Come Celebrate My 26th Birthday!!!

Who: all my fave gal pals are invited

When: Saturday Nov 20th at 6pm

Where: at my Parents new place ( its over by westwood) just RSVP by texting me and I will send you the address

What: a Mardi Gras themed birthday party! Dont worry no one will have to show their boobs to earn beads, but you may have to show off some of your dance moves....

Let me know if you are in!

26!

I turned 26 on Sunday. I absolutely love when my birthday rolls around, however, I do not like to see that I am getting closer to 30, Yikes! I did have a fantastic birthday. On friday Josh took me to this restaurant called Blue Nile. Its an Ethopian restaurant that has lots of vegan dishes. It was a total new experience and I really enjoyed the food! You dont use silverware, instead they have a crepe like bread that you scoop the food with. On Saturday we went out with the family to P.F. Changs--which has the yummiest vegetarian lettuce wraps-- and then we went to see Joseph and the Technicolored Dreamcoat at Mesa High. It was such a fun night! On Sunday Josh and I tried to make homeade vegan tamales, which turned out pretty good ( in fact I am eating one right now for lunch) and then we put up all of our Christmas decor. I love seeing the tree up! It was a total perfect weekend. Plus I got some great gifts--thanks fam! My fave is my Kindle that Josh got me. Now I am more of a bookworm than ever!

Happy Halloween!

Nothing exciting happened this year for Halloween, but it still was a good time. Friday night we had a bonfire at Usery Park and ate some veggie hot dogs ( not too shabby). Saturday we went to my cousins wife families house and they made cotton candy and we just hung out. Sunday we had pumpkin stew and made homeade caramel apples, which is my favorite Halloween treat. I do look forward to the days when Josh and I have little munchkins of our own that we can take trick or treating. Disneyland was by far the highlight of the halloween season! I love this time of year and next Sunday I will be putting up my Christmas tree. So stoked about that. Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

Really?

So the good news is I absolutely love my job. The bad news is when PMS hits I tend to get annoyed with my students usual antics. One of my favorites is when the I give the girls directions and if they don't like the activity they ask me, "do I have to do it?" REALLY? Come on. No you can just sit out and sip some tea when we do an activity you don't like. Instead of exercising in P.E. you can just watch from the sidelines. Oh girls, why do you love to whine so much? Good thing PMS only lasts a week and good thing I have so many wonderful students who make my job fun!

Trick or Treating at Disneyland

During the Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party we got to trick or treat as we went from ride to ride. We got lots of yummy candy to enjoy as we walked around the park.

The villans were out to cause a scare, so take a picture with one if you dare. We dared!

So the Disney Halloween party was a total success! We were able to just walk on to the most popular rides like space mountain, thunder mountain, Indiana Jones and Haunted Mansion. I have never been to Disneyland when I didnt have to wait in lines for like 40 minutes so this was a total score! Plus they had an awesome villan themed fireworks show. And to top it all off I got to hang out with my best friend cousin, Candice. I get to see her about once a year so it was such a treat that we happen to be going to disney at the same time.

Come Get Worked On!

Josh is nearing the end of Myropractor school! Hooray! He just got his table and now he needs to get his clinical practice hours before he graduates. For those of you wondering what the heck a Myropractor is, let me tell you. Myropractors are similar to Chiropractors but they focus on the whole body every session and not just a specific spot that hurts. For example if your knees are bothering you, Josh would fix your knees but he would also correct the whole body because when one part is out, it can cause other body parts to move. Josh needs lots of people to practice on so he can become better and get his hours for graduation. If you would like to get worked on please text me or Josh or comment on the blog and we will set something up. He is open Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. In a few weeks he will also have Monday evenings open. You would be helping Josh out and all the sessions are free until he graduates! You would need to come to our house for your sessions because that is where his table is for now. Thanks!

Reunited and it feels so good!

Josh came home last night. He was gone for a week and I totally missed him. It was so nice to not sleep alone last night. But I did do some fun things while he was away
1. Read mockingjay. I almost cried reading it, it was a pretty sad book but I still really liked it. The last 2 lines of the book before the epilogue made me get emotional...I finished it a few days ago, but I re-read the last few pages like 5 times and I still keep thinking about the book.
2. Spent hours shopping at whole foods. Both weekends Josh was gone Reins and I spent hours hanging at whole foods. I am not sure what it is about that place but we just freakin love it.
3. Went to pomegranate cafe and got vegan chocolate pomegranate cake that was freakin yummy!
4. Had a slumber party with my mom and sister. They are always so sweet to me and they babysat me over labor day weekend. I love you guys so much!!!! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Time to drumroll for the most exciting thing that happened this last week....

We booked a trip to go to the Disneyland's Not So Scary Halloween party over my October break! It is going to be so fun. We have never done it before. They have a special parade, fireworks show, trick or treating, live entertainment and you can go on the rides too. Best Halloween celebration ever!

Now Josh is back and we are going to have a lazy day together, spending all day in bed and drinking sparkling blueberry juice in our champagne flutes. Yep this is the good life!

Red Box Winner

Josh and I get a red box almost every weekend at the end of our Friday date night. This weekend I am staying at my parents and we decided to finish off our saturday night with a red box. We picked Diary of A Wimpy Kid and let me tell you that is was totally cute and funny. It has been my fave red box movie thus far. So if you are a red box addict like me, I recommend giving the movie a try.

