 minutes this week to transform something--anything--and take before and after pictures. In August, I posted a few five-minute transformations I did, so there is always something that can be done to make a difference. Even if you think it's insignificant, you might inspire someone to clean out a closet or cut their hair, or organize their shoe rack. ;)

I also want to say that I really hope to get more people to participate in advertising your handmade items shops (like Etsy or otherwise). I only have two people participating so far, and in the past there were a lot more. This is an awesome opportunity to advertise your craft! (Especially during the holidays.) If you're interested, please check out this post for the details: Looking for Crafty Readers.

I also miss doing random "Reader Emails" posts--just fun news from readers (if you get married, buy a house, get a promotion, or anything else that you find exciting and want to share). Just send me an email and share your news (make sure to attach a picture as well).

Finally, I found a couple of cool secret deals (they're not really secret). I was super excited about them, though, and I wanted to share! You know I'm always raving about my Kindle Paperwhite. I cannot tell you enough just how much it has changed my reading life. I never used to read books, but I've already read over 20 books this year!

Here is what I love about it:

1) It is thinner and lighter than a paperback. It is much easier on my hands (which I now know have arthritis). It's much lighter than my iPad mini, too! I used to think that the Paperwhite was pretty much the same as a tablet, but it's not.

2) The screen looks just like a paperback page. I keep the backlight off (unless I'm reading in the dark) and without the backlight, it looks like a regular paper page.

3) There is no glare. I can read this in the sunlight outside (and I've done that lots of times!) and see it just fine.

4) I can get books instantly via my library for free, or if I reeeeeally want a book that my library doesn't have, I'll pay for it on Amazon and it's delivered instantly. 

5) If there is a word I don't know, I can just tap it and see the definition in the dictionary. Or if there is a person's name that I can't remember from the book, I can tap it and see all of the places where that person is mentioned, so I can be reminded who it is. I can also highlight things which are saved to a different file so you can go back to them later if you want.

6) It is small enough to fit in my purse and I take it with me when I know I'll be in a waiting room or in the car waiting for the kids, or whatever. It's so slim and light that I don't even notice it in my purse.

7) You can change the size of the font--I make it bigger so I can read on the treadmill, and then smaller when I'm just reading on the couch or in bed.

Before the Paperwhite, I was an old-fashioned book person--I needed to hold the book in my hands! But then I decided to try the Paperwhite and I was instantly hooked. I knew I could never go back to reading physical books again! And if you don't like it, Amazon's return policy is amazing--you just return it, no problem.

I'm not telling you this to get a commission for my review--I LOVE MY PAPERWHITE. I just have to share that! (That said, if you use my link, I may get a small commission.) I have even bought two of these with my own money as giveaway items for my blog readers--that's how much I love them. ETA: (I just looked it up, and my commission would be $3.39--so I am clearly not writing this for the commission! Haha)

Now, the not-so-secret deal that I was talking about... the 2018 Paperwhite (which is the one that I have) is now only $84.99! I actually have the 8 GB one, and it's the 32 GB one that is cheaper--which is an even better deal. You can hold literally thousands of books on the single tiny device. That's the cheapest I've seen it. There is a 2021 version, so I imagine they are trying to sell the rest of their stock of the 2018 version. I don't know if there is a difference in the new one, but it costs quite a bit more.

Okay, if you are convinced to buy one and give it a try, I'd be thrilled if you'd use this link (it doesn't cost you anything more): Kindle Paperwhite (2018) 32 GB. 

(I was confused about the "with ads" or "without ads" option (see below). If you get the "with ads" option, it just means that the screen saver if you leave the Kindle on for a long time will show ads. There are no ads shown while you're reading or anything like that. It's $20 cheaper, so I would definitely do that option.)

These are the options to select if you want to get it for that price:

ETA: I just looked again on--November 25--and the price is back up to $159.99!

One more item that I wanted to share about today is that Kohl's has a Black Friday sale for Muk Luks slipper boots (I call them my house shoes because I am always wearing them around the house) for only $8.49! (They're $9.99 and then with their coupon for 15% off, they end up being $8.49.)

I LOVE my Muk Luks; Becky bought me a pair for Christmas a few years ago and I was hooked ever since. But they're expensive! On Amazon, the kind I like are $30. When I saw they were only $8.49 today, I bought two pairs for myself and a few more as gifts. These are a perfect gift for pretty much any woman you know. (I do not get any sort of commission for these--but I was excited about the sale.)

