Valentine's Day

Charlie & my Valentine's plans had to be changed last minute yesterday! His dad, Chuck, and his step-mom , Giann, were supposed to be in town, and the four of us had reservations at Musso and Frank's in Hollywood. Around 8am, I got a call from Charlie saying that Chuck and Giann's flight out of Peoria was cancelled. We immediately had to think of a Plan B. All of the restaurants in the area have been booked for quite a few weeks now, and most places have prix-fixe menus ranging between $65-$145. We knew if the two of us went out, it'd cost us around $150-$200. We usually spend that much on LA Restaurant Week or for our anniversary, but neither of us was in a position yesterday to be spending that much on a meal out. So we opted for dining in! 

Before dinner, we headed up to our favorite place in Palos Verdes, Malaga Cove, to watch the sunset. It's become one of our favorite things to do (we spent Christmas evening up there as well!). Charlie and I were both running a little behind after getting off work, so we hustled up there, and made it in perfect timing. We put down a blanket, opened a bottle of Malbec, and got our cheese and crackers set up. We spent the next hour munching, drinking, relaxing, laughing, taking pictures, and enjoying each others company.

After the sun had gone down, we had to stop by Trader Joe's to pick up our ingredients. After that, we were ready to come home and cook! Charlie grilled our New York steaks while I went to work in the kitchen. I sautéed crimini mushrooms and onions in red wine to top our steaks, whipped up some twice baked potatoes, wrapped asparagus in proscuitto & topped it with truffle oil and shaved parmesan, and put together a heart-shaped caprese salad drizzled with balsamic. It was, in my opinion, the best meal we have ever made together. For being thrown together last minute, it couldn't have turned out more perfect. Topped off with a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and lit candles.

Dessert isn't something I usually care for. However, what's a Valentine's Day without chocolate? Last year we had the most delectable chocolate truffles, so I figured we'd pick up another box while we were at Trader's last night.  That was until I saw long-stemmed strawberries in the produce section. My mind immediately went to chocolate covered strawberries. I have a fondue pot that rarely gets used, so I was excited to have an excuse to bust it out. It was such a simple recipe that we used, but the chocolate was so creamy and delicious. There were a few graham crackers in our cabinet that we dipped in it as well. Dessert was paired with a bottle of almond champagne from Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula. We bought the bottle when we were there in May last year and have been saving it for a special occasion. 

We made the best out of our last minute change of plans, but it turned out to be quite an incredible evening! Charlie also got me a really sweet card that made me cry, a beautiful bouquet of pink daisies (my favorite), and tickets to see O.A.R. at the Troubador in May. I got him coffee mugs filled with chocolates, a little monkey balloon holding a hear that says "I Love You", a fresh pair of Nikes, and a nice dress watch. I also made him heart-shaped french toast for breakfast! 

♥I hope you all had a Valentine's Day just as great as ours. Much love to all of our family and friends♥

Whoa baby.

You know those days where you're tired, a little sad, feeling sorry for yourself, and you just don't have the motivation to work out? That has been the past two days for me. Two days ago I got a tetanus shot in my left arm that hurt like hell for two days (and still isn't 100%), and yesterday I got five vials of blood taken from my right arm. Needless to say, I moped around and didn't do anything yesterday (plus, I felt like I was getting sick).

This morning I woke up determined to work out ...only to not find the motivation to do so. Incase you don't know, Charlie & I live about a block from the beach. I have really come to enjoy morning runs next to the sand and water (sometimes I even see dolphins on my runs). Although my body wasn't feeling motivated, the coffee was telling my mind to do something. I decided I'd go down to the beach, maybe run a little, maybe walk a little ...see how I was feeling once I got down there. 

Well, I ended up running two miles to the end of The Strand (the sidewalk that runs parallel with the ocean), then on the way back, I ran up every single ramp and staircase. I believe there's about 15 in all. These aren't just 8-10 stairs and small ramps. They are steep. One of the staircases has even been locally nicknamed "The Torture Stairs". Sometimes it's even difficult walking up them after a day at the beach. Coming back, I also ran between the ramps and stairs (about another 1.5mi).

I love how the best workouts come from feeling the least motivated. Afterwards, your body and mind feel so much better. Now I'm off to start my day! Adios!

