Friday Five

1. I'm wearing camo pants at work today! I love these pants but hadn't worn them to work yet. I try not to wear anything weird or fashion-y to work because it just blows peoples' minds here. I saw a sweater I liked the other day and turned it around and it buttoned up the back? And I immediately stuffed it back on the rack. There's no way I'd put up with people joking that my sweater is on backwards for 10 hours. I figured in the realm of printed jeans, camo would be the easiest to get away with in my work environment. I'm typically not so concerned about what other people think of what I wear (high school/early college friends that witnessed my emo/goth phase, can I get an 'amen'? hahahaha) but it's just so dang distracting at work!

It only took like six photos to get the wrinkles in my sweater just right for this photo ;)

2. Speaking of fashion-y! I'm so excited about my most recent purchase! I'm not sure it will make it in to my work wardrobe but I think it will be a staple this spring!

I got it at Love Culture? It's like Forever 21's cheaper, less classy little sister? But for super trendy stuff like fringed kimonos, I think it's exactly the level of investment I'm interested in. Bonus: It will cover any back thigh cellulite when I wear shorts! Hooray!

3. My lovah and I have basically zero plans for this weekend. This empty weekend snuck up on us a little since we've had some major event for the last month or so! We're gonna go antique shopping tomorrow and then take the jeep out! Sunday it's supposed to rain so I'm hoping to get some work done on home projects.

4. Speaking of home projects: I saw this tutorial on The Makerista the other day and immediately got squinty-eyed with inspiration. I snagged a GIANT framed piece of art from my mom's donation pile a while back because I loved the frame and size. The painting (a faded daisy) wasn't exactly my favorite but it had been hanging in our living room anyway. I yanked that puppy of the wall Wednesday and gave it a fresh coat of white paint and now I'm eager to do something abstract or graphic with my new (literal) blank canvas! Wish me luck!

5. I am just kicking myself for not documenting my trip to TJ Maxx last night. My mission was to grab my baby cousin a birthday gift for her party this weekend (oh yea, add that to my agenda for the weekend, I forgot). However, I saw a whole rack of Kourtney Kardashian-esque jumpsuits. Daryl saw one on HSN one time as I was flipping through channels and said "Huh, that's kind of fun!" Never in my life would I have guessed he'd think a jumpsuit was fun... but when I saw them at TJ Maxx I thought I'd give it a go. I tried on no less than eight different styles and, let's just say, all hail Kourtney. Those things are not for everyone. It's something in the butt... basically every one I tried on had a high elastic waist and they make your badonkadonk look so sad and long! I'm gonna stick to maxi dresses.

Hope everyone has a magnificent first weekend of spring! XO!

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Seven

1. Never realize how boring you are until someone asks you what you do in your spare time? I really liked this article on pinning down passions you don't even know you have yet!

2. THIS BOOTY WORKOUT - yowza, and only took ten minutes! 

3. Sarah M. Dorsey's home tour - She's my style soul mate. I'm smitten with every little detail.

4. Honeymoon planning - Travel & Leisure's top affordable all-inclusive resorts

5. Slipped this recipe for Paleo blondies in to the dinner recipe list I gave my aunt. Hey, a girl can dream.

6. The Trouble with Bright Girls - A favorite Huffington Post article from 2011.

7. Showin' the Bloglove - my boo thang Mel's shamelessly real and fun blog!

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Chef Shay Shay

Ok, so Daryl and I recently took DINKing to a whole new level.

Ever since the engagement the new year the holidays (let's be honest here), D and I have been just awful at grocery shopping. Every once in a while I get super motivated and hit HEB... just to let our produce go bad. We eat out for almost ever. single. meal. It's so bad/unhealthy/financially irresponsible but it's true.

With engagement pictures on the horizon, I've been hitting the gym pretty hard (doing the Jamie Eason Live Fit program) and I'm pretty good at eating well for breakfast (Starbucks turkey bacon sandwich or loaded oatmeal - not great but it could be worse) and then I have a pre-workout snack (Larabar) and a post workout snack (EAS Recovery Protein shake) but then I get home and my life turns in to something like this:

Clearly if someone made an ecard for it, it's a common problem, right?! And I get it, if I'd eat more calories earlier in the day, I wouldn't feel like binge eating at night (the scientifically worst time to binge).

But man, when D says something like "Let's order gluten-free Dominos pizzas instead of cooking", that's a really tough offer to turn down after a 12 hour work day. Especially on this new lifting program because building muscles makes me huuuuuuuuuungry so I can kill just as much food as him in the evenings (a la an entire gluten-free pizza from Dominos by myself).

So anyway, I'll be honest, it wasn't the scale that finally made me see the error in our ways (I'm still losing weight even eating pizza on a regular basis... so... clearly I was eating terrible and not working out at all before! haha), it was the bank account! Eating out was just bleeding us! There had to be a better way that still involved little to no effort on our part.

I started researching Paleo-ish food delivery services, something like Nutrisystem. I had a coworker do that before her wedding and it seemed like the ideal solution! I found one fairly local company that would ship me Paleo foods on a weekly basis... no prep, healthier option but definitely NOT a cost savings! So I kept exploring options.

I remembered a Craigslist ad when I was looking for a maid service that offered cleaning AND meal prep. She was a Mexican girl so her menu was almost exclusively Mexican food... but I figured if she existed, there had to be someone in the west Texas area who would cook me healthy foods for some nominal fee, right??

*Light Bulb*

My aunt Sharon is one of the best cooks I know and loves to do it. She had discussed a while back that she was hoping to retire from her job soon. I wonder...

