Gym friends, BL, & high/low!

Happy Leap Year Day all! If you have a birthday, happy birthday!! That would really suck to have a birthday on this day! I mean your birthday is one of the best days of the year in my opinion, so not being able to celebrate it every year, psht not happening!

So let's talk gym people. Now I know everyone goes to the gym for different reasons, whether it be to be alone, to release stress, to socialize, or to just get it done. Sometimes we do all of the above. But I am a very social being and my job requires me to be alone ALL day with a 1 yr old. So going home and being alone for a few more hours before my husband gets home really is just depressing to me. So besides going to the gym to get my fitness on, I really like going to socialize.

I used to work at a gym and knew EVERYONE. There were days I felt like I couldn't get a good work out in because people wouldn't leave me alone. But that was my time to be with adults and friends. So moving and switching gyms put me back into not knowing anyone at the gym, which made me really not want to go. We also were going to a different gym previously that didn't have any classes you could take. I realized last night that I think this is what led to weight gain. I didn't know people at the gym and I didn't have classes to motivate me to go. I love classes, and I love getting to know people. Now making friends is motivating me to want to work out more and have fun while I am there!

I also found a running buddy! FINALLY! Someone who runs my pace! And she lives a whole 5 min away! So besides taking classes together, we can run together, and we have plans to shop on Saturday! I am very excited about this because most of my friends are at least 25+ min away, so hanging out requires much planning these days. So it's nice to have someone close now that I can hang out with and work out with! Her name is Jen and I have a feeling she will be in future blogs! :)

These girls knew how to make working out fun! This is what I see my gym experience like. With a friend having fun!

Via Pinterest

Now for the Biggest Loser. As many of you know my former teacher, and now good friend who married us is on this season. His name is Buddy Shuh on the red team. It is awesome to have behind the scenes knowledge and hear how everything works and goes down. I am so very proud of him and I think this week has been the most drama free, and best episode of the year! People need to realize it is a TV show, the more drama you create, the more air time you get. And NBC does a great job mixing things up to make people look how they want them too. They do a great job editing, and cutting things left and right. Just stories I have heard and how false it came across on TV is crazy. So people, don't believe what you see. Remember it's a TV show and they do certain things for ratings. Don't judge these people because you don't know them. They are doing something great, and that is to get their health together and make a better life for themselves. Look at that, not how the show makes them look. But on the DL, for real Conda is not a nice person. So they have that one correct!!

And my last item up for discussion. I saw this quote from Dr. Seuss and it inspired me to do something.

Via Pinterest

I have decided on the last day of the month I am going to start doing a new thing called High/Low. I am going to do the High and the Low of my month. I am also going to do the High and Low of my month for my relationship with God. I want to be honest and real. I am like everyone else, I have good days and bad days and I slack here and there. I think good bloggers aren't all about the glitz, glam, and popularity. They are about being real and honest as well. Not being afraid of being judged. And I challenge you to push yourself to do this. The high part is easy, the low is hard. Admitting defeat, pain, or hardship is hard for anyone. But I am here to provide support and encouragement! So here we go!

February High

Getting enough money back from our taxes that will pay for our honeymoon cruise! I was really nervous we weren't going to be able to afford it!

February Low

Realizing the trauma I have had from my rape has not gone away. You can read about what happened here. It is literally controlling my life & sending me to a bad place. I have lost who I am and feel trapped inside. But in all this, I have realized things need to change, and it's time to get the help I need. This will not go away on it's own. I am seeing options for therapy and am hoping to start going in the next few weeks.

February High Spiritually

Really starting to let go and pray about things first before trying to fix them on my own.

February Low Spiritually

Giving myself excuses to put off bible study or personal time with God. Placing more importance on worldy things than God.

Your turn!

-What kind of gym person are you? Do you like making new friends at the gym?

-What are your thoughts on BL this year?

-Ready to share your high/low moments of February?

