Friday/Thursday

Sunshines and Dark Clouds time, a little early this week! Woo!

Dark Clouds:

• The cleaning in my house is neverending.
• I've had plans cancelled TWICE on me this week (sad face!).
• We have not been doing great on planning our meals. Normally, Fiance and I are pretty good about planning out the week's meals, but nope. Not this week. We resorted to frozen french fries and frozen corndogs tonight. Nothing like feeding our inner seven year olds!
• Two of my pretty, pretty gel nails broke. BOO!

Sunshines:

• My cousin and aunt are coming in tomorrow for a visit! My cousin is also one of my bridesmaids and this is the first time I'll see her since I got engaged. SO EXCITED!

•   I'm making real progress on my wedding. I never really thought I would become a "wedding blogger" in the course of this whole thing, but as this is a representation of my life, my life and this blog will both revolve around weddings in various periods. Truth.
• I'm THISCLOSE to joining a gym with my friend Vanessa. The zumba is so fun and I always feel GREAT when I'm done. I just have to bite the bullet and join!
• We head back to Phoenix in just two weeks for our cake tasting, rehearsal dinner scouting, wedding dress scouting, meetings with photographers and meetings with DJs. In just TWO DAYS. Wish us tons of luck!
• Fiance (my wonderful wonderful fiance) is buying us tickets to see our favorite comedian Kevin Hart back in Phoenix in November! I figure I can always justify the trip by making some wedding plans while we are there... right?

Have a great weekend! I'll check back in later!

Best Things About Losing Weight

As I've briefly mentioned on this blog, Fiance and I have been working out and eating better. Since the beginning of the year, we have both lost a good amount of weight and REALLY got a lot more muscle tone and stamina. I feel so much better overall. I sleep better. My hair is shinier. I'm not as sick or as tired. I'm learning to eat when I'm hungry instead of just bored. I'm learning to really LOVE and CRAVE water. But overall, I'm learning that this is not just a diet. This is a lifestyle.

I know, I know. We've all heard that before. But seriously. Some diets don't let you have any sweets or sugar at all. That includes cake. CAKE! I don't want to live in a world without cake. Or french fries. Fiance and I have lost our weight (combined, over 70 lbs!) WHILE eating wingstop/peter piper/cheeseburgers... at least something once a week.

It's so nice to have eating habits that I can have for the rest of my life and stay healthy. That's one of the best things about losing weight. The other best things?

November 2011

May 2012

December 2011

May 2012

Plus, buying pants two sizes smaller than the first of the year is pretty awesome!

25 Before 25 Update!

I figured it is time for a 25 before 25 update! I haven't done SUPER great but I do get to cross a few things off. I better get a move on if I want to finish this list! 25 approaches!

1. Buy a nice piece of jewelry for myself

2. Submit my columns to a syndication press system

3. Watch 10 of Boyfriend's Academy Award winners

4. Lose 30 lbs

5. Become financially independent

6. Make homemade tortillas

7. Run a 5k

8. Volunteer for something

9. Make THIS chicken :o)

10. Do something different with my hair (dye it, cut it, etc.)

11. Go camping

12. See my grandparents once a month

13. Keep my spider plant alive

14. Donate money to charity

15. Read 10 classic books on the BBC Top 100 Books
16. Learn how to make great mashed potato
17. Find a dress that makes me feel like a princess
18. Ride in a helicopter
19. Try a food I can't pronounce
20. See another Cirque Du Soleil show
21. Improve my individual relationships with Boyfriend's family
22. Stay in touch with my sister more often
23. Start an herb garden
24. Write another 25,000 words on my book
25. Be truly surprised :o) (the engagement was a TRUE surprise!)


Not bad for just a few weeks. And as long as my beautiful basil plant holds out, I'm good to go for the herb garden! Up next is rosemary! PLUS I've seen four of Fiance's Academy Award winners so far, so I'm doing great on that. But the others are things that need planning and commitment. Sigh. Wish me luck!

Relaxing

Fiance and I were busy this weekend, even though we tried not to be! Starting on Thursday, I made these delicious little treats for a girls' night with my friends:



They were SO simple and so good. I used 8 oz cream cheese (light, of course), four tablespoons of powdered sugar, and some crushed graham crackers as toppings. The strawberries were surprisingly easy to hollow out... I used a small paring knife (and didn't even hurt myself... success!), but most of the tops pulled out the insides anyway when I pulled those out!

