September Recap

Gosh I suck at this...

But, I'm here to recap the entire month of September because I haven't blogged in an entire month.  Although I've done plenty of reading up on everyone else's blogs, done plenty of online shopping, baked more sweets than a household of two should ever consume in a year, and worked my butt off (not at the gym) but at actual work.  Lame, I know.  BUT, I've also done some pretty amazing things since I last wrote on this thing. 

Let's begin with our trip to Chicago.  We had an absolute blast.  We went with Josh's friend/co-worker and his family and it was their first time to Chicago. Josh got to be our tour guide for the weekend.  The past two times Josh and I have gone, we've done days of baseball, and nights of drinking.  We've explored Chicago, but definitely missed a lot of what people come to Chicago to see.  So it was definitely nice to explore Chicago.

Third time at Wrigley for us:

I seriously have the greatest time with that guy. 

Side note:  Transformers 4 was being filmed right by our hotel so we were able to see Optimus Prime, and his gang.

 

More randoms from our trip. 

 

 

It was also Josh's birthday!  He's 34, holy moly!  Poor guy has been working non-stop so it wasn't surprising that he had to work on his birthday.  He worked 17 days straight, including a few 16-hr workdays.  But, we got to spend his bday night together having dinner and beer, but of course we hit the gym beforehand and went to bed by eleven.  (Josh's ideal evening). 

 

 

I also won girlfriend of the year award by surprising Josh with a birthday 'party' at one of Knoxville's Breweries.  I had one of the CA ladies tell her boyfriend to get the word out about going out on Sunday after they got off work for Josh's birthday.  He just thought we were doing dinner and going somewhere to watch the Bears game, and was completely surprised when his coworkers and their spouses were there to celebrate his birthday with him.  Even though he was away from his closest friends and his family, I think he was pretty happy that he's made some great friends here that were willing to come out for him.  (No pictures because I was trying to make friends, haha). 

On to the most exciting part of September, my little brother came to visit!!!  We had an absolutely AMAZING weekend!  Josh and I were excited to spend a relaxing weekend on the beach, and doing close to nothing.  Chris wanted to spend the weekend in North Carolina visiting Wakeboard Cable Parks, (yea, I didn't know they existed either)...Chris was in absolute heaven, and Josh and I were in heaven sunbathing.  No, this chick did not attempt the cable park.  As I've gotten older, I've gotten lamer and already felt the aches and pains before they happened.  No thank you, I'll pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is so refreshing seeing family, and I couldn't stop smiling all weekend.  I miss my family and friends, big time and I wanted to lock him in our spare room so he couldn't get on the plane tonight.  But, apparently he has to go back to school or something. 

Just sitting here seeing how much we were able to do in one month is a great reminder of just how lucky Josh and I are.  Although we continue to battle the sadness we get from missing back home, we are LIVING life and making some amazing memories.  

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

that I suck at blogging...
that I currently spend more time stressing about work then I get paid for...
that I'm currently obsessed with my newest book because it relates to my life (true story)...
that I got tipsy on a Sunday night and stayed at country bar until 2am. (only sorry that I had to work the next day and was reminded that I'm almost 30)
that my online shopping needs to stop SOON (after KLR releases their fall clothes)

In other news...back to my obsessesion on the book I'm reading...my life in a nutshell at the moment: 

The other day I was talking to my bestie and was explaining to her my lack of desire (as I've gotten older) to make new friends. To put in effort. To get to know people. I love all my current friends. I don't need new ones. But as my social life turned into Saturday nights vegging out on CheezIts and Chips/guacomole while watching Say Yes to the Dress, I realized my I don't need new friends idea wasn't working.

I do have friends here, don't get me wrong. Just none that I have met on my own, that live and breathe TN, and that weren't part of the CA to TN journey too. 

I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to some great ladies that have made this journey as well. And I am sooooooo thankful for them. We can vent about the same frustrations about living somewhere new, getting lost on a daily basis, meeting new people, work, etc. And our other halves have the same crazy work schedule that leaves us with more time to hang out with each other. BUT, they all have kids. I love their kids, and love being around family normalcy that kids bring. But that also means they don't have the open weekend schedule like me. I can't meet up for ladies breakfast at 10:00am while kids are at school because I'm at work. So our hangouts aren't as frequent as one would like when Josh is working two weekends a month leaving this girl with too much free time. 

