I officially booked my flight to HAWAII for 6 days to visit Laura and Kyle and I couldn't be more excited! I will leave the afternoon after Thanksgiving (Friday) and take the red eye out December 5th and land in Phoenix Friday morning. I was able to get non-stop flights (YAY) and was able to use my Amex reward points to fully pay for my plane ticket (double yay)! We had been saving the points up for who knows what so when the opportunity presented itself to use them for this trip after we decided I would just be going to Hawaii by myself we took it. Bobby wanted to go but figured he will be busy with work around the holidays and most everyone will probably be taking time off so he should probably stick around. There is still a small chance (in my crazy mind) that he will come last minute, but I doubt it. We will probably use his PTO around Christmas and try to back home. Bobby has been to Hawaii multiple times when he was younger so he thought it would be fun for me to just go and see Laura and spend some girl time with her (since I don't have any friends here haha). I am excited to spend time with her for sure and have her show me around her new home :) I can't wait!!! We are definitely planning on multiple hikes, tons of beach time, and eating our way around Oahu, if I know Laura I am SURE she has some go to places to eat around there so I can't wait! I really wish Bobby was coming and I tend to have a little bit of guilt about going without him, but then I have to remember he wanted me to go and he has traveled plenty of times without me so it is my turn! ;) Even though Hawaii is still the US it just FEELS like it is out of the country lol So excited nonetheless and have a countdown going already of course...47 days to go!
xoxo
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
Yummy Balls
Protein balls that is! Geez get your mind out of the gutter ;) I found a 4 ingredient recipe for these yummy bites on pinterest and have seen multiple versions of them from recipes all over the internet and from friends. You can pretty much put whatever you want in them. I started with the base recipe off of Pinterest from He and She Eat Clean (see blogs that I follow) that calls for 1c dry plain oats, 1/4c all natural PB, 3 T honey, and 2 T of dark chocolate chips. I then added a scoop of chocolate protein powder and probably 1/4c of shredded coconut (I didn't measure). Because I added the protein powder it needed more honey to hold it together so I just kind of added more and mixed until I got the right consistency. After you combine all of the ingredients just roll them up into little balls and place in a glass dish, cover and put them in the fridge so they can set. You of course can just eat them right then and there, but they will hold together better once they firm up in the fridge for about an hour.
These are great to have on hand as a quick pre-workout snack, to take on a hike or just an on the go snack in general. It literally took me 10-15 minutes from start to finish, no time at all. You could add dried fruit, flax, nuts, etc anything you want make them your own and add whatever you like!
They taste like a treat, but they're clean and healthy! Healthy CAN and DOES taste good believe it or not! :) Enjoy!
These are great to have on hand as a quick pre-workout snack, to take on a hike or just an on the go snack in general. It literally took me 10-15 minutes from start to finish, no time at all. You could add dried fruit, flax, nuts, etc anything you want make them your own and add whatever you like!
They taste like a treat, but they're clean and healthy! Healthy CAN and DOES taste good believe it or not! :) Enjoy!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Taco Sunday
I am all about simplicity and the crock pot. I make up huge batches of slow cooked chicken every week and we use it in all different things. I was in the mood for Mexican food (as Bobby always is) so I figured I would spice up my typically plain slow cooked chicken. I just used the salt free Mrs. Dash chipotle lime seasoning and some TJ's taco season with water and let it cook on high for about 4-5 hours. After about 4 hours I shredded up the chicken and placed it back into the crock pot to soak up the seasoning more. (I should have let it cook longer after shredding, but we were hungry!)
I did a TJ's run today, something I haven't done in awhile (don't know why) and found half corn half whole wheat tortillas. I also bought lite shredded Mexican blend cheese and bought some pre-washed and chopped romaine lettuce ( I bought a bunch of other things too but these things were for dinner tonight). We already had roasted diced green chiles and sour cream and that was all it required. Simple shredded chicken tacos and were super yummy! My friend gave me an enchilada recipe I want to try too! This was kind of a wing it meal and you can literally do it any day of the week. If you don't use a ton of cheese or sour cream (which we don't) it is overall a pretty clean and healthy dinner! You can also substitute the sour cream out for non fat plain Greek Yogurt, which is what I typically do but I just went with sour cream this time.