Here is the link to my favorite models on the Kohl's website: Muk Luks Fawn Bootie Slippers, Muk Luks Amira Slippers and Muk Luks Hazel Convertible Slippers.

I planned (and still am planning) to do a "favorite things" post this week. I like to share some of my favorite things--some of them make the list every year, like my Paperwhite! But it's a fun post to do. I'd better start working on it; the holidays have arrived. Yikes!

Continue Reading...

What I've Been Reading, Watching, & Listening To

I've really enjoyed writing my "Reading, Watching, & Listening To" posts and this one is far overdue. I feel like I've probably forgotten most of it, but I'm going to do my best.

I haven't been reading much at all lately (I just can't find a book that pulls me in!) but I've been listening to audiobooks and I've watched some interesting shows/movies. So here goes--what I've been reading, watching, and listening to... (I don't include spoilers unless I specify beforehand)

The Amazon links are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase through the links, I may get a small commission. But I encourage you to check your library, because that's where I get all of these!

Also, you can find me on Goodreads here. I *try* to keep up with what I've been reading and/or listening to.

Reading

'Open Book' by Jessica Simpson

This book was mentioned by several readers when I asked for recommendations. I love memoirs, so I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it! The problem with celebrity memoirs (for me) is that I really don't like the name-dropping. When Jessica Simpson wrote about Ryan Gosling and how he thought she was the hottest girl at the Mickey Mouse Club auditions, she just lost me. 

I may try reading this one again because it got a lot of praise from some of my readers. When I was reading it, however, my library loan expired and I just moved on.

'The Boy in the Photo' by Nicole Trope

This was a book that I had downloaded on my Kindle Paperwhite and I don't know why--maybe it was a Kindle First Reads book? (When you have Amazon Prime, you get a free e-book each month from a  short list.) 

I really enjoyed this! It's about a mother whose son was abducted by her ex-husband when her son was only six years old. As much as she tries to find him over the years, she is eventually forced to move on. She never gives up hope of seeing him again, though. 

At the beginning of the book, she gets a phone call that her son has been found and is at a police station waiting for her to pick him up. Her world changes, as you might imagine. As a mother myself, I kept trying to imagine myself if this situation and how I would handle it. There are lots of questions which she tries to find the answers to throughout the book.

Watching

'Good Sam' movie on Netflix

This is a nice family movie. A reporter takes on a story of someone who leaves bags of cash for people in NYC. It's a "feel good" movie--a far cry from my typical slasher films or documentaries! haha. 

'Many Sides of Jane' on A&E

My friend Sarah from Arizona sent me a text recommending that I watch this. It's about a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder. I wasn't really interested in watching this because I've always found DID to be... well, kind of unbelievable? Before you hate on me for saying that, this docuseries was very eye-opening! 

I never had interest in DID because it seemed so far-fetched and I just couldn't even wrap my mind around it. I almost didn't watch this show! But Sarah never recommends that I watch particular shows, so I gave it a try and I'm glad I did. It gave me an idea of how DID comes to be (usually from extremely traumatic childhoods).

While I'm still not sure what to truly believe about DID, it was very obvious to me that Jane was NOT faking her symptoms. As someone who loves psychology and is passionate about mental health, this was eye-opening and very interesting to learn about.

'Bully' Netflix documentary

This was absolutely heartbreaking. The documentary follows five children who are being bullied and their families. I desperately want EVERY child to be loved, to feel happy, to have friends, to "fit in" and to just generally enjoy their life!

I don't even know why I watched this, really. I hate to see any child feel left out or bullied and it kills me to to see them feeling upset. There is one boy who takes his own life after being bullied and just watching his parents, the funeral, makes my heart ache so badly. I won't get into much detail about the documentary except that I think school-aged KIDS should watch it. So that they can see that every child matters and that words can really do more damage than they might imagine.

'I Am Jazz' on TLC

This series on TLC has really educated me on the transgender community and helped me understand it so much better! Jazz (the transgender teen that the show focuses on) is SO likable and informative. I can't even describe how much I learned about what it means to be transgender from watching this reality show (documenting a family who has a transgender child). I adore the entire family featured in the show.

'Borderline' on kanopy

I know a LOT about various mental illnesses, and I thought I knew Borderline Personality Disorder pretty well... until I saw this film. It follows a woman with BPD who lives in NYC. Watching her day-to-day life, I was just stunned. Granted, her psychiatrist told her that her BPD was an 8.5/10 (in terms of how bad it is), seeing the effects of her disorder was mind-blowing to me. I'm very glad that I watched this--I feel like I learned a lot about BPD!