Left Behind on Labor Day

Josh is heading to Austin over Labor to visit his family and get obersvation hours for myropractor school. I have to say that I am super jealous! I want to get out of town for a week. The worst part of the whole thing is I am going to have to sleep all by myself at my house. I have never ever stayed on my own. Everytime Josh has gone out of town without me, I stay at my moms place. But since I work out by my house I dont want to make the commute. Time to put on my big girl panties. I am really nervous about it. I get scared so easy and I still have nightmares every so often at night....I can do this, right? Over the weekend I will be having a slumber party at moms and hanging with Reins, which is always a good time. I just have to survive the rest of the week on my own. Yikes!

Neti Pot

So Sunday it happened, I woke up with a cold. I get sick a lot through the year working with kids, but I dont usually come down with anything this soon; I have only been back to work for 3 weeks. Lame. After work on Monday I went to Walgreens to stock up on some nyquil and dayquil and I also decided to try a neti pot (all the meds ended up costing 26 bucks). Has anyone ever done one of those before? Its this warm saline solution that you poor in one nostril and it drains out the others. Yes its pretty sexy, but supposedly it is supposed to clear the sinus. And though it freaked me out a bit I decided to give it a try and I think it did help. My head still feels like it weighs 20 pounds and it full of mucus, but it did help me breathe a little easier. I will warn you that I had random leaks from my nose every once in a while. I am hoping this is the last of the colds for the school year, but who knows if my immune system will be able to make it through the semester without catching something else.

VS Incredible Bra

I had a $20 gift card to Victorias Secret just burning a hole in my wallet and wanting to be used. Josh kept telling me that he wanted me to get a really good cleavage bra ( boys are so predictable) and I remember seeing comercials for the bombshell bra so we went there last night to check it out. The bombshell bra is the most padded bra I have ever seen in all my years, and I have seen a lot of padded bras in my time considering I used to be an A cup. This bra adds 2 cup sizes with its padding, seriously it does. While I was getting checking out the bra one of the VS workers told me to try their new bra called the Incredible. I had also seen comercials for that bra too ( what can I say I love to watch VS comercials, ok) and I thought what is so special about this bra? So I passed on it and went to try on the bombshell. The bombshell was fun, but the truth is I would like it to push my boobs together more for enhanced cleavage and take out some of the padding since I don't need to be 2 cup sizes bigger ( I am a D cup already I don't really need anything more serious than that). But it is the best cleavage bra I have found thus far. While I was in the dressing room the VS worker slid some bras under my door for me to try on. One of them was that darn Incredible bra. Come on lady give me a break already! But I decided I would humor her and try it on. After all, it did look really soft and smooth...Once I put it on everything changed: time slowed down, and memories of my older more uncomfortable bras come to my mind. This bra was freaking comfortable and so smooth. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be INCREDIBLE! They weren't lying when they named this thing. Uh oh, what was I going to tell Josh? I decided I would rather have comfort than a fun cleavage bra that I would only wear on occasions ( I guess that means the honeymoon is over folks). So I told Josh the dilemma and he said, " I will just buy them both for you." Wow, OK. So that's just what we did. I am wearing my new comfy bra as we speak. Ahhh its so nice. The moral of the story is, If you are in the market for a new bra I recommend giving the Incredible a try.

Unpopular

In elementary school P.E. is most kids favorite class. Students would constantly tell how much they loved P.E. and they would always be so excited to be there. Now that I am at the middle school I have moved into the least popular slot for electives. All the girls are opting for dance, art or FACS ( home mec) instead. One of my classes is down to 16 students! I am trying to get the girls to recruit their friends to sign up. I just hope that I can make this class a positive experience for the girls that did pick it. So far I am enjoying being at the middle school and I think it will be a fun year. And when its over I will probably have enough drama to write a memoir of life as a middle school P.E. teacher. The hardest part about being back to work is getting used the hours. I am so worn out by the end of the day. In the summer I would sleep in, work out, do a few chores and then just watch tv or lounge around. Now that I am back to work its like going from 0 mph to 60 mph. My feet and shoulders have been aching all week. The good news is that I am sure I will get used to it within a week or 2. My goal for today is to hit zumba class tonight at the gym. I havent done any cardio this week, I have only managed to do pilates and some weights. Hopefully next week I will get the burst of energy next week so I can hit the gym everyday after work. Afterall you need to practice what you preach and I preach health all day long.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Middle School

Thats right folks, I am now teaching at Combs Middle School! I got a call in June from my Principal and she told me that they were moving me to the middle school because my old position at Simonton was going to be part time. So now I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade girls P.E. I am sure they will be lots of drama, Justin Bieber talk and whining, but I think it will be a fun experience. The stress load will probably increase, but I am up for the challenge. Josh was kind enough to go shopping with me for back to work clothes. I was able to score some deals on shorts and shirts at the Nike outlet. Yes its back to wearing work out gear every day.

