Late to the Party

Today I'm a day late and a dollar short. But then again, when am I not in the blogging word? I have been so bad with regularly getting a post up but this took the cake. I agreed to host a link up and what did I do? Missed the link up! I didn't forget, my husband's schedule just conflicted. Here I am though, with his answers, in all my day-late glory.

 

1. What are your thoughts on your wife's blog?  

I think of her blog as another way to express herself. Health is an important part in life, so if she can keep herself and others moving toward being healthy by just writing about her experiences then good for her.

2. Do you know what IG stands for? How about OOTD? (Don't look it up!) 

What I know IG stands for is inspector general, but that is probably not it stands for in this situation. OOTD? Lets make a guess- hell I dont know.

3. How long would you say you've been together?

November 24 will be five years, but April 27th is our 1 year anniversary being married.

   (I didn't even have to remind him! Brownie points...But he does have a better memory than me so this doesn't surprise me...)

4. Does her working out and eating healthy make you want to join in?

Since she started working out and eating right it has motivated me to get back into the gym and eat healthy with her. I was out of the service for 2 and half years and had put on 30 lbs. Now I have shaved that off plus another 10 off since we started over a year ago.

 

 

 

5. Is there anything she can do to inspire you to workout/eat healthier?

She is doing it by staying motivated when I am not and I think it helps her when I am motivated and she isn't. We keep each other in check.

   (I couldn't agree with this more! I am very lucky to have a husband who has the same lifestyle as   me, food/health wise because that makes it 100 % easier.)

 

 

 

6. What do you love best about fit/ healthy life?

Being able to enjoy life to the fullest every day and having energy to do so. Life is too short to not enjoy it.

 

 7. What do you like least?

What I like least about healthy living is that not everyone does it, like this morning the eight dozen donuts that are in the break room that were brought in for everyone to partake in.

 

 

 

8. How long did it take for you to agree to answer these questions?

I agreed to do the questions the first day she told me I was answering some questions for her last week. Now when she told me I was doing a video with these questions. I said nah I dont think so. Not my cup of tea.

LOL I really wanted ya'll to see a vlog of S but he said no thank you ma'am! Maybe one day I can secretly video him and post it on the Internet for all to see. That wouldn't be creepy at all.

Anything Could Happen

Yesterday, I almost puked from working out. This is only the second time this has happened to me, the first being during my first round of “boot camp” at the last gym I was a member of.

I would never push myself to near death puking in a work out. I challenge myself, but I always manage to stay right on the edge of my comfort zone. Never quite leaving it though. 

Tonight, I left my comfort zone. I have officially signed up for personal training at my gym. My trainer, DJ, is wonderful. He’s so motivational and pushes me just enough. I will train with him twice a week for a month, assess where I am, then pay by the month after that. Yesterday was my first paid session with him. I work out with my husband just fine but when he pushes me too hard, I just say no, get annoyed, and walk away to do something else. Sad, but true. I am not saying no if I’m paying for this. I think this’ll also solve my lose two pounds, gain two pounds rut, because I truly don’t think I’ll want to eat like crap all weekend when I worked so hard all week.

 

After my session, I had a burst of energy. Well, that was after the pukey feeling subsided.  The weather was great so I went for a short run in my neighborhood. While I ran, I thought about how far I’ve come since September, and how many times I truly got out of my comfort zone. That’s both mentally and physically. I ran a 5k and a 10k. Before, I hated running and would never choose to do it if I had a choice. I even signed up for a half marathon. Who was this girl? That didn’t work out, but to me the important part is that I made the decision to give it a shot. I’ll run a half soon, I hope, and I never would’ve thought that I’d do something like that. 

I started putting on weight in third grade. I got lazy. I liked TV. I liked junk food, with chips and fast food being favorites. I still like those things. I’m not trying to say I drank the Kool aid and will eat vegetables and chicken breasts for the rest of my life. I’ll waiver. I’ll have cheat meals. Life will go on. But I refuse to be unhealthy. I refuse to grow old plagued with this health problem and that one. I refuse to have obese children because that is the example I set for them. I am a new person. I feel good and one day I will reach my goals. It’s amazing to me how far I’ve come. I’ve come so far that I even feel like I don’t have that far left to go. This is huge for me. Anything could happen.