Then on Friday, I went to watch my dad umpire softball. He works as an umpire during the summers; he LOVES baseball/softball. He used to go watch random teams (kids, adults, the over 50 league, anything!) so my mom finally asked him why he didn't become an umpire. Now he is and he LOVES it.

Saturday, Fiance and I ran some errands at the mall and looked for a new watch for him. We played basketball and then showered and ran some more errands. Because we work out on Saturday, we eat those workout calories as a treat but when dinner came around we were both craving just a really great salad. So we grabbed one from Dions and watched Donald Glover's standup. Hilarious!

Sunday was spent running more errands, like grocery shopping, etc., before seeing Brave. It was really, really cute! The visuals were great! The story was a little complicated but overall I really liked it. Then we made burgers (yummy!) and a cake for dinner while we watched Pulp Fiction.

And tonight, I went to Zumba with my friend Vanessa. It was a zumba toning class and man, I definitely feel it! I'm seriously considering joining this gym just for the zumba! Having a friend in the class definitely helps, too.

All in all, a great weekend. How was yours?

Sunshines!

It's FRIDAY and time for some Sunshines and Dark Clouds!

Dark Clouds

• It's been humid, which makes it hard to blowdry my hair completely. Anyone else have this problem?
• I've had a CRAZY busy week at work. But at least it's almost over!
• I've been eating so unhealthy... I need to get back into gear!
• My sister just left for Europe for some summer law school... sunshine for her, dark cloud for us! We'll miss her!
• It's my TOM and I'm feeling blah.

Sunshines!

• TEEN MOM is back on! :o)
• I'm setting up a double date with Fiance and my friend Adriana with her husband! I love couply friends!
• Fiance and I decided on Hawaii for our honeymoon. I can't WAIT
• It's been a long couple of weeks, but it's almost the weekend!
• I bought some pink pants (like Kate Middleton!) and they look adorable. Score!
• The mornings have been perfect... I love summer mornings! I leave for work so early that it gets so COLD when the sun isn't up, but the summer mornings are pefect.
• With Fiance's promotion, he gets to be home in the evenings sometimes. SO EXCITED!

Happy Friday!

Favorite Things

My favorite things about June....






via



Summer sunsets!



via

Summer dresses!

Ahhh... summer!

I'm [Blank] Because

I saw this on a few other blogs, but it looked fun so I'm jumping aboard!

I'm weird because...

I always eat hotdogs from the outsides in, so my last bite is a middle bite. Same with pizza.

I give dogs distinct voices when I pretend to talk for them. They don't change.

I like heat. Better than cold. Always.

I would rather have Cheetos than chocolate.

I only wash my hair once or twice a week. I only brush it three or four times a week.

(I shower every day, though...)

I can't sleep with socks

I HATE having things around my neck (turtlenecks, tight necklaces, etc.)

I don't really like coffee (unless it's a skinny vanilla latte from SBucks)

I put green chile on EVERYTHING (burgers, chicken, tacos, pizza, beans, dips...)

One of my favorite foods is crab legs... because they are fun to crack and eat

I'm a bad friend because...

Most of the time, I would rather be at home in my pajamas.

I don't really like having to make small talk.

I HATE checking my voicemail.

I'm not very go-with-the-flow. I like plans. I like schedules.

I'm a good friend because...

I really listen.

I will give honest advice, not just "nice" advice.

I want my friends to be happy and successful.

I make plans to keep my friend group connected.

I'm good at finding common ground with my friends' friends.

I will make an effort for the important things (graduations, birthdays, etc.) to make them feel special.

I'm sad because...

I have so much work to do this week at work... ay yi yi.
I can't FOR THE LIFE OF ME find a good photographer for under $3,000 in Phoenix for the wedding!

I have to work out. Now.

One of the dogs had an accident in the house!

I have so much laundry to do but I don't want to do it!

I did so well from January-May in losing weight... but I've been on pause since. I need to start back up.

I'm happy because...

I have ice cream waiting for me now :o)

My sister and I had a wine and wedding magazines date yesterday! Yay!

Shadow has been snuggly with me and keeps me warm when I get cold!

Fiance got his promotion at work and I'm so proud of him!
Fiance's cousin and aunt might have some vases I can borrow for the wedding! Saving money!
I made a truly delicious caprese salad with our fresh basil plant! Hooray!