P.S. ~ Here are a few pictures I snagged off of Google...

Champed it. 

Eagles at the Forum

(I wrote this over a week ago, on January 23rd. I've been waiting to post it until I posted pictures ...however, I haven't gotten around to the pictures yet. I'll add them soon!)

The Eagles. The mother fucking Eagles. The first time I saw them was five years ago in Hampton, Virginia. At a venue that held less than 10,000 people, I got to see my favorite song in the entire world, Hotel California, live for the first time. That night was great, but nothing will compare to the performance that was put on by the Eagles at the "Fabulous Forum" in Inglewood, California last night. 

The Forum just re-opened their doors last week after a $70 million renovation. For those of you that don't know, The Forum was the old home of the Lakers, and some of the greatest musicians have played there over the years (Cream, Jackson 5, KISS, Led Zeppelin, etc.). The Eagles are putting on a six night residency to kick-start the grand re-opening, and Charlie & I had the opportunity to see show number four. 

A little background on my love for the Eagles. It all started when I was about 10 years old. My sister and I were up in the Bay Area visiting my dad and Lisa (who lived there at the time). They took us to Lisa's friend's house for the evening where we watched a live Eagles DVD on a big projection screen. This was the first time I had ever really heard of the Eagles, and it was the first time I had ever heard the song Hotel California. As a child, California held such a huge piece of my heart. I knew I'd live here someday, but that's another story for another time. Anyway, after hearing Hotel California, I was hooked. Since my dad had such great taste in music (and still does), I was raised on some of the greats (the Eagles, Clapton, Heart, Zeppelin). I've had various Eagles CDs over the years and am a huge fan of quite a few of their songs. I mean, they have so many hits, how can you NOT like them?

This year, right before Christmas, I was scrolling through Showtime OnDemand when I ran across "History of the Eagles". It was a two-part, three-hour documentary about the band. A lot of it shows footage from their early days as a band in the 1970's, and throughout the film, they interview all of the band members (past and present). After watching this, I was even more excited to see the Eagles again! I am infatuated with the 60's & 70's and feel like I grew up in the wrong era, so watching this film, I felt like I really connected with the group. It was so cool to get to see the band's background. If you're an Eagles fan, I highly recommend you go watch this DVD right now. 

Wheww all of this, and I haven't even gotten to last night's show. I didn't know how to start this blog post, and now I don't know when to shut up. 

So, the show starts out with Don Henley and Glenn Frey (the only two original members) playing Saturday Night on their acoustic guitars side by side on stage. Next, Frey explains that they started the show this way, because that's how the Eagles started ...with Henley & Frey just jamming together. Next to walk out to the stage is Bernie Leadon. Bernie is no longer with the Eagles, however, he was one of the original members. How awesome that they got him to come play for their Forum residency. Henley, Frey, & Leadon performed Train Leaves Here this Morning. Timothy B. Schmit was the next Eagle to appear on stage, and finally, out comes Joe Walsh (and the crowd goes WILD). They played all of their greatest hits: Witchy Woman, Tequila Sunrise, Take it Easy, Already Gone, One of These Nights, Take it to the Limit, I Can't Tell You Why, The Long Run, Joe Walsh's Life's Been Good & Rocky Mountain Way, New Kid in Town, Love Will Keep Us Alive, and the list goes on. They played two sets, ending their second set with one of my personal favorites, Life in the Fast Lane. First up on their encore bill was Hotel California. I cried like a baby the entire song. I cried the first time I saw it live too. I can't explain it, I just love that song so much and seeing it live is just the most incredible feeling. The final song of the second encore and of the evening was Desperado. They played for over three hours!

My favorite part of the entire show was that these guys were just jamming. Just straight jamming. It was a bunch of old friends from years ago getting together on a stage and doing what they love. To me, that was just the best. Sure, the band has been through so much in the last 43 years, but at the end of the day, all they want to do is play music with their friends. 

Taking Care of Yourself.

How many of us work in professions where we take care of others? Whether it be kids, patients, clients, our families, etc. Everyday I am always putting others before myself. I basically help to run two households. I nanny usually over 40 hours per week (cooking, cleaning, baths, doing laundry, school pick-ups, chauffeuring to swim lessons, soccer practice, making sure bills are paid, getting groceries, running errands, etc etc.). Before and after work, I am doing much of the same for my apartment (cooking, cleaning, organizing, paying bills, making sure we have essentials like toilet paper, paper towel, and milk, etc etc.). 