Only in Yoga

If you take Yoga, then you may enjoy this post. If you don't then you may not understand this post! Here are a few things said, heard, & thought during a Yoga class from beginning to end. I feel like you are ALL over the place in a yoga class with your thoughts!

pinterest

-"Let your troubles melt into the floor"-if only it were that easy lady! Come on now.
-"Don't think about your bad day or hitting every red light on the way here"-uhm now I am thinking about it, thanks, this is relaxing
-"Focus on your breathing"-if I focus too much I will hold my breath to try and focus.
-" Just relax" (when you are upside down with your head between your legs)-rightttt, easier if I couldn't touch my nose to my ankle!
-Did she say downward dog again? Downward dog seems to be on repeat in her vocabulary.
-Why did I eat that apple? Please don't pass gas, pleaseee don't, OH I hope no one heard that!
-That lady must have had more then an apple. Don't laugh Don't laugh.
-Is that a man in here? An OLD man? Say what?! But really, why is his shirt off? And why does he think spandex shorts is a good idea?
-Why are there so many mirrors!? How's a girl supposed to fix a wedgie in here? Maybe when they close their eyes or look left, I will use my right hand to fix it! Genius!
-"Reach to the ceiling with those fingertips!" ok Lady I get it, point up, I can't touch the ceiling so stop telling me to.
-"Warrior pose"-If this is how a warrior came at me, I wouldn't be scared, just sayin, I might laugh actually.
-Advance people show offs.. just wait, one day I will be able to fold like a pretzel and touch my toes to the back of my head.. ya who am I kidding. Teacher's pets. Can't they have their own class?
-(While doing pose) "This pose is one of the most dangerous poses in Yoga-DON'T LOOK LEFT OR RIGHT?! If you do this wrong you can burst all the blood vessels in your head!" JEEZE LADY! I thought this was supposed to be relaxing! If I don't have a heart attack first, I may kill myself doing this whacko pose. I am going to die in yoga, that's it. I will be on 10 o clock news. How do I get out of this pose now?
-What the heck! Seriously. How is that 72 year old lady doing that pose better than me! That's not right!
-"Find your center." What the frig is she talking about? I have yet to find my chi let alone my center, she needs to explain these things.
-Who thought of these names for these poses? Seriously dead bug, I look like an idiot rolling all over ground holding my legs up. I look like I am drying to deliver a baby upside down.
-"Sink into the ground deeper." Uhm newsflash, I can't go anywhere further then the floor and this mat, how can I sink deeper?
-If I hear downward dog ONE more time, I swear.
-Is this torture over yet?
-Oh, I get to lay down during a workout and relax? YES!
-2 minutes later right as you are about to pass out-"Time to go." WAIT NOOOO! That was my favorite part!
-Man that was so hard! Why did I sign myself up for this? That should be how they torture prisoners. I am never going back!

Next Day
-"Welcome to Yoga everyone." -Drat, I knew I would be back. Let the torture begin!

Namaste.

Never Again!!

I learned something I will never ever again do-eat Ethiopian food. No knock to those who like or love it, but for me, I am not a fan. I was already hesitant staring at the menu on the door before we went it. I tried to coerce the group to look somewhere else, but I lost. So I just sucked it up and thought, hey it's an experience I guess I will try it. It was an experience all right! 

1. You ate out of a basket. 

2. You didn't get silverware.

3. I was getting nauseated by the smell of curry overload.

4. The food looked like baby food.

5. It tasted like baby food too.

6. Their "bread" is not real bread, don't be fooled!

7. Only good food they had were the desserts!

So the only things I liked about this was the unique eat out of a basket idea, the hot towels before and after dinner, the kitchy decor, and the dessert. The end. I wish you guys could have seen my face during this process. I didn't even need to say anything about not liking it, they could tell by my face and how little I was eating. Also my stomach does not agree with this food. Apparently the "bread" expands in your stomach. Didn't go over so well. Needless to say my Saturday was spent in bed/bathroom. Fun right? So here's my advice, if you don't like curry, or Indian food, bland baby food, or have a sensitive stomach, do not go to an Ethiopian restaurant! You will regret your choice! For those who love it, don't know how you do it! So here is a few pics from the evening!

fun basket to eat out of

this guys face was all over

the blue nile

warm towels before dinner

exhibit A-baby food

exhibit B-bland "bread" no flour or salt or taste for that matter

So since I wasn't feeling good all weekend from my venture into Ehtiopia, I just relaxed and took a break from internet land. But Monday is already fighting with me. Did not sleep well last night, and by 7 am, I had already been peed on. Joy. So for my own enjoyment, I give you my little other love-Dyson. He makes my heart happy when I see his cute face! Enjoy!

Have you ever had Ethiopian food?

Any dining experiences you regretted trying?

How was your weekend?

What was I thinking?