On a different note I would like to thank Discovery Channel for a wonderful week of TV watching last week...Shark Week. I love shark week! Devin and I used to watch it together and now I just watch it on my lonesome ( Josh thinks its silly how much I love it) I remember watching it when I lived in Hawaii a few summers back and I was really scared to go surfing after that. I mean surfers have been shark bait on a number of occasions. I did manage to get the nerve up and go surfing, but I remember looking for sharks as I was swimming out to the waves. I think the fun of catching the waves made it easy to forget about sharks....sort of. Did anyone else check out shark week? One of the most interesting shark facts I leared was the Florida is the most dangerous place to hang out in the ocean, they have more shark attacks than other beaches. Scary.

My Summer Loves

There are a few things this summer that I am totally into and I know that you are just dying to find out,so here is my list of summer loves...

1. The bachlorette- this season has made me laugh so hard ( thanks Kaci) I am currently team Cape Cod ( Chris) and team Kirk

2. Fresh Fruit sorbet- I make some every night with my vitamix and it is so refreshing and yummy. I am definitley addicted

3. Jake Gyllenhaal in the Prince of Persia- his biceps were so yummy in that and I loved his little smirk. I am not ususally the type to get all worked up over men in movies but he did it to me in this one

4. Will Arnett- he is my current celeb crush because everytime I watch him in stuff he makes me laugh so hard

5. Silver Sun Pickups- they have been around for a while but lately I can't seem to get enough of their music. Their sound is so unique and loves it!

Well there you have it folks, I know it was so exciting for you. I am currenlty counting down the days till I get to see Eclipse! Reins and I are making shirts this weekend. Eclipse has some of my favorite moments out of the whole series so I am so stoked on this.

Shopping Therapy

I do believe in a little thing I like to call shopping therapy. When you are having one of those bad days where you just feel down I recommend getting out to your favorite store. Nothing like a new shirt or earings to make you feel better. I also believe a girl can never have to much lingerie and right now both Federicks and Victorias Secret are having there semi-annual sale. So tuesday I hit the mall and stocked up on some goodies. I have to say that although I may not love my body, wearing lingerie makes me feel pretty and sexy ( I just dont look in the mirror while I am wearing it). So get out buy some hot lingerie, do a little dance, make a little love and get down tonight!

the opposite of summer time blues

Being on summer makes me cheerful 24/7. It's funny because I normally get so irritated and moody 7 days before my period and I am 3 days away and feeling happy as ever. I guess being off work cures PMS ( except for the serious appetite and cramps). I have been averaging 9.5 hours of sleep a night and I hit the gym for an hour everyday and indulge on homeade fruit sorbet and apparently thats the perfect recipe for a good mood. Josh said he wishes he made enough money so I could be home all the time. He is not used to coming home to dinner and a clean house during the school year, so he feels spoiled in the summer. Not even the 110 degree weather is going to bring me down--I love you summer! Happy summer to you all!

Some Texas Highlights part 1

Joshy and I had a blast in Texas. Here are a few of the good highlights....

My sister in law Brooke added some excitement to my hair. Purple is my second favorite. Thanks Brooke I love it!
Spending time with the parents. Look at how pretty it is there. Josh's parents live on 13 acres of green land. I love all the big trees.

Hanging out with the nephews. This pic is of Chase and Dax, they are the youngest of the nephews and I cant believe how big they have gotten. Its been 2 years since we have seen them and now they are all grown up! It was so fun to spend some time with the little guys.

We did some antic shopping in downtown austin. It was fun to see all the shops but man it was freakin hot there. My clothes were constantly wet with sweat--sexy!

Everyone was so wonderful and they totally spoiled Joshy and I. I got lots of girl time in with the sister in laws which I totally loved. Josh was able to observe his brother Jim in action doing Myropractics ( which Josh is currently going to school for). He learned lots while we there.

Here are a few of my not so favorite things about the texas trip:

1. Being in the car for 15 hours. thats right people it is 1000 miles of driving. The worst part is I just sit around for all of those hours and then when you eat it is greasy fast food--my butt probably grew a few inches on the trip. Time to detox

2. The weather was actually hotter in Austin than here back home, thats when you know it was way too hot for comfort. next time I am just going to wear underwear the whole trip.

3. Unpacking. Need I really say more?

Stay tuned for more highlights of our trip!

So...

Yeah for Prop 100 passing! My district is keeping P.E. so it looks like I will get to teach next year. HOORAY! I totally love my job and feel so blessed that I get to keep it.

I taught my last class today. Now I have 8 weeks off from teaching and lunch duty.

Josh and I are taking a road trip to visit the parentals in Austin. I used to look forward to pigging out on bbq when we got to Austin ( I mean have you tried Salt Lick cause it's AMAZING) but this time I will be checking out some vegan restaurants. I love that we get to finally see his family, its been 2 years since we visited.

I so need to get a steering wheel cover. You know when your car has been sitting outside for more than 10 minutes in the AZ summer that it will feel like an oven at 350 degrees when you get back in the car ( that is one thing I hate about summer). Well Reins got me this fab steering wheel cover a while back that saved my hands lives. I mean if you touch that steering wheel without one you could get 3rd degree burns (seriously). Before I had the beloved cover I used to see what trash I could scam up in my car that I could use to protect my hand like a napkin or a bag ( you know you have done it too). Unfortunately my cover died a few months back so i need to find one that can compare.

I recently bought a heart rate moniter and fell in love. It keeps track of your heart rate and caloreis burned from your workouts and it makes me happy. Plus its pink!

