Sweet Addictions

I have a few guilty pleasures in life. I won't explain my way out of it or justify myself. It just is.

I am listing them here in picture and video format. I'm throwing myself out there to the blogosphere and saying proudly that I have a few minor addictions. Accept it, I have.


Twilight
Seen here: Breaking Dawn trailer




America's Next Top Model

Nerds

Harry Potter
Seen here: The Deathly Hallows Part 2 trailer




Richelle Mead - Fantasy writer

Pedicures

Jack in the Box

Glee

Josh Groban

Karaoke

Lady Gaga

Cruises

I could keep going, but I think I'll stop here.

What are your guilty pleasures?



Let's Play Tag!

Hey ya'll! I was tagged to play a question and answer game, so here I am playing along. I'll be tagging a few peeps at the end so pay attention in case your name is called!

Here we go!

Food: Is this asking if I like food or if I have a favorite? I'll answer both. Yes, I LOVE food. And if someone were to put a gun to my head and asked what I wanted to eat most...I would say Thai food. It's delish! I guess the food item I like best is bread. All kinds - croissant, chibatta, french, sour dough, bagels, focaccia....(okay, I am getting a craving now).


Color: Hmmm...I like red, turquoise, and black. But not really together.

Animal: Dog.

Dessert: Foul Temptress! You know I have a wicked sweet tooth! I suppose that would be any kind of baked good. Cake, cookies, brownies...that kind of thing.

Artist: Honestly I don't really have a favorite. I am really random with what I like.


Pair of Shoes: I like flip flops and wedge sandals.
Outfit: I don't have a specific outfit, but I like brightly colored shirts and jeans. I have also taken to wearing scarves to accessorize.

Skinny Jeans: Not with this body type yo! The hips don't lie.

Brand: I guess Coach?

Perfume: Princess by Vera Wang, but I am silly and don't own it.


Accessory: My wedding ring.

City: New Orleans.

Hobby: Photography, blogging, movies, & reading.

Beauty Product: mascara/eye make-up.
Holiday: Christmas. Is that even fair really?

Snack: pretzels or trail mix


Movie: Wow, you really went there! I suppose that would be Moulin Rouge.

Song: This question is just wrong on so many levels. I'm just throwing a song out there that makes my butt shake....Right Round - Flo Rida.


Guilty Pleasure: Pedicures, Nerd candy, & competition reality shows.

Next up to be tagged is...drum roll please!
 
Nikki
 
Ashley
 
Leah
 
Maranda
 
Happy weekend everyone!

Valentine's Day With The Hubs

Our Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful, as we both had to work...but it was still nice.

After I got home from work and running a couple errands, I got ready for my 1st Zumba class.

They have one of these aerobics classes twice a week at my local community center. I had seen the class before and was interested in trying it out.

It's a combination of different ethnic dances to complimentary music and was supposed to really burn those calories. Now I am all for doing exercise that is 'outside of the box' and will keep me entertained for an hour. With my dance background I thought that this class just might be for me.

Well after trying it for an evening I can tell you that I was not very impressed. It would probably be great for non-dancers or people who are uncoordinated and need something simple to learn. For me, it was boring. But it's more than that...because I can see the purpose of repetitive movement in fitness classes. I just didn't work-up that much of a sweat and I was probably moving more than most of the women in the class (who I have to add were all over 45-50). I liked that I wasn't dancing with a bunch of in shape 20 year olds, don't get me wrong! I just felt that the class was too easy for me.

Also, a major factor was that the instructors didn't seem to know the routines that well. Often times I found myself stepping in place until one of them figured out what same next in the sequence of moves. Other times, they would be doing different moves and I didn't know who to follow. I am not sure if they were the full time instructors, if they were filling in temporarily (since it was V-day), or if they were just struggling with remembering what was next. Either way, it was annoying to have people leading who seemed as clueless as I was.

The dances mostly consisted of different types of Latin dancing, belly dancing and Bollywood. All of which I thoroughly enjoy! I just think that this particular group is not for me.

Ah well! I did sign up for a fitness center pass so I can get back in the gym. And I will have a good time watching the classes dancing it up while I pump iron.

After the class I ran home to get some veggies a-cookin' and set up the sushi and wine for our Valentine's Day dinner. It was a quick fix since we had both just gotten home around 6:30 and were starving.

Mike brought me home some some pretty red roses and we exchanged cards. Simple but thoughtful. And after dinner was over we shared a cupcake, looked through our wedding memory box and a scrapbook I made us back in 2000. It's fun to pour over letters, e-mails, cards and photos from 10 years ago and see how far you have come as a couple.

(yes, that is us in the Wedding Expo magazine!)

