Go Home Panda. You're drunk.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I totally know I did.

My day started off with meeting my good friend Jena for lunch at Honey Pig.
What is Honey Pig? I am glad you asked. It is the most amazing Korean BBQ place in Annandale, VA.
It's sort of like Hibachi, in that your food is cooked right in front of you/ at your table. It differs from Hibachi because you don't get a show. You order your meat and they waitress comes to toss it on the wok. She will occasionally pass by to stir or cut the meat, but really, it is all on you. Jena and I always order the thinly sliced spicy pork belly. AKA the Korean equivalent to bacon. Lots of spicy, spicy bacon. We totally demolished it.

Also to be noted, this place is open 24 hours. 

After Honey Pig we wanted/needed to walk off all the food, so we headed to the National Zoo. The Zoo is part of the Smithsonian, so it's free! (Parking, however, is not!) It was too cold for most of the animals, so we went through a lot of "houses" (The Reptile House, The Bird House, etc). It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. The National Zoo is more sprawling than I thought it would be, which was interesting considering I had run my first 5K that very morning before lunch! By the end of the day I was pooped! 

All in all I had a great time, and this is by far the best picture of a panda I have ever seen:

"Go home panda! You're drunk." -Jena

Love,

Tina Marie

I did it!

1. I am taking a page out of Annie's book, and pretending like I never took a months long hiatus from blogging. I am diving back in.

2. I FINALLY did my 5k!

What it all comes down to is that after I moved to Virginia I was ridiculously lax about my running schedule. I am working at night, and have been using that as an excuse not to exercise. About a month ago a bunch of my friends signed up for The Turkey Trot in Arlington. I waited too long to sign up (they sold out) but ran it anyways sans number. My unofficial (stop watch) time is 41 minutes. It's nothing to brag about time wise, but considering I just decided to run 3 miles after taking weeks and weeks off, I was pretty proud of myself.

These are the fabulous ladies I ran the race with. We all broke apart once the race started, but we all hung out together at the finish line!

I am so lucky and thankful to have such awesome friends. I am also really happy that I finally crossed this off my 30B430 list!

Finally, because she has always been an inspiration to me, this one is for Theodora!

A race isn't officially over until you take a picture holding a banana! 

Love,

Tina Marie

Running Like the Wind

Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly running like the wind, but I AM running. Even though I let one of my 30b430 goals get away from me doesn't mean I will let all of the slide away. I keep trying to schedule a time to accomplish number six:

Run a 5k, no walking allowed.

I'm so close to this goal. I started the Couch to 5K program 6 weeks ago. It's an eight week program, and by the end of it I'm supposed to be able to run a 5K. I have to say... It is working! It's a great training program, it really built me up from nothing. When I started I couldn't even run 30 seconds without needing to stop and walk. I'm now up to 10 minute runs! I know it might not sound like a lot, but for me it is a HUGE accomplishment. Also, I don't just run 10 minutes, I just get a break and get to walk after 10 minutes. Usually the break is about 3 minutes long, and then I run for another 10 minutes. I really think that I'll be able to accomplish my goal in just a few more weeks. The biggest problem is going to be finding a 5K to run in. I had plans to run in a 5K in NOLA, but now I'm not sure that will happen, as I am moving. The goal is to find a 5K in East Texas. They are plentiful in Dallas, which is a good hour drive from my parent's house. I may have to suck it up and drive it. We will see. In the meantime I'm just really excited to reach my goal. I even think I want to continue with the running and train for a 10K next!


Love,
Tina Marie

Kids, You Tried and You Failed. The Lesson is: Never Try.

I love that Simpson's quote. Seriously.

I know about a million days have passed since I last blogged. I totally failed at my 30b430 goal of blogging twice a week. Cest' la vie.
Not that it's a reason, but my main excuse is that my laptop was stolen. Yep, sucks. I still haven't replaced it either. Thank God for the Loyola Library and my student ID still working.
So much has happened since my last entry. The biggest announcement is...

I'M MOVING BACK TO VIRGINIA!