(By the way, "kanopy" is an app that is connected to libraries that allows you to borrow digital films--five per month. I only just learned about it when I watched this film! But I'm going to take advantage of it now. They have a TON of documentaries that I'm interested in (I haven't even looked at the other films yet). 

Listenting to... (audiobooks)

'Three Days Missing' by Kimberly Belle

I wish I could write about this, but I don't remember it! I did like it, though. A woman's son goes missing while on a school camping trip and she (like any mom) does whatever she can to figure out what happened to him and how to find him. I only gave it two stars on Goodreads, so I guess I don't recommend it! Haha.

'Stranger in the Lake' by Kimberly Belle

This is another murder mystery (basically the only thing I've been listening to!). I felt like it was very predictable, but I still enjoyed listening to it. Basically, a woman and her fiancé live in a house on the lake and the woman discovers a body in the lake behind their house. She recognizes the woman but wants to protect her fiancé, so things become complicated.

I felt like this was very predictable, but it was a good listen. There were some surprises at the end. I always looked forward to it on my walks!

'Dear Wife' by Kimberly Belle

This book kind of blew me away. I can't really write anything at all without spoiling it. It reminded me a lot of 'Gone Girl' for a while, but about halfway through, it takes off on its own. I will say that the narration on this audiobook was AMAZING.

This was one of those books that you think you figure out from the very beginning, but then you start questioning yourself, and you just can't make up your mind about whodunit. I gave this four stars.

'The Marriage Lie' by Kimberly Belle

This book literally had me crying for the first two hours or so of listening! I listened to it on my morning walks, so it was pretty embarrassing, but I couldn't help it. I just kept putting myself in the main character's shoes and it was rough.

Basically, a woman learns her husband was in a plane crash on a plane that he wasn't supposed to be on. She goes investigating to figure out why he was on the plane and what happened, which leads to all sorts of further questions. The more I listened, the more I realized that there could not possibly be a good outcome. But I kept listening, because I wanted to know what the story was! I gave this four stars.

'The Perfect Wife' and 'The Perfect Block' by Blake Pierce (part of a psychological suspense series)

I was VERY into 'The Perfect Wife'. The series focuses on a woman, Jesse Hunt, who is a criminal profiler (in training). This series reminds me very much of The Silence of the Lambs, with Jesse being Clarice Starling. I can't say anything more without spoilers. If you liked The Silence of the Lambs, you'll like this series! I started listening to the third book, but the narrator just wasn't meshing with me. I'll have to read the book.

'The Stranger Inside' by Lisa Unger

I REALLY like this book! The male narrator was fantastic and I loved the psychological aspects of the book. I couldn't really see where this was going until about halfway through, and I wish I could write more, but I don't want to spoil it. The general plot is that three kids were playing on their bikes and two were abducted. One was murdered and the other escaped. The one who was not abducted moved on with her life (sort of) and the one who escaped did not leave without mental issues. Meanwhile, there are some vigilante killings that may or may not tie into the abduction.

While this may sound like any other psychological suspense book, it was actually quite unique because of the in-depth psychological components. And did I mention the male narrator? I really love his voice!

---

I actually didn't even mention a few things I watched, so I'll write them next time if I look back and find them worth mentioning. I need to make these posts at least monthly, if not bi-weekly. Since I've been walking for 90-ish minutes per day, I listen to a lot of audiobooks! (I always listen with the speed on 1.25x, which means I finish them faster.)

Are you reading/watching/listening to anything awesome? Please mention!

Continue Reading...

Gifts To Buy for YOURSELF This Holiday Season

 ...because it's wacky 2020 and why not do the untraditional thing this year?

I like to make a gift idea list each year (well, when I remember to!) but this year is so DIFFERENT in just about every way possible. And since the things I typically recommend are things that I have and use myself, it makes sense to buy something (or several things!) for yourself :)

I apologize for the redundancy of some of these items. When I really love a product, I write about it a LOT. Unless specified, everything listed here was bought with my own money (not sponsored in any way). Also, any Amazon links are affiliate links--just meaning that if you purchase something through those links, I may get a small commission for recommending it.