Do you ever have those what was I thinking moments? For example:
-Drinking caffeine too close to bedtime.
-Forgetting to bring a hoodie/sweater with you during summer when everywhere is FREEZING inside.
-Taking a nap at 7 pm, and then waking up and not being able to fall back asleep!
-Even though you are tvoing a show, you stay up to watch it anyways when you have to be up at 5 am.
-Eating your last piece of gum before buying more first.
-Eating right before a work out.
-Thinking you can pull all nighters like you were in high school.
-Mixing beer and liquor.
-Not checking the toilet paper roll before sitting down and being stuck in a predicament.
-Going to the grocery store hungry.
-Running outside and forgetting you have to run back, therefore having to call to be picked up.
-Thinking being tan=low or no spf.

Well you get the point! Now have you ever had a what was I thinking moment and it worked out for the better? Most of the time, this is not the case. But in rare circumstances, it happens. Like so:
-peanut butter and green grapes, which is divine!
-frozen grapes, it's almost like candy!
-watching seinfield while running, turns out it's pretty funny sometimes and quite distracting.
-starting a blog & seeing how much work it is, but finding it's worth it!
-taking a ginger bath which looks like diarrhea for a cold, turns out it works!
-eating more then 1 cupcake, well cupcakes can never be bad!
-purchasing a swim suit online from VS, and it actually fits and you like it!
-watching what I like about you & glee, and LOVING them.
-refusing to see any Twilight movies/read the books, then giving in and realizing you secretly like them!

Why are most of these about food? Hmm..

But, I had one of these moments last week. I crazily decided to do a bodyflow class at the gym, and then stayed for spin class after. Half way through spin I was yelling at myself and wondering where my senses were and why I thought this was a good idea!

Then last night, I decided ok, let's try this plan 1 more time. If it's is as torturous as last week, no more spinning. I did my bodyflow and was all stretched out ready to take spinning head on. About half way through spin class I was thinking, what was I thinking?! Why did I disregard spinning so much before? I actually LIKE it! And not only that, I think I am starting to love it. I know, it may be a little too soon to use the L-O-V-E word.. but I actually enjoyed some of the class. At one point I closed my eyes and imagined I was riding through beautiful snow capped mountains with the wind in my face and flying down the roads. At the moment, I knew I was in trouble. I could get used to this! Although I may look a little something like this guy in green:

I feel your pain buddy! (google)

But at the end of spin class I feel SOO good and so proud of myself for going! I love that you can make class as hard or as easy as you want, and you can still make it the entire hour! It is hard, so I like that I can challenge myself every class and not become complacent. Although my butt wishes it could become complacent to those seats! Hoping I build up calluses towards those seats! Not fun being sore for the next few days! But it is worth it! Maybe one day I will purchase something like this to plaster somewhere:

Like I said.. maybe. (google)

So alas, my what was I thinking moment has produced something new, fun, challenging, and hopefully result bearing! If you are a spinner and want a good laugh, read this ladies blog-spin class. I laughed quite hard reading this one! It is SO true! If you don't spin, check it out and see our anguish, pain,  funnnn during spin class!

Ok your turn! 

-Do you or have you taken spin class?

-Do you love it? Hate it? Sorta like it?

-What are some of your what was I thinking moments? Have any turned out good? 

Happy Wednesday! Yoga night! Woo!

Is it May yet?

Yes, I am already wanting it to be May! Why you say? Becauseee HONEYMOONNN!! Only 94 more days till we leave for our honeymoon! And yes, I will be obnoxious on my facebook and twitter and probably count down almost every day! Hey, I deserve it. By the time May roles around we will have been married 8 months, it is a well deserved honeymoon! And weird to think it will be 8 months already! Time flies at this time of year!

Where are we going you ponder? Well our first destination:

Miamiiiiii (google)

We are going down a day early just to have wiggle room and relax! Then Saturday we are boarding this sucker:

Carnival Liberty (google)

And from there we will visit these lovely destinations:

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (google)

St. Thomas- I am SUPER excited about this one! (google)

San Juan, Puerto Rico (google)

Turks & Caicos- also super excited for here too!! (google)

8 day vacation, 7 of it on the cruise! I can not waitttttt!!! I haven't been on vacation since Feb 2011, so I am itching to get out of MI! This is Antonio's first cruise, my 3rd! And this is what I shall be enjoying within 30 minutes of stepping foot on the cruise:

Pina Colada baby! (google)

Ok, that will not be my only drink either. It would be an injustice not to let the pina colada partake in the cruisey goodness with me! We will be good friends, that Colada and I! As Garth Brooks song says: "Bring me two pina colada's, I gotta have one for each hand!" Yes this is a good motto. Video here. 