Crazy, I know. Trust me I didn't arrive at this decision lightly. I really wanted things to work out in New Orleans. I was excited to settle down, and start a new life here, but alas, things don't always turn out as you plan. People are asking why I'm moving bacj, there are a few reasons, these two are the biggest:

1. I was disillusioned. My memories of New Orleans are all from college. I of course knew that things would be different, but all I could think about were the festivals, parades, warm weather, tubing and all the other things that made me love this city so much. In reality all of those things are just as amazing as I remembered, but what I didn't remember was the crime, the dirtiness, the inability to walk from my car to my front door without looking over my shoulder, the lack of education, the commuting. Some of these may seem trivial, but after living in one of the nicest zip codes in America for the past six years, it was really hard to come back to this. I consider myself a pretty tough person. I grew up without a lot of money, and I'm no stranger to the struggles of the middle class, but living in New Orleans is beyond that. The bad neighborhoods are everywhere, crime is everywhere. You see people littering on a daily basis. You see people just not caring about their environment. It's all really hard to witness. The Texan in me is viciously proud, so when I see people not taking care of my neighborhood it makes me angry. When I see kids wandering the streets in the middle of the day, instead of at school, it makes me angry. When I have to drive everyplace I go, because I'm too scared to walk alone at night, it makes me angry. All of this really shattered the rainbows and puppies illusion of New Orleans that I had built up.

2. Friends. The other reason I'm moving back to Virginia is because I miss my family there. Not my biological family, but the friends I made into family. New Orleans people are some of the greatest people on earth, but as an "outsider" it's hard to make friends here. Everyone who lives here is from here, and they have all had the same friends for life. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. When people here ask where you went to school, they don't mean college, they mean high school. High school pride is huge here, it's how everyone is connected. As someone from Texas, by way of Virginia, it seemed impossible to meet people my own age. I'm sure it can be done, but I was just not having any luck. I had a few sorority friends here, and I want to give them all the credit in the world, they are the reason I made it 7 months. Alas, I am a social butterfly, and I just needed more interaction. I know that I can get that in DC.

So, I tried New Orleans, and I failed New Orleans. It's not like I'll never be back. I still love the city and her people. I just know now that Virginia is my home.

Love, Tina Marie

PS- It would be wrong not to mention the social media campaign for my return to Virginia.
A fake twitter was made: https://twitter.com/FakeVATina
Hats/ Logos were made: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize/product2.aspx?from=CustomDesigner&number=666634944
A Petition was sent out: http://www.change.org/petitions/tina-cordova-move-back-to-virginia
And a facebook page was made: https://www.facebook.com/TinaCordovaMoveBackToVirginia

Thanks ya'll, you really make a girl feel loved.

Little Known Facts

Now that I have moved I am even more aware of finances and how much things cost. I'm a big penny pincher, but I also love going out to eat and  looooove sitting in coffee shops to work. I have learned a few tricks in my time to pinch those pennies even farther, and now I am here to share them with you.

The Starbucks Refill

Did your mind just get blown? You can refill your beverage at Starbucks for either fifty four cents, or for free.
Here is how. As much as you love the grande frappucino with extra whip and a shot of expresso, it isn't the cheapest thing on the menu, it's also a "specialty drink". Instead opt for a Grande coffee with a shot of caramel, or my summer favorite the passion fruit shaken iced tea lemonade. All the non specialty beverages are refillable for just fifty four cents (tax included, so it may very by a few cents in your state). BUT there is more if you have a starbucks rewards card the refill is FREE. A rewards card is free, it's basically a starbucks giftcard. If you find yourself a Starbucks patron more than once a month it would behoove you to pay with a giftcard/rewards card. Your purchase is 5% off and you get free refills. Also, if you don't go to starbucks don't hesitate to ask your local coffeehouse about their refill policy. I know that CC's offers one free refill as well.

Free Auto Zone Reading

Did a light just go off on the dashboard of your car? You have no idea what's wrong? The first step you should take is driving yoru car over to AutoZone for a free on board diagnostic reading. Basically a customer service associate will ome out to your car and hook up the device. Within a minute or two you will have a free diagnostic reading on your car. Your problem might be as simple as a bulb replacement. you definitely don't want to pay a mechanic $100 an hour to tell you the same thing. Also, if your battery is drained AutoZone will recharge it for FREE. They also have a tool loan program. If you put down a deposit you can check out a tool for a day. Just bring it back and get your deposit back. It's totally worth it to sign up for their rewards program. If you know how to change your own oil they run a special for all the oil you need and a filter for $10! That's way better than $30-$40 at Jiffy Lube. If you find that you still need to go to a mechanic do a little research and find one that offers free estimates. After you get your estimate don't be afraid to call around a bit to get the best price. A little research will save you a lot of money in the long run.

E Book Loan Program/ Free Books

If you are like me and love to read you may own a kindle or a nook. Did you know you can check out library books with your E Reader as long as you have a library card? Instead of shelling out $10 or more for a book, you can check them out and return them without every leaving the comfort of your home. Also, Google has a free book downloading program with Google Play. It's mostly classic books, but sometimes classics make for the best read.

