Why My Followers Sazzle

You can't Sazzle without having great friends. I am in a terrific mood tonight (might get to see Niko this weekend - yaaaaaaay!), so I am going to share some love and tell you why all my blog followers Sazzle.

For those of you that read my blog but aren't official "followers" - you Sazzle too - but I don't know you are reading so I can't tell everyone why you Sazzle. Feel free to add yourself as a follower.

In no particular order: (Actually, it might be in order of who became a follower of the new blog)

Mom Sazzles because she is my mom. She Sazzles because she will drop anything to help me. I remember when I cut my finger really bad in college. Mom dropped everything just to drive to Allendale and check it out...not to mention the millions of things she did for me before and after that.

"Michelle" Sazzles because she was one of the sweetest employees I ever had. She was the first employee I had in Columbus that ACTUALLY liked me.

Danielle Sazzles because she wants everyone to be happy and thus is extremely inclusive of those going through a lonely time.

Jamie Sazzles because she must be one of the strongest people in the world. She is pregnant for the first time and her husband is away on active duty. Bless her for keeping a positive attitude.

Katie Sazzles because she is true to herself. I know I said this last night about her, but I have been known to conform and I respect people that are true to who they are.

Amanda Sazzles because she is my cousin :) She sazzles because she is ALWAYS positive. She always tells me positive, supportive things. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. Sazzlerific!

Martha Sazzles because she is encouraging and inclusive and barely knows me.

Kirsti Sazzles because she has known me for almost 9 years and I don't think we have ever gotten in a fight and perhaps not even a disagreement. Plus, she sazzles because she lets me talk her ear off and doesn't look bored when I ramble :)

Abby Sazzles because she understands that sometimes I just need to be told that someone loves me and knowns that sometimes I just need a hug - and she delivers. She knows when I am going to cry and tries to help stop it. Plus, when I am happy - we have the best movie/drinky nights.

Sarah Sazzles because she is my sister :) The older she gets the more I can't believe that she is taller than me and going to college next year. Remember Sarah Marie - I did, indeed, change your diapers. Ask Mom - I changed more than Dad did - true story.

Hillary Sazzles because I don't think she ever complains. Even when Molly got muddy paws all over everything, she still could joke. Hillary Sazzles because she encourages me to take good steps.

Raquel Sazzles because she reminds me every time that I talk to her that I deserve happiness and she tells me I am fabulous. She Sazzles because she is one of the most rational, reliable, and strongest person I know. Plus, Raquel is the only Michigan fan I love to death!!! I actually tell her good luck sometimes - however, I won't be doing that this weekend :)

Brandon Sazzles because when I was laid off from the bank, him and James left the building, tracked me down in their car and gave me hugs and let me cry. They LEFT the building to come find me. One of the most touching moments of my life. Thanks B!!!

Paula Sazzles because she invites me to come see her and cheer on State because she knows I am going through a tough time. She gets why I miss my dog so much and was there right away for me when others didn't know what to say.

Tami Sazzles because she makes me smile EVERY time she posts a blog. She is encouraging but won't walk on eggshells around me - she still gives me a hard time and I love it. Someone has to keep me on my toes.

Jen Sazzles because she is so Ducky. Jen Sazzles because watching her accomplish something makes me so happy. Congrats on the engagement!!!

Crystal Sazzles because she loves football like I do and she understands it. It is fun to have another girl to discuss players with. She invites me out so I am not a loser and stay home.

I am a Happy, Happy Stephanie who might actually get to see my baby this weekend. For that reason, everything and everyone Sazzles right now!!!!

Side Note: I just realized that my sister Elizabeth still hasn't become a follower of the second blog. You still Sazzle Elizabeth - but you have to add yourself dear!

Got out of the Apartment!!!!

I have to keep this a bit short because I would like to get in a little bit of treadmill before I go to bed.

Tonight I had dinner and shoe shopping with one of my absolute faves - Kirsti. We have the best time together. Here are some things that happened:

A. I bought a pair of Nike Mary Janes. I already own the exact pair - same color. However, they were on clearance and I know someday my current ones will fall apart because I wear them so much. Now they will last twice as long!

B. I bought a hat. Too cute. Mom - is is like that one I saw for $60, but I got it for $13! TJ Maxx baby! Picture later.

C. Kirsti found the pair of shoes she wanted! Ankle boots - way cute!

D. I did NOT find the booties I wanted. Ok, I did find some, but they were $100. I am hope my Shoe Dazzle has some booties this month - they are only $39.

E. I ate soup, breadsticks and shrimp. An extremely random assortment of food.

F: Kirsti's salad was bad. The oranges were fermented. Bad.

