What am I eating?

Good afternoon bloggers!!

I really am trying to stay on top of my blogging; it just makes me so happy every time I write a new post :)

Today I was very mindful of wanting to do a food post, so I made sure I took pictures of everything I've eaten today.  Today was the last day of a diet I have been doing for the past two weeks.  It has taken a lot of will power, and I am so proud of myself!  Sticking to the plan gets easier once you start seeing the results you want.  After the first two weeks, you're supposed to switch to another plan of light eating, but it allows you a little more flexibility with what you're choosing to eat.  I have made progress so far, but I really want to lose a little more.  I have cut back my eating a lot, with smaller portions and snacks of only fruits and vegetables.  No junky or processed foods at all!  I realized I have to really incorporate a workout routine into my day.  I can't get myself into workout tapes, so walking outside is really what has worked for me.  Unfortunately the weather hasn't been great lately so I am considering getting a gym membership, so I can workout on the treadmill or elliptical.  I really want a bikini ready body this summer!

Here are some images for my breakfast today:

Toast with no spread.

Chai tea in my Keurig.  I top it off with two Spenda packets and a little milk.

Here's a picture of my lunch:

Bowl of fresh fruit: bananas, grapes, cantaloupe, & watermelon

I am very glad I stuck to my meal plan today, because I sneaked a little sweet something while I was baking for my sister's pre-prom tomorrow-- oops! (there will be a post to come about what I made today)

Now I'm off to continue watching the Ellen Show!

Xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl

My Manicure Monday

Happy Monday!  However, it's not exactly a pretty Monday in New York.  It has been pouring all morning!  Its June, isn't it supposed to be sunny out!?  My little sister graduated from high school this past weekend, and it poured both days of her ceremonies (Thursday was a graduation mass and Friday was the actual graduation).

This special occasion called for me to get my nails done!  Lucky me :)

Thursday afternoon my mom and I went to a different nail salon than we usually do, that was recommended by one of my friends.  It was great!  I got a gel manicure and I love how it came out.  I don't know the name or brand of the polish, but it was a perfect pink!  I am a fan of pink nails in the summer time, and I'm usually rocking some bright shade.  This shade was perfect for my age, and professional enough for the graduation.

Here's my mani-- dressed with my high school and college graduation rings!

Now I'm off to help my mom clean the house.  We're supposed to host my sisters pre-prom on Wednesday!

Xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl

Reflecting

So this morning I was watching Kelly and Michael, as per usual, and for some reason it really made an impact on my thinking.  I think it would be so cool to work on a TV show like Kelly and Michael.  Sometimes it makes me regret giving up my passion for journalism that I had when I started college.  I switched concentrations because I did not think I was a strong enough writer and that it would be too much of a competitive field for me.  I never really liked writing which also made me nervous, but three years later, I realize that I am a much stronger writer than I was then.  This is all thanks to taking time to write for my blog, and perfecting papers I had due for school.  Also, a lot of people I have known make fun of Communication and say it is a joke of a major.  I have gotten in fights with people because of this and personally take offense to it.  It makes me upset when people undermine a major which I personally enjoy.  And I won't say its easy!  I've had to struggle to do well in some of my classes.  Sometimes I'm even ashamed to say what my major is.  Ashamed!?  There is no reason for this at all.  I am PROUD to be a Communication major with a specialization in Public Relations.

Actress Beth Behrs was on the show this morning, and she was talking about how she did voice overs for Monsters U, the prequel to Monsters Inc.  I think it would be SO cool to do voice overs for a movie or show, and have had a lot of fun doing voice overs for a Greek Week skit for my sorority.  When I am thinking of my career, I always focus on time. I don't want to waste any of it but still make the best decisions possible.  I have had two internships so far; one which was amazing and one which I wasn't the biggest fan of.  This has made me worry that I don't want to waste my time doing another internship if it won't do anything for my future.  But I came to a conclusion: time is so important, but I'm focusing on it the wrong way.

