SOCIAL MEDIA

Monday, November 30, 2015

THANKSGIVING & WEEKEND RECAP {11.30.2015}

It's officially the last day of November! Time seems to be more of a thief the older I get, so it's nice when I get to spend time with my family. Over the Thanksgiving break, E and I made the long thirteen hour drive from Texas to Florida. Considering the fact that the only living relative I have is my grandmother and my step-grandfather, it's an emotional time when we visit. Aside from spending Thanksgiving day together, E and I were able to pick lots of oranges, grapefruits, and lemons fresh from their backyard. We mostly relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful view from my grandparents lake house, but we also managed to visit Gainesville, Fl. It's such a small town, but the University of Florida is there so we walked around the city and the campus. To our surprise, it was not cold in Florida. Last year, we were freezing and this year we were dying of heat, especially since we only packed winter clothes. No worries though, when we returned home to Texas, we were greeted with very cold weather.
 
After arriving home around 4am on Saturday, we spent most of the day sleeping. Trying to catch up on it before work. Needless to say, Saturday was a lazy day in our house. Sunday, we watched the Texans get a big win, though I couldn't be too happy because they beat my home team, the New Orleans Saints. When the game ended, we stopped by E's parents house to drop off the grapefruits we had picked for his dad, and spent some time with them before heading to the grocery store. We managed to snag a few more Christmas decorations before the shelves were bare. Once we got home, we started working on the Christmas tree and decorations around the house. It didn't start out great. We literally had the entire tree wrapped and then all the sudden, the lights just blew. We're assuming that the wires were damaged, but it was frustrating to have to completely unstring the lights, find new ones to put up, and then re-string the tree up. Thankfully, after that little mishap, the rest of the decorating process went flawlessly. We usually put the tree in the living room, but this year, we got new sofas and there was no room left for the tree. We decided to shuffle the table from the dining room out to the patio and made the dining room home to the tree.
 
Aside from all that, I was able to get the laundry done. I still have a few things left to deal with, but I'm trying not to get to "unpacked" as we are going to be heading to Louisiana on Saturday (more on that later). All in all, it was a truly wonderful Thanksgiving, and although we missed E's family, we are thankful to have my wonderful grandparents.
 
iPhone Photo Dump 
Delicious Thanksgiving Feast 
E and I with the gorgeous lake in the background 
Picking oranges (ignore the fact that I have no makeup on) 
Our views all weekend 
E picking oranges and grapefruits 
Huge alligator on the wall at Blue Water Bay in Melrose, Fl 
Best shrimp I've had in a while at Blue Water Bay in Melrose, Fl  
University and Main St. in Gainesville, Fl 
Sights around Gainesville, Fl 
E was so impressed that they spelled his name right
Stopped to grab a Starbucks and just loved all the production posters on the walls in Gainesville, Fl
My sweet grandparents 
They love E so much and that makes my heart truly happy 
The resemblance between us is amazing 
Two of my favorite men 
Love doesn't have to be by blood 
They kept asking how to take a selfie, so we took one with them 
Back home, our tree and decorations; I absolutely adore my Nutcracker that my grandmother gave me during our trip, ironically, the Nutcracker is my all time favorite holiday play
 
Thank you for reading, we hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!
 
P.S. - Happy Cyber Monday!!!
 
 
Monday, November 23, 2015

WEEKEND RECAP {11.23.2015}

Wow, we have already made it to Thanksgiving week! I'm just amazed at how quickly the year seems to fly by. We have a lot of fun-filled weekends coming up, but first, let me take a minute to celebrate this past weekend. Here's another weekend recap.
 
Friday night was relaxing, Erik and I got to spend some quality time with his parents. They came over and played with our furbabies and we just talked and talked. Sadly, we had to cut it short as Erik had to go to bed for work in the morning. Saturday, I was running around like crazy. I woke up, got my nails done, met an old friend to catch up and chat about makeup, then I took my car to get an oil change and finally got back home and started picking up. I was hoping to get the laundry and some cleaning done, but neither of those took place. Once Erik got home, we got dressed and had multiple plans, but everything we planned just didn't work out so we ended up having a fun evening at home. He did however, finally, manage to get my desk out of the back of my car and into the house. I was able to put it together and I really like the way it turned out. It's my littler corner for working so our dining room table can be free of clutter and open for us to eat dinners together. Erik really wanted Bullritos, so we stopped and picked that up and just ate it for dinner. He also wanted to stop by Spec's. Right now, he is really addicted to Not Your Father's Root Beer, so we grabbed a case for him. Don't think we didn't get me anything. I really wanted a daiquiri so I just grabbed one of the frozen daiquiri makers, some Malibu rum and went on my way. We ended up going home, drinking and eating and then passing out. We are definitely not the party types! Finally, Sunday came and it was crazy! Sunday morning we got to enjoy lunch at Gringos. Our friends, who are more like family, invited us to go for an early Thanksgiving with their family. We got to see our Goddaughter Madison and of course, we got to spend some quality time with Josh and Alexa. After lunch, we headed to a good friend from High School's house for her first daughter, Sasha's first birthday. She is expecting her second daughter, Aria, around January. It was "My Little Caterpillar" theme. Shanice did a great job with the decorations. I adore DIY projects so it was fun to see her ideas. After the party, it was time to head home. We stopped by the grocery store for a few things and then went home so I could start on the laundry. Before our weekend ended, we caught up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Walking Dead.
 