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite gift ideas... for oneself! :)

A Piercing (or Tattoo)

I may be approaching my 40's, and sometimes I wonder if I'm too old for piercings (other than the traditional one in each lobe) but I LOVE my piercings and I don't care if I look too old to pull them off! I have a nose piercing and several ear piercings--lobes, tragus, conch, helix, and rook. Yes, those words were foreign to me, too. When I went into the shop, I just pointed to the spot on my ears that I wanted pierced! Haha. I really would like to get an industrial piercing, but my age is definitely what is holding me back... I really need to just do it and forget about my age!

I wanted to post the video of when I got my conch piercing (below) but there are a couple of f-bombs in it, hahaha. I'd just had my rook pierced moments before and I didn't even flinch. The conch one hurt much worse! (But there is something so fun about the environment of the piercing/tattoo shop! And needles have never bothered me.)

Special Teas

There is tea, and then there is TEA. And I was thrilled when I discovered that there are teas beyond the typical Lipton's. I started ordering tea from David's Tea online. They have the most amazing flavors! (This is an assortment pack on Amazon.) I love black tea with a little cream and sugar, and the dessert black teas from David's are my favorite. These are loose leaf teas, and this is my favorite item to make brewing them super easy. (I had no idea how to make loose leaf tea, but it's very simple!)

Kindle Paperwhite (10th generation)

I know, I know, I know. I write about this WAY too frequently. But I can't help it--I LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite! I was never interested in e-books until I bought a Kindle Paperwhite on sale (I figured I could return it if I didn't like it) and I was completely sold. In love. I read SO much once I got it. Borrowing from the library was instantaneous! I love mine so much that I even bought one to give away to someone in the Cookies Fall Mileage Challenge :)

You will NOT regret trying out the Paperwhite--I promise! The look of the screen is exactly like a paperback book--I don't use the backlight, so the page looks identical to a "regular" book. And there is no glare on the screen (it has a matte feel as well--not like a cell phone or a tablet), so you can easily read outside. The charge lasts FOREVER and it weighs less than a typical paperback. I can't say enough good things about it!

Paperwhite Case

To go with the Paperwhite, I have this cat case, which I love! There are lots of variations in designs from that link. Jerry bought this one for me. It folds all the way around to lie flat, like you see in the above pictures.

Audible Membership

I've also been listening to a TON of audiobooks this year ever since I started my walking streak back in July. I used a lower-priced trial membership of Audible for a few months during the summer and it was really nice! I currently don't have an Audible membership because I use my library as much as possible, but if you don't have access to a library, an Audible membership is awesome. And there are some books that are only available on Audible, which makes me consider joining again.

You get an audiobook each month to keep with the Premium plan, but with both plans, there is a huge library of books on Amazon that you can borrow through Audible (if you have a membership). You can try out Audible for free if you haven't already used a free trial. Here is the Audible page to see the different options. Below is a brief comparison. I'm willing to bet they'll have a special deal for Black Friday shopping.

A Boudoir Photo Session

I cannot stress enough how life-changing it was to have a boudoir photo session! I felt AMAZING and so beautiful and sexy and all the positive words you can imagine when I was doing this photo shoot. I wasn't even at my goal weight! I encourage ALL women to do this, even if it's just for yourself. Photographers who are familiar with boudoir will know just how to have you pose so that it's most flattering for your body type.

Even if you really dislike your body (I certainly wasn't happy with mine) the poses are extremely flattering. I have always hated my stomach, even after having the excess skin removed, but this is one of my favorite photos that I had taken. You can still see my stretch marks if you look closely, but I asked the photographer not to remove them with Photoshop. I wanted to look like ME, but just with the best angles ;) And using the black and white in this pose helped, too. It's funny--when I look at my boudoir photos, I think, "I want that body!" and it's so strange to think that it IS my body. 

Everyone always says that they want to wait until they are at their goal weight before doing a boudoir shoot. But I PROMISE YOU that you will love your photos, no matter what weight you are at! The shoot itself will make you feel like the prettiest, sexiest woman on the planet. (Assuming that you have a good photographer--mine were done by Catherine Kellie.) Regardless of what my weight is, I plan to get another session for my 40th birthday (just over a year away). You can read a guest post here by my friend Caitlin who lost 240 pounds and let me talk her into a boudoir shoot!

Brooklinen Sheets

This is another product that I tout WAY too frequently, but I just can't help it. I adore my Brooklinen sheets! I have two sets--I've used the Luxe Sateen for a few years, but I recently tried the Percale and I LOVE THEM. They are my new favorite and I plan to buy another set to rotate when I wash the sheets. They are SO comfy and the percale sheets feel like the "cool side of the pillow" all the time.