On Monday morning I don't have to set an alarm because I can sleep in! Okay truthfully I am getting up at 7:30 so I can go running with Elizabeth but thats 2 hours later than I normally get up for work.

Visions of Sugar Plums...

So its not so much visions of sugar plums dancing in my head as it is visions of SUMMER! I only have 4 days left of work. I can't believe how fast time flies by. I remember being a freshmen at college and thinking how grown up I was because I was attending college. Now I am 25 and have been graduated for 2 years. Every year seems to go by faster and faster. Which means before I know it I will be 30 and have kids ( Crazy!). I am going to live it up this summer because it may be the last one I have to enjoy if Josh and I end up having kids anytime soon. Hello gym, hello tv and hello mom and dad's swimming pool. Ahh Yeah, this is going to be fabulous.

Food Brain Strikes Again

the last two weeks I have had total food brain and it is driving me nuts! Serouisly brain, just give it up already. In the last post I talked about day dreaming, well lately my day dreams include french fries or chips. I have salty snack food on the mind. I think that this is ok every once in while, but I have been having this for 2 weeks straight ( Yikes). You know you have it bad when you are in bed and the food network show Unwrapped is on talking about Funions and you start to salivate and dream of eating funions. To make matters worse you have to hit the grocery store the next day and images of chips and funions nag you. Luckily I try to keep healthy so I was able to resist the urges. But I really hope this food brain goes away soon because I am growing weak. Pretty soon I will not be able to resist. I keep myself strong as I can by snacking on chips and salsa ( I know its not the healthiest, but it is better than eating a bag of funions). Food brain please leave me alone, I am currently trying to fill my belly with salad and fruit and you are making it hard for me!

Daydreaming

One of the teachers at my school was taking about daydreaming with her students the other day. It gave me flashbacks to junior high and High school. I remember sitting in class and totally being lost in daydreams of kissing boys or of my crush confessing his love to me ( pathetic but hey I was a teenager). I mean daydreaming was such a good time. In college I would daydream about getting married to Josh and being sudductive... Now I occasionally daydream when I drive, but I dont think thats the safest thing to do, so it rarely happens. What did you used to day dream about?

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Lady,

I love you so so so much. I know that we were friends in heaven and every night in my prayers I give thanks for having you as my mom. Thanks for being my best friend and for always taking care of me. I hope Dad does today right and spoils you, because everyone deserves to be spoiled on their birthday! Have a very Happy Birthday.

Jaime Oliver Rocks!

I don't know how many of you tuned in to the tv show Food Revolution featuring Jaime Oliver, but I just have to say it was great! I see what the kids are served at lunch and breakfast everyday at school and it is such a disgrace ( I am definitely going to pack my kids lunches). Last year I forgot my lunch one day and was forced to buy a school lunch, it consisted of a hot pocket and french fries. I guess a hot pocket isnt unhealthy enough on its own so they had to add the fries. When I brought this up to one of the staff members they said, " but they serve the lean hot pocket." Woopty freakin doo! A lean pocket has white flour, pepperonis and cheese, that is hardly healthy. So I totally fell in love with Jaime Oliver and his idea to give America a food makeover. I honestly don't think it possible because their are too many huge corporations that make the unhealthy food and the government will not put a stop to it. But lets not get in to politics, I just wanted to say you go Jaime, I am on your side!

Glee

Joshy and I watched the Madonna episode of Glee last night. I thought it was fabulous. The "like a virgin" number was my favorite. If anyone has not been watching Glee I would recommend it. I have a Madonna song that I have been loving lately, its called Revolver ( they didn't play it on the Glee episode but that doesn't make it any less special). I think its a fun and sexy song so check it out. Its a great dance song too. But if you want to go old school Madonna then True Blue is my favorite choice.

Mesa Auction= Good Times

Friday night went to the mesa auction with the fam. We love the auction! When Joshy and I first bought our house we would hit the auction every weekend looking for furniture for the house. We ended getting our couch, table and also a treadmill from there. So Ruthann told me they had some cribs there. I am not trying to get pregnant yet, but I am the plan ahead type of girl and if I can get something for a bargain I am all for it.

We scored this crib for 37.50. Its a bit old school, but we are going to doll it up with a paint job and some cute bedding.
My mom was kind enough to buy this piece for our entry way. Its a perfect fit! We are also going to paint it up and make it even better. Luckily my mom got it for 30 bucks!

And lets not forget this little gem! $2 dollars and a bleach rag later I have myself a good old American TV tray. So now when I am being lazy watching tv I can have some snacks. That is the American way after all.

Thanks Mesa Auction for giving us some great bargains. I am sure we will visit again in the furture!

Give a little whistle

Ahhhh today is Friday. Friday has such a different feel than the other weekdays: the air smells sweeter, I have a permanent smile, and I walk around giving a little whistle ( the truth is I don't know how to whistle :(. ) So I feel so elated that its Friday. After work I am heading to pick up Josh from work and we are going to Red Mountain park to feed the ducks ( we have done this the last 2 weeks and had so much fun with it). Happy Friday to you all! May you experience the same Friday joy that I do every Friday.

P.S. Only 5 weeks till summer for me!!!!

Set, Hike...

