A Sunny Vacation

Steven and I haven't been on a vacation in quite some time. So when my parents suggested that we pack up and visit them in their sunny get-away spot- we jumped on it!

Here's a lovely picture of our gracious hosts in front of their palm tree. I love palm trees!My Dad took Steven out for a long ride on Saturday on the ATVs and they made all kinds of discoveries...

Like the entrance to an abandoned mine shaft...
Preacher's Pass...
The daily trip to the mailbox... Who is that handsome guy? Meanwhile, Mom and I hit the flea market to find some jewelery deals and steals. Boy did we find some amazing stuff. Sadly, I didn't have any photos of our 'loot'!
My Aunt PJ and Uncle Frank also drove 4 hours over just to see us and have lunch with us on Friday. Steven made up some of his famous slider burgers and we had a nice little indoor picnic. We would have been outside, but there were 30 mile an hour sustained winds outside and we thought better of that idea. It was hard enough to keep the BBQ running! I really enjoyed hearing all about my Aunt's Charity work. I hope to come and visit her soon to see her in action. She is such an incredible woman, I hope they know how lucky they are to have her on board!

Finally, our long weekend was over and we were headed out to the airport. I already miss Mom, Dad and Cruiser and can't wait until they are home again.
However, we now have this nice reminder of the sunny, fabulous trip to the desert! Thanks so much for having us!!

A night at the Opera

We are Ladies Who Opera!

This year we enjoyed probably the most fantastic performance of Madame Butterfly, ever, if the gentleman sitting to my right is to be believed. He was telling me before the performance that it would become my favorite Opera ever. Afterwards, he was regaling me with all the other performances he has seen and said that this was the best, hands down. I have to agree that even I could tell that the lead (Butterfly) was most amazing.Before we went off for the night, Shelley and I exchanged gifts. Notice the art project, looking recovered in white! Her package is simply stunning. Look at the ribbons- they were woven together like that. She is so creative! I love the glitter paper. That was the look I was going for. Great minds really do think alike, don't they!We ate dinner at Carafe next to the Keller. I had never been there before, but it was delicious French food. I had an amazing bibb lettuce salad with a buttermilk and tarragon dressing. I'm seriously reconsidering the use of tarragon. Yum! Then steak-frites, classic cusine. Finally a trio of pot-de-creme to share. Lovely!

The set design was really spectacular. The Japanese motifs were really lush and well designed. Even the little boy was adorable. A real scene stealer!

Shelley, Thank You So Much for taking me!

Super Bowl Sunday- You Betcha!

Neither one of us was all that excited about the Superbowl this year. So when Darren asked us to come over and watch the game, and participate in his Super Bowl Challenge, we were intrigued.

I tell you what, there is no better way to make a less-than-exciting game into a rip-roaring good time...

Here is Darren's creation:Welcome to the Darren's Super Bowl Challenge Betting Board! First off, you probably need to know that Darren follows a few Vegas betting sites for fun. He was telling us last year that the site was offering up some pretty ridiculous bets, like "What color will the Half time Performer's hair be?".
So in the spirit of helping us all enjoy the game, he offered a challenge- Whoever came out on top of the betting would win a trip to dinner with him. If he won, we all had to take him out. Fair enough.

There were over 30 different bets you could make. They are arranged here by category. The categories were things like "Half Time Show" and in that one, Will Madonna wear a hat, Yes or No was a pretty big deal that day. We decided that her headdress was indeed, a hat and some people won on that.

We all got 1000 fictitious dollars to use. I bet on "Will there be a Safety Scored during the game?" and won some big bucks. In the end, Stephanie won, followed by Darren and then me. In Vegas, only the three of us would have made money. Steven, Keith and Kali all lost. We also enjoyed probably the biggest burrito bar ever. All in all, a pretty good way to end the season.

Also- who would have thought the Gatorade bath would be PURPLE? It wasn't even an option, only "other" was... So crazy! I can't wait to do it again next year.

A Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day! I sent out a lot of homemade Valentine's cards and got a few back!

My day was especially wonderful this year. I received some happy Starbucks treats at work, and then came home to this:

My Steven all dressed up and cooking for me.He also set a very pretty table for us to eat at. We enjoyed probably the best steaks ever, asiago mashed potatoes, spinich salad and chocolate covered fortune cookies as well as strawberry short cake for dessert.

We also indulged in wine and bellinis, but who's counting?I wore my special new dress for the occasion. Even on a Tuesday night, we still know how to have a great time. Happy Valentine's Day, 2012!

Art Project Fail

My friend Shelley and I are obsessed with Valentine's Day. Every year we treat ourselves to a little 'Girls Night Out' and share gifts with each other. This year I came up with the most awesome packaging idea ever. I had a total vision for the most amazing gift packing ever. Seriously.

It would have been over-the-top too. Here was my plan:

Take one of those 'photo boxes' that you can use to store photos in (but you really shouldn't, because it is bad for them!) and paint it red with glitter. I went back and forth over how to paint it. I almost used Modge Podge and Red Glitter Scrapbook paper, but decided that red glitter spray paint would be the best. I found "Cherry Bomb Red" at the craft store and decided that would be perfect.