It was nice to cook a meal that my hubby enjoyed and was still healthy as well. I tend to struggle with the balance of meals being healthy and tasting like they aren't. It feels good to make a meal that is both and have Bobby love it, but it was tacos so really you can't go wrong!
I have a few other yummy things I plan on making this week too! Wish me luck! :)
I did a TJ's run today, something I haven't done in awhile (don't know why) and found half corn half whole wheat tortillas. I also bought lite shredded Mexican blend cheese and bought some pre-washed and chopped romaine lettuce ( I bought a bunch of other things too but these things were for dinner tonight). We already had roasted diced green chiles and sour cream and that was all it required. Simple shredded chicken tacos and were super yummy! My friend gave me an enchilada recipe I want to try too! This was kind of a wing it meal and you can literally do it any day of the week. If you don't use a ton of cheese or sour cream (which we don't) it is overall a pretty clean and healthy dinner! You can also substitute the sour cream out for non fat plain Greek Yogurt, which is what I typically do but I just went with sour cream this time.
It was nice to cook a meal that my hubby enjoyed and was still healthy as well. I tend to struggle with the balance of meals being healthy and tasting like they aren't. It feels good to make a meal that is both and have Bobby love it, but it was tacos so really you can't go wrong!
 |
| Bobby's Tacos :) |
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Goals
Well it is October 3rd and I still haven't written out my goals so I suppose I should finally get to it now! I didn't have as much time to sit down and think about them as I thought I would have, but I will come up with a few for this month.
1. Sweat everyday: whether it be a quick 30 minutes or less sweat session or a longer one, I want to sweat everyday. I have been majorly inconsistent with working out since we have been back so I need to get back in the habit.
2. Get organized: Most of the apartment is organized except for our bills and papers. We have a little desk niche in the hallway and I want to get it set up as my little household management station with the bills, important papers, etc. That is definitely something I want to get done this month.
3. Save: we are planning a trip to Hawaii next month over Thanksgiving to visit our friends who are living there so I want to save as much $ as I can for the trip. I plan to put most if not all of my work money away. I am not the best saver so it is something I want to become better at.
4. Take photos: I want to get out and take more pictures using my new camera. I love taking photos and I haven't been using my camera enough. I want to get better before we go to Hawaii so I will get out more and find things to photograph :)
5. Cook more creative things: I pretty much make the same lame things for dinner and it get's boring. I am going to find a few new recipes this month to try and do also do some more baking! (clean eating of course ;) )
Those will be my goals for October. When I think up goals I tend to want to make BIG goals and then get down if I don't meet them all. Because of this I wanted to come up just 5 things that would be totally attainable, yet still a challenge for ME to accomplish this month. I will keep updates on my blog for each accomplished goal! :) Wish me luck!
xoxo
1. Sweat everyday: whether it be a quick 30 minutes or less sweat session or a longer one, I want to sweat everyday. I have been majorly inconsistent with working out since we have been back so I need to get back in the habit.
2. Get organized: Most of the apartment is organized except for our bills and papers. We have a little desk niche in the hallway and I want to get it set up as my little household management station with the bills, important papers, etc. That is definitely something I want to get done this month.
3. Save: we are planning a trip to Hawaii next month over Thanksgiving to visit our friends who are living there so I want to save as much $ as I can for the trip. I plan to put most if not all of my work money away. I am not the best saver so it is something I want to become better at.
4. Take photos: I want to get out and take more pictures using my new camera. I love taking photos and I haven't been using my camera enough. I want to get better before we go to Hawaii so I will get out more and find things to photograph :)
5. Cook more creative things: I pretty much make the same lame things for dinner and it get's boring. I am going to find a few new recipes this month to try and do also do some more baking! (clean eating of course ;) )
Those will be my goals for October. When I think up goals I tend to want to make BIG goals and then get down if I don't meet them all. Because of this I wanted to come up just 5 things that would be totally attainable, yet still a challenge for ME to accomplish this month. I will keep updates on my blog for each accomplished goal! :) Wish me luck!
xoxo
Monday, September 30, 2013
Growth
The last time I made any type of goals were for New Year's Eve. The end of 2013 is approaching and it has been an amazing year, probably the best year of my life for many reasons, marrying my best friend being the biggest! I would have to go back and look at them , but I know they were mostly fitness related aside from the "traveling" one (which I will be checking off in a couple of months) and I completed the biggest one of those. Finish p90x. That was a big accomplishment for me to say I completed it. It was not easy for me, but I did it!