If you use this link to buy $100 worth of stuff, then you'll get $25 off (and I'll get 1,000 points to use in the future). 

A Hammock

This is completely random to put on my list, but it's truly one of my favorite things. I wish I was able to use it more often! I first tried one when I ran the Ragnar Relay Key West (my brother brought one with him and I tried it out). After that, I knew I wanted one!

I read a ton of reviews on Amazon and ended up buying this one by Winner Outfitters. I'm more than happy with it! I was very intimidated to try to hang this thing up, and then I was shocked at how easy it was. It took me about 60 seconds. I love to lie in it and kind of curl the edges around me so I am in a little cocoon with a book or playing Best Fiends on my phone. (I bought the two-person size so that it was roomier.)

Goal Journal/Planner

Just like I'm a sucker for water bottles, I definitely have a hard time holding back on buying all sorts of journals. There are two that I have kept consistently and have really enjoyed writing in. The first is a five-year journal where you write just a little bit every day (one sentence, one line, just something short). There are 366 pages, so that each day of the year has its own page. Then there is room on each page to write something for five years in a row! For example, when you write in it on today's date, November 24, you can see what you wrote last November 24 and the one before that, etc... all on the same page. It's fun!

I also really like this journal/planner by Clever Fox. It has goal prompts in the beginning to get you thinking about what you'd like to accomplish (daily, monthly, even years ahead). I just ordered one called the Goal Crazy Undated Planner that looks very similar to the Clever Fox planner--only it's a 3-month journal, so it's more detailed. I haven't written in it yet, but I'm excited to get started on it!

Sewing Machine

After Jerry broke my sewing machine my sewing machine fell out of its case and onto the floor, breaking into several pieces, I was super upset. I used my sewing machine a lot! I missed it, but I just didn't feel like trying to find another to buy. I searched on Facebook Marketplace with no luck, and I tried not to think about it.

And then on Christmas last year, Jerry gave me a new sewing machine that he picked out himself. I was shocked! It's perfect and does everything I need it to (and more). I love that he picked it out--but it's honestly something that I would have picked myself. He did good ;)

I set this up in the garage recently to avoid having sewing stuff all over my dining room. Notice the little baggie of nuts on the left--haha, those are for the squirrels that come begging while I'm working in the garage ;)

Novelty Pajamas, Shirts, Mugs, Coasters, etc.

I LOVE novelty items. Maybe they are tacky, but they are so much fun when given as a gift to the right person. (I admit, I do buy them for myself sometimes.)

When I'm at home and I'm not going anywhere, I put on pajamas! It's a guilty pleasure of mine. And there is nothing more fun than a novelty pair of pajamas. (The top and bottoms shown here weren't together as a set--but the top can be found here. I'm can't find the bottoms on Amazon, but they were part of another pajama set.)

When remodeling my kitchen, I found some mugs that worked well with my theme. 

A few years ago, someone left me a blog comment calling me a "smug c*nt". It became a joke among my friends, which is how this t-shirt came to be ;) 

You can never go wrong with something nostalgic! I played hours of The Oregon Trail in school--elementary? Junior high? I don't remember, but I loved that game! 

Some fun coasters that I bought while I was visiting friends in Kansas City:

A Puzzle

Call me 100-years old, but I really love to put together puzzles. I especially like the 1,000-piece puzzles because they take a lot of time to sort and then work on. I used to do them all the time, but after my neck/back/carpal tunnel problems (like I said, 100 years old!) I've not been able to work on them. 

An Electric Toothbrush

This isn't a very "fun" gift, but I bought this one on Amazon in early October. My hygienist recommended an electric toothbrush because she said that I brushed too hard, which was wearing on my gums. I really didn't understand how it could be much different from brushing manually, but I tried it out. This is the one I bought.

Jerry and I both love it! I can't believe how much cleaner my teeth feel. I always felt like I did a good job brushing before, but now that I have been using this, I can see why my hygienist recommended switching. This one alerts you if you're brushing too hard, which is good for me. Even though I've only had this for six weeks or so, I highly recommend it!

Well, there you go! Some items that I enjoy and recommend. If you have a product you LOVE or really wish for, please share! Lord knows my Amazon Wish List couldn't get any longer, haha ;)

Continue Reading...