G: I tried on this coat that fit, but honestly came down to my ankles. I wore it with my new hat and it looked like I was investigating a crime - so I proceeded to walk around TJ Maxx for a sec for fun. Side note: Sometimes being short sucks - however quite funny - we had a great time with the 5' tall coat!

F. Kirsti rocks my socks off. She is Sazzle.

I am Sazzle because I did something nice for someone today and I truly think I put her at ease. Helping someone really makes me feel Sazzle!!!

Reasons Why I'm So Awesome that I'm Sazzle

I was complaining that I had no life the other day and Hillary gave me a great idea. Post reasons why I qualify for the name Sazzle. Great Idea!!!

I have a few reasons already:

1. I Sazzle because: I have done 5 miles on the treadmill each day for the last 2 days. I walk most of it, but 5 miles walking still rocks - actually, it Sazzles.
2. I Sazzle because: I stood up for myself today. The pre-Sazzle Stephanie would let people walk all over her.
3. I Sazzle because I recognize that I am really good at a few things.
4. I Sazzle because I have a great support system.
5. I Sazzle because my eyes are pretty. Duane and all...

That's a start. Have a great evening everyone!!!!

And the Winner is...Sazzle

I have been awarded the “Kreativ Blog Award” by Tami. What a wonderful thing to happen to me! Thank you very much Tami!!!

For those of you that don't know Tami, you should read her blog. It is one of the funniest I have seen. Tami and I rode the school bus together for years - true story. Seriously - read her blog - I log in each day to see if she has a new one.

http://therothreport.blogspot.com/

Here is my award: Pretty, right?

The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each.

I am pretty much an open book, but I will try to come up with things you don't know about me. Here goes!

7 things you may not know about me…

1. I am a slave to my daily schedule. Shower time is exactly 7am (for example). I ALWAYS walk/run on the treadmill during Survivor and The Office. Yes, quite OCD. If I don't follow my schedule or something causes a disruption, I am out of it for the entire day, and usually grumpy. This is another reason why I can be a shut-in - going out hasn't become part of my schedule yet.
2. I drink almost nothing but Crystal Light individual packets. Peach Mango Green Tea. If they don't have it at the store when I run out, I get pretty upset. Usually I have about 10 boxes on hand. It is orange/peach colored.
3. One summer I was laid off. While I was quite focused on getting a new job, (applied for 110 positions) I decided that since I got to sleep in each day, it was a great time to learn to like beer. So, I trained my taste buds to like beer by drinking it almost every night. Only for a little over a week so don't freak out. In turn, I began loving wine and coffee. Weird, huh?
4. I am DEATHLY afraid of June Bugs. Long story but basically I was in Trinidad with my high school youth group and there were so many that they were crawling in our hair, climbing on our bodies...everywhere. I absolutely lose it when I see them now.
5. I refuse to date men under 6' - usually not under 6'2". I am 5'1". I am afraid to date a short guy because I don't want to be known as the "little people" and I would like normal sized children.
6. There was about an 8-9 month span where every morning I would wake up at 5am, just to cuddle with Niko on the couch for 2 hours before I had to get ready for work. It was our Mommy-Puppy time. The only reason I stopped doing it is because she started sleeping with us, so all night was cuddle time. Niko is a fantastic cuddler.
7. I have Duane Syndrome. Left-side only. Look it up. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1198559-overview

So, now I am going to give away awards myself. The lucky winners are:

1. Danielle. Love seeing Danielle every day at work because she has some of the most beautiful hair ever and she always has it done a different way. She is new to blogging so check out her blog: http://dnelly034.blogspot.com/
2. Manda. My best friend in Columbus, Ohio. Ah...we had great times at that restaurant we always went to - and we joined a gym together for awhile...then I got a stress fracture in my foot from having my shoe laces too tight :) Love her. Check out her blog. http://varietythespiceofmylife.blogspot.com/
3. Jen. One of the sweetest employees I ever had at the bank. Some of the best moments were seeing her accomplishments. She is getting married soon - check out her blog: http://ducky4300.blogspot.com/
4. Gotta give love to Martha. I met Martha at her sister's birthday party. One of the first times I have really been outgoing and found that she is fantastic. Now she is blogging, which is cool. And she just MAY convince me to do a 5K soon. (Tami, Hillary, Elizabeth - I guess there is one in Fremont in October). Check out Martha's blog. She is new and needs followers: http://martha-smeyers.blogspot.com/
5. Katie. Another new blogger :) Katie knits some cute stuff, but that's not why I follow. Katie is true to herself, which I greatly admire in people. Plus, she is so sweet and just plan fabulous. Check out her blog: http://hootsncrafts.blogspot.com/
6. Kim. Gotta give a major shout-out to the person that inspired me to blog. Check out her blog: http://theroossienreport.blogspot.com/
7. Amanda. She doesn't update her blog daily like I do but she has one of the cutest blogs - and cutest daughters ever. Check out her blog: http://theahohappenings.blogspot.com/

Hillary and Elizabeth: I left you off so that you don't have to fill it out again - I know Tami got you.

