Accomplishment!

I am so happy because I got so much done today!

1. I went to the DMV before work today and changed my last name to my married name.
2. I renewed my license which expires on my birthday. (This friday!)
3. I made a Dr's appt for some bloodwork and a TB test. (I need to pass the TB test to get into the teaching credential program. It shall be a breeze.)
4. I made arrangements to volunteer at a middle school that I love. I start Friday.
5. I ran/walked 2 miles!

The couch to 5k program is great. I am still slow as molasses but my time is definitely getting faster. I feel like it is going to take me forever to train for the 5k in December. By the way if any of you are local (L.A./Ventura county area) and want to run it with me, let me know! I warn you, I am slow! I am just doing the 5k for the fun of it!



Sunday night, I made these burgers from Cooking Light. I used this recipe and lightened it up a bit.

I used whole wheat buns, low far muenster cheese and no mayo. Andy and I are not mayo fans.



We had baked bourbon beans with the burgers. Totally a "man" meal. At least it feels like it. Sunday night football with burgers, beers and beans? Manly right?



Of course after eating it, I noticed that we had NO veggies. (red onions do not count.) I need to start making more veggie side dishes but I suck at creating anything other than roasted veggies or salads. Any ideas?

You are not a unique snowflake.

Do you ever feel that way? I pride myself in being different and unique but there are days when I feel like I'm trying too hard. Blah.

This week hasn't been too great. At least it's Wednesday and almost over. I accomplished some of my goals. I still need to get a good run in so that is my plan for tonight. I want to do 2 miles using the run 90 secs/walk 60 seconds plan. We will see.

I'm feeling weird about turning 26 on Friday even though it shouldn't bother me. It's just that I still listen to the same music that I did in high school, I still feel awkward around new people, I am still painfully shy and overly talkative (not a good combo, I assure you. My foot is in my mouth ALL THE TIME.) My friends are starting to get married, have babies, start careers and pay off debt. Some even own property. It's insane to me. Am I really old enough to be responsible for anything? I guess in a way I feel like everyone around me is changing and I am staying the same. I've been this way forever. It's weird enough being married (I don't feel like that's changed who I am at all. Andy and I are like two old ladies anyway.) I guess I just have anxiety about all of the other "adult" things I have to look forward to. Personally I just want to go to Disneyland, shop for things I don't need and watch Gossip Girl.

That being said, there are a lot of things I enjoy about being older and I wouldn't want to go through being 16 ever again. I've had enough angst and Dashboard Confessional already.

Enough with my rambling! (omg 4 years till 30. 1 year till my 10 year high school reunion.)



On Sunday after a run, I made a brunch for me and Andy using recipes I found on cooking light aka my new favorite website. I made cheesy scrambled eggs using 3 eggs, salt, pepper, a splash of non-fat milk, 1/4 cup low fat sharp cheddar and 1 tsp olive oil. Works like a charm everytime. Andy and I split the eggs and had 1 serving of Hash Brown Casserole with Bacon, Onions and Cheese



The hash browns look funky because I am overly ambitious and I attempted to lighten them up even more by using 2% cheese. Low-fat and non-fat cheese is alright in it's place and it's place is in hell. It does not melt and it looks odd. Tastes fine though. Next time I make this casserole, I'd omit the cheese. It doesn't need it.



Andy was sweet and made me a nonfat sugar free vanilla latte with our espresso maker from his mom. We love it! Andy used to work at Starbucks so I let him make all of our coffee drinks. I am clueless and would most likely burn myself.

So I'm curious. Do you have anxiety about birthdays? Am I alone in this?

Ancient Rome

Hi guys! Andy finally decided to post a blog! Enjoy!


So this is the Roman Forum. This view, I believe is from Palatine Hill. It is sort of awe inspiring when you think of what Rome used to be. This was basically partially enclosed with like 200 feet walls. Its amazing

We took a "walking tour" of the forum using our Rick Steve's Guidebook. If you plan on taking a trip to Europe, Rick Steve's will be the best investment you buy. Great restaurant and hotel tips as well as mini-walking tours and breakdowns of different ancient and contemporary sites.

Rome loves marble. Marble loves Rome.