I need that motivation, that drive to want to get out of my comfort zone and start meeting new people. I mean, five months in....I should have earned one friend on my own right? Or maybe not. People don't go hanging out downtown at bars alone to meet friends right? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. 

So for now, since that motivation hasn't shown up yet, I'll continue reading MWF Seeking BFF and nodding the entire time because I can totally relate. Or I'll sign up for the Beer Making Class being hosted at Univ. of TN that I kind of sort of seriously joked with Josh about taking. (Of course I couldn't end this post without mentioning beer). 

Until next time...hopefully that means sooner rather than later. Unless I'm too busy with all my new friends. 

Currently - Busy

Hi, I know...I suck at this.

I thought a new month meant things would slow own, but I was wrong...big time.  With work taking up most of my time and energy lately, my blog life has been failing miserably.   So, besides WORK, this is what I'm currently up to:

LISTENING - I know I'm late to the party, but I'm OBSESSED with Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines. On Repeat, all day.  It's probably because I imagine my self in my last year younger days dancing with my bestie out at the bars.  Listen if you are later than I am to the party because he's amazing.  

EATING - Everything in sight.  I don't know if its my change in BC, the week after the Cleanse, or what...but I can't stop eating junk food everything.  

DRINKING - Coffee.  As I mentioned earlier, work is out of control.  It's requiring much more time and energy that I'm used to, and coffee is needed ALL DAY.  

WEARING - Dresses, dresses, and gym clothes.  Come visit Tennessee and you'll realize that pants aren't an option during the summer.  

READING - MWF Seeking BFF.  So far so good, it's about a chick who moved out of state for her husband's job and is looking for friends (sound familiar?)  Besides the husband part....cough cough.

WEATHER -  It WAS beautiful, until today.  Now it's raining.  In August.  Knoxville has officially reached it's yearly average precipitation.  And did I mention it's August?  All of my coworkers say that I brought the rain with me because it's not normal, but these are the same people that say supper instead of dinner, and fixin' instead of want.  Hmm....

WANTING - To meet this stud.  I am so thankful that I get to still talk to my bestie everyday and get pictures of this adorable boy...BUT I can't wait to hold him and meet him.  

WATCHING - Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not too into sitting and watching TV, unless it's a baseball game.  But lately, if I'm not watching a wedding show, I'm glued to The Shield.  Josh has been trying to get me to watch the seasons since I met him, and I'm officially hooked.  I have been watching 1-2 episodes a night for the last two weeks, and am almost done with Season 3.  

Also, chicks at the gym.   Yes, this is weird.  I am aware.  But the chicks at my gym are hardcore and I can't help but stare at them.  Their arms are bigger then my head, and they do their 'Show' poses in front of the mirrors.  They are asking for people to stare. 

THINKING - What in the heck am I going to get Josh for our anniversary?  So I'm already thinking that I'm going to be 'That Girl' when it comes to not talking about what we are doing for our anniversary, and then being disappointed when it's not what I want to do.  Hence, my dilemma.  Ideas?

ENJOYING - Anything and everything coconut.  Coconut lotion, coconut spray, coconut candles, coconut chocolate...it goes on.  

OBSESSED WITH - Bug spray.  A night outside with Josh grilling dinner equals 19 bug bites.  I woke up like a crazy person at 1:30am itching my legs and dousing myself with anti-itch spray.  Who does that?  Apparently I wasn't given the memo that you need to wear OFF Spray instead of perfume when you move here.  I'm getting more country by the second, yee haw.


LOOKING FORWARD TO - All things BEER.  Period.  


Until next time, hopefully I won't be as lame.

Hello August!

It’s August 1^st, and I need a glass of beer wine.  I don’t know if it was the cleanse, my lack of beer coffee intake, Josh’s work schedule, or being 3000 miles away from friends and family, but the last two weeks have just been eh.  So I don’t think there are many people happier to see that a new month is here, and hopefully that means Casi Sassy Pants will be in a better mood, and start enjoying the little things. 

Some happenings in the next couple of months:

• Josh and I will be celebrating our unofficial 2 year anniversary on August 31^st.  Since he didn’t ask me out officially (we’ll get to that story one day), we marked August 31^st as our special day since it was the day him and I went to the Giants vs. Cubs game in San Francisco, and even though we didn’t even exchange a hug that day, we had one of the best days in the city.  Just give us baseball, beer, and each other and we are happy campers.