I like to set goals for myself to give me something to work towards. I am a very visual person and I like to have things written down for me to be able to look at whenever I need a little motivation or inspiration. I want to start setting monthly goals for myself, smaller goals that aren't just fitness related, but just about life in general. We all have things about ourselves that we need to work on, nobody is perfect, especially me. I have had a rough time transitioning to married life and moving to a new place where we don't know anybody and have had other emotional issues going on, but I need to work my way through them. I really want to grow and discover myself. I know that sounds crazy coming from a 26 year old, but I really feel like sometimes I still don't know who I am, what I am about, what I want to do...I feel like I am just kind of floating through life without a purpose. This is not to say that I am unhappy with my life in any way, I am very happy and blessed, it is just a time in my life where I live far from literally all of my friends, we are all at different places in our lives and I feel like everyone has "something" going on for them and I am just kind of here. I just feel like I am still searching for something, I don't know what it is yet, but I know I will when I do find it. It could take awhile, but I am lucky enough to have my best friend with me every single day to encourage and support me in everything.
I think sitting down each month and evaluating where I am in my life and setting goals will really help me grow and help me strive for something more.
Now to actually sit down and come up with the goals. I will have to think about them more tonight and tomorrow and post them tomorrow night sometime.
Do you ever set goals for yourself? Does it help you or do you tend to just kind of forget about them after the moment is gone?
xoxo
I like to set goals for myself to give me something to work towards. I am a very visual person and I like to have things written down for me to be able to look at whenever I need a little motivation or inspiration. I want to start setting monthly goals for myself, smaller goals that aren't just fitness related, but just about life in general. We all have things about ourselves that we need to work on, nobody is perfect, especially me. I have had a rough time transitioning to married life and moving to a new place where we don't know anybody and have had other emotional issues going on, but I need to work my way through them. I really want to grow and discover myself. I know that sounds crazy coming from a 26 year old, but I really feel like sometimes I still don't know who I am, what I am about, what I want to do...I feel like I am just kind of floating through life without a purpose. This is not to say that I am unhappy with my life in any way, I am very happy and blessed, it is just a time in my life where I live far from literally all of my friends, we are all at different places in our lives and I feel like everyone has "something" going on for them and I am just kind of here. I just feel like I am still searching for something, I don't know what it is yet, but I know I will when I do find it. It could take awhile, but I am lucky enough to have my best friend with me every single day to encourage and support me in everything.
I think sitting down each month and evaluating where I am in my life and setting goals will really help me grow and help me strive for something more.
Now to actually sit down and come up with the goals. I will have to think about them more tonight and tomorrow and post them tomorrow night sometime.
Do you ever set goals for yourself? Does it help you or do you tend to just kind of forget about them after the moment is gone?
xoxo
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Travel While You're Young
As most of you know Bobby and I love to travel. We have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel to over 7 countries (Bobby has been to a few more than me) together. Most of those were in one big Euro-trip while we were still in college. I had never traveled to Europe before, but I had gone to Belize with Bobby's family prior to that. I never knew what I was missing out on, but once we went on our own on that trip to Europe I had the bug. Now all I ever want to do is travel and I spend my spare time looking up flights to different places. The world is so big and there are so many amazing places we want to visit in our lifetime that it makes it nearly impossible to prioritize them. Right now Thailand is at the top of our list. That will be a big trip since it is such a long flight so we won't want to go until we can spend at least 2 weeks there. Thankfully Bobby gets 28 paid days off a year at American Express which makes taking time off to travel pretty easy. I am only working very part time for a great, flexible family so I know that if I told them we would be taking a trip that wouldn't be a problem.
I am always the one worrying about money and finances saying we can't afford to travel anywhere right now, and so on. I read this article that one of my friends posted, and while Bobby and I have talked about the exact thing he discusses in his article multiple times and it is what we always say, this article really resonated with me. While of course the big international trips tend to be more exciting, it talks about domestic trips as well and the importance of those type of trips and that what is really important is just getting out there and seeing different places. Since we moved to Phoenix we are surrounded by so many amazing places to visit on simple weekend day trips; the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Tucson are some big ones. We are about 2 hours from Sedona and Tucson and about 3 hours from the Grand Canyon. We plan to hit all three this fall once the weather cools off a little bit more. The great thing is, they're so close by we can go back up another weekend later on if we don't see or do everything we want the first time around.