I was asked to coach the 6-8 year old football team at Simonton. What I was thinking is, " have you guys met me?" Meaning I have never watched or played football in my life. I am all about sports but football has never made it on my list. But I decided to do it anyways and I think I had butterflies in my stomach for the first week of practice. The players are so cute, but football scares me because I am such a novice. I had to make up plays and assign the players positions, I mean this is serious business. Today was their first game and Josh is on a boys camping trip. I was so nervous about the game, so my Dad came and slept at my house last night ( I get scared at night if I am home alone) and went to the game with me. He helped me get the players flags on and then he was on the sideline helping me switch players in and out of the game. It meant so much to me to have him there. And the good news is that our teams tied in the game! The Colts ( my team) made some great running plays! Now we just need to work on catching football. Hopefully I can snap some photos at one of the games so i can post them.

Summer is Lurking

While I was checking out the weather report for Thursday my heart sank a little. Yes my friends we are now in the 80's and I have to say I am a 60's and 70's girl when it comes to degrees. So I did what any sensible person would do and I busted out my shorts. The drawer was dusty (not really) but I managed to bust them out. Although I am not a fan of the weather, I am a definite fan of my summer schedule. In 6 weeks I will be sleeping in, hitting the gym for a few hours and laying out in the pool. Basically I will be acting like a teenager and that is my favorite thing about summer...that is as long as I have my job next year. Get out your flip flops and swimsuits because summer is lurking around the corner!

The Easter Bunny of 2010

So this year Easter came a little soon, and I don't feel like I was as prepared as I prefer to be but it was still a great time. I was lazy and did not take any photos so this post may be a little dull for the visual learners reading this. Easter morning I woke up and opened my eyes to see an Easter basket sitting on my night stand. I would have to say my fave thing in the basket was a coupon for Josh to do the dishes for me one night...YES please! Later that day the family came over to have an Easter lunch. Then my wonderful parents hid eggs for the adults to find. I love the Easter egg hunt, they hid 60 eggs for us and I scored a 5 dollar gift card to trader joes in one of mine. Then we did an Easter basket exchange and I got hooked up with some Toms all natural products ( in case you haven't heard I am all about the natural lately: toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, lotion, ect...) My mom was so sweet and bought me an eater lily, which smells so freakin good. Reins and I were off sweets and are vegan so it made for a different type of Easter--usually I dive into the chocolate and yummy potatoes, but this year I had salad, fruit and homemade banana bread (vegan style). I love every holiday that I get to spend with the family.

We gave A Day...

So we wen to Rawhide on Saturday to do our Disney service day.  We were in helping set up for a fine food and wine tasting event.  The proceeds of the event was going to the boys and girls club.  When we arrived they really didn't know what they wanted us to do. We kept moving tables to a spot and then they would have us move them back to the spot we got them from.  So Reins and I felt kind of lost.  Josh was loving it because they told us to be creative and figure things out.  I don't do that.  I like a set plan.  Josh said I just needed to have fun with it.  We are so opposites, he thrives on thinking outside the box and I thrive on having a plan.  

Here josh is making himself useful and offering some helpful tips

Here Reins and I are getting a photo since we didn't know what else to do....We were eventually assigned light duty and made ourselves useful.  All in all it was an easy service and come December we will reap our reward at Disneyland!  I think its fantastic that Disney is promoting the act of giving service and I realize that I really need to do it more often ( as long as its not visiting teaching cause that is my least favorite service, but we will keep that our little secret).

If your happy and you know it, clap your hands

I am happy today! Why am I sitting here with a happy grin on my face? Because tomorrow is half day at work. Zippity do dah! So Reins and I are meeting up for a whole foods shopping trip and then going to try to make some Miso soup and some other vegan recipes. Also Saturday we are going to do our Disney service day for our free tickets. We are hoping to go in December so we can enjoy all the holiday decor and spirit. Its gonna be a fantastic weekend! If only it could last for more than 2 and 1/2 days.

I am Proud to be an American, but...

I feel so lucky to be born and raised in America. America is the best, however I do have a few complaints about our society:
1. Why don't American schools teach elementary kids another language? In several other countries kids learn 2 languages at school. The whole American idea of teaching us a language once we hit junior high is lame.

2. Our culture is so fat! I am totally guilty of this myself. Darn fast food, ice cream and processed food.

3. Health care/ insurance. So many other countries have this issue under control but our country kind of bites the dust on this one.

But I love my life here in the good Old USA and I don't think there is a better place to be. Could we please just get our good economy back so the stress of losing jobs would go away.

Green=Horny

Seeing that today is St. Patty's day I thought I would post about the color green. When I was in high school Lisa used to pick out the green m&m's because they were supposed to make you horny(When you are in high school that is the last thing you need, with all those raging hormones and constant sex brain..) Anyways here is a holla to the color green for keeping everyone horny and happy!

Spring Freedom!

Today is my first day of Spring break! It has been so wonderful so far because last night I stayed up till 1030 ( usually I go to bed at 830) and then I slept in till 7. I am going to kick off day one by hitting bootcamp at 9 and then hanging out with Reins today. Oh Spring break I love you!

4 years ago today...

I said I DO and gave my viginity to this guy...

(...ahh the sweet memories...)

It was my favorite day every! Being married to Joshy has been so much fun. I would have to say the best things about being married are:

1. Snuggling next to and sleeping with Josh every night. Having him next to me in bed is so much better than sleeping solo.