Perhaps the best part of Italy is the food. Instead of fast food, Italy is full of wonderful little places where you can grab a quick sandwich, panini, or pizza. This was a tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich. They are all pre-made and panini pressed to perfection. Amazing.

Pizza. Pizza comes in a variety of forms. This was a mushroom, tomato, pesto pizza I believe. I love pizza. I would marry pizza. If could I would name my first born pizza. Amanda would object.

Amazing little wood shop. We bought a couple of little wood magnets. I bought a cat that was dressed in an AS Roma uniform that also doubles as a bottle openers. Genius!

Gelato is clearly the best stuff on earth. This, if memory serves, was nutella flavored. We went sort of nutella overboard on the trip.

I think I had tiramisu flavored gelato. We had gelato at least once a day, often two. The best part of Italy is that we walked everywhere and both of us LOST weight during our trip despite eating anything and everything. It really does show what a little exercise does. The day we explored Ancient Rome I assume we walked 10-15 miles. We were beat, but worth it.

The Pantheon! This is amazing. Walking around the streets of Rome and you just see this amazing building pop out of nowhere. And any tourist trap means tons of weirdos. People watching is amazing, especially in a place where so many people from different countries converge.

Reading about this, the Romans built the Pantheon with the intention of having it be a domed building despite not knowing how to construct a dome. Eventually, they figured it out.

Inside the Pantheon. So beautiful. I'm not a religious person, but it is really exciting for me to see some of these fantastic religious institutions. I minored in Religious Studies in college and religion fascinates me.

I believe behind the scaffolding, this was the monument to Italy's first President. It is a giant marble building. Amazing.

A better view of the monument. From what I understand many Romans find it an eyesore, and it does stand out a bit being so white, but it is impressive. Just behind it is the Roman Forum, complete with like 500 stairs.

Italian cars are cute.

This was the short way up. The other way was an imposing monster staircase.

The she wolf. Nursing are Remus and Romulus. I don't remember why this is important, but it is. It is a neat little statue.

Rome. A beautiful amazing place to be. If you get a chance, you must.


Missed a honeymoon recap?

Honeymoon Recap 1

Honeymoon Recap 2

Honeymoon Recap 3

Anxiety

I had a rough time sleeping last night because I was having so much anxiety. I hate that! I have a big test on October 6th and I am so nervous about it. I'm taking the CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) so I can be a teacher. My ultimate goal is to teach high school english. It's something I've always wanted to do. Now that I've graduated college, all I have to do is get my teaching credential. Unfortunately I stay up late at night worrying about it all the time. I just want to be done already!

Does this happen to you when you get close to reaching a goal? I think a big part of me is just worried about failing.

It's the same with running. I want to be able to run more than one mile without wanting to die but I can't. Yesterday I tried to follow some tips from Jeff Galloway but still struggled with running a mile. My goal for this week is to run a mile and a half. It's not much and I am a little embarassed about how much I am struggling but I need a goal and that is it. Blah. I feel disappointed in myself because six months ago, I could run 2 miles no problem.

Goals for this week
(I work Monday-Friday & Sunday so that explains the lack of plans)

Monday-Call schools for observation hours, workout for 30 minutes, make dinner and study for the CBEST.

Tuesday- Weigh-in, call professor for a recommendation letter, study.

Wednesday- Set up observation hours, workout for 30 minutes, make dinner and study.

Thursday- Take CBEST practice test, make dinner and workout at least 30 minutes.

Friday- MY 26th BIRTHDAY! I have to work but I want to celebrate somehow.

Saturday-plan something fun, workout for 30 minutes.

Sunday- Work (I never work on Sundays weird!) and relax. Possibly swim?

Thanks for reading. I appreciate all of you. I already feel better for just sitting here and working out my feelings.

Flat-Out Wraps rock my world

I have a confession. I am the victim of what I like to call a "food rut". I have been eating the same lunch everyday for about a week now. I am addicted.



a deliciously tasty Flat-Out wrap (light italian flavor) with 2 slices of turkey breast, a slice of muenster cheese and a heaping spoonful of sabra pinenut hummus. Paired with a sweet honeycrisp apple and carrot sticks.