The article also discusses the excuse of money as being just that, an excuse. While yes, it does cost money and we do need to save and budget for trips, not every trip has to cost an arm and a leg and there are plenty of ways to see the world and not completely blow thousands of dollars. That is what we did for our Euro-trip. We stayed in hostels, camp grounds, and only one hotel room one night. It adds to the fun because you meet so many new people from all around the world that way. While it is not the most luxurious way to travel, and the hostels can sometimes be a little dirty, I feel it is the best way for young people to travel. How else would you meet people from all over the world? The experiences you get from traveling are like nothing else and will literally change your life. I have such a different outlook on the world and such an appreciation for different things because I have traveled to so many different places. No place was the same and every place offered something new and exciting. We didn't plan out where we were going to be staying until the night before we arrived to each new place. Things didn't always work out, things went wrong, but we not only got to see places in each city that we may not have otherwise seen if we hadn't gotten lost, but we grew so much as a couple by working together to navigate the unknown.
We decided right away that we want to travel as much as possible this year. We didn't get a "honeymoon" but our hopes are to take at least two trips this year and we are in the midst of planning out first. Two of our best friends live in Hawaii right now so we are planning on visiting over Thanksgiving. They are nice enough to let us stay in their guest room so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel, yet another example of making a trip to Hawaii work on a budget. We would just have to pay for our tickets and food/activities while we are there. We would get to see our friends and experience a new place together. Bobby has been to Hawaii multiple times as a kid, but I believe he went to Maui and they live on Oahu so it is still a new place and there are new things to see. We haven't bought tickets yet, we are waiting to see if they drop or not in the next couple of weeks and then we will buy them. Phoenix is a great place to fly out of (unlike Rochester) with awesome prices and we can get a non stop flight there, double win! I am so excited to not only see Hawaii but to also see our friends! We are all spread out and time together is very limited. I saw Laura at the wedding, but again it was limited and Kyle was unable to come out so I know Bobby wants to see him. I can't wait and hope everything works out how we are planning it. It is just one of those things where we say, as the article says, don't put it off, just make it happen and GO!
Here is the article, I guarantee it will make you want to fly somewhere tomorrow! ;) *Edit* OR DRIVE! (Ashley ;) )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-london/travel-while-youre-young_b_3975195.html
I am always the one worrying about money and finances saying we can't afford to travel anywhere right now, and so on. I read this article that one of my friends posted, and while Bobby and I have talked about the exact thing he discusses in his article multiple times and it is what we always say, this article really resonated with me. While of course the big international trips tend to be more exciting, it talks about domestic trips as well and the importance of those type of trips and that what is really important is just getting out there and seeing different places. Since we moved to Phoenix we are surrounded by so many amazing places to visit on simple weekend day trips; the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Tucson are some big ones. We are about 2 hours from Sedona and Tucson and about 3 hours from the Grand Canyon. We plan to hit all three this fall once the weather cools off a little bit more. The great thing is, they're so close by we can go back up another weekend later on if we don't see or do everything we want the first time around.
The article also discusses the excuse of money as being just that, an excuse. While yes, it does cost money and we do need to save and budget for trips, not every trip has to cost an arm and a leg and there are plenty of ways to see the world and not completely blow thousands of dollars. That is what we did for our Euro-trip. We stayed in hostels, camp grounds, and only one hotel room one night. It adds to the fun because you meet so many new people from all around the world that way. While it is not the most luxurious way to travel, and the hostels can sometimes be a little dirty, I feel it is the best way for young people to travel. How else would you meet people from all over the world? The experiences you get from traveling are like nothing else and will literally change your life. I have such a different outlook on the world and such an appreciation for different things because I have traveled to so many different places. No place was the same and every place offered something new and exciting. We didn't plan out where we were going to be staying until the night before we arrived to each new place. Things didn't always work out, things went wrong, but we not only got to see places in each city that we may not have otherwise seen if we hadn't gotten lost, but we grew so much as a couple by working together to navigate the unknown.