  

  OUR FIRST 'DATE'

• We are also, along with a couple of friends, heading back to Wrigley Field in September before they tear it down in September.  I still haven’t seen it with all the overgrown ivy, and although I am a diehard Giants fan forever, I love baseball and will enjoy every second watching the Cubs play. 

  

  MY FIRST WRIGLEY FIELD EXPERIENCE (CUBS GEAR  BECAUSE I LOVE HIM)

  
  

  

  MY SECOND WRIGLEY FIELD EXPERIENCE, PERFECT...

• Besides the trip to Chicago, Josh and I are attempting to stay around Knoxville on our weekends off together, and do some exploring.  We both realized that we haven’t done much sightseeing here since we’ve been here, and we finally do get visitors, we need to know where to take them. J

I also finished the cleanse yesterday.  Two things, I honestly thought I’d cheat.  Besides the one glass of wine I had on Tuesday night (due to a Girls wine/movie night), I stayed on point the entire time.  No coffee, no soda, no alcohol, and no refined sugar/carbs.  Before I give you my take on it, here are the results:

Before/After:

Weight:  143.6/138.2 (-5.4lbs) Side note:  Pretty sure this is the first time I’ve been in the 130’s since…middle school?  I know once I eat a slide of bread, I’m sure I’ll go back to the 140’s but it was a proud moment for me. 

Arms:  10.5/10.5 (-0)

Waist:  28/28 (-0)

Hips:  38/38 (-0)

Thighs: 25/22 (-3 inches)

Calf:  14.5/14 (-.5 inches)

Total:  -5.4lbs lost, and -3.5 inches (all lower body, not sure what that is all about)

Positives: 

• Besides changing my eating habits, the best part about this cleanse is you aren’t only eating/drinking one thing.  As long as you are eating the right foods, you can definitely be creative with your food intake.

• Skin felt so healthy.  I’m assuming it was the amount of water (1 gallon) I drank daily.  The cleanse has a lot of vitamins in it as well, but most of all the vitamins (besides the fiber) I already take regularly. 

• Didn’t feel hungry.  The lunches that I was bringing to work were much more satisfying than my normal cardboard box meal, and my snacks didn’t give me the sugar crash like my normal ones normally do.

•  Price.  For only $31.50, it’s cheap enough to give it a try and not feel like you are ‘wasting’ money.

Negatives:

• This really isn’t specific to being negative about the cleanse.  But it’s hard to determine if the results were all due to drinking the fiber drink, and taking the supplements are just from change of eating.  I don’t eat bad by any means, but I consume sugar and carbs on the daily.

I think that’s all for now.  I’ve given enough shout outs to beer for all of us…two more weeks and we’ll be reunited.

Normalcy has sunk in...

I'm sure I, along with everyone over 24, sound like a broken record when I say time is going way too fast.  How has it already been two weeks since I've been to California, or that I've already been living in Knoxville for almost four months?  So when I say normalcy has finally sunk in...it's because it has.  Going to work, going to the gym, spending time with my new friends in Knoxville, and spending as much time as possible with Josh, then doing it all over again the following week.  Life finally feels normal in Tennessee.  

Crazy, I know!  I will admit that I still hop on that roller coaster train and give myself the biggest pity party ever.  Eh, what can you do?  Thank goodness Josh loves me and my craziness. 

I'm a horrible blogger, and took not one picture this weekend.  And my weekend recap consisted of....the Farmer's Market, shopping, the gym, and laying poolside at the Country Club all day.  Yes, I'm fancy.  And do fancy things...and hang out with fancy people.  Not quite, but it sounds awesome.

That's all folks.  I told you, horrible blogger.  But, I'll get back at it soon, and will definitely let everyone know the results of the cleanse.  

Side note, for all those watching baseball this weekend....the Cubs swept the Giants.  Not only did they sweep the Giants, I lost a bet because cocky Josh bet me that the Cubs would win all three games.  That never happens.  I think the Giants miss me at their stadium; that's the only explanation. 

That sums it up.  
Until next time. :-)

 

 

Advocare Begins...and Exciting News

I’m behind on this blogging thing…apparently there are days when you are supposed to blog, and times it should post, etc….well that’s just silly. Even though my weekend wasn’t jam packed with things to do, I just never got around to getting on the computer to write.