I can not waittttt for this incase you haven't noticed! Now time to crunch at the gym and hunt for those much hated bikini's! It's either a bad day trying on bikini's or a REALLY bad day. I have yet to come out happy from bikini shopping! Oh well I am sure Mr. Colada will remedy that problem! :)

Happy Tuesday all!

-Have you ever been on a cruise? How was it? Any good memories?

-Anyone been to these places or on this ship? What's good to do on excursions?

-Any cruising tips?

-Do you find bikini shopping torturous too?

Vday recap!

So I will describe vday more or less in pics. We had a part 1 and 2. Part 1 was Antonio's vday from me, and part 2 was his vday for me. They had to be on seperate days so we could fit it all in! So for my part, I took him to a wine tasting at St. Julian Winery down in Dundee. He is really getting into wine lately so I thought that would be fun. Then there just so happened to be a Russell Stover Store in the parking lot! SCORE! So we ventured over there and checked out the goodies.. maybe had a few of them.. maybe not! ;) Then we went and saw an early viewing of the Vow, pretty good. Then after that I took him to this Mexican place that is called Tios. If you have ever watched Man vs Food, he did this 5 lb nacho challenge at Tios. Antonio has been wanting to go there SO bad and try it, so I thought hey why not surprise him with this. On our way to Tios, we had a nice blizzard which was fun to drive in! (Not!) So after our evening adventures, we slowly made our way home, good thing we weren't too far from Tios! So here is part 1 in pics!

Wine tasting

Don't mind silly husband.

Every girl's fantasy, no? Or diabetes in a box.

all the candies that they messed up on go in here and they sell them for much cheaper

almost purchased this bumper sticker

Antonio said if I was a caramel apple, this is what I would look like.. aww so romantic.

this was 12 minutes into challenge!

He ordered it before I could argue price!

He couldn't do it, and this was after I dove in and helped out. Still at least a pound left! 

Part 2

He started off by surprising me with flowers, a card, and little desserts from whole foods that he had left in my car while I was working! Sneaky.. I know. Then when I got home he told me we are leaving now! So glad I hadn't showered, put jeans on, or had make up on. Looked like a hot mess! He took me to The Earle in AA. We had appetizers, which were phenomenal! Can't wait to eat meals there one day! Then we left and he proceeded to take me to a comedy show, which he had reserved from row seats to! That was super fun and a story best told in person! This time we didn't have a snow storm and it was about 32 out, so we decided to wander around AA and we were still hungry so we decided to go to noodles and company (I had a coupon for free dinners! score!) and took it home to eat as we watched one of our dvr shows we both like. It was a very nice evening and he did a good job! :) What a good husband!

I was surprised when I opened my door!

He got me a canoli (MY FAV,) this smaller things, one with white chocolate filling, white chocolate & pink chocolate shavings on top, the other with raspberry mousse and pink sprinkles! He knows me all too well. :)

Inside of our booth at The Earle, made out of wine corks

Cheese stuffed tortellini with a cream sauce. O M G. I almost licked the plate it was that good.

Risotto balls deep fried, aka upscale version of cheese sticks. Amazeballs!!!

View from our table, hard to tell how cool it was in there.

AA Comedy Club

:)

So there you have it. I would say we had a pretty great Valentine's Day! I know we probably won't keep this up for too long, but it is fun to do while we are still young, newlyweds, and have no kids! We may not be able to do this kind of stuff in the future, so we wanted to take advantage of it now! 

Happy Monday! 

Any other good wine tasting places in MI?

Any restaurants you recommend? 

Did you have any traditions you did early on in marriage that you no longer do now?

Cauliflower Recipes

I found this recipe for Cauliflower Crust Pizza and it is DELISH! So I thought I would share! The original link is here: original link. I changed the toppings and used pesto, fresh diced tomato, and reduced fat cheese. It is so yummy!

I also have a good recipe for baked veggies including cauliflower! You can use squash, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, or red potatoes. With mushrooms, you only want to put them in towards the end of the time because they will cook super fast! When veggies are soft, they are done! I am just going to do ingredients for asparagus and cauliflower.

Recipe

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Lemon Juice
Fresh garlic minced (your choice of how much)
1/2 tsp Salt
1.2 tsp Pepper
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 400. Chop veggies into small pieces. The smaller they are, the faster they will cook. Larger they are the longer it will take. Try to keep them all chopped to the same size so they will cook evenly. On your baking pan, Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil on the pan and spread it around. If you don't have a cooking brush, use bottom spoon. Add your veggies onto your pan. Sprinkle your fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and if you desire any other spices on top of veggies. Sprinkle lemon juice over veggies. A little goes a long way. Sprinkle another tablespoon or less of olive oil over veggies until they have a thin coat.