Now that I got that little pep talk out of the way, I want to remind you about the link up Leigh Ann, Sarah and I are doing tomorrow. You can answer the questions with your boo boo, your bff, your neighbor, your vet, etc. Who cares! Anybody! You can answer the questions below blog or vlog-style. Let's see what I have to bribe S with to get him to do a vlog! 

1. What are your thoughts on your wife's blog?  2. Do you know what IG stands for? How about OOTD?

3. How long would you say you've been together?

4. Does her working out and eating healthy make you want to join in?

5. Is there anything you can do to inspire him to workout/eat healthier?

6. What do you love best about fit/ healthy life? 7. What do you like least?

8. How long did it take for you to agree to answer these questions?

Skinny Dinner Party Recap

Happy Monday and Happy four day week! Holla! I love when I forget it’s a holiday and it sneaks up on me and I realize it’s a short week. I always feel like weekends are too short (who doesn’t?) so a 3 day weekend is the bomb in my book. 

This past weekend was a great one, to say the least! Friday I had a date with my main man, then we called it an early night. I had so much to do Saturday to prep for the first Skinny Dinner Party! That’s right, first. We’ll be doing this again many times. More on the party (and a shit ton of photos) later in the post. 

I was up at 7am and went to Sam’s to pick up a few things for the party. I have a Business Membership so I can go several hours before regular shoppers. That was the ticket. Very easy and quick trip. Normally, Sam’s is crazier than the mall at Christmas on Saturdays, so I will definitely plan my Sam’s trips early Saturday mornings from now on. I got the rest of my groceries at two other grocery stores (Do you know how hard it is to find fresh basil? Damn.) I then went get the brows waxed. I am a freak of nature and LOVE getting my eyebrows done. It relaxes me. Weird. 

Came home, showered, cleaned like a mad woman and started preparing all the dishes. The menu was as follows:

• Edamame 
• Zea’s Mediterranean Hummus (I used store bought Sabra hummus and it was still yummy)
• Caprese Salad (was supposed to be Caprese Pops via this site but my cheese was all mis-shapen so it didn't work out. S had even made me a fancy Caprese Pop Stand for them, so I'll have to figure out another way to use it soon)
• SkinnyBuffalo Chicken Dip, served with wheat pita bread, carrots and celery
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Fruit with light Cool Whip
• Cannoli Cups (SO easy to make)

Sidenote: I bought the mozzarella from Sam's, already marinated and seasoned. All I did was toss in some cherry tomatoes. This is the brand:

 

 The Caprese Pop stand that never was...

All the food was wiped out. I somehow made just enough. We didn’t run out but I didn’t have weeks worth of leftovers. Win. Everyone brought their alcoholic beverage of choice and had a grand old time. Leigh Ann made a great point when she said that it’s hard meeting female friends at this age. You’re not going out, not still in college, where do you meet people? It was a great chance to meet some new ladies, and I think everyone got along perfectly. Sabrina, a friend from the running clinic we did, is hosting the next Skinny Dinner Party! I can’t wait. Here are a few photos from the night. 

 

I had some chalkboard paint so I bought these cheap wooden plaques from Hobby Lobby and painted them to label all the dishes. I can use these a million more times, too!

 

Great picture of my beautiful friends and of the food set up!

 

I just noticed my kitchen looks yellow in these photos. My kitchen definitely ain't yellow! Bad lighting I guess.

 All my centerpieces. 

I made these from a Target bouquet, some jars I painted with Looking Glass paint and a couple of succulents from a pot of them I keep at our front door. I'm no florist, but I thought they weren't too shabby!

I have to say, I was a little nervous it would be awkward or boring, and no one would say much, but it was absolutely awkward-moment-free! Everyone thought it was a fun idea, so you should try it! I’d love to hear/read all your ideas. I’ll definitely host this again in the future and we even discussed doing a party for couples and letting the guys come next time. I kinda had to kick S to the curb for the night. Just kidding, he was fine. He did come home early and hang out with us for a bit. Ladies love him, what can I say? 