Father's Day

Today, we celebrate fathers. Grandfathers. Uncles. I'm so grateful for the men in my life. And I can't wait to see what a great father Fiance will be.

:o)

Back... With a Date!

Not THAT kind of date... I already have a perfect, permanent date in Fiance. :o)

But we set the date for our wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona! I'm so happy that our favorite spots (a beautiful, wrought-iron, sparkly twinkle-lit courtyard lined with bouganvilla for the ceremony, a large, chandelier'ed room for the reception) were OPEN and waiting for us to book them. We'll get married in almost exactly a year and I'm so excited.

What else did we end up doing? I'll start from the top!

We left Friday night, after Fiance got off work, which ended up being around 10:30. So yeah. We got to Phoenix around 3:30 THEIR time, which is 4:30 ours. Most of that last hour, though, was spent trying to avoid a traffic jam due to an accident in Phoenix and trying to get alllll the way across the city (we were spending the night at Fiance's mom's house... she just moved there for her job!) to Litchfield Park.

We slept long and hard that night and the next day, we got up and headed over to the resort, where we spent the afternoon swimming, drinking margaritas, and getting (a little too much) sun! It was glorious. We went to dinner at Oreganos Pizza that night and it was TO DIE FOR. SO delicious. I love pizza and this did not disappoint!

Then we headed to the baseball game!



We had great seats thanks to my dad, and it was an enjoyable game with a grand slam right in the middle of the fourth!

The next day, we met up with Fiance's mom for some chicken and waffles at Lolo's! i've never tried the combination (though I had heard it was delicious), so I was excited to try something new.



Oh my God. It was amazing. I just got the one waffle and two drumsticks and it was SO GOOD! I didn't even remember to take a photo until I had already devoured most of my meal!



So yummy. I've been dreaming about it since we left.

Fiance had to go to Albuquerque for work, so he left on Sunday afternoon and I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my family by the pool and getting ready for our bridal appointment the next day.

All in all, it was a great weekend and I can't wait to go back!

Sunshines/Dark Clouds

Hi all! I'm going to keep this pretty short because I just got home from work and I have a bunch of stuff to do before we take off to Phoenix this weekend for a little family reunion/getaway! Hooray!

DARK CLOUDS:

• I have to go to Wal-Mart. I hate that place. But I need specific cleaning supplies from there.
• We're leaving Shadow here this weekend with my roommate and his dog, Remix. I know he'll be happy here, in his home, but I'm going to miss him!
• Fiance is getting a promotion (yay pay raise!) BUT has to go to a week-long training three hours away next week. It'll be the first time I've been away from him in a while. :o(
• I have to clean the bathroom/shower/sweep/wipe counters and I DON'T WANNA! Lol

SUNSHINES:

• Phoenix Phoenix Phoenix!
• In 'n Out! Enough said!
• A good friend of mine offered to help us out with our engagement photos at a really great price. I'm so excited to get them done! AND she had the great idea of adding Shadow into the photos... I agree! Can't wait!
• Hopefully, we get to set the date this weekend! YAY!
• Fiance cleaned the living room and dusted and I'm so grateful for his help!

Have a great weekend! I'll be back on Monday!

Teen Mom Drinking Game

One of my favorite shows (as I've mentioned before) is TEEN MOM on MTV. Season one? Season two? Doesn't matter. Love them all. Hopefully I love the season 3 girls just as much!

But now, CMT is playing a mini-marathon of Teen Mom 2 and I've started noticing little quirks about the girls. Sometimes, they are so predictable that you can set your watch by them... or drink to them! I now present to you my TEEN MOM DRINKING GAME... made up entirely by me based on years of dedicated Teen Mom watching! :o)

TEEN MOM Drinking Game (Seasons One and Two)

Drink when...

You see leopard print near Chelsea

They have to put subtitles when Corey talks

They have to put subtitles when Leah talks

 Farrah does her ugly crying face

Adam says something mean to Chelsea

Amber gets mad at Gary

 Jenelle and her mom fight

Bentley gets into trouble/into something at the house

Keifer wears that green hoodie

Adam doesn't wear a shirt

Corey wears that torn up camo hat

Chelsea's dad gives her money/a gift

Catelynn and Tyler kiss/say I love you (they're my favorites)

Butch goes to jail/gets released from jail

Everytime someone gets engaged

Everytime someone breaks up

Pretty awesome, right? Gotta love Teen Mom!