In the meantime, I'm buying gifts and cards for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, births, deaths, engagements, weddings, "just because". I am always taking care of others and spoiling my loved ones. Which is fine. When my sister and I were kids, our mom took care of everything too: laundry, hot meals, cleaning our rooms, chauffeuring us around town, etc. It's in my blood, it's who I am. But sometimes, at the end of the day, I just want someone to take care of me. 

Yes, my wonderful boyfriend will give me shoulder and foot rubs, help with dishes after dinner, and buy me the occasional flowers...and I adore him for those things. But sometimes, the one who can take care of me the best is myself. Sometimes I have to be a little selfish and put my needs first ...and occasionally make sure I am pampered. 

Here is the list of my favorite ways to take care of myself:

1. Get a massage

2. Get a mani/pedi (which is something I try to keep up with every two weeks)

3. Get a long work out in

4. Read a book (preferably at the beach)

5. Write (anything & everything ...again, preferably at the beach)

6. Go for a solo hike

7. Cook a solid, well thought out meal (besides the everyday meals I make)

8. Watch a chick flick

9. Have a glass of wine or a beer by myself

Sometimes I need to remind myself to do these things more. They help me stay sane!

What's your favorite way to pamper yourself?

"Fitness & Healthy Eating"

Ahh, fitness and healthy eating. The name of my favorite board on Pinterest. Where do I begin? I wanted to make a post today talking about losing weight. A lot of days I get discouraged, because my body isn't perfect. I feel a lot bigger than I actually am, but when I look back at old pictures, I have come a hell of a long way. I need to constantly remind myself of that.

I have never been a size 0. The last time I was under 110 pounds was probably when I was in middle school. I'm okay with not being a stick, as I'd rather have curves and an ass anyway. My thighs have always touched (up until last year...yay!), and I absolutely love food. My day literally revolves around what meals I'm going to eat and when. I grew up on a Frito Lay truck (my dad worked there for 16 years), and I could eat all of the Doritos, Fritos, Cheetos (basically all of the 'itos' family) and Slim Jims that I wanted growing up. Over the years, I was active in cheerleading, dance, soccer, tumbling, and basketball. That all came to a stop in high school. In high school, I was really depressed on and off (another story for another time), so I was hardly ever active (except for frisbee golfing! ha!), I drank a lot, and I didn't care about my health. 

A year and a half after high school, I moved out on my own for the first time. I loved to cook, so I would make extremely heavy dinners... with beef, noodles, butter, 'cream of' soups, sour cream, heavy cream, lots of cheese, etc. I was Virginia's own little Paula Deen! Add several games of beer pong and mulitple Taco Bell stops on the weekends, and I was putting on the lb's fast.  

I wasn't comfortable with my body, and I knew I weighed a lot, but I never realized how big I actually was. In the picture below, I felt good about myself and thought I looked really cute. Looking back, it's like whoa. After going through pictures, this one seems to be me at my highest weight....

Although you can obviously tell I have lost weight through my Facebook pictures, I have ever officially posted a "before" and "after" picture. The main reason: I'm still working on myself. Am I 100% perfect all the time? Hell no. Like I said, I love food. Have the changed the way I eat? Drastically. Do I allow myself to eat "cheat meals" on weekends and holidays? Yes. I pigged out on weekends, birthdays, and holidays the last three months of 2013. I honestly would rather be able to eat and drink what I want than have an absolutely perfect body. So what if I've had too much to drink and want some tacos on a Saturday night? Might as well add beans & rice to that too! I'd rather enjoy life, good food, and good drinks than deprive myself to have an 8-pack and be a size double 0. 