2. Hanging out with your best friend every day. I love eating dinner with Josh and just getting the pleasure of hanging out with him every day.

3. Making out for as long as I want without being worried about "crossing the line". Being married has some perks.

4. Having a team mate.

The past 4 years have been fantastic! I hope that each year keeps getting better because it has thus far. But I have a feeling that kids will ruin that goal ( I am so motherly). Cheers to marriage, sex and having a lifetime of love with Joshy!

Career Suggestion?

I find out last month that there is a big possibility of me loosing my job for next year. The state is making more budget cuts and our district is cutting back anyhwere they can. I will be devasted to loose my job because I seriously love what I do. I feel like I am back in high school and trying to figure out what to do with my life. I am going to hold on to my teaching career as long as I can, but I need a plan for the future. Should I go back to school? If so what should I go for? Should I just say heck with it and roll with the punches and become a fry's bag lady? Should I get knocked up reguardless of the unkown future? I would love any help or suggestions about careers or school. What do you think I should do? What would I be good at? I can't seem to figure it out. HELP!

Mickey Hats

Today was crazy hat day at school. Lots of kids wore the mickey ear hats and this made me long for disneyland. The smell of churros as you enter main street USA, the wind blowing in your face on space mountain and the bright lights of the fireworks over the castle...and I now I also want a disney hat. My sister hates the bride and groom hats and the mad hatter hats. Just thinking about her annoyance of the hats is making me laugh as I post this. If I was on my honeymoon I would so rock the bride and groom mickey ears! Next time I go to disneyland I am so hitting up the mad hatter store and getting me some mickey ears, its gonna be good! And I will also get myslef a churro. Its been decided.

Feeling Sentimemtal...

So last night as I was watching the bachlor finale, I started to feel sentimental. I had flashblacks of when Josh and I started dating and falling in love. Who knew the bachlor could be so moving? I was thinking back to the first time josh and I held hands. We had only been on one or two dates prior. We were hanging out at az mills mall ( this story sounds like its from Jr high) and he just randomly grabbed my hand. My heart flipped and I got butterflies. I absolutely loved it! When we were dating I got butterflies every time I would see him; being with him made me so giddy! I was a love struck school girl. Now that we have been together for 7 years (WOW) I dont get butterflies everytime I see him, but every time Friday comes around where we are going on a date i get butterflies thinking about spending time with Him. I feel so lucky to have found my soul mate. I love our moments together and I hope that our love never fades. So thanks abc for giving me a moment to think about love.

Weekend Bliss

This weekend was perfect! Josh and I went out to dinner Friday night at Pita Jungle. Then we went to whole foods to pick me up some ice cream (vegan). When we got back home we ate our treats and watched the olympics, which was very entertaining ( this may be the only time I say wathing sports on tv was fun so take notice). Saturday we slept in together and snuggled in bed. Josh went frisbee golfing and I went out with my mom and sister. Sunday after curch we went to Devin and Ruthann for delicous dinner of homeade soup. When we got home we watched the episode of lost we had recorded and snuggled on the couch. Yes i do love a good snuggle and make out session! Hope this week fly's by so I can enjoy another great weekend.

Right now I am smiling because...

1. Its wednesday- on wednesday I teach 5 classes instead of my regular 8 because the kids get our early. It is so nice to have wednesday be an easy day for me. It gives me a moment to catch my breath and relax in the middle of the week

2. Its only 2 and 1/2 weeks to spring break bliss ( need I say more). I look forward to going to boot camp in the morning all week and catching up on some of my favorite shows ( greys anatomy has my name written all over it!)

3. I get to indulge in some sweet treats on Friday. I am going to give vegan ice cream a try.

4. I get to see my mom this weekend! I normally see her every weekend but she has been in Cali so its been 2 weekends since I have seen her. what can I say, I am a momma's girl!

5. The weather- you know you are in for a refreshing day when the high temp is in the 60's

Vegan...it has begun

Reins and I started the diet and the blog. If you would like to follow us on our adventure check it out at http://vegandonotworry.blogspot.com/

To eat dairy or not to eat dairy, that is the question

So I have read my fair share of diet and nutrition books. Pretty much all of the holistic health books are anti-dairy. This breaks my heart because dairy is my favorite food group. I have milk every morining as part of my breakfast, I have lowfat string cheese for my mid morning snack and a piece of lowfat cheese for my night snack. Dairy is just one of my many food loves. SO the question is, is dairy good for you or not? There is so much controversy over it. A while back Reina was wathcing an episode of Oprah that was all about health and nurtrition. Alicia Silverstone was on it. She has a book called the kind diet, which is a vegan diet, and she is so in love with it. Reina told me she wanted to give it a try and I thought she was crazy. Then I started researching about it and thought, why not try it? So we are going to be going vegan for one month. We start on saturday and are really excited about it. Does this mean I will become vegan for life? Probably not, but maybe it will help me develop some healthy habits. We are going to be doing a blog to track our day to day recipes, thoughts, results while we are vegan. Once the site is set up I will post the address. Hello Whole Foods, good bye Walmart.

