Holiday Nights

BF and I are members at the local history museum and were really excited to learn that they did a holiday nights event all of December.  It is held at Greenfield Village which is a huge outdoor space filled with old time houses, exhibits, activities, and employees.  We loved visiting there during the summer and were excited to see it done up for Christmas.  We bought out tickets a little late so the only night available was the night after Christmas but we knew it would still be an awesome time. 

The night started a little rough because Detroit received its first big snow fall of the year (we got about 10 inches total in 5 hours) so the road and the drivers were a little crazy.  A 30 minute trip took us over an hour but it was well worth it.... and I will admit the snowfall did make the event even prettier.



Since the museum is ran by Ford we got to go on antique Model T rides



Ice Skating

And my all time favorite part of the night..... FIREWORKS!!  Anyone that knows me knows that fireworks are pretty much my favorite thing in the entire world; I am basically like a small child on Christmas whenever I see them!  These were especially wonderful because A) I have never seen fireworks in the snow and B) while they were going off they had everyone at the event singing Christmas carols which made it even more beautiful.

Overall it was a really amazing night, and it will definitely be a new tradition during the Christmas holiday.



Christmas!!

Oh Christmas, to be honest I am not the biggest Christmas person.  I hate Christmas music, most decorations just look like clutter to me (which as an OCD person drives me nuts), and I don't like the cold or the constant whining from everyone about "neeeeeding" a white Christmas.  Jesus was born in a desert (he is the reason for the season right) and he did just fine with no snow!  But moving on...

My family situation isn't the best so I don't spend Christmas with my immediate family but I have been blessed to have so many amazing friends that make each Christmas special and so much fun!  And this year was going to be a little more special since this was the first year the BF and I were able to spend the day together.   Also my sister came out for the weekend to celebrate the holiday a bit early which was wonderful! 

Christmas Eve was just the BF and I, and we decided to make the best of it.  We spent most of the day cuddled up and relaxing.  Since I knew we were doing Christmas dinner with friends I decided I wanted to make a huge meal.  I am going to do a whole blog post on the recipes but I made some amazing bacon wrapped glazed pork, a gratin potatoes, and green beans!   And the BF made the table look super cute so I had to put it up lol

Christmas morning was perfect with some cinnamon rolls and mimosas!!  Then it was present time... seriously this year I was so so lucky with the things I received.  My favorite gift not from the BF (because of course that will be my favorite) was my Ninja blender from my Dad.  I just asked him for a nice blender but he went all out and got me the one that does the personal size smoothies, has a food processor, and will blend through just about anything.  I am really pumped to bust it open and start using it!  So my favorite gift of all.......



This beautiful necklace!!!  The BF did good, reeeeeal good!  I love pearls and this necklace is perfect enough to wear almost every day and it has two little diamonds above it which match earrings he bought me for Valentine ’s Day this year.  Now I know I have said many many times that the BF is too good to be true and here is another reason why.... one of his best friends is a JEWELER!  Yup never thought of putting that on my checklist, but seriously it is awesome to have someone who knows my taste, his taste, and can always make sure that the BF is getting a good quality piece!  She can also do custom pieces since she studied art and design in college which will be really nice in the future when I've got a little more $$$ to spend!

Christmas evening we were lucky enough to be invited into my friend’s family home.  I spent Christmas day last year with them as well and they are such fun people!  They made a huge steak dinner, and the cocktails were flowing like water, which is standard operating procedure for any fun friend holiday.  At the end of the night the guys decided to try to constantly beat each other on the Kinect, because that’s what guys do I guess but it made for some fun entertainment for all of us ladies. 

This Christmas was a blast and I am so thankful for the people I spent it with and all of the amazing things I received.  I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas as well!

Looking up!

So last week was a little rough... but it ended on a very very high note! 

Thursday night the BF returned from his work trip, and my wonderful sister came into town.  We had a quiet night and I made some amazing Shepard's pie and just relaxed. 