Summer

Summer is such the best. I used to think I only loved summer because of those carefree, no school days, but nope. There's something magical about summer, especially summers in New Mexico and ESPECIALLY summer evenings in New Mexico. Desert summer evenings are pefect: the desert air doesn't hold onto the heat, so evenings are as cool as the wind but still, and bright with the moon, and wonderful.

One of my absolute FAVORITE things about summer is the food. Avocados, watermelon, strawberries, nectarines, honeydew... wonderful, fresh, cool foods for the hot summer weather. Fiance and I have gone through FOUR watermelons in one month. I LOVE watermelon.

That's one of the reasons I'm so set on a summer wedding. My parents were married in June (in Brawley California, in 114 degree weather, fo which they were thankful as the weather forcasted 120 that day!) and I love the thought of the warm sun on their shoulders, of dancing all night in strapless dresses without shivering, of beautiful summer sunsets as their backdrop.

I'm so glad Fiance and I have the same ideas on climate. My little, Dianna, once told me she thinks there are three to five serious issues on which couples need to agree before they can move forward into a real, forever kind of relationship. The first, of course, being whether they are ready for a monogamous relationship. The next, deciding whether or not to have kids (and if so, how many? One? Five?). The third, how to handle money at home (spend it all? Save it all? Spend some, save some?). The fourth, what kind of climate is preferrable to the family? Does one hate snow and the other love the cold? Compromise, of course, is always an option, but like Dianna said, I think couples should be on similar pages when it comes to WHERE to put down roots.

Of course, a real relationship can happen without solidifying ALL of these issues (like climate or money), but it does make it easier to know these things upfront before jumping into marriage and realizing that your partner spends WAY more than you make.

ANYWAY, where was I going with this? Oh, right. Climate.

Fiance has done manual labor stuff through college (working at a plant nursery and then lugging boxes) and in doing so, has become EXTREMELY heat tolerant. I, on the other hand, have AWFUL circulation and I'm ALWAYS cold. I was too cold in Boston in November. I wore leggings under all my jeans, then a camisole, a tshirt, a sweater, a parka and a scarf the entire time I was there. Bostonians were wearing just t-shirts and leggings. My skin is not thick. And I LOVE the heat. Every winter when we get some random snow storm and the city shuts down and I shiver until my stomach actually hurts, we curse the cold and talk about moving to Phoenix as soon as possible!

What about you? Are you a summer person or a winter person? I'm DEFINITELY a summer person!

Insanity

Has anyone ever done the Insanity workout? It looks HARD and RIDICULOUS but... like a really great cardio workout. I'm contemplating attempting this. Anyone have any pros/cons?

Help me out!

SUNSHINES and DARK CLOUDS

Whew, another sunshine and dark cloud session which is always great because that means its FRIDAY! YAY! Here we go:

DARK CLOUDS

• I miss my ring! I want it back!
• It's been windy and icky lately. Here we go, summer!
• No good movies are out... I already saw Avengers and I'd love to see Hunger Games again, but other than that... :o(
• I've been feeling really hot and sticky lately... plus I feel like I'm retaining water. I'm not eating any more sodium than normal... wonder what's up?

SUNSHINES

• My boss gave me his standing freezer and I'm SO excited to have it (nerdy, right?). Sometimes, Fiance goes to work before I get home and with this, I can make casseroles and leave instructions on how to heat it up and poof! Fiance has a great, hot meal no matter what time I get home!
• Tomorrow, I start the Couch to 5K program with my little Shadow and I'm excited! I think running with him will be great exercise for both of us and a great bonding experience! :o)
• Last week, I FINALLY got a couple of shirts that fit me! Hooray!
• I ALSO got a great little Coach clutch for just $30. Love sales and outlet malls! :o)
• We have a nice relaxing weekend on the agenda. Last week, my sister came into town and it was SO great to see her, but we were busy like CRAZY telling our families and seeing her. This weekend? Just movies, the newest True Blood season on DVD, and some Greek food!
• my favorite thing about wedding planning is HONEYMOON planning! Hawaii? Vegas? San Diego? Bahamas? (Can you tell I'm leaning toward a beach vacation? After all the planning and working out to get ready, I know I'll need a nice relaxing vacation to follow it up!)
• Next week, we're heading to Phoenix and we'll get to meet with my potential wedding planner! We already had this trip scheduled, but a couple days after we got engaged, I emailed the planner and asked if we could meet. We could, so we are! Let's get this wedding planning started!

Have a great day! :o)