When you hear a lot of people's weight loss stories (especially on commercials), you hear "so & so changed my life..." Well, I have to tell you, Jillian Michaels did exactly that for me. Although I was always active as a child, I have never enjoyed working out...until now. I have lost over 35 pounds without a gym membership. My weight loss journey started with walking ...I'd walk at least an hour a day, pushing the stroller of the baby I nannied for at the time in San Diego. Then I stepped it up a notch and purchased "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred". At first it was ass kicking, and I wanted to die. It was so hard to get through. But I stuck with it. The more I worked out, and the more weight I was losing, the more I actually wanted to exercise. I now own six Jillian dvds. I do them regularly mixed with yoga and running. The only time I used to run was from the cops (sorry Dad!), and now I try to run 3-4x a week. With exercise also comes healthy eating. I started by eating Lean Cuisines ...which now I won't touch with a 10-foot pole. Growing up, I hated lettuce (still do!), and I wasn't big on many vegetables. However, 85% of what I buy at the store now is produce! Some people do Weight Watchers and count their calories, some are doing gluten free, Paleo, or clean eating. I don't think there is one specific diet that is "right" or how you have to eat. I have found what works for me. My diet is always changing, and I have tweaked it many times in the past few years. Right now, my diet mostly consists of lean meats, eggs (one egg + egg whites), lots of veggies, fruit, and quinoa. Occasionally I'll buy yogurts, and I put a splash of milk into my coffee. Besides that, I limit my dairy. I used to drink two gallons of milk on my own each week. Sometimes I'll make a wrap with a low-carb, whole wheat tortilla, but I also try not to eat carbs during the week.

Soo with all that being said, here are my "In Progress" (not "after") pictures! 

Don't judge me. I am my biggest critic anyway ;)

Ramble On...

As promised, here is a new blog post!

You know those days where one little thing sets you off & ruins your mood for pretty much the rest of the day? I was having one of those days exactly a week ago. I typed out a long "bitch it out" post but decided not to publish it. I have the easiest time writing when I am down as it's the easiest way to vent it all out. However, there was some sensitive stuff in that post, so I decided not to share it after all.

Surprisingly this year has been pretty mellow thus far (ha, only 14 days in!). I was almost not looking forward to how busy this month would be, but it's actually been pretty relaxing so far. I've gotten back into a super healthy routine after having three crazy months of traveling, visitors, drinking, and eating like garbage at the end of 2013. So far, I have worked out 12/14 days this month. With the exception of New Years Day (talk about a hangover!) and I haven't found the motivation to work out yet today (it'll come...eventually).

My favorite part of the year so far was having a girls weekend with Whitney! For those of you who don't know, Whit & I grew up together. She was two years older, but my younger sister & her younger brother were in the same class since kindergarten. We had mutual friends, ran into each other at parties, and she was in my gym class freshman year, but besides that, we never had a close friendship. Fast forward ten years to both of us living in LA, and she has become one of my closest and best friends. Unfortunately for me, she moved to Ohio in December, leaving me with NO close girl friends out here. Luckily, she came to visit for work, and we ended up spending all of last weekend together. Friday night we ate dinner in, drank two bottles of wine, and went for a late night walk on the beach. Saturday morning we woke up early and went to a SurfBody (look it up, it's awesome!) class on the beach, followed by running around the Westside to see her clients in the afternoon, a stop at Lemonade in Brentwood for lunch, and an evening filled with Pinteresting ideas for Katie's bachelorette party, Moscow Mules, & introducing her to El Burrito Jr. (the best Mexican food the South Bay has to offer). It was so nice to have an entire girls weekend as we didn't even have those when she lived here! After spending so much time with Charlie and the guys, a girls weekend was much needed...even more so than I thought. It was great!

Since this post is titled "ramble on" (yes, one of my favorite Zeppelin songs), I will continue to ramble and make this post as random as possible. So with that, everyone always says "new year, new you". I had talked about making resolutions (or as I like to call them, GOALS) in my last post. It's not my goal to "lose weight" every year. I have been on a health journey for about three years now. I have lost around 35lbs. on my own (no crazy diets, counting calories...no gym memberships or workout buddies), and I continue to strive to be as healthy as possible. A new year is just a great excuse to kick it up a notch and feel even better. Last year I read a couple of Steve Maraboli's books (seriously motivating), and one of the things he said was to set 3 goals for yourself each morning. That way, at the end of the day, you will always feel accomplished and feel good about yourself. I tried this for a few weeks, and it was awesome. I haven't been keeping up with that for a while (as I'm in a really good place in my life & haven't felt the need for it lately), however, I did set a weekly goal for myself this week. I've been a full-time nanny for the past almost six years now. I work in other people's homes who have an abundance of delicious kid food. We're talking mac & cheese, pasta and meatballs, french fries, chicken nuggets, string cheese, Cheese-Itz, etc, etc. I have a horrible habit of picking at the kids food. No matter how healthy I eat during my meals, I always end up binging on their foods. So for this week, I made a goal to not take one bite of "cheat food". If I can go five days without picking at unhealthy foods, I will reward myself with an hour massage on Saturday. It sounds simple, but I have a serious food addiction. So far, so good. My Monday went perfectly ...let's hope I can last these next four days. I'm already having dreams of stuffing my face with unhealthy food...oops!