For the past year I have been convinced that I want to pursue a career in advertising after the internship I held last summer at a big advertising agency in NYC.  It was one of the best experiences I've had and I would be privileged to work at that agency in the future.  However, do I really know that this is what I want to do in the future?  No.  I am 20 (going on 21 in less than 2 months), and I don't have to be certain of what I want to do.  I have taken classes in a wide range of my Communication major and have enjoyed a lot of them.  Today I finally realized that it is okay if I don't 100% know what I want to do.  I have changed my previous outlook on time.  Yes "time is of the essence",  but I should be living life in the time I am in.  I should be taking advantage of each moment I have and do things that make me happy, and maybe one day, this would lead me to finding the career that I truly am passionate about.

I love to sing and dance, and would do anything to perform on stage for a living.  I am very creative, and am filled with joy when I look at my own completed crafts.  I love making movies and videos, editing the music and film until it blends just right.  I think its cool to be the liaison between a company, the media, and the public.

Yes I may be going into my senior year of college, but its just that, I have one more year.  One more year to make everything count.  To go the extra mile and think outside the box.  Look at more than what I'm used to and think of something different.  I am making it my goal as of today, Thursday June 6th, to stop being hard on myself because of my major and be proud of my choices and my accomplishments.  I, Nicole Rose Puccio, will be successful  and do not need anyone to tell me otherwise.

Thanks bloggers, for making me realize what I have had within myself and what I truly am capable of.  If it wasn't for this blog, I don't think I would've had any other way of seeing this for myself and sharing it with others.

Xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl

Sunny days and musical nights: my weekend filled with beach days and concert nights!

Hello Bloggers!

Sorry I have been a little absent lately.  This weekend was very busy, but it a good way!  Thursday and Friday were both spent on the beach and on Saturday and Sunday I went to concerts.

Thursday I reunited with a close family friend, Chelsea, who I haven't seen for a few months.  It was so nice to catch up with her and spend the day on the beach!  The next day I returned to the beach with two of my best friends Samantha and Kristen.  Both days had perfect beach weather-- it was 90 degrees but with a little breeze which made it bearable.  I got a little burnt both days but I know that it'll soon turn into tan!

Beautiful beach

Saturday night my mom, sister, and I went to a Pitbull & Ke$ha concert!  My sister is a huge Pitbull fan so she was very excited.  The concert was in Long Island and it was very very cold-- so cold, that we had to buy a Pitbull blanket!  Despite the weather, he put on a great show.

My sister and I with our new Pitbull blanket

Sunday was concert day two!  My friends Christina, Samantha, and Stephanie, and I went to see Rascal Flatts and the Band Perry at a venue in Jersey.  After a delayed start (the doors didn't open until an hour after they were supposed to) we got seats on the lawn and then grabbed a bite to eat.  The show opened with Cassadee Pope, a winner of the Voice!  She had such an amazing voice.  Next was the Band Perry who was also great!  While they were on, we started to see some lightning here and there and the clouds starting getting dark.  Finally was Rascal Flatts!  Unfortunately, it began raining a little and the weather was pretty bad at home, so we decided to head out and beat the crowds. 

The girls and I waiting online

All in all, it was such a great weekend!  I'm hoping this is what the rest of my summer will be filled with: friends and fun!

Xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl

Acca-scuse me?

Yep you guessed it. I'm watching Pitch Perfect. I actually can't keep track of how many times I've watched this movie, I just love it so much!  I first watched the movie in January, and I've been hooked since. From the story line to the songs, what's not to love!?  If you listen to the whole soundtrack it's almost 30 minutes if a Capella goodness. I would be lying if I didn't tell you I listened to the soundtrack on repeat on my drive home for spring break. It's just THAT good!  Also, how could you not love Skylar Astin!? His role as Jesse is adorable and his voice is amazing.