Friday I got two amazing emails.  The first was telling me that I got the job I applied for a few weeks back.  I have already been sitting on the position but there were a ton of people that interviewed and I was nervous.  But I thankfully got the job, and the pay raise to go with it WAHOO!  And the second came from a slightly important person The President!  Well not specifically to me of course, however as a DOD employee we can only be given Christmas Eve off as an official order of the president and with all of the other crap going on in the nation we didn't think that we would be getting it this year.  However he came through at the last minute and let us know that Monday would be a paid day off, and that I would be having a 5 day weekend!

Saturday the BF was nice enough to bring my sister, roomate, and I to the bar so we could have some cocktails and celebrate the holidays!  Needless to say we had a few too many but it was a really fun night and a great kickoff to Christmas!

Karma

Ever sometimes feel like at some point you did something to piss off the universe. 
Work and personal stuff has sent my nerves through the roof lately but I have been able to cope pretty well (BF may say differently LOL).  However Monday pushed me over my threshold.  While christmas shopping I was at a cash register and must have set my phone on the counter instead of in my pocket or purse and didn't realize it.  I walked away and about 30 seconds later (mind you hadn't even made it out of the store) turned around to go grab it.  Well within the minute someone had grabbed taken my phone, and shut it off.  Yes a lost phone isn't the end of the world and having find my iphone installed meant that I could erase all of the data remotely, what upset me the most is that the person that took it had to have been the person behind me in line. They stood behind me for a few minutes watched me, saw me put it down, and instead of being a decent person decided that they would instead steal my phone. 

I've learned that when it comes to the people in this world I am pretty nieve.  I really think the best of people, choose to believe that people are good and trustworthy, I shudder everytime I watch the news and watch the tragedies unfolding in our country, and yet still choose to think the best of every person I meet.  having it slap you in the face brings you back to reality and it hit me really hard. 

Oh then I got into a long drawn out fight with my Mom (lord knows that wasn't pleasent), and then my hair straightner died.  So to say Monday was my breaking point is an understatement.

Tuesday I took a "personal health day" basically a day to stay at home and do absolutely nothing which was wonderful, and then on wednesday I learned that someone had stolen my debit card number a while ago and was trying to make some pretty big purchases.

Last night I drank about a bottle of wine and did a gift exchange with my girlies, it may have not been the best way to cope but it sure did help.  I know I am a good person, I know I help others as much as I can, and sometimes s#it will hit the fan, this week was that week for me.  But Karma is the ultimate payback and to all of those that did me wrong this week they will get their own in good time!

Being a 20 Something Girl

I am pretty sure I am not alone when looking at FB, Instagram, Pinterest, and anything else in realizing that as a 20 something girl it is wedding and baby time!  It all started about age 21 and now at 25 it is in full gear.

First there are the weddings.  In two weeks the two beautiful ladies on the left will be getting married and I will be there for the whole thing!  And in March I will also be able to stand next to a friend and watch her commit her life to one of the best men I have ever met!





Then come the babies!  In February both of these lovely bumbs will be bringing new babies into the world!



And this weekend I got to hold a baby who just came into this world and into my amazing group of girlfriends last week!

Mind you this is all on top of the weddings and babies who have already occurred!  I am so happy for each of my friends and love being able to be a part of and watch every piece of their life as it changes and grows, but it does make me think about where I am in mine.

To be honest every once and a while I begin to think that I am falling behind.  If you would have asked me 5 years ago where I would be now I would have told you I would be in the wife/mommy club too but sometimes things don't work out the way you pictured..... and I've realized that for me it’s for the better!

Do I hope to get engaged... YES!  The BF has made my life amazing and I hope that we will be able to be us forever, however right now I don't need it.  Right now I still love growing with him, and in another year or so we will know where and what we are meant to be.  Do I want to get married.... YES!  But I also want a $3000 dress and the Louboutin's to match so for now I will spend my time saving and dreaming, and waiting for the moment when it will be perfect.  Do I want kids.... YES!  I actually want 4, but this weekend made me realize that I am just not ready.  For now I am selfish, I love my happy hours, late nights (not full of diaper changes), vacations, bi-weekly manicures, and tight tummy a little too much to give it all up just yet. 

As we all grow up we take different paths, as long as my friends are happy then they are on the right path, and since I am happy, I know that I am too!