That's the scoop for now! Charlie has a buddy coming in town tonight through Sunday. They have lots of plans out, so my plan is to work extra hours, have lots of "me" time, and eat super healthy while they go out for dinners. I was surprised to find out that I have next Monday off for MLK Jr. Day (hooray!), next Wednesday is the Eagles concert at the Forum, and next Friday I take off for a weekend in Illinois! Let the busy-ness begin...

Oh, and one more thing! One of my oldest and best friends, Katie, is marrying Whitney's brother, Ryan, this fall. They got engaged right before New Years, and Katie asked me to be a bridesmaid. I absolutely cannot wait and couldn't be happier for them. Congrats you two! :)

New Year, New Goals

I hate the thought of new years "resolutions." I feel like you are tied down to the resolution, and if you don't follow through with them, you fail. No one wants to feel like a failure. So, for the last two years, I have set "goals" for myself. Last year the only one I didn't accomplish was getting my passport ...which I better get on if I want to head to Italy this summer. 

Anyway, after seeing me jot down things in about six different notebooks around the house, Charlie got me a journal last year for my birthday. I don't write in it often (probably as much as I get around to blogging), but when I do, I love it. Writing has always been such a stress-reliver and an escape for me. One of my goals for last year was to write more...so the day after Christmas, I sat down on the beach and started to write. I came up with a list of my "2014 Goals, Aspirations, & Ideas". When I write things down and have a checklist, I feel like more gets accomplished. Here's what I came up with ...

*Eat healthy/eat "cleaner"

*Passport!!!!

*Do more yoga

*Make a new real friend (that's hard to find in LA ...lots of fake people!)

*Travel as much as work/funds allow

*Run a minimum of 2x/week

*Run more 5ks

*Sit & appreciate the beach more 

*Wake up earlier

*Find a new hobby or side job (that doesn't interfere with my current job)

*Strengthen relationship with Charlie (We're in a great place, but every bond could always be stronger, right?!)

*Stress less!!!!!

*Have more patience

*Buy a good camera

*Try Indian food

*Visit more restaurants on my "list" (a list of places I want to try in & around LA)

*See a Giants game in San Francisco

*Visit the Pacific Northwest

*Learn Italian 

*Make an impact on someone else's life

*Visit my family in San Jose

*Send "just because" cards

*Shoot a gun

*Visit Julia Pfeiffer State Park

*Camp more often

*Do something BIG 

So, there it is. 

What's on YOUR list for the new year?

Looking Back on One of the Best Years of My Life!

So, I have to start out saying that at first, I started writing this for my eyes only. But after completing it, I decided that I wanted to share this with everyone. Yes, it's just me rambling about my year. No, you don't have to read it. It's just a little glimpse into what was my 2013. Hopefully this is the start of me writing more! I'm so bad about writing, however, I know our families like reading what's been going on. So for that, I promise to try to get around to writing more & keeping you all updated a little better in 2014! 

Most years for me definitely have their ups and downs. I feel like 2013 was a year that I will only look at with ups and positivity. That's a first. I haven't been so consistently happy since I was a kid.  This is the longest I have consecutively gone without being depressed. That in itself is a HUGE accomplishment for me. It's crazy what a little exercise and healthy eating will do for you. I feel so balanced in the "happy department"…finally. And speaking of fitness and making the right food choices, this has been my healthiest year yet. I accomplished some things I never knew were possible: I ran three 5k's, one day I randomly ran 6 miles, I beat my goal weight of 130 (weighed in at 129 in July), I also beat my goal to be a size 5 (the majority of the jeans/shorts I buy are now 3/4s). I've come a LONG way making healthy choices for my body! 