We decided right away that we want to travel as much as possible this year. We didn't get a "honeymoon" but our hopes are to take at least two trips this year and we are in the midst of planning out first. Two of our best friends live in Hawaii right now so we are planning on visiting over Thanksgiving. They are nice enough to let us stay in their guest room so we wouldn't have to pay for a hotel, yet another example of making a trip to Hawaii work on a budget. We would just have to pay for our tickets and food/activities while we are there. We would get to see our friends and experience a new place together. Bobby has been to Hawaii multiple times as a kid, but I believe he went to Maui and they live on Oahu so it is still a new place and there are new things to see. We haven't bought tickets yet, we are waiting to see if they drop or not in the next couple of weeks and then we will buy them. Phoenix is a great place to fly out of (unlike Rochester) with awesome prices and we can get a non stop flight there, double win! I am so excited to not only see Hawaii but to also see our friends! We are all spread out and time together is very limited. I saw Laura at the wedding, but again it was limited and Kyle was unable to come out so I know Bobby wants to see him. I can't wait and hope everything works out how we are planning it. It is just one of those things where we say, as the article says, don't put it off, just make it happen and GO!
Here is the article, I guarantee it will make you want to fly somewhere tomorrow! ;) *Edit* OR DRIVE! (Ashley ;) )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-london/travel-while-youre-young_b_3975195.html
Monday, September 23, 2013
One Month Ago
I married my best friend. I didn't think it would change anything, but I was definitely mistaken. I never expected to love Bobby more than I already did, but I do. My love for him doubled, tripled, quadrupled when we said I Do and we are still floating on cloud in 9 of marital bliss. We didn't get a honeymoon, but everyday as his wife feels like one. We have been together for almost 12 years and we have been in that newlywed/honeymoon phase for years and I don't foresee that ever changing. I believe that that is what true love is. It isn't just a phase directly following your wedding...it is just how you are as a couple everyday. You just are that way with each other. You are best friends. Lovers. Companions. Partners in crime. Nothing can tear you apart and they are the first person you go to with exciting news or bad news. They are who you turn to when you need to vent, cry, laugh with. They are your everything.
I of course have a few girl friends who are my best friends, who I go to as well, but with Bobby it is just different. He truly is my best friend in every way. He is the only person I can be around 24/7 and not get sick of. Call me attached, but I miss him anytime we aren't together. I am not unable to function when we are apart or anything, but I just love him so much I always want to be around him. I am happy when I am with him. We aren't perfect, we argue sometimes, have disagreements, but we get through everything and are always stronger on the other side. Despite being together for almost 12 years we are still learning things about each other and still grow together as a couple every day. I think that is a very important aspect of a strong healthy marriage.
This was quite honestly the craziest, fastest month of my life. Even more so than the month leading up to the wedding I think. Some days I wish we could just go back to the day of the wedding because that is the happiest we have ever been. It was perfect. I only it wish it could have lasted longer. I actually feel a little lost not having anything to plan since I had been planning our wedding for over 2 years it is a strange feeling to now not have anything to plan.
I am anxiously waiting on our wedding video and our photos to take me back to our wedding day. I am really really really, did I say REALLY excited to get those I wish time would speed up so that I had them! I am kind of glad that it takes some time to get them back so we have something to look forward to and then we can relive the moments all over again through film :)
Don't worry I will definitely be posting the video and photos here and on FB!
I of course have a few girl friends who are my best friends, who I go to as well, but with Bobby it is just different. He truly is my best friend in every way. He is the only person I can be around 24/7 and not get sick of. Call me attached, but I miss him anytime we aren't together. I am not unable to function when we are apart or anything, but I just love him so much I always want to be around him. I am happy when I am with him. We aren't perfect, we argue sometimes, have disagreements, but we get through everything and are always stronger on the other side. Despite being together for almost 12 years we are still learning things about each other and still grow together as a couple every day. I think that is a very important aspect of a strong healthy marriage.
This was quite honestly the craziest, fastest month of my life. Even more so than the month leading up to the wedding I think. Some days I wish we could just go back to the day of the wedding because that is the happiest we have ever been. It was perfect. I only it wish it could have lasted longer. I actually feel a little lost not having anything to plan since I had been planning our wedding for over 2 years it is a strange feeling to now not have anything to plan.
I am anxiously waiting on our wedding video and our photos to take me back to our wedding day. I am really really really, did I say REALLY excited to get those I wish time would speed up so that I had them! I am kind of glad that it takes some time to get them back so we have something to look forward to and then we can relive the moments all over again through film :)
Don't worry I will definitely be posting the video and photos here and on FB!
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