And to change things up a bit, I added a bowl of chicken tortilla soup. Added a dollap of sour cream and some hint of lime Tostitos.



All together now. I also dipped my carrots in salsa ranch. YUM!

I have a few posts to make so I'm gonna get started on that! Including dining at a new restaurant, running with my sister and husband, and a lovely sunday brunch. Life is good.

Count down to Grey's Anatomy

Ugh. Last night I was in a terrible mood and decided to eat leftover pizza! I love tomato and basil on a pizza!



It was cheesy, greasy, doughy and fantastic. I know it was definitely way too high in calories but I loved it. Cheered me up.

After the pizza, I made oatmeal cookies with peanut butter & chocolate chips. I cannot get over how tasty these cookies are. I made a huge batch with enough for 48 cookies. 2 weight watcher points per cookie.





Melty peanut butter. Delicious!


On to tonight! Andy and I are counting down until Grey's starts. I dragged Andy into watching it Season one and he still watches with me. This never happens!



Andy made open-faced teriyaki pineapple turkey burgers. I added in the serving of Tostitos Hint of Lime chips and a salad.



MMM teriyaki sauce with pineapple is to die for.



The salad had tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, fontina cheese, lime tortilla chips and sliced avocado. I put some salsa ranch dressing in the bowl and tossed it in. The dressing is 50 calories per 2 tbsp!



After my dinner of greasy pizza last night, it feels good to eat veggies again.

Couch to 5k.

I've been doing the Couch to 5k program for about a week now. I'm really enjoying it! Thanks to all of you who suggested it.

Today my plan is

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. I will most likely workout for longer than 20 minutes but it's nice knowing that all I HAVE to do is 20 minutes. This may sound weak to some but remember that I am not a runner. I am 30-40 pounds overweight with one mission in mind. To run a 5k by end of the year. That's my goal--a 5k believe it or not!

I am determined to train myself to run a marathon eventually and hope to join a team in training in my area soon!

Shout out

I just have to say congratulations to one of my favorite bloggers. Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point. Caitlin inspires me and I love how positive she is. Recently, I emailed Caitlin about how much I wanted to be able to run. She responded right away despite her busy schedule and encouraged me. It's the little things, you know? I am just flattered that she didn't just blow me off. Thank you Caitlin and congrats on your book deal! She is living the dream. After reading her post today, I decided that if she can juggle 2 blogs, school, a full-time job and running then I can handle my full-time job and running. Why not right?

Who has inspired you lately?

Rome: The Colosseum

Andy and I really wanted to see the Colosseum in Rome. Really really badly. In fact, it was the first thing I pictured in my mind when I daydreamed about Rome back in the day. Italy=Colosseum.

We woke up nice and early the next day without feeling too jet-lagged. I'm glad we forced ourselves to adapt to Italian time. It was the best way to make the most of our eleven days in Italy.

Breakfast at our hotel was served buffet style. If you know me, you know that I'm a volume eater and I love food so of course I went overboard. It's a good thing we walked everywhere in Italy.



This omelette was made with creamy fontina cheese, red onion and tomatoes. It was so fresh, tasty and most likely impossible for me to replicate. I loved it!



I shared it with my new husband of course!



And I grabbed a bowl of fresh fruit. Fruit is so good in Italy. We always found fresh fruit in carts around touristy areas and we always bought some of it and we ALWAYS raved about it afterwards. This bowl contained kiwi, strawberries, pineapple and cant elope. (LOL!)



Then to add to my already expanding waistline, I grabbed a slice of bacon, some brioche and some cheese. I didn't like the cheese as much as I thought I would so I barely touched it.



The food with some "american coffee."

And then we booked it to the train station.



For this. Breath taking isn't it? I literally started to tear up when I saw this. I love history and learning about other cultures and this just did it for me. Just wait till I tell you about how I acted at the Sistine Chapel!







We had to take a lot of self-portraits. Sometimes we'd get lucky and meet with other honeymooners who would offer to take pictures for us and vice versa but sometimes not. If you are planning on honeymooning soon, I suggest looking for other couples/families who seem to be attempting to take pictures of themselves. (It's hilarious!) Offer to take their picture for them and I'm sure they will extend the same gracious nature to you.



I'll be back soon with more! Can't wait to share it with all of you.