Over all, it was a wonderful weekend. Around this time, we tend to get more and more busy, but it's always amazing getting to enjoy the holidays with friends and family.
 
iPhone Photo Dump
 My desk area, all set up and ready to go. I start school in just 21days so having an area to myself where I can work and study will be so nice
 Our Goddaughter Madison!
 I just absolutely adore her! Erik does too (see photo below)
 I swear there has to be a special bond between a Goddaughter and her Godfather because she absolutely loves Erik! He always manages to make her smile or laugh
She's getting entirely too big 
I mean really? Too much cuteness!!!
 Sweet Sasha and her mama, Shanice
 Little Caterpillar photos from Newborn to One 
 DIY gift ideas; Hershey bar covers, name tents; goodie bags with photos of Sasha
 Food galore; baked beans, potato salad, fruit, chips, veggies, deviled eggs, hamburgers
Shanice, Sasha, and I - Happy 1st Birthday Sasha! 
 
Sasha's caterpillar birthday cake 
You know I had to, he's back and we totally called it
For those wondering what the beer looks like; you can find it in cans at HEB or just head to Spec's and grab a six pack
 
 
 
 
 
Thursday, November 19, 2015

2016 PREDICTIONS FOR PREGNANCY {11.19.2015}

baby, child, feet, toes, black and whiteWith just 43 days left until the New Year, I thought it would be fun to post the "official" list of names for women that will get pregnant in 2016. Is your name on the list? Mine, somehow, ended up on the list again this year and ironically it was on the 2015 list and I did in fact get pregnant in January. But, we aren't trying to conceive anymore so I'm going to assume that because I have five friends named Megan, that it will be one of them. Anyways, here's the list, just for a good laugh!
 
Jessica
Ashley
Amanda
Jennifer
Sarah
Stephanie
Nicole
Heather
Elizabeth
Megan
Melissa
Amber
Laura
Emma
Claire
Catherine
Michelle
Lisa
Danielle
Rachel
Gemma
Amy
Rebecca
Victoria
Stephanie
Kelly
 
baby, child, hands, mouth, people
 Tell me if  your name was on the list so I can keep up with you and find out if you did get pregnant before the end of 2016. Good luck to all my friends out there trying to conceive for 2016, I am praying for you daily!
 
Monday, November 16, 2015

WEEKEND RECAP {11.16.2015}

This weekend was quite full but relaxing at the same time. Friday night, E had to work late so I pretty much hung out watching TV and working on some YouTube stuff. Saturday, was busy! Saturday morning, E got up very early and headed to work. Thankfully he got home around 10:30am and we were out the door to Costco. Meal prep and working out has commenced. We have taken a two month hiatus from working out and meal prep, and now, we are back at it. Sunday we got up around 9am and started cooking. We didn't finish our meal prepping until about 12pm. We used to be absolutely horrible at meal prepping, it would take us five or so hours to get it all done and now, we are pros! The best part, we were cleaning and keeping up with the dishes as we went, so by the time we were done, the kitchen was clean. After meal prep, we cleaned the house, ate lunch, watched some TV, and then decided we were ready for the gym. Here is our current workout schedule:
 
SUNDAY - Cardio (30minutes) & Abs
intervals on treadmill; stability ball crunches, lying down leg lifts, and plank
 
MONDAY - Chest & Back
 
WEDNESDAY - Shoulders & Arms
 
FRIDAY - Cardio (full @ 1hour)
alternating between rowing, stairs, treadmill, elliptical and bike
 
SATURDAY - Legs
 
Our schedule will change weekly so that our muscles and bodies do not get used to this. In addition to the changing schedule, our workouts will also change. This will allow us to maximize our workouts rather than doing the same thing for weeks at a time.
 
After our cruise, I was embarrassed because I had gained back three pounds. Although, I was prepared to come back with weight gain, I was disappointed. I didn't think I was eating that much but when food is at every corner on the cruise ship, it's kind of hard to keep a steady eating schedule. After those three pounds, I took on another three pounds from the hiatus. This was actually a surprise to me because I thought I had gained a lot more. Majority of the reason why I haven't gained so much back is all due to the fact that after we returned, I did my own meal prepping. Breakfast was two boiled eggs and 1cup of fruit, Lunch was always baked chicken and baked broccoli, and Dinners were whatever. Here is my new meal prepping menu:
 
BREAKFAST - Two boiled eggs & 1cup of Special K dried strawberry cereal
 
LUNCH - Baked chicken and 1cup of baked broccoli
 
DINNER - Grilled tilapia with green beans and edamame or Baked chicken with baked French style green beans and carrots
alternating daily - totals: 4 nights of tilapia and 3 nights of chicken
 
SNACK- Baked pretzel chips
 
My goal, until the end of the year, is to stay away from carbs; breads, pastas, sodas, ect.(see diagram below) I have to start out with a reasonable goal and shoot for that, I can't just say "one year without carbs," because I will ultimately want to go back if I feel like my goal is unreachable. Once I've gotten through the rest of the year without carbs, I won't have a single desire to go back. Thankfully, I don't crave any of those items so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I will eventually need to kick the cereal but for now, it will do.
For those wondering, the Special K dried strawberry cereal is actually whole grain cereal. Here are the Nutritional Facts:
I will post more about our workout and meal prep for those that have been following our journey from earlier this year. Stay tuned because I will be posting all the details on everything!
 
iPhone Photo Dump
This bear is taller than me and he totally gets me!
 
Meal prep

No better feeling in the world than when I get to meal prep

Gym, we meet again!

Lastly, we need to be reminded that the French gifted us Lady Liberty. We have an incredible bond with France and we must join forces as a nation and pray for them and all our fellow countries struggling at this time. #PrayforParis and #PrayforourWorld
 
Thank you for hanging out and reading the blog today. Happy Monday!