Finding My New "Happy"

Me at 5:00 a.m. with LOTS of black coffee.

I survived two things over the weekend:

-My first holiday on my strict bikini meal plan.

-My first road trip to Vegas on my strict bikini meal plan.

For those of you who don't know, I am from Las Vegas, so most of my immediate family still live there.

Aside from my family members, there is one other very important person who lives there...

My hair stylist. 

Because of this, I visit Las Vegas precisely every 7 weeks. 

That's right. I go to Vegas to get my hair done every 7 weeks. She's THAT good.

To avoid traffic, A.B. and I decided to leave on Saturday morning at 5 a.m. to make it in time for our 10:00 a.m. hair appointment. (She cuts A.B.'s hair too!)

So, with a little over 24 hours to plan for, we knew we needed to break down and purchase a cooler for our Vegas adventures. We headed over to Target and picked up this baby....

Then the measuring, calculating and packing took place. 

It's crazy to see how much food one has to pack for just a 24 hour period!

Anyway, the reason I titled this post "Finding My New 'Happy'" is because I found myself feeling very sad as I approached the weekend. 

I was sad because I couldn't eat this....or drink that. 

A.B. and I wouldn't be able to go out to dinner or kick back with a pizza when we got home from our trip.

And as I realized that all my happiness was wrapped up in food, 

I felt embarrassed.

Seriously, Dawnya? Seriously? You rely THAT MUCH on food to make you happy??

Suddenly, the road to my bikini competition became even longer and I started feeling overwhelmed with my decision.

So, bad mood and all, I stocked up on black coffee and we hit the road for Vegas.

I made it to my appointment and already felt better being a fresh redhead again!

After my appointment, I met up with my girls, Shana and Edwina, for some MUCH needed thrifting therapy! We talked about fitness and eating healthy and the challenges we're all facing. 

I can't even tell you how comforting it is to spend time with people who are living the same lifestyle you are. You don't have to explain why you're pulling a tupperware container of chicken out of your purse or why you need to get home to your food after a few hours because it's time to eat again.

Such a relief...and definitely something I needed. 

Practically got a new wardrobe for $40. I LOVE thrifting!!!!

After thrifting, A.B. and I headed back to my sister's where I spent the entire evening hanging out with her and my two nephews. It was so great and I loved every second of it!!!!

The next morning we hit the road and made sure to stop at our favorite gas station.

(My favorite because it's super clean and I love the name!)

Ok, so...to wrap up this long post, I'll tell you what I realized when it was all over.

Not only did I survive my weekend...I LOVED my weekend.

I loved my weekend... even though I had to sit and eat oatmeal while my hair was being dyed, ate chicken and spinach out of a container at Starbucks, had to pull the car off the freeway to dig a fork out of my trunk just because it was "time to eat". I managed to pull all of this off and STILL have a great time!

It's the people you love and spending time with them that matter. 

Yes, I  miss pizza and of course I miss wine. It's not like I'm an alien.

 But ultimately, those aren't the things that make me happy and I'm so glad my Vegas trip happened when it did, because I needed this lesson right from the start. 

My bikini competition will have many more challenges. 

But, in my opinion, I think I won this round...

and I KNOW I found my new "happy".