Honeymoon Recap 1

Honeymoon Recap 2

P.S. I meant to post about not having diabetes but I never did. I'm still insulin-resistant. No shots for me! :)

Things to smile about

Salad bars


the salad bar at Souplantation is my new best friend. I can actually walk to Souplantation from our apartment now. I am thrilled! I got corn, red onions, noodles, chick peas, tomatoes, zucchini, banana squash (no that's not cheese), romaine lettuce and cucumbers. It was phenom.

105 calorie Ciao Bella!



I found this sample sized sorbets and gelatos at Vons near my apartment. Blood Orange is my favorite flavor of anything so I was stoked!

Hard Cider



YUM! Raspberry Cider is the tastiest thing. I am not a huge beer drinker but I love these!

I want to enjoy all of these things right now.

First time at Chipotle!

Forgive me, I am way behind in blog posts. I don't know how some of you handle working full-time and blogging full-time! It's tough enough for me to blog once a day!

The other day I was talking to a co-worker about her first experience at Chipotle. My friends and husband have been raving about Chipotle for a long time and we finally got one near me! So on my lunch break, I decided to bite the bullet and try chipotle for the first time!



The burrito was HUGE



How do they keep it wrapped like that? I never can get burritos to stay together.



in my burrito; black beans, corn salsa, tomato salsa, guacamole, a dap of sour cream and shredded lettuce. HEAVEN! I ate the entire thing and felt stuffed for the rest of the day. Next time I'll probably add some chicken or shredded beef to the burrito and eat half. This was really intense. Or I might order a burrito bowl and toss the contents into my own tortilla. (Chipotle's tortillas have 300 calories!)

Chipotle where have you been all my life?

Thoughts on racing

I want to run a marathon. I mean I really, really want to run one! I think a lot of it has to do with seeing my dad running marathons as a kid. I've always been so proud/jealous of his determination.

I am extremely out of shape so a marathon is something I'll have to give myself plenty of time to train for. Today I decided to attempt to run a mile with Andy and my sister Sarah. It was brutal. I've ran it before and it's been fine but today I struggled with it. I don't feel sore or tired at all but I kept getting side stitches. Do you think it has anything to do with what I ate last night?

Dinner last night was BBQ. I had corn-on-the-cob, half a corn muffin, tri-tip, half a hot link sausage and an alcoholic beverage. (See why I wanted to run today?) I just wonder if the meat or alcohol contributed to the side stitches or if that is my body's way of telling me how out of shape it is.

Regardless, I am going to continue running. I'm actually not concerned with my time at all because I want to be able to say I completed something.

So I am thinking of starting small with a 5k. Sarah would you wanna run it with me?

I think running a marathon is going to take me way longer to train for than I expected. Boo.

When in Rome II

I am waiting for some blood test results from my doctor and it's making me crazy! Instead of stressing out, I wanted to post more about Italy!



The streets reminded me of something I saw in a movie.



The Spanish Steps. Andy and I actually stumbled upon them while walking around. It was quite a scene. We had to ignore several men trying to sell us roses. Fun!



an alleyway.



After looking at the Spanish Steps, we found Alfredo's! My dad and his siblings had told me about eating there so an idea was drilled into my head. I needed to go there.



We ate on the patio.



The menu. I attempted to keep this but I chickened out.



We split a bottle of Acqua Panna and half a bottle of the house red wine.



The bottle had a strange looking man on it. HA Alfredo himself, the waiter told us.



I ordered the Alfredo. How can you travel from L.A. to Rome without trying Alfredo? It was RICH. I used to love rich, creamy sauces but I found that I've outgrown them in my old age.



Andy had....something. The name escapes me and he is out teaching the youth of America so I cannot ask him what this was. It was very good. I liked it better than the Alfredo.



Here is a picture of us looking very tired. Remember this is still the first day and we were adjusting to the time change. I think it was about 9pm and we were ready to sleep! Forcing ourselves to stay up after landing in Rome proved to be a good thing.



This was on the wall at Alfredo's. I loved it! hahaha. "My Father, The Hero" anyone?

Alright! It's time for me to call the doctor back. Wish me no diabetes!

Honeymoon Recap I

More to come!