Hope you’re all having a fabulous Monday, and if not, remember it’s a 4 day week and get over it! J

A Whole Lot of Catch Up & Giveaway Winner!

This week has been nonstop madness, so here I am on Thursday, with my first post of the week. My first announcement is the winner of the Operation Red Bikini-Ruffles with Love tank.

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(Grab this button and slap it on your page, girl!)

We had over 500 people enter to win! And the winner is: Melissa Folz. Congrats Melissa! If I don't hear from her by tomorrow, a new winner will be chosen. For all those of you who have already ordered the tanks/will order, please email me photos of you in it. I'd love to include them in future ORB posts :) Stay tuned for more giveaways, and eventually some hints as to what's in the BIG prize pack. Leigh Ann and I have some GREAT ideas planned for it. Summer will be here before you know it, kiddos.

Next up, my link up with the beautifuls, Sarah and Leigh Ann. We're linking up next Wednesday to coerce bribe force politely ask our husbands/bff's/boyfriends/whatevers to answer a couple questions. Find those questions here. I am working on a vlog with the Mr. but we'll see what I get.

So what else has been going on with me? Just trying to walk like I'm not a duck that got hit by a semi truck. That's right. I am so sore I can't even walk right. Everything hurts from my neck down. I had my first trial session with our trainer at the gym and two days later I am in P-A-I-N. No pain no gain, though, right? I have another session with him Friday before I decide if I want to hire him for twice a week training. I know I don't push myself as hard as he did, but I'll really have to justify spending the money. I'll keep you all updated because I know you are just on the edge of your seats.

I've also been doing things here and there for my Skinny Dinner Party this weekend! So far on the menu: Zea's Mediterrainianajaiajshhgfjg (who can spell that effin word) hummus, Skinny buffalo dip with pita bread and veggies, caprese, fruit salad, and shrimp cocktail. I plan to add two more skinny appetizers and another dessert. Any ideas? Any great recipes you want to share? Send me the link! I've done alot of crafting last weekend and this week for the party and I hope it pays off and looks fabulous. The event planner in me went a little overboard. Imagine that. Can't wait to share pictures from the party! I have 9 girls coming and I hope they all have a good time. No pressure!

What's Goin' On and another ORB Giveaway!

Morning my lover girls! I am making an effort to post more, so tadaaaaa! I'm posting twice in the same week. Imagine that. I hope to get another post up on Friday, but that's being ambitious. Sorry sorry sorry.

On to more important things. The reason you're probably reading this. A giveaway! It's been a while since we've done an Operation Red Bikini giveaway and this one's a good one. Who doesn't love Ruffles with Love? Vanessa is the sweetest, easy-to-work-with, creative chick on the block. Her tanks have some adorable and funny sayings and they're perfect for the gym even though I wear mine all ova the place. If you live under a rock don't have one yet, get your sweet ass over to Ruffles with Love and order away. The ORB tanks aren't listed yet but if you send her a message on Facebook or via Etsy, she'll send you an invoice:) Vanessa offered to let Leigh Ann and I give away one of her tanks, and duh, it had to be an ORB one!

How cute did these come out? The sparkly letters and polka dot bow just take it to a whole 'nother level. I love it. Leigh Ann is wearing a small and I'm wearing a large. If you don't win the giveaway, go order an ORB tank! And a shit ton of other Ruffles with Love tanks! And we want to see pictures. Hashtag it on Instagram (1200+ ORB photos over there by the way!), tweet it, Facebook it, be obnoxious and post it everywhere.

Leigh Ann and I have decided to run this contest till next Tuesday, March 19th, so this'll be a quick one. Do it now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In other news, I am planning a "Skinny Girl Dinner Party" next weekend. I decided that since the majority of my friends are living a healthy lifestyle, it only made sense. Plus, who doesn't want a girls' night? Wine and skinny apps? Sign me up. The event planner in me has so many ideas so I'll be working on some of them this weekend. Stay tuned for a blog post about decor and menu. It's gonna be fun and hopefully it'll inspire you to do the same.

I noticed a lot of ladies are having their husbands guest post on their blogs and I am not so sure I could convince S to do that, but I'm thinking of doing a Q and A. I'll do a post, probably Friday, asking for questions for both my husband and I to answer. Could be fun. Maybe I could convince him to do a vlog though? Who knows.