That's all the tips for now, but if you have more feel free to post below!

Love, Tina Marie

Things I Am Looking Forward To/ Tina's Favorite Things

*** April 9th Post***

So After my last kind of downer of a post I figured I should brighten everyone's day with things I'm looking forward to/ Tina's favorite things list.

Casey's Bachelorette Weekend/ California in August! 

This is our beach retreat in Atlantic City. Fabulous times were had. 

I love hanging out with my sorority sisters. Even when we haven't seen each other in months and years we always manage to pick back up where we left off. It's amazing to have sisters all across the world (Hey Tamsin, you make Epsilon Mu and international thing!)

Pairing/ Favorite thing for this trip: 

My giant straw hat. 

If you don't have a giant straw hat you have no idea what you are missing out on. It's fashionable, you can tie a variety of ribbons around the base to fit any color scheme. It's beige so it doesn't show dirt, and it's travels amazingly well... or at least mine does. I take it along any time I plan to be out and about outside. Love it. 

Second thing I'm looking forward to: 

DC Trip/ Memorial Day in the OBX!

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time (OBX 2009)

Every Memorial Day my DC friends and I would leave the city for Memorial Day and take refuge in a huge house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I love the beaches there, and it always made for a nice extra long weekend get away with friends. Even though I live in NOLA now I have decided to keep the OBX tradition alive (I'm the planner). This year not only will it be an awesome weekend at the beach, but it will be an awesome weekend with my friends who I haven't seen in SIX MONTHS! So excited! 

Awesome Pairing/ Thing I love: 

My lodge cast iron skillet. 

I know that this may seem like an odd pairing for a beach trip, but trust me, they go together. My friend Sarah makes the most amazing pancakes in the world. She makes them for the whole group at the beach. She bakes them on cast iron skillets in the oven. Maybe some day I'll get her to guest post and share the recipe with ya'll... Sarah? 

Till then, know that this is a great skillet for a great price, and I highly recommend. 

Final thing I'm looking forward to: 

My own place to live! 

I've been sharing a house, but I've decided to get a place all my own. I'm super excited about this. 

Thing I love/ Awesome Pairing: 

Pinterest! I've been able to keep track of a lot of my awesome decorating ideas on my pinterest boards. 

You can follow me too!

http://pinterest.com/cordova_tina/

So now it's time to go on pinterest and waste 3-4 hours. :)

Love, 

Tina Marie

It's Not All Sunshine and Lollipops

As all of you know I recently moved to New Orleans.
I have had a great time here so far, and I think I've done a good job chronicling it.

From Mardi Gras...

To the Indians...

To oyster shucking...

Most of my experiences here have been good ones, but not all have been. 

I was inspired by my friend Kennedy to write about my living in New Orleans, and the transition I went/ am going through. It isn't all good. A lot of it is very stressful. The whole moving thing in general is stressful, and throw 1500 miles in there, and you become a big old ball of stress. Not to mention that I didn't have a place to live when I moved here. I was lucky enough to have good friends who put up with me for 7 weeks before I moved out. However, I'm the kind of person who HATES to inconvenience people. It was really hard to know that I was putting them out for that time. On top of these obvious stress inducers there were also the little things that I had to adjust to. The traffic/ commute time. In Virginia it took me 15 minutes to get anywhere I wanted to go. I rarely went into DC unless it was for work, and even then I either took the metro in, or timed it so I wasn't driving in traffic. My good friend Tamsin lived "far" and it took me 20 minutes to get to her house (which was still less that 10 miles away from my house). In NOLA a 20 minute commute anywhere is standard. Going along with the car troubles, is the fact that no one in NOLA walks. Sure, there are tons of runners, but people here run for exercise. In DC I walked as a way of commuting. Everything I wanted was a 1.5mile or less walk away; the move theater, the metro station, bars, restaurants, grocery stores, friend's houses, etc etc. It's weird to be so reliant on my car, and also a little scary knowing that should anything happen to my car I wouldn't be able to do anything until I got a new one. 

Another thing that was hard was changing food that I ate. I always thought I would LOVE moving back south and getting my fill of fried foods. What I didn't realize it that while living in DC/VA I changed my eating habits. I tried many more foods (yay Korean BBQ and Mongolian!) which I can't get in NOLA. Also, I ate a lot more fruits and vegetables, and fried foods became more of a treat than a staple in my diet. The first month I lived here everything tasted like it was over salted. 

I don't want ya'll to think I'm unhappy after this post. I'm still just working out the kinks of living here and changing everything about my life. I just want to be real, and maybe a source for anyone else looking to move. 

Love, 

Tina Marie