Chocolate Affair

Last weekend my sister, my mom and I went to Glenndale's annual chocolate affair. It was a chocolate lovers paradise and a dieter's nightmare ( I happen to fall into both catagories). We took a tour of a chocolate factory, ate some chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick, and got a mini hamburger that game with chocolate bbq sauce ( yummy). There were vendors everywhere selling fudge, chocolate treats, ice cream and even vegan chocolate. We came, we conquered and we ate an exra 1000 calories, but it was one fabulous day!

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Yes it sounds digusting. However, bacon and hot dogs are two of Joshy's favorite food. When we go out for ice cream, he orders hot dogs instead. This year for valentines we gave eachother a budget of $10. So I am going to be making him a goodies basket which will include chocolate covered bacon. I found a recipe and will be endeavoring in this tonight. So I will let you know how yummy or disgusting it is. The good news about making chocolate covered bacon is that I won't be tempted to eat it like I would with other treats. I am very curious about what he is getting me for $10. Sometimes being cheap can really bring out your creative side. Cheers to Valentines day!

So I added the picture of the choc bacon and Josh loved the way it turned out! Bon apetite!

The closest i will ever get to...

Being inside a building in China.

Celebrating a Japanese New Year. (Darumas for sale) The little heads we are hoding are Darumas. A Japanese tradtion is to buy and Daruma ( which has only white eyes and no pupils) you add one pupil and them make a wish for the year. When it comes true you get to add the pupil to other eye.

Seeing England. No tea and crumpets for me :(

Hanging out in a German town. The buildings are so cute!

Going to Italy. I would love to Rome with all its historical places and buildings. And how fun would it be to experience real authentic italian gelato--YUMMY!

I would love to travel and experience the world, but for now I will have to hold on to the memories made at EPCOT since that may be the closest i ever get to seeing these places. Man, EPCOT is the best ever!

An Elementary Valentines

I had a flashblack the other day of how much fun Valentines day was when you are a kid. It was the cutest holiday. You get to spend time in class making a little Valentine's box or heart pouch. Then you get to go to the store and pick out your valentines. I remember one year someone gave out valentines that you could stick to your window ( clear plastic kind) and I thought that was the coolest thing. So the next valentines I bought the window clinging valentines to give out so I could be the one givng the "good stuff". Once you pick out your valentines, you get to go home and write your messages and assemble your candy coonversation hearts with the valentines. Then to top it all off, you get a class party and pass out the valentines and then get to read your valentines. How sweet is Valentines day in elementary school! I still love Valentines day, but now it is a totally different holiday as an adult.

Here is the thing about Skinny Jeans...

Skinny Jeans are totally cute and I have no problem with them coming back in style. However, it is my opinion that skinny jeans are not for everyone. I think the title pretty much sums it up: Skinny jeans are for skinny people. If you have legs like Mischa Barton, then you can pull off skinny jeans. I am not so lucky to be able to pull off skinny jeans, which is no big deal I just stick with straight leg and my good old trusty boot cut. But I do have one thing to complain about when it comes to skinny jeans--they are taking over the jean section of every store. Every time I go looking for jeans, I pick out a pair that I like to find out that the legs taper down and they are in fact skinny jeans. So to skinny jeans everywhere, please stay in your own section and don't crowd out my beloved boot cut jeans. I can't leave without them and I don't want to be forced to live a life with my thighs being paraded around in skinny jeans. Lay off skinny jeans and mind your own business, you are not for everyone!

The high heel, sneaker debate

I have a love for cute shoes, just like most girls. When I was in high school I would wear high heels all the time, even with my PJ's sometimes ( its true). Wearing high heels makes me feel pretty and girly and they are so cute. Plus they make your legs hotter, whats not too love about them? When I started college, I wore tennis shoes every day because I always had active classes ( P.E. Major) and now at work I wear tennis shoes every day too. I have never been one to think wearing workout shoes with jeans is cute, however, I have fallen in love with workout shoes! Yes I am guilty of wearing them with my jeans on the weekend, they are just so comfortable and I feel invincible when I wear them. If you are wearing tennis shoes you can do anything: run, shop for hours, play at a park. These activities are not so easy in heels. Sometimes comfort overrides cuteness. Thats how I know that I am getting old. When you would rather be comfortable than cute that means that you have become an old lady. But high heels will always be my first love ( even if they make my feet ache when I wear them). To this day when I go shopping I stop to admire them and love them. And if I want to feel cute then I will break them out. On Holidays its more important to be cute than comfortable so I will wear high heels. On vacation its more important to be comfortable so I wear tennis shoes.

Movie Popcorn

Growing up, when my parents would take us kids to the movies they would always buy us popcorn. I loved that and it made going to the movies even more fun. Fast forward 15 years to the present and I am a movie popcorn addict. When I walk in the movie theatre I get overcome by the yummy, buttery popcorn smell and I give in to buying it every time. Of course America would come up with the idea of feeding people while we sit on butts and watch 2 hours of a movie, darn our fat culture! So a few weeks ago Josh and I went to the movies and I told him not to get popcorn because I was trying to eat healthy. We go to the concession stand to get me a water and him a Coke ( we have the souvinier cups so its only a dollar) and then he gave in and bought popcorn--that little putz! And what did I do about it? I ate half of it, the popcorn is just too yummy to give up.