That's all for today. Good luck on the giveaway! There will be more to come!

Surprise Party and the End of the Advocare Cleanse

Good morning ya'll! I know I am such a bad blogger, but life has just been going 100 miles an hour lately. My job is keeping me super busy, in the best way, and our weekends have been nonstop too. Must. Plan. Better. P.S. I am NOT loving this time change. No bueno.

This weekend started with me going to about 1094 stores to find a dress, shoes and jewelry for a party this weekend. I couldn’t say too much here about it because it was a surprise party for one of my very best friends and she reads my blog from time to time. More on the party later.

 

I finished the Advocare 10 day cleanse on Friday. My overall experience was a good one. I will first say that everyone’s experience is different, and I’d recommend the cleanse to anyone! I don’t have anything bad to say about it. I will say though, that since I eat pretty closely to how the cleanse wants you to eat, I didn’t have major detox issues nor did I lose amazing amounts of weight. I was down a total of two pounds and a couple of inches as of Day 10. The only real difference for me was no cheese or diet soda. I don’t drink a ton of it or eat a ton of cheese anyway, so again, it wasn’t a huge life changing event. I do love me some Fruit Punch Spark, but I found I can’t drink it in the morning or I’d be shaky till lunch. Drinking it in the afternoon was fine though, so I am considering buying more. The only “cheat” I had in the 10 days was fajitas. I didn’t have tortillas or cheese, but they did grill it in oil, even though I requested they didn’t. I was too hungry to object. 

Probably the best thing about the cleanse was how much water it got me drinking. I am real bad about not enough water, and I drank nearly a gallon every day. I will definitely keep this habit up. If you’d like to do this cleanse, please contact Kelly!! She was so helpful and quick to get in touch with. I recommend NOT weighing yourself daily on this thing, like I did. Not seeing the scale move will make you want to cheat really badly. 

Now, on to the weekend. Saturday night was my very best friend’s surprise birthday party. This girl has the biggest heart and does so much for so many people. If it weren’t for her, my bachelorette party and bridal shower probably wouldn’t have happened. She is super creative and sweet and everyone should have a friend like her. I need to make more of an effort to hang out with her soon because she is also tons of fun. 

Her husband put the party together and she had no idea. I love a good surprise party. Her reaction was priceless!

We never get a chance to dress up so we had fun with it. And no, your eyes aren't deceiving you, pasty got a spray tan! I might be a little obsessed. Move over Snooki and Doritos!

         

This was the best shot I could get of my whole outfit. Thanks for cutting off my shoes, babe! Peplum dress: Kohl's, Gold necklace and bangles: Local boutique, Bevo's, Shoes: Giani Bini

Yesterday was spent having lunch with my mom, napping, grocery shopping for the week, and trying to stay awake! I am not a spring chicken anymore, apparently. Tonight I am being totally batshit crazy and driving to New Orleans with my coworker for a concert, driving home, then going to work 2-3 hours later. That's what coffee's for! I am promising atleast two more posts this week, and an ORB giveaway!

Weekend Cleansing-Without Losing your Effin Mind

Well, I survived the weekend.  I am not gonna lie when I say I was slightly terrified to be on the Advocare cleanse during the weekend. Weekends are the main reason I've lost my weight slower than I could've. I have a hard time not splurging at every meal because we're so on the go, several meals are eaten out somewhere. It's of course easier during the week when we cook at home and go to the gym, but the weekends are a challenge. I vowed to go to the gym both Saturday and Sunday and not to "cheat" on the cleanse. And I succeeded!  Here's a run down.

