Spray Tan: Before and After

  I love summer...fresh fruit, pretty flowers, summer dresses, flip flops and tans.  That last one I was not exactly blessed with.  I am pretty pale and always have been.  I tried tanning beds for while and got that beautiful bronze glow but I worried about the damage I was doing to my skin.  I didn't want to end up looking like Magda one day in the future.

     

  So last week I went out a limb and got a spray tan at Air-Tan in Broad Ripple.  But before I went I needed to weigh the pros and cons...

 

PROS: 

• Back from Barbados look with spending any vacation money
  
• No skin damage
  
• Instant gratification color
  

CONS: 

• Unsure of how it would look (fake, orange, streaky, etc)
  
• Standing semi nude in front of a complete stranger
  

  Well, as you can tell there were more pros than cons so I went for it.  I was sure to take before and after pics.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

  The after pic was taken within a half hour of leaving Air-Tan and the color grew even darker.  I really looked like I had been on vacation.  When I went back to work I had more than one person ask if I had gotten away for the weekend.  My faux golden goddess look had fooled everyone!  SUCCESS :)

Who's Bad? This PYT is bad!

  I have a small obsession with Michael Jackson.  I know he may be strange and an outcast of sorts but he is a musical genius.  His songs remind me of my childhood.  They make me smile and want to dance.      

  So how pumped was I when a Michael Jackson tribute band called Who's Bad was scheduled to perform at the Vogue?  Let me just tell you, I was one happy PYT.  That's Pretty Young Thing for those of you out of the loop.  It's probably one of my all time fave Michael songs.  

  The show was awesome.  Truth be told, this was not my first time to see them.  I have seen them three times now and will so see them again and again.  They are amazing and pretty close to the original with costumes, dance moves and the whole she-bang!

30 Before 30

So as of today I am 27 years 6 months and 23 days old. Many of my friends either already have or are turning 30 this year. This made me think of things I would like to accomplish before I turn 30. Pair that with my obsession with making lists and I present to you "Jackie's 30 Before 30 List."

1) Travel to another country

2) Learn to sew

3) Design & sew myself a fabulous dress

4) Plant a garden

5) Learn to like running

6) Run a mini-marathon

7) By a fabulous piece of art by an up and coming local artist

8) Create my own piece of art

9) Visit New York

10) Visit LA

11) Go surfing

12) Spend a holiday with the needy

13) Learn Spanish (try to retain more than I did in high school)

14) Fly first class

15) Throw an awesome dinner party

16) Sing somewhere other than my car or in the shower (this would make my mom very happy)

17) Take a ballet class (I took 15 years of ballet growing up - hopefully I will be able to at least remember the basics and not fall on my butt)

18) Give being a vegetarian a try

19) Have some professional photos done (sorry - no nudie pics)

20) Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity

21) See a big name artist at a show in Vegas (a show with sequins would be a plus!)

22) Work on my photography skills

23) Go on a wine tasting tour in California

24) Start some sort of side venture/pet project where I am showcasing my creative talents

25) Go on an exciting far away excursion with my mom

26) Go to the Indy 500 with my dad

27) Go skydiving with my brother

28) Plan a big event/party for myself or someone else

29) Buy a forever classic amazing piece for my wardrobe that seems too expensive at the time but I will treasure forever

30) Continue this blog until my 30th birthday (at minimum)

Ode to Padma

I have a major girl crush on Padma Lakshmi. I know this commercial has been around for a while but everytime I see it I think I love her a little more. How ironic that she is practically making out with a burger after I give up meat...that little temptress!

A good old fashioned "Meat Night"

Okay so I'll admit it, I love food. I am probably the least picky eater in the world. There is only 1 food I do not like...cherries, but I like cherry suckers and an occasional Cherry Coke Zero just not plain cherries or cherry pie. So as it turns out I'm not even that picky when it comes to my least favorite food. One thing I do love? MEAT! So Gene, Cory and I thought we would go to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian Steakhouse for "Meat Night" last week. In a word, delicious!

I prepared for the big night by not eating much during the day saving room for the luscious hunks of meat I would be served and served and served again (it is all you can eat after all). I also made sure to wear something that could be forgiving if needed (a cute sweater dress and leggings fit the bill) So we headed downtown hungry, comfy and ready to eat.

We walked in and hit the salad bar first. It was huge with lots of veggies. We took it easy saving room for the main course. I tried the jumbo asparagus and a small salad. After all we weren't there for "Salad Night."

Then came the meat. It was a beautiful sight. There were like 15 different meats floating around the room on swords that were wielded by gauchos (actually wearing gaucho pants I might add). I tried most of the meats even if it was just a nibble. My favorite was the house special or Picanha. It was seasoned with sea salt and garlic and I could smell it from across the room.

Here is the evidence from round 1!

All in all it was a fabulous evening filled with delicious meats, great conversation, wonderful friends and did I mention the caipirinhas?

But at the end of the night I made the decision to say farewell to meat, at least for a while. With the summer months and fresh produce in abundance why not keep them as my focus. My goal is to go meat free for 6 weeks and if I can make it through that alive I may even try the whole summer.

I should probably say a proper goodbye...so here it goes:

Meat, I bid you adieu but at least we went out in style. We had a good thing and believe me, I will miss your rare and medium rare goodness but we just need to go our separate ways for a while. It's not you, it's me. Love~ Jackie