Since I sit at a computer all day..five days a week, editing documents for the majority of my day, it just sometimes isn’t what I want to be doing on my weekends.  Shame!

On to the most exciting news ever, my bestie and her hubby had their son on Sunday, July 21, 2013. Follow her blog here: Little Baby J.  Emerson James Jimenez was born and he is perfect.  These are the moments where I wish I still back in California so I could be there to hold him, hug my bestie and AJ, and be there for anything they needed.  Fortunately, everyone has kept me updated and continue to send pictures of the adorable little guy.   I’ve been researching flights to CA so the second I can request time off, and find afforadable flights, I'm there! Look at him…he’s so stinking cute:

But, like promised, I did start my Advocare cleanse (07/23/13), which means I’ll be finished on July 31^st.   So far, so good, minus the excruciating headache I’ve had for two days in a row now because I obviously have an addiction to caffeine and sugar and my body hates me for depriving it.

Anyways, here are my beginning stats:

Day One: 

·         Weight:  143.6

·         Arms:  10.5

·         Waist:  28

·         Hips:  38

·         Thighs: 25 (One leg is almost as big as my waist, that seems weird..)

·         Calf:  14.5

Basically, you are cutting out all refined sugars, carbs, and dairy.  They ask that you drink a gallon of water a day (not good for someone who already pees a lot).  No soda or alcohol.  Basically everything I love.  I’m secretly hoping I don’t lose weight so then I can convince myself that depriving yourself of things such as soda, alcohol, carbs, sweets, and cheese…is no way to lose weight live.

My meals haven’t been too bad, but I’m not very creative.  Once I find something amazing, I’ll share it.  The only thing that has been my go-to are my eggwhite breakfast cakes that have egg whites, bell peppers, and onions in them.  They’d be 1000 times better with cheese, bacon, and real eggs, but whatev.  It gets the job done. 

Positive so far: 

·      I don’t know if it’s the amount of water I’m drinking, but only after two days I feel like my skin is 100 times healthier. 

·      I haven’t felt hungry.  I’m missing certain foods, but I’m not starving. 

Negatives:

·      Tired. You are supposed to get energy by the third day from your body getting the proper nutrients, but I’m not there yet.  They also recommend you use this with their Spark product but I didn’t purchase it.  (I thought it came with the cleanse, oops.)

Wish me luck.  I need it. 

Wednesday Weigh-In...Changes are a' comin!

Getting back on track after a mini vacation sucks.  And, lucky for me, I've been going on many mini vacations so it just ends up being...eat like crap and drink on the weekends, then workout and eat good during the week.  Yet, I still wonder why I don't see results. 

Well, I gave myself a slap in the face and decided I needed a few jump-starts to keep me motivated (wasn't this blog supposed to do that?  Fail).  

Even though last week I whined complained, talked about why I hated running outside, I sucked it up and went for a run.  Dumb idea.  Or great idea. I'm still on the fence about it.  I strapped on my 'if you need this, you shouldn't be running' gear, and hit the pavement.  Yup, it looks like a fanny pack, and draws attention to my rear, which needs no attention.  I mean...most people either have big boobs or a big butt, and I currently wear VS's Bombshell wherever I go due to the lack thereof. 

Yuck! 

The next big change is Josh and I have decided to give up one of our favorite things for 30 days.  There is no question that this is a DUMB idea.  But much needed.  We will be torturing ourselves for 30 days by giving up beer.  Boo. It's a lot of calories, a lot of carbs, and a lot of YUMMY GOODNESS.  PS, I love Josh even more than normal for jumping on this train with me because anybody who knows him, knows he can drink beer like a fish. 

 

Last but not least, I'm doing the Advocare Cleanse.  Thanks to the blogging world, I've been thrown way too much information on this cleanse.  Not only have I read what great results people have had, I've also read that it doesn't make you crap your pants.  WINNING! It's called the Herbal Cleanse.  One of my daily reads, Skinny Meg did a link-up with other bloggers on the Cleanse and had amazing results. I just ordered it, and should have it in the mail in a few days...Before I start, I'm going to measure as well as weigh myself so I can have accurate results to share with all of you.  

If it's on the internet, it has to be real.  So I guess this means I'm really giving up beer for 30 days.  WTF...