I've been wanting to watch the movie again since I've been home for summer but haven't gotten the chance to.  It's raining today and super gloomy out so I decided today would be perfect. Here's my favorite scene of the movie:

Now I'm off to finish the movie.  Deuces aca-bitches.

Xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl

Three C's: Cicadas, Crafts, & Celebrations

Good morning!

I'm surprised I am in such a chipper mood, as my yard has been inundated with CICADAS.  These bugs come out every 17 years, and let me tell you, my mother has been dreading them for 17 years.  My lovely backyard is full of many trees, very nice in the summer, but not so nice when the cicadas live under them for years, and emerge and cling to them.  They are very big bugs and after a week or so they will start to fly in order to find their mates.  We have been doing a lot of research, and scientists really cannot find any solutions for these bugs.  My sister is a senior in high school, so with proms and graduation coming up, our lives are getting a little bit more difficult.

But more about the reason for my post!  Today is my best friend Christina's 21st birthday!  Christina and I have been friends since we met in pre-school, and we have been celebrating our birthdays together ever since.  We have gone to the same pre-school, elementary school, high school, and we even attend the same college.  Christina will actually be doing research this summer so she won't be home.  It's the first summer we'll be apart!  I wanted to celebrate her big birthday and I am also very crafty, so I decided to make a special basket for her!

I used styrofoam as the base in a large clear bucket and used rods with small alcohol nips to stick into the styrofoam.  I included a large shot glass, and mini bottle of champagne.  I also made a book with pictures from every since birthday we've celebrated together (all 18!).  I did recruit her mom for a little help when I couldn't find some pictures from certain years.  She absolutely loved the book and basket as a whole!  I also included a special 21 birthday crown, because who doesn't want to be a princess on their birthday!?  Since I'm not 21 yet I could not celebrate with her last night when she turned 21, but we will be celebrating another night this week.

Now today I get to see my little sister all dressed up for her boyfriend's prom!  I can't believe my little baby is so grown up and going to a senior prom already!  It feels like yesterday we drove to school on my first day of senior year and her first day of freshman year.  Time does fly by!  I know she will look absolutely GORGEOUS tonight :)

xoxo,

Brown Eyed Girl

Hello Summer Vacation!

Hello Bloggers!

I'm back and ready to take this summer by storm.  I took my last final on May 6th, and came back home by May 7th to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday!  We went out to a nice dinner to celebrate the big day. I have received my final grades & I'm happy to say I've made the Dean's List!  Junior year was a hard year, personally and with my school work, so I'm happy to see that all my hard work has paid off.  Now I can enjoy my summer break that I deserve.

Since I've been home, I've unpacked and repacked all my belongings from school and cleaned my room.  Next year I am living in an off-campus house, so I want to have all my things packed just in case I want to take a day trip down, on my own, to start moving myself in.  I've also helped my mom clean some things around the house that we've been meaning to attack (such as our big box of old hair accessories).

Some highlights since I have been home have been going up to my sister's future college for a fashion show, celebrating Mother's Day with my family, and going to see my sister perform in her Singer's Concert.

I was getting a little bit antsy at this point and looking for something exciting, so this past weekend's trip to Atlantic City was just what I needed!  Two of my best friends are twins, and they invited me and my other 3 best friends to Atlantic City with them along with their family to celebrate their 21st birthday.  We drove down to Atlantic City Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday afternoon at Harrah's Resort and Casino.  This was my second time going down to AC with the twins and staying at Harrah's.  I was very excited to go away for the weekend and have an excuse to get dressed up, but its definitely a little hard to be in AC when you're not 21.  However, we enjoyed great dinners on Friday and Saturday nights and awesome breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday morning, and even got to do a little shopping at the outlets Saturday afternoon.  

Here's a picture from Saturday night's dinner at Bill's Burger.

It was definitely a great start to the summer, which I'm hoping will be filled with many great memories! Can't wait to share with you all what the rest of the summer holds! :)

xoxo,
Brown Eyed Girl