Party Like Dr. Seuss

Hello, lovelies!

As this is my last Halloween weekend of my college career, I have decided to go ALL OUT.

Last night, my friend and I were Dr. Seuss' Thing 1 & Thing 2.

The originals:

Our "cuter" version (I'm Thing 1):


...and here's a couple more pics, just 'cause I was rockin' my new bootay ;-)


We danced, we drank (way too much), we ate, we flirted, we danced some more, and we had the best time ever.

It was worth every hungover second. Went to bed at 5:30 am, got up at 1:00pm. Ate lunch at 2:00pm. I feel like such a lazy college kid...and i love it.

Going out again tonight. This time, the new boy interest and I are doing a "couples" costume. I'll post photos tomorrow, but I'm not telling what we are dressing as.

Here are 3 clues:

1. Polka dots
2. Sweater vests
3. Sneakers


Can you guess what "couple" B & I are going to be tonight???

My 100th Post!

It's my 100th Post!!!

I started Hot Coco(a) in the summer of 2009 after being inspired by Eating Disorder Recovery blogs as well as Healthy Living blogs. I wanted to share my own experiences in recovery, and admittedly, I really just needed a place to express my feelings when I was struggling.

In the past year and a half, I have come a looong way. Am I "recovered"? Not exactly. But am I in a stable and solid place in my recovery? Absolutely.

In fact, I am thinking of perhaps shifting the focus of my blog a bit. Instead of talking about eating disorders all the time, and the troubles anorexia has brought to my life, I want to make this blog have a more general, positive focus. Although I don't consider myself completely recovered, I feel like my eating disorder is no longer my "identity". Thus, I want this blog to be more about me and my life, rather than about my anorexia. Is my eating disorder a part of me? Yes, I think it still is, in both positive and negative ways. My experience has given me so much wisdom and appreciation for what my body can do. And yes, I still have my slip-ups and rough patches. But I am finally at a healthy weight (which I have been able to maintain while still living independently at college, getting decent grades, and working part-time!), and I finally have positive people and activities in my life that have nothing to do with my eating-disordered self.

Maybe ED still lurks in the background and rears his ugly head from time to time, but I am now strong enough and confident enough to tame that beast and go on with my day--and my life.

So, from now on, my posts will be more about my life. Yes, they will involve food, as food has (amazingly!) become a source of enjoyment and fun in my life. But the blog will also focus on the next phase of my life as I graduate from college and make my way into the real world.

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So, to wrap up this epic 100th post, I leave you with some photos. The first set is of me in the spring of 2009, when I was still in the throes of my eating disorder and started this blog:

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And the second is a series of photos of me NOW. I literally took these last night. I am proud of my new body and I want to show you that
recovery is possible, and life is beautiful!

I hope you follow me on the next leg of journey, and I thank you for your support thus far.

Recovery Means...

Recovery Means...

Suggesting that your parents take you out to dinner on a random Monday night...and actually looking forward to it

Baking muffins, cookies, and zucchini bread for your friends and family...and actually partaking in the eating of said baked goods.

...and licking the batter during the baking process of said items...

...and perhaps eating a cookie fresh out of the oven for the simple reason that it smells delicious, looks delicious, and you must taste-test your baked goods before feeding them to your loved ones, right?

.... Right!!!

Recovery means...

Buying new (larger) jeans, and looking at yourself in the mirror in the dressing room with admiration of your round booty and toned legs, without a hint of disgust.

Coming home and purging all of those old "sick" clothes from your closet...and feeling oddly satisfied about it.

Ordering a martini at dinner and having an extra piece of bread from the bread basket, simply because you feel like it.

Stepping out of the shower and meeting eyes with yourself in the mirror.

Recovery means...

Socializing with friends, even when it doesn't fit your "plan" for the day...like when someone calls you at the last minute wanting to meet for coffee...

...and you order a slice of fresh-baked banana bread with your coffee, simply because you want it.

...even if you've already had your "snack" that day.


These are just a few of the things recovery has slowly given me.

What does recovery mean for you?