And sure enough.

We're going to do it on a trial basis at first, just to make sure it's a good fit for both parties involved (I mean, God forbid she wants to REST during retirement), but starting next week, Shay Shay is going to be prepping us 5 nights worth of dinners for us to pick up on Sunday! OBVIOUSLY we're paying her for her help but it's money 100% well spent; we're SO PSYCHED to have healthy, home cooked meals that aren't frozen and shipped across the state. Not to mention, we're getting the luxury of picking the recipes. We're not picky eaters but mushrooms? Get outta here.

And look, she even has a sous chef to help her out!

We're not sure if we talked Shay Shay in to being a personal chef in her retirement, or we've reverted back to having someone else in our family cook our dinners... regardless, it's a win for us! And what a killer business idea, right?! I mean, my aunt may not be in the market to start a small business when she's just beginning retirement but for someone who loves to cook, taking on a few clients and prepping them dinners for the week... definitely something I could see being SUPER successful in a boom town or a regular town, for that matter. 

Moral of the story, I'm the least domestic future wifey ever. I have given up on cleaning and now I'm giving up on cooking. But darnit, I'm a problem solver! 

But really girls. We CAN'T do it all. We CAN'T work full time, have a sparkly home, cook delicious, healthy meals, have VS Angel bodies, enjoy our hobbies, devote time to our families, DIY a Pinterest-tastic house and never let our roots grow out! OMG and I don't even have kids yet! You fakerz who are trying to make us regular people look bad need to take a hike! #RealTalk

Happy Hump Day, ya hard working ladies! Cut yourself some slack today!

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Hip to be Square

Well, I spent most of my day with a space heater pointed at my crotch. #BlogGold

So my right hip is revolting. I have no idea if heat is good or bad for a pulled muscle (or if what's ailing me is even a pulled muscle) but it sure does feel great (the heat, not the sore muscle).

I can't figure out what it is. Any time I do cardio longer than 10 minutes or so, my right hip flexor starts aching. And if I keep going past 10 minutes, it starts hurting and it spreads to where my entire hip aches, for hours after my workout. It doesn't hurt to touch it, nor stretch it, nor do a deep lunge holding heavy weights. It only starts to hurt after doing a repetitive motion for too long. Any ideas, people? I'm imagining like a jagged piece of bone rubbing against my muscle... is that a thing? And it's the outside of my hip and definitely my hip flexor, not my groin.  I'm very lucky to have a physical therapist at my disposal since I work out at the hospital on my lunch break, but even HE can't figure out what's wrong with me. He did recommend I get new shoes, which I thought was a very excellent diagnosis. Always like to get a doctors note to go shopping!

Anyway, so today I got up early for the first time to fit in some cardio. I typically do cardio after my weight lifting session on my lunch break but since I started Jamie Eason's Live Fit program, weight lifting takes a lot longer and monopolizes my lunch hour. I figured I could manage 20 or so minutes of cardio first thing in the morning but right at the 10 minute mark, my hip started getting really pissed off and like a dummy, I pushed through to my 20 minute goal. I hobbled around work all morning but figured after I got back in the gym at lunch, I'd work the soreness out. Wrong-o. Mucho mucho worse.

And then do you know what I came to find out reading the dang Jamie Eason program in more detail?? I wasn't even supposed to be DOING cardio during the first four weeks (I know, sounds too good to be true, huh?) Yup, I'm not supposed to do any cardio. Ma'am yes ma'am!

So, while the hip thing isn't so great, I did get professional advice to quick doing cardio and go shopping. All in all, not a bad Monday.

And because I hate posts without pictures, here's a cute picture of my dogs and a terrifying picture of myself trying out some mask that came in my Birchbox. I'd link it but I woke up with a zit so I'm not even going to bother. It's purely for entertainment purposes.

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Wedding Planning Part I

So I'm a little torn on how much of my wedding planning I should blog! I think I'm going to do more blogging about the wedding after the fact, so my guests are a little surprised with the details I am pouring my heart in to (thank you baby Jesus for secret Pinterest boards!)

But I wanted to give a couple updates since it's what I'm spending SOME of my free time doing instead of blogging!

So I mentioned a while back that I chose colors so I figured that I'd share. I'm going with black, white and sparkly gold. Not like... yellow, but GOLD. I'm walking a delicate line of not looking too 80s (ex-nay on the polka dots) or too Great Gatsby (which wouldn't be the worst thing but it's been pretty popular lately so I'm trying to steer clear). I figure I won't regret this color palette in 10 years and it'll force me to keep my bohemian tastes in check. Don't want the wedding to look like a music festival if we can help it!

The wedding is going to be rather non-traditional. Daryl and I are old enough that we don't feel too much obligation to do things just because "that's what you do at weddings" and our families are easy going enough to be cool with that. Also, we're going to do our darnedest not to break the bank. We want our guests to have a ball, so that's where our money will be spent. Luckily, D and I have been pretty aligned on must haves (booze) and meh, no thanks... like cake. Spoiler alert: we don't plan on having a cake or a cake cutting. It's never been our favorite part of the wedding, not to mention neither of us LOVE cake. So we're going to skip it and rather have dessert(s) we DO love, already portioned out so that there's isn't any hoopla around when you're allowed to eat it. More time for dancing!

We haven't been aligned on everything and on those occasions, I try to defer to his preference. He doesn't have an opinion about everything, so the things that are important to him mean more.

And lastly... we've picked a venue and a date! Those can't stay secret but since the Save the Dates won't go out until June, I figured I'd let my faithful blog followers in on the deets.

We're going to