Friday was a hot mess. It's the only day I strayed from the plan but it was totally out of control. I went to the AT&T store to upgrade my phone after shattering mine. They de-activated my old one, couldn't re-activate a new one on my account due to their mistakes, then couldn't re-activate my old one. This resulted in me spending 3 hours of my work day standing there. I couldn't leave till I had a working phone because I use my phone constantly for work. I hadn't eaten lunch. I hadn't drank even half of my daily water. I was workin' on a hand full of almonds, a rice cake and pb, and an apple. When I got back to work at 3pm I ate another hand full of almonds, some pineapple and tried to down some water. My husband was antsy to get out of the house and wanted Mexican. I didn't freak out. I knew just what I'd order. I got fajitas (which I asked them to grill in Pam) with a side of black beans and veggies. They didn't grill it in Pam but I just tried to shake off all the grease and oil as best I could. That was the only time I "cheated" all weekend and I didn't do it on purpose. If I had real lady balls, I'd have sent the fajitas back but I was on the hangry train so I made it work.

 

Sorry for the horrible lighting. The waiter actually said to me "Do you work for a restaurant?!" when I took the picture. No bitch, I photograph everything I eat for blogging purposes. Get off me.

Saturday I had a lot to do but  I was well prepared. My fabulous husband made us breakfast (eggs and turkey sausage) and I hit the gym for a leg workout and cardio. I then ran a few errands before coming home for a snack and to pee. Sidenote: This cleanse has me drinking more water than ever, which is great, but I spend 70% of my day in the restroom. S and I went to Sam's to renew our membership and got tons of fresh produce, chicken breasts, salmon and protein bars. Holla for shopping in bulk for way cheap! I love Sam's. We didn't get home till around 6 so we both showered and yes, went out to dinner again. I ordered grilled shrimp, catfish and veggies. This time they WERE grilled in Pam. I sadly turned over the garlic bread to S.

 

Today we spent the day watching S's niece play in a volleyball tournament. I thought she just had one game so I drank my Spark, ate some fruit and we were out the door. Around 10 I got hungry and hadn't packed a snack. Luckily, there was a break between games so I came home, boiled two eggs and ate a bowl of these beauties while I waited for them to boil:

 Sam's has THE BEST raspberries. I could eat them every day.

We headed back to the volleyball tournament and I ate the boiled eggs halfway through. Boiled eggs have become my favorite snack. I'm slightly obsessed. Well with those and with this:

I normally don't eat real pb because of the calories but I have had room for it in my daily calories count and I LOVE this stuff. Tastes just like regular Jif.  I eat it on a plain rice cake or with a banana or green apple.

The tournament ended at 1 and we were starving. I drank plenty of water all day but I didn't have any other snacks. Guess what that means? Out to eat yet again. I did great though! Grilled chicken and steamed veggies.

The pineapple had cheese on it but I scraped it off. And yes, I ate the pineapple too. I could've jumped face first on S's cheeseburger and fries but I was strong! And I hope the scale reflects it. It better.

I have still been counting calories on the cleanse just to keep my portion sizes in check and I've not gone over my calories at all. You really don't have to count calories for the cleanse to work, if you follow it to a tee. 

I got in an awesome cardio workout today which is a big deal because I did not feel like working out at all. I then came home and randomly decided to cook a good dinner for me and my man.

Not to toot my own horn but this meal was the bomb. Toot. toot. I seasoned the salmon with garlic, onion powder, a touch of salt and pepper. Squeezed a lemon on it while it was searing and voila, perfect. Quinoa seasoned with garlic, onion, and a little cayenne. I switch it up alot. I didn't use oil at all for this meal, just nonstick spray. I only wish there was enough to eat again tomorrow.

*For those cleansing/about to start, take my advice and ALWAYS be prepared. Keep fruit at work, keep oranges or almonds in your car. Keep packets of spark in your purse. Do like I do and  boil a dozen eggs in advance. Keep those handy too. Hell, keep a jar of PB in your desk drawer with a spoon. Do what you gotta do. This will ensure you don't make a bad decision. When eating out, do not be afraid to ask your waiter to make sure whatever you order isn't grilled in butter or oil. Pile up on veggies. Avoid chips or bread. Eat a small bowl of fruit before you even go out to dinner if you have to. It'll be hard, but it'll be worth it, and totally make you proud after!*

Now that I've bared my soul told you every second of my weekend, I'll end it by saying I am still loving the cleanse. Here's Kelly's info again for those wanting to try it. I've decided to do this 1-2 times a year, just for good measure. Look for my results on Friday! I can't wait to find out how many inches I've lost. I'm really feeling thinner!