However, everyone check out Hillary and Elizabeth's blogs:

Hillary: http://runningwithsanders.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth: http://dahlstromschoolofdiscoveryandfaith.blogspot.com/

Top 10 Reasons Why You Have No Life:

10. You are only out of your pajamas from 8am-6pm. That is enough time to get to and from work.

9. You listen to your blog song 10 times in a row so that you can dance to Paula Abdul and pretend you are really good dancing in a club and everyone thinks your cool.

8. You hang shelves and hooks in your closet at 11:30 pm. After all, you can create a new system to organize your outfits on the weekend and save time and energy during the week.

7. You toggle between Facebook and your blog over and over and over again for hours to see if anyone has commented on anything about you.

6. You watch the Golden Girls every night when you get home. Over the past few months, you have seen some of the same episodes about 10 times.

5. Your idea of excitement is going back to the tanning salon after recovering from the flesh-eating bacteria on your arm. (It might still be a bit soon but I am going to try it anyway)

4. Your Mom is too busy to talk to you.

3. You take pictures of your shoes, upload them, shrink them all to the exact same size, print them in color, cut them out, tape them to the outside of the shoe boxes, and sort them by color and style before putting them back on the shelf.

2. Organize and reorganize and reorganize and reorganize every closet, drawer, cupboard, tote, box, shelf and room that you have - writing lists of different organizational items you will want to buy. And then hang out on organize.com, which is like porn to you.

And the Number 1 Reason why you have no life:

1. You spend time writing a blog like this.


***I should probably also add that you are pretty nervous in new situations, so you don't really ask people to hang out - and part of you just wants to hide out in your cave until ... well, I don't know exactly what for...but just to hide out there for some reason...

What's With the Music?

Here's the deal: the music will change with my mood. Stay tuned.

However, sometimes I just hear a song and have to add it. Can you tell I was watching ABDC last night?

Curse of the Muffin Top

Oh yes, indeed, I am going there. Don't worry - I won't be posting a picture of it.

Here's the thing: I have one of THOSE bodies. Now, everyone in unison: "Awe". I have lost a few pounds lately, but I am in between pants. My fat pants are too big and the 6 pairs of pants I really want to wear are too small. Well, I can physically put them on and button but the all-beautiful muffin top is present, so I cannot wear them in public.

With a tremendous amount of working out and not eating anything fun, I can transform my body. That means less than 1000 calories per day, not eating after 7pm, no beer, no sugar, no chocolate, and doing tons and tons and tons and tons of cardio.

Last May, I did it. A month of insanity transformed me to a lean, mean, hottness machine. This is the best picture I can find to show off how great my legs and body were. Mind you, I was at a wedding with an open bar, so I am a bit intoxicated spinning rims on this car. (Hey, I was on vacation and the guy was cool with it)

No, I am not grabbing myself, I am holding my dress - just so that you know :)

It's extremely hard to mantain that lifestyle. After I got back from vacation, I re-pierced my belly button. Sweat would irritate it and it was infected a bunch in the beginning. Thus, I got out of my workout routine. Then, I got laid off and my days were spent looking for jobs. Next, I got a new job and dealt with all the stress of that. Ok, excuses, excuses, I know...but that's what happened. Finally, I am getting back into a decent workout routine.

In exactly 2 weeks from today, I am leaving for NYC for 4 days. Work trip - gotta love it. However, I cannot wear the fat pants because they are saggy and terrible. But, I can't wear the smaller pants. I don't want to have to buy pants I hopefully would be too thin for very quickly, so I have to work my butt off for the next 14 days to get into them. I am only about 5 lbs away. I can do that, right?

Treadmill: 3 miles tonight. Hillary, don't get excited - I walked most of it. It is something. Any encouragement would be much appreciated and I will let you all know if I meet my goal. Cross your fingers!!!

Saturday Part 3

Saturday didn't turn out so boring after all. After the last update, I:

• Watched the end of the MSU game which was a horrible loss. For play by play details, check this out:

http://sportsguideforwomen.blogspot.com/

• Then I decided to drain my ear. Oh yes, folks, the cyst-like squishy bump on the back of my ear. It was bothering me and I figured I could drain it by myself. There was a lot of blood but it is drained now and I am happy :)
• I organized my shoes. They look beautiful now - as I printed photos of my shoes and taped them to the outside of the shoebox. Simply beautiful. Check this out:

• After the shoe organizing, I started to hear a weird ticking noise. It sounded like someone was trying to light a gas burner. You know - that tick, tick, tick sound before it catches fire? I went to my kitchen. Nothing. Hmmm. So, I went out on the balcony and there is was. A bird was making the crazy noise. I couldn't believe how loud it was. The thing is, I had 3 tvs on (that way I could always hear football no matter what room I am in) so I couldn't believe that I could hear it.
• I changed my sheets, made my bed, and washed the other sheets. Anyone want to cuddle?