Slacking

Sooo lets be honest here... my half-marathon training officially began over a week ago and I have ran a total of 3, yes 3 miles.  Now I can always use the excuse of life being busy and having other more important things to be concentrating on but I need to learn how to make this a priority.

Monday will but me at 10 weeks until the half and that is when my commitment will kick into high gear (hopefully lol).  To be honest I have barely even had time for sleep in the last week thanks to all of the not only work but personal chaos in my life but I need to get it under control.  In reality running 3 miles only takes be about 30 minutes and I have no excuse to not have 30 minutes in my day even if it means doing it before work or on my lunch hour.

This weekend I am hoping to reset.... tonight I am heading out to Grand Rapids to visit one of my high school girls who just had her baby girl and to see my other friends as well.  Saturday we are doing a 007 date night and then Sunday will just be relaxing.

Sunday I am making the BF a big dinner since his Vikings beat my Bears last week (grrrr) so next week I will have some life, running, and food updates for you!!

On a random not this is probably the best stuff I have had in ages, totally obsessed and I just learned they sell them at Sam's club so I will for sure be stocking up!

My work is cooler than yours

So the title basically says it all!  Last friday my work had its annual holiday party.  My division is comprised of about 3500 people so the holiday party is held for 1000 employees.  This year I was on the planning committee and basically it was like planning a 1000 person wedding!  We had to do everything from centerpieces, to favors, to entertainment.  The morning started at 6 AM so that we could set up and get everything put together, and of course we needed some mimosas!

Everyone arrived about 10:30 and the party was in full swing by 11!  The party has a family style full lunch/dinner and comes with 5 open bars (us government employees know how to drink) and that is when all the fun begins.  The DJ was awesome and played all of the fun new music along with the stuff that even the older employees enjoy.  Overall we had a great time and it was fun to spend time with the BF and some of my favorite people! 



Drunken Photo Booth Moments



 

P.S. I also got my newest favorite picture ever!!!

P.P.S  Jacqueline is on the mend but still struggling.  They have her on some steroids so she is feeling better but she will be in for a few more days for monitoring and to figure out exactly what is going on!

Cloudy

So its been a few days but to be honest my mind is just a bit cloudy.

I promise to update soon I have so much to catch up on including my holiday party, and feeling a little far behind in life in general but for now I just need to uncloud a little.

A week ago my best friend here at home J was admitted to the hospital for something we all thought would pass.  She was throwing up and we all just thought it would be a quick in and out for nausea or the stomach flu.  Well things got worse fast, pretty soon she was in so much pain that she couldn't even move without whimpering and being put into tears.  Saturday I spent a lot of the day with her and it looked like things were finally getting better however last night her cell counts dropped dangerously low and she had to have a blood transfusion.  She reacted adversly to the blood and at about 1am last night she was unable to breathe and had to be rushed into critical care.  Today I went to the hospital and sadly things have gotten worse and will continue to until they can figure out what is going wrong with her.

I am so scared for her and I can't imagine the pain she is enduring right now.  Having a best friend is the best thing in the world but seeing that friend in such a condition hurts your heart so badly.  I wish that things get better soon and until then I will be a little preoccupied playing nurse and trying to cheer up my friend because I know she would be doing the same for me!

I love you J and I need you back and feeling better!!!

Party Time!

The next 48 hours are going to be insane but oh so much fun.  For the last 3 months I have been helping plan my work holiday party.  Now most people have a little gathering, but I am lucky enough to work at an amazing place that loves to throw some events. 

There will be 1,000 people, 5 open bars, 100 tables all with assigned seating, 2 photo booths, and about 20 of my closest friends in the D! 

Set up starts in about an hour.... basically think about setting up an 1,000 person wedding.  So table cloths, chair covers, place settings, center pieces, favors, EVERYTHING!!!!  We will set up for most of the evening and then I am getting my hair done by my amazing hairdresser and trying to sleep.  Tomorrow we finish set up at 6 AM and the party starts at 11.  I will have some awesome photos this weekend of the event and I am pumped for it all to begin... and a little is happy it will all be over with until next fall lol

Motivation

We all need a little motivation sometimes, especially when it comes to working out!  Last night me and my girls got together in order to fill up on our yearly amount of motivation (and trash talk lol) with the Victorias Secret Fashion Show.  Now it is no surprise to anyone that knows me that I am obsessed with VS and I love just about anything they sell, so I get super excited every year for the fashion show!  We drank a little too much wine and ate our weight in skinny funfetti dip but any night with the girls is a good night.