Bake for 20-25 minutes for smaller cut veggies. Bake 25-35 minutes for larger cut veggies.

If you want a little added bonus, sprinkle some reduced fat cheese on top after they get out of the oven. Enjoy!

Tonight is my vday, so we shall see what he has planned! We both agreed to not do anything extravagant, or spend too much $ since we are saving for our honeymoon and taxes coming up.. yikes! So I am not expecting anything grand, but still curious to see what he does! Let you know soon!

I've decided since my knee is getting better to try some classes. I did Bodyflow, which is a mixture of pilates, yoga, and Tai Chi. I really enjoyed it. I forgot how tough classes were! Then I decided to go right into a Spin class after I was done with Bodyflow. (Don't know what I was thinking!) I wanted to die from minute 5 to minute 60. But I stuck through it and it was nice to finish and felt proud of myself. I also am picking up yoga as well. Did that last night and that was tougher then I remembered. But the more I do it, the easier it will become. I plan to try some other classes out as well. It is nice to feel stretchier (is that a word? It is to me!) and I am not as sore as I used to be because of it. One thing I did learn, do not run before going into Yoga. I was a hot mess when I got in and just kept sweating. So my hands and feet were slippery and I kept sliding off the mat. This is no good! I had to keep wiping them off on my towel. Learned my lesson!

Enjoy your Thursday evening everyone! I leave you with this:

via pinterest

Do you take any classes at your gym? If so, what?

Do you enjoy Yoga, or Spin classes?

What do you do to celebrate vday?

Nanny Vday

Hey all! There will be another post about my vday with the hubs, but we had to celebrate it in 2 parts and on 2 separate days. So our part 2 is happening in the next few days! So updates later! For now I will share my Vday with Layla more so in pictures then words!

Breakfast:

Making pink and red pancakes!

Cooking!

Voila!

My breakfast: Red egg whites. Or blood whites. haha

Looks gross, but good!

Baking time!

Helping me make Valentine red cupcakes for mom and dad!

Best part of the job!

Fingerpaint time!

Made a pretty picture for mom and dad! Too bad her fingers aren't longer. The bottom of the heart is missing!

How was your vday?! Hope it was great! Anything special happen? Fun, not so fun? Share with me :)

p.s. 16 month olds+fingerpaint=eating paint :/ not so easy!

xoxo

Ladies, love your flowers!

Hey ladies! Just wanted to do a quick post with a tip on flowers since vday is coming! I used to work at a flower shop and picked some things up! :)

For flower bouquets.
1. Before adding flowers into water-STOP!! First when you get the flowers home, unwrap them and give the tips of the bottom of stem a trim. Turn on warm water and hold tips under running water as you cut them. The cut adds fresh life to flower to soak up water.
2. Unless your flowers are in a cooler, they do not survive well in super cold water, it actually kills them! When filling your vase up add half warm water, and half cold water. Do not fill to the top of vase. They do not need to drown in water! Fill your vase about half way!
3. Now for those packets that come with them that are "food" for your plant. Don't let this tip fool you. You do not need the WHOLE packet. Pour about 1/4 in or none at all. Too much food actually kills them quicker.

these things incase you don't know what I was referring to

4. Try to change your water daily, or every other day. The longer you wait to change the water, the quicker the flowers will also die. It needs fresh water to get new nutrients! 

5. Every other day trim a little more off the bottom, not a huge amount maybe 1/4 inch. Now don't think these tips will make them last forever! They will last longer then 2 or 3 days. Most of my flowers last at least a week, sometimes 2 doing this!

For indoor flower plants.

1. Most of us tend to over water our plants. This is a neat trick to help you not do that. Instead of measuring water or pouring a certain amount in, use an ice cube instead! It will slowly melt, so you won't end up with a leaky mess, and will give the plant just the right amount to not over water it. If it still looks dry later on in the day add another cube. This way no mess, easy to pop out of freezer and no glasses or watering cans involved! Simple eh?

2. Make sure you read the insert in plant on how to treat it, or research proper care for your plant. Indoor plants are all different and may need different things. Some plants drink water, others barely need it! So in order to properly care for your plant you need to know how to first, or you will kill it! 

So ladies, give your flowers some love and make them last! Get everything out of them and enjoy their beauty a bit longer! 

xoxo

Do you have any other flower tips?