• I then watched the episode of The Office that I missed this week since I was having dinner with my boss. The Dwight/Toby relationship is quite interesting but poor Toby always gets the shaft of everything. Congrats to Jim! Hmmm...we shall see how that one turns out.

• Laundry - 3 loads finished
• Bathrooms - cleaned
• Squirrel: I saw a crazy one jumping from tree to tree with a gigantic nut in his mouth. Probably the biggest nut I have ever seen. It sort of looked like this:

• Then, out of the blue I got an invite from Meredith and Dave to go to Dr. Grins - a comedy club in the B.O.B. I haven't seen Mere since the date I moved, so I was very excited to see her. Dave and Meredith picked me up, so hurray for D.D.!!! :) They came, saw my apartment, laughed at my newly-organized shoes, and we headed out.
• We got to the B.O.B. really early because with Art Prize going on, we wanted to make sure we got parking. If you don't know what Art Prize is, check this out:

http://www.artprize.org/home

• Since we were 2 hours early, we started drinking. :) Here are Meredith and me probably only one drink in. Now, most people can handle their alcohol, but those Vodka and Cranberries were strong last night. After a few drinks I was good to go.

Marc, Steph and Ella showed up too. We ended up running into Melissa, Suze, and Ryan Wood - who actually lives in Toledo and was up for the weekend. I drank on a very empty stomach so I hate a bunch of food at Dr. Grins so that I wouldn't get sick. Here we are before the show. As you can see, Marc is really excited to get his picture taken.

Who was the comedian? The first 7-Up guy. He was CRAZY funny. Meredith and I were crying we were laughing so hard. Good times.

• Godfrey made some comment in the show that the only thing to do in Michigan was "date". Apparently folks, I have a slight problem.
• The show went on much longer than they normally do. I think Godfrey was liking the audience so he kept going. By time it was done, we were ready for bed - after all, we are old now.
• This is where the story would normally end. However, it doesn't.

I came home and did what any really lonely, drunk girl with a clean apartment and fresh sheets would do....

....

....

I took self-portraits!!! What did you think? Booty call? HA...first, you have to meet guys for that to happen. Plus, it's just not Sazzle Style :)

Wow...I may be old but sometimes I act like I am 15 and pose Emo-Style - but I won't share those pics. Side note: my hair has really grown a lot, hasn't it?

Saturday Part 2

Trying to stay focused, but the MSU football game, while sad and depressing, is keeping my attention.

However, I am about to throw away a pair of shoes...yes, really. Tear. They need to be thrown away as they are falling apart. It is really sad because they are a pair of booties I wore a lot last year.

Bye shoes - it was nice while it lasted.

Saturday Part 1

Recently I have been a bit lazy at night and on the weekends. I keep telling myself that I am going to go out and have fun as soon as I get everything perfect in the apartment. (Cleaning, organizing, etc...)

Well, I think it is in part me trying to stay in my little box and not go out in the real world...as I have become a shut in. Well, today I have a checklist and I am determined to get everything completed today so that I have no reason to NOT go out tomorrow.

Wish me luck and I will give an update tonight.

GO STATE!!! (MSU is playing Wisconsin right now)

FML

Perhaps it is from having a degree in Journalism, but I hate text language. Sure, I use LOL and LMAO like everyone else, but that is about the extent of it.

Gr8 is not a word to me. U confuses me. R is stupid...and those are just the easy ones. There are a bunch that I have no idea what they mean. Does that mean I am getting old or just a grammar geek? Either way, when I send a text, I type out the whole word....and I could probably win a texting race over the average person; but I digress

I ran across two people using FML today. Hmmm...couldn't figure it out. What could that mean? Unfortunately, I figured it out too late...

Shoe Lover

The only thing wrong with this picture is that I don't have more. Here are all the heels 3" and taller.

That's 20 pairs folks :)

Shoe Dazzle #1

My very first shoe of the month just arrived. The fit is great and they look fierce!

The background is the pretty pink bag that comes in the shoe box with the shoes. Fantastic! This one is called "Kiss" and is a 5" strappy peep toe.

Sazzle Style

While the past few months I have been blogging, I decided to change my blogging name. I am embracing a new and exciting part of my life with a fierce attitude.

Stephanie Dazzles = Sazzle

Welcome to Sazzle Style!