When I went to paint the box, I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was sunny, bright and a balmy 50 some degrees outside!

I should have worn gloves because I had a nice manicure, but I was too excited. I started with the lid. First side, good, second side, good, third side- NOT GOOD.

The cap to the can wouldn't release and only spray adhesive was coming out. Everywhere. No glitter. No red. Just yucky, smelly, adhesive. It ruined my box and my nails.Steven came out and put the spray paint into an old can we had around so it wouldn't spray everywhere. The can petered out of juice after about 30 minutes. We had to wait for it to stop before we could toss it. Luckily, it stayed nice outside.

I had leave to meet up with a friend, but I thought for sure it was ruined, and I was really upset. My vision!!
When I came home, I was slightly depressed and trying to come up with a plan B that would be as awesome. Steven had gone out and primed and painted the box white while I was gone. It was just stuff we had around the garage. He's so AWESOME!

The box looks great and without giving too much away, on the inside, I have a fantastic gift, lovely tissue paper and three colors of crepe paper. It looks fantastic.
I love that pink polka dot ribbon. It would have been so sweet if it were red with glitter, but this works too. Sometimes you need a little help to roll with the punches. THANK YOU STEVEN!!

60-day Check in

I'm well into the 60-Day Challenge and I'm actually loving it. I think it makes a lot of sense to create your own program, because then you answer to yourself when it comes to following it. I think if I had used someone else's ideas then it wouldn't have had as much staying power.

Here's how I've been rolling along with the challenge:

1. I've dropped 2 pounds. But that's not really a main focus at the moment. Dropping 10 would be fantastic and I ultimately aim to do that, but right now I want to build some momentum to get me motivated to exercise and then I'll work on eating right. Maybe the next 60-day challenge?
2. My pants fit better. Hurray!
3. My tummy is tighter, flatter, fitter!
4. When I don't get up and immediately do my workout, I feel bad and I will do everything I can not to miss it when I get home.
5. Doing my workout first thing puts me in a great mood for the rest of the day.
6. I try to do a little bit extra on Saturday and Sunday when I have time. I'll do 30 or 45 minutes on the treadmill and then some light stretching or yoga.
   

So there it is. When I feel myself lacking inspiration, I turn to Pinterest and post things to my "Get off the couch" board. I look for new exercises, motivational phrases and little things to perk myself up. Here's one I really love right now:

Is anyone else doing a challenge? If so, how's it going??

Catching Up

Well 2011 was a slow blog year. I just looked at my posts and saw that I only had 34 for 2011. When compared to the 55-80 I have for other years, that is pretty low. Whoops!

I think I'll blame it on getting a job. Being gainfully employed again must have cut down on my blogging time. Probably owning a home did the same thing as well...

I think I ended up enjoying 2011 just a little bit too much. I gained about 10 pounds in the last half of the year which I am now working to take off. I'm making a conscious effort to exercise and eat healthfully so that I can slim back down again.

It all starts with my challenge to myself. That's right- I'm uping my ante. I decided that 2012 is the year I start to challenge myself a bit. I've got some books on my wish list to sharpen my mind, I'm going to work on my body and I'm really proud of how far I've come emotionally. If you'd asked me 3 years ago where I thought I'd be right now- the answer would have been completely different. I feel good about where I am now and where I'm going. Being unemployed takes a lot out of a gal and I'm finally back on track. I'm dreaming again and setting out to make those dreams a reality. One thing I'm grateful for learning was that it is ok to let things go and take life as it happens. There is a lot to be said for enjoying the moment that you're in right now.

So, on to the Challenge!

My 60 Day Challenge:

Walk on my treadmill or do yoga or some combination for 30 minutes every day.

Additionally, each day has a challenge associated with it:

Sunday: Weigh in day, for extra credit prepare healthful snacks for the week so they are ready to be a good alternative to something not-so-healthful.

Monday: When you drive somewhere, park as far away from the door so you get in extra walking time. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.

Tuesday: Substitute something not-so-healthy for an extra serving of veggies. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.

Wednesday: Weigh in day. For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.

Thursday: Take the stairs today. (I work on the fourth floor of the building, so this is a good one for me!). For extra credit, walk an extra 10 minutes or add intervals to your workout.

Friday: Try to get in a 40 minute work out. This is so I can enjoy (and indulge) during date night.

Saturday: If you did any of the extra credit- treat yourself, maybe its a glass of wine or some dark chocolate.

And back to Sunday again.

So there it is. I started on 1/1/12. It was a shaky start, but I'm doing well with it now. My goal was to loose 10 pounds in 60 days. I'm already on the right track. I won't be disappointed if I don't loose the 10 pounds. What I'm looking for is how well my clothes fit. So if I feel like I'm looking good and feeling good then I'll call it a win.

Is anyone else doing an exercise program for the New Year? If so, good luck! I'm off to do my Sunday workout.