So many people make new years resolutions or bucket lists and then don't follow through. They don't live life to the fullest. I can honestly say that this year I was 100% completely fulfilled. Yes, I have continued to struggle with anxiety, but as always, I am working on it. Also, my job can be very stressful at times (you watch kids for 60+ hours a week and tell me you'd never be stressed), however, I love what I do. I wouldn't offer to work so many extra hours if I didn't love the girls and what I do for their family. I worked more hours this year than I ever have before! The girls and I are always up to something fun...running errands, cooking & baking, doing crafts, playing "make over", going to the park, the beach, the movies, etc. 

My relationship with Charlie is stronger than ever, and I am proud to say it's the healthiest relationship I have ever been in. Do we argue and drive each other crazy? Yes. But that's okay …it only makes us stronger at the end of the day. I have kept in touch with so many old friends this year …probably more so than the last 6 years since I moved away from Illinois. I got to see these old friends multiple times -- between a few trips home, a few trips to Colorado, and having visitors here in California. I feel like Beth and I have become the closest we have ever been too! We used to hate each other growing up and now I am happy to call her one of my best friends. My relationship with my parents (all 3 of em!) has stayed consistently strong. I have been in a good place with them for years …but I am happy to strengthen our bonds and only grow closer to them. I also continue to love getting to know Charlie's family. They are great and treat me like one of their own. So blessed to have both of our families in our lives!

Speaking of Charlie...here is our year together in review! We went to countless concerts (mostly for free from winning tickets), multiple weekend getaways (Temecula 3x, Vegas 2x, Illinois, Colorado 2x, camping 2x, San Diego 2x, Ventura, & the Bay area), hiked several locations, baked Christmas cookies and got our first Christmas tree together, re-signed another year lease at our apartment, grilled out, had fancy dates in and out, celebrated 2 "unofficial" years together and 7 months later celebrated 2 "official" years together, went to 3 Lakers games, went to a Dodgers/Giants game, experienced NAMM for my first time, had numerous visitors, went to Disneyland, celebrated holidays, watched sunsets from the cliffs in Palos Verdes and from the beach across the street from our apartment, stood in line for 4 hours together trying to win Rolling Stones tickets, went to a Jack Daniel's hosted party at the Playboy mansion for my 25th birthday, tried kayaking for my first time, went to private parties (IROCKE, Lucent Dossier, a Yelp yacht party, & Rebelution's band after party), worked shows together (Charlie writes reviews, I take pictures), went to two music festivals, went sailing for the first time, went to the US Open of Surfing, saw Bob Saget do stand-up, went wine tasting in Temecula & Malibu, met celebrities, partied with Artimus Pyle (Lynard Skynard's original drummer), we did brewery tours in both CO & San Diego, experienced Sky Zone for the first time, 

I had a lot of personal firsts this year! I tried sushi, oysters, and several fish dishes for the first time. I also have overcome my hate for salads. I still won't touch lettuce, but I now love me some spinach and mixed green salads ;) For those that know me well, I have always hated salad and seafood. I dominated my list of 25 things I wanted to do before I turned 25 (holyshitimalmost25.blogspot.com). I didn't finish every single thing on the list, but I can tell you that I accomplished a whole hell of a lot and had the best time doing it. I planned a 50th birthday party for Lisa, and it turned out excellent. I'd love to do more party planning in the future. 

As I said, this past year was absolutely incredible, and I wouldn't change any of it for a minute. I can only hope and pray that 2014 will bring me as much joy, happiness, love, and good times.

The upcoming year is looking busy already! We have visitors the first three weekends on January, and the fourth weekend, I'll be in Illinois for my friend Bernadette's wedding. We also have tickets to see the Eagles at the newly renovated Forum for the fourth week of January. I'll be home in March to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday (luckily, she is computer illiterate, so she wont' see that!), November for my Grandma's 80th, possibly May to do Summer Camp with Charlie, and hopefully a trip around Christmas time. We're also planning a trip with my dad & Lisa to celebrate my dad's 60th in Italy sometime this summer! As promised, I will try to keep you up-to-date on all of these good times.

Until then, I hope you all had a great 2013, and cheers to an awesome 2014!