Training for Pregnancy

As stated in one of my earlier posts, Josh and I are going to try to get pregnant starting this summer ( that is if we have the balls to actually stop using birth control and just go for it). I think its really important to be at a healthy weight when you get pregnant since you gain so much weight in those 9 lovely months. My goal is to get back to my wedding weight, which I literally haven't been since my wedding day ( honeymoon packed on 5 pounds, I blame the free unlimited chocolate covered strawberries that the Belagio provided us). Every year not only my age goes up, but so does my waist. So 4 years into marriage and I need to loose 15 Ibs to get to my goal pre-preggo weight. To do this I have been doing a boot camp class 4 times and week and following weight watchers ( most of the time). I hope by the time May comes around my body will be ready for this baby thing. I am also trying to make healthy eating habits and include more fruits and veggies since those foods are so good for the body and future baby. Then I will get pregnant and gain all the weight back and have a swollen face and ankles and stretch marks...gee sounds great! To all of you skinny A$$ girls out there that can get pregnant and still be so skinny everywhere but your tummy and then bounce back after giving birth I envy you ( yes I am talking about Abby and Jenny and Ruthann and Emily and all of my friends actually. And Farnz you got even hotter after becoming a mom, please let me know your secret). I guess being a mom takes sacrifice and I will just have to learn to be a little less selfish, I still have a few months to get there. Wish me good luck.

Love/Hate Relationship

Dear Chocolate,

Everytime I eat a piece of you I experience bliss. You are so creamy and delicious and I love the moments when you are in my mouth. But then when the moment is over I am left with regret because you add pounds to the scale and inches to my thighs. I have tried to quit you many times but I just can't stay away. I think about you often and curse you for making me always want more of you. I can never get enough of you. Darn you!

Elisha

P.S. My idea of heaven is being able to eat Chocolate and Ice cream without gaining weight. I would love an eternity of no more dieting!

Rainy days and Mondays...

I use to love rainy days, especially since in az a rainy day is about as rare as a finding four leaf clover. However, now that I am a teacher rainy days are satan. It's true. The students don't get to go to recess and are couped up all day. Then when I finally get the pleasure of teaching them they are hyperactive to the tenth power. So my new conclusion is that I love rainy days in the summer time when I am safe at home with now hyperactive students. Plus it is so nice to just chill at home on a rainy and not have to work. Thus, rainy day summer I love you and rainy day winter and spring are fired.

Pictures from my birthday

Yes I know its been months since I posted pictures. But luckyf for you all I have the day off so I am updating the blog with some over due pictures. One is of Joshy and I celebrating the big day up at the grandparents cabin in Payson. Noticed how he decorated the table with birthday decor--so sweet! The next one is from my carnival birthday party. All my girls were kind enough to let me draw mustaches on them for the picture. I love being silly with all my favorite girls!

The best things in life are free

I do agree that the best things in life are free:

-kissing
-laugh attacks
-friends and family
-Religion
-Love
-Sleeping in

But there are many thing in life that I love and that I want to have that are not free

-DVR
-Disneyland
-Vacations
-A great pair of jeans

So life must be best when you have all the wonderful things that are free and a little cash for the extras. That is why it is scary to have kids. You have to give up so many of the extra things in life and I don't know if I can do that. Here is to hoping that I find a solution for the future.

High Five to...

1. Stikcy notes- you keep my organized and on task at work and home

2. Grapefruit spoons- you really do make eating a grapefuit so much easier and now is the time to dig in to some yuumy citrus since it is January

3. Having a phone with internet- I am a net junkie and am so in love with having information right at my fingertips any time I need it. Its the best when I want to know what the movie times are during the weekend and I can just look it up whenever, wherever

4. Wallflowers-you make my bedroom smell like 'fresh linen' every day

5. Lowfat string cheese- I love to indulge in you everyday and if you were regular cheese you would make me guitly, but since you are light its only 60 calories and pure delight!

6. Having a workout partner- working out is so much easier when you have someone that is by your side. I envy girls that can get their husbands to be their workout partners--that would be my dream come true. But at least I have Elizabeth to break a sweat with.

Is it 2010 already?

This year has totally flown by and it has been a great one. There hasn't been lots of monumental stuff but here are some highlights of 2009:

1. We bought our first house and are in love with it. Yes it is far from civilization, but lucky for us we have a wonderful family who makes the treck out to our place lots. You know you live far when...
-the closest mall is 30 minutes away
- you think a place is close to you when it only takes you 20 minutes to get there
-You have to budget in an hour in a half driving time (round trip) to visit the parents
- You say the phrase we will be coming in town when you come to mesa
But I have no regrets on the house, we seriously are so excited about it!

2. We got a lot older: Josh is now 30 and I am 25. I guess that means I will have to get knocked up sometime soon before I get too old.

3. Josh enrolled in Myropractor school and he starts next week! His brother is a myropractor and it is amazing stuff. I always have hip and knee aches when I run, but after I started going to his brother the aches subsided. Josh will be done by September and I am so thrilled that he will be able to keep my body feeling young.

I think 2010 is going to be a big year for us and it scares me a little, but I think it will also be an exciting year because:

1. Josh will be done with school in the fall so that means he will be working 2 jobs and hopefully he can become my sugar daddy

2. We are going to try to get pregnant this summer ( YIKES) and nonthing is more monumental than that step and I know it will change everything. I am so nervous.

3. We might actually get back to Austin to visit Joshy's family this year ( Hooray)