From there we simply sat together and watched Dinner for Schmucks. I can't even describe this movie very well or how I feel about it. Some parts were hilarious, but the majority of it was painful. Steve Carell's character is SO weird and clingy. I just felt uncomfortable and annoyed a lot of the time. Mike seemed to be enjoying it, but I could barely sit through to the end.



Well that's all I got folks!

Our Valentines Day in a nutshell! I hope yours was at the very least relaxing.



Good Times And Good Friends

I have been a slacker. Blogging has not been my priority lately, but I think it probably shouldn't be anyway.

I mean, we should all be trying to reach out to people in 'real life' before spending our evenings online right? I think so, thus less blog posts.

This past weekend, Mike and I had a few friends up from Vancouver, WA. They are close friends who we were really excited to see and spend time with. Yay for T, Pete, & Heidi!

Besides playing Rock Band and chatting with them, we also hosted a Wine, Cheese, & Trivia Party on Saturday night. And let me tell you, it was SO much fun! We ended up with about 20 people over to our little 2 bedroom duplex and everyone brought food and drink. Mike and I had a blast quizzing the 4 teams on topics that ranged from Entertainment and Pop Culture to Science and Literature.

A big shout out to the winning team Zombie Ninjas! 

As amazing as it was, I have some ideas for our second W/C/T party. Hi-Jack someone else's house (for more space) and get a microphone. Boy it can get loud during trivia!

All in all, it was a great success and we definitely plan on doing it again soon.

In other news, we are going out to dinner to celebrate Mike Sr.'s retirement tomorrow evening! It's been anxiously awaited and it's finally here, so we are excited to be able to celebrate with his family. I believe Sushi is on the menu!

I think it's a perfect time to insert another 'food I am learning to love' - raw sushi. I will try a couple different kinds and see if I can adjust to the texture. I already eat my fair share of sushi (seared) and rolls but have a resistance to the uncooked kinds. Here's hoping to change that and that it goes better than the eggplant did!

Oh! And I also spent some girl time with Heidi shopping for a new Coach purse over at the outlet mall! We found a steal and each got a little something to croon over. I got a 'satchel' type purse that will be perfect for shopping, vacations, and well anytime I want my hands free basically. Heidi got an adorable lime and white handbag and wallet!

And all of this goodness was after I spent some time with my new hairdresser updating my color and getting a trim. She was fabulous and spent way more time on me than I paid for. I will definitely be going back! Thanks Taylor!

For now, that's all I've got!

Eggplant Had It's Chance - Now It's Banished

Eggplant.

I can't do it.

I tried.

I baked it with bread crumbs, threw some tomatoes and Parmesan cheese on top and drizzled it with Italian dressing.

It's still a NO GO.

Sorry folks. I wanted to like it and had high hopes for this recipe, but the texture of the eggplant makes me want to throw up.

I had about 3 bites and I seriously thought I might be chewing snot. It was disgusting.


Well! I tried. I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to learn to like this vegetable. It didn't work, but I made the effort. And it's too bad really - it's such a pretty color!

So long eggplant! I will not miss you.

Food Challenge - Learning to love it

I ate oatmeal this morning.

I know, this doesn't sound monumental, but in fact it is.

I hate oatmeal. Always have. The consistency is no bueno.

But, in my quest to become a healthier, shinier, thinner version of me...I ate it.

I may have gagged a bit. I may have thrown in some brown sugar and blackberries to help me out. But I ate it.

It goes along the same lines as the pineapple and soon-to-be eggplant. I don't care for either, but they are good for me and I need to learn to like it. It's the mature thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. And I like to think I am both mature and smart. Thus - oatmeal.

I know you are thinking "that's not so hard!", but I beg to differ.

Have you ever tried to deliberately eat things you don't like "just because"? It's not easy. But I know it's what's best.

I don't enjoy being a person who doesn't like things. Granted, I like a lot and I don't consider myself picky...but there are things I could like more and should like.

So as part of my new year’s diet, I will learn to like things. I will continue making and remaking those foods I dislike until I either grow accustomed to them or find a way to prepare them in a way I can enjoy.

So far, I have mostly grown to like or at least appreciate pineapple. I like how juicy it is and that it is sweet. I will have to continue eating it to feel confident in saying that I now enjoy it. I’ll let you know when the transformation happens.

Next on my list of foods to learn to love is: oatmeal (in progress), eggplant, soft tofu, raw sushi, mango, papaya and kiwi. If you happen to know of more things I am leaving off (that are healthy), let me know.

As for the rest of my diet, it’s going well. I've been eating lots of veggies, have limited my carbs and have cut out most all excess sugar. If the progress seems too slow in the coming weeks, I will tighten up my portions and maybe count my daily calories. This is not something I like doing, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. This extra flab needs a firm hand!

 What's on tonight's menu you ask? Salmon, couscous, and broccoli. Sounds delish right?

I think so too.