My Favorite!!  Ms. July

Yes I know that this is these girls' job, but it is still motivation to run that extra few minutes, lift that extra weight, or take that extra class.   I want to feel this confident and have this much fun walking around in nearly nothing HA

Let the training begin!

Yesterday marked the official 12 week mark for the Disney Princess Half-Marathon, which means that it is also the start of my training.  For my first half I didn't stick to my training program often and I definitely paid for it in the end.  The first time my goal was to finish and this time my goal is to be able to run the entire thing, pace and time is not going to be a factor for me this time around.   Disney recommended using a training plan from Hal Higdon, he has a variety of training plans and you can view all of them here Halhigdon.com! 

Since I can comfortable run for about 3-4 miles and have completed a few long distance races I decided to go with the Novice 2 program which is below

I also plan on keeping up some yoga and weight training in order to help the rest of my body stay toned and stretched but basically this will be my life for the next 12 weeks.  I will be tracking and keeping accountability with my training through this blog, which is something I didn't start until the end of my program the last time around.   It will be interesting to see the progression and how I do!  Overall I am really excited and ready to begin (about 4 weeks in I am sure my tone will be different lol)

Oh and on a random note I had to interview today for a promotion in the position I am currently sitting on.  The interview went well since I am already doing the promoted position but it was still fun to get all dressed up for something.  Normally I am business casual to casual so it was fun to bust out the suit!

Tequila!

This weekend was characterized by friends, food, and tequila!

Friday I went to dinner with two of my girlfriends at one of our newest favorite places Imperial in Ferndale, MI.  Their entire menu consists of about 8 tacos, and a few random sides.  You order about 3-4 tacos that all come family style and every single one is amazing!!!  The environment is also awesome with a modern feel and family style seating.  One of the things we love is that the drink menu is three times as long as the food menu. 

Saturday started with my best friend’s wedding shower brunch, which thankfully didn't include tequila but instead had mimosas.  There is just something about orange juice and champagne that is just so perfect in the morning!  That night was our second annual ugly sweater party, which also had a Mexican potluck theme.  Sadly I didn't get any pics, well in reality I did get a few but since they came after a few too many beerita's and a round of shot roulette they are all a hot mess LOL

All the tequila made for a rough Sunday, but the BF and I still made it to our favorite sports bar to watch all of our FB teams play, and sadly lose.  Overall it was a fun weekend and a nice break before the chaos of the holidays begins!

Gingerita

Ingredients

2 oz. tequila of choice

1 oz. fresh lime juice

Pinch of sugar

2 oz. ginger beer

Directions

1) Shake tequila, lime juice, and sugar with ice in a martini shaker

2) Pour into glass and add ginger beer, stir

3) Enjoy!

It may be winter here but this drink makes me reminds me of summer, and helps me forget the cold ;-)

How to start a rumor

Apparently all you have to do as a 20 something girl is to throw up at your desk! 

I felt fine all day yesterday until after lunch.  I felt a little queasy but figured it was just the fact that I was really tired.  Well I was wrong!  Mid conversation with a co-worker I felt my whole lunch coming up, with no time to make it to the bathroom I threw up in my desk trash can.  I quickly ran to the bathroom to clean myself and then was told to head home and get some rest.

I guess that enough people saw and grossly "heard" me getting sick that they all started to think the same thing.  Apparently the only reason a 20 something girl throws up is because she is pregnant!  I was shocked when I walked into work and my co-workers asked if this throwing up thing was going to be happening often with a little wink ;-)  I couldn't believe it!  Now I love my co-workers so I didn't take offense to it but I was shocked that me throwing up one time after lunch could cause everyone to believe something so big.  Now for the record I know for a FACT that I am NOT pregnant (don't make me get into details) but it does make me chuckle a little to think that everyone would immediately think it! 

Guess these are the things that keep work interesting LOL

Feeling the burn

Training for the Disney half-marathon officially begins next week, so I decided to take this week to use up my groupon at a local fitness club.  The club is geared towards boxing but they offer all types of classes like TRX, zumba, and a little class called intensity. 

Tuesday I took a Zumba class which is one of my great loves since I grew up my whole life dancing and my legs were surprisingly sore yesterday.  However, I still decided to take the Intensity class last night... BIG MISTAKE!  Let’s just say I can't walk, lift my arms, or bend from side to side without making a little squealing noise from the pain.  Now I know this is the "good" pain like I know I didn't strain anything but man does it hurt. 

So what is Intensity???  Basically it is Tae-Bo on crack, the instructor owns the club and runs it like a boot camp, heavily motivating you the whole way through and pushing your body to its limits.  There are no weights, props, or machines the whole thing is a mix of plyometrics, kickboxing, and basic movements like squats and lunges.  Also there are about 40 people in the room so the temperature alone is enough to make you want to give up, and to make you sweat like a pig.  The really cool part though is that at nights the class is called "Club Intensity" because the instructor also acts as a DJ on a real DJ booth and turns the lights off and has a mix of club like lights going along with the music.  The energy in the room is enough to keep you going for the full hour!

So today I am going to take it easy, do some elliptical and get a good stretch in so that I can hopefully move a little easier tomorrow lol

Oh and the one and only Ms. Britney Spears came on my Pandora yesterday and I decided that this photo is officially my new motivation.  Now I know she has photoshop, trainers, chefs, and whatever else she wants but why not have some awesome motivation to keep me eating right and working my butt off!!

Oatmeal Smoothie

I of course found this recipe on Pinterest and tried it for the first time this morning.  The oatmeal threw me off a little and I ended up eating it with a spoon since it seemed a little more natural than drinking it.  But it kept me really full.  This does make a double batch, which I didn't realize at first, but drinking the whole thing was actually too much food for me in the morning.  For half it is about 200 calories, 12 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber, perfect for morning meals!!

Ingredients
1 cup of ice
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 small banana
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
Sweetener of choice (I use splenda)

Directions
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!


If you like this recipe check out my new recipe for Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothine

All about the food

I love food, I love making it, eating it, and sharing it!  But sometimes that can get me in trouble.  Now I have been blessed to have a pretty naturally slim frame, however; I do have to keep myself in check.  Every year I tend to flucuate up or down in about a 10-15 lb range, basically enough so that I never have to buy new pants HA.  For me it is mainly about feeling good about how I look, there is no better feeling then looking in the mirror or slipping on a pair of pants and feeling good about yourself. 

Now I don't beleive in diets, since well they work for a hot minute then just go away so for the next and well I am never really good at sticking to them.  I don't have a little thing called willpower when it comes to my food so I tend to fail whenever someone has any type of sweet or tasty morsel!  So here are a few of my key tricks to help me get back on the healthy eating bandwagon.

1) I use my APP:  So since I do splurge every once and awhile I have gotten really good about using the MyFitnessPal APP for my phone. It works well for me because lets say I do give into an office donut in the morning I can add it to my app and then adjust my eating for the rest of the day to keep me on track. 

2) I plan: I tend to make a lot of lists and a lot of plans, and they really to help keep me on track.  Planning out most of my meals for the week gives me the ability to plan and prepare ahead of time to prevent last minute quick foods like pasta or going out.  Once I make my plan I make a grocery list and then make ahead anything that I can.

Last night for example I made a big batch of quinoa that I can throw onto salads, into soups, and eat with veggies as a great side.  I also chopped up all of my veggies for quick salads and omelets!

3) I pack my meals:  going out or picking up breakfast/lunch on the work weeks not only kills my wallet but also my calorie intake.  So everynight I pack my meals.  Breakfast is often oatmeal, yogurt and fruit, cottage cheese, or even just a protein bar.  Lunch is anything that is left over, salads, flatout wraps with tuna or other meats, soups, and then sides like fruit, veggies, string cheese, or low cal crackers. 

> Breakfast: An oatmeal smoothie (recipe to come in another post) which was surprisingly good, although it was a little odd to eat my smoothie with a spoon lol

< Lunch: Quinoa, spinach, feta cheese, and craisins.  Sounds kinda odd but this is actually one of my favorite lunches

4) I stock:  Again with that willpower thing, whenever I am in the mood for a snack I am the first one to run to a candy dish or to the vending machine.  And at home I will grab whatever sounds tasty in the cabinets.  So I make sure that I only stock my cabinets and desk with healthy but still tasty things.  For savory I love Ranch and BBQ mini rice cakes (maybe a little too much) and for sweet I love teddy grahams or apple cinnamon rice cakes with PB.  So I make sure to always have them on hand.

5) I enjoy myself:  If I am going to put in this much work most of the time I will let myself enjoy anything I want sometimes.  If the BF and I want to make an awesome pasta dinner, or go out and grab pizza I will.  There is no point in not enjoying food or the fun things in life like parties or potlucks.  I try about 90% of the time and for me that is good enough!  Lets hope I can now keep it up for a few weeks and feel a little better slipping into my skinny jeans!

Back in the mitten...

...and man is it cold!  I have never been and never will be a cold weather person and coming back from 70 and sunny makes it even worse.  But to make me feel a little better about being back in the cold and back to work I figured I might as well blog!  This weekend was amazing, I know I use that word a lot but it's because it's really true.  We were so lucky with amazing weather, fun food and drinks, and awesome family time. 

Getting there was a little rough, we got all settled into our flight, door shut, ready to go, when the flight attendant informed us that we would have to deplane and wait for another aircraft to become available.  Well anyone who travels on Thanksgiving will know that flights and crews aren't just readily available.  So we made it into Marco 3 hours later then we were supposed to at 1 a.m.!!!  Thank goodness that was the only hitch of the trip.

Thanksgiving was wonderful.  I haven't had a true family thanksgiving in ages and being able to celebrate with the BF and his family really made me realize how thankful I am to have him in my life.  He has really made every piece of my life more wonderful and it just keeps getting better.

The rest of the weekend was a blur of drinks and sun which is by far the best blur there is!!!  Sadly I didn't get many photos, which is really really odd for me, but these sum up pretty perfectly!

Still trying to get my brain back into work and workout mode, I think it’s going to take a few days lol.  I def fell off the wagon since it was so much more enjoyable to chow down on awesome food and layout instead of running on the beach but this week that will change.  Tomorrow I will have my workout and food plan for the next few weeks!  Fun Fun Right?!?!?!?!?!

Turkey and Sun

Only a few more hours stand between me and vacation!  The BF and I are heading down to Marco Island Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving in some warmth.

His whole family will be there including his sister who I have never met before, I am so excited to be able to spend it with them in such a beautiful place.  His family really is as wonderful as he is and everytime I have been around them I just feel comfortable and welcomed.  Bf's parents own the condo so we were lucky enough to visit them back in February (Where my main blog pic came from BTW) so I am looking foward to being back!  Some of my favorite things that I am looking forward to:

1) The most amazing lobster ravioli with vodka sauce I have ever eaten
2) The Gulf of Mexico being only steps away
3) Family Time
4) SUN

Hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving!!!

Creamy Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

After a long day BF and I decided to make a crock pot pork loin and I wanted a quick side to go with it.  I picked up the red potatoes because I knew they wouldn't require peeling but wanted a new recipe for making them into a mash.  I usually try to make my dinners on the more healthy side but tonight since we were eating a low calorie protein and just some steamed veggies on the side I decided to splurge just a little.

The heavy cream, butter, and seasonings make this taste like something special.  The sugar in the ingredients threw me off for a second but it really does add something different.  This is my new go to for mashed potatoes and hopefully it will be yours too!

Creamy Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes



Adapted from AllRecipes



Ingredients

8-10 medium red potatoes

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon Lawry's

Salt and Pepper

Directions

1) Cut potatoes into quarters, place in large pot with water and boil 10-15 minutes until easily pierced with knife

2) Drain, then place in large bowl

3) Add in all other ingredients and mash with fork or potato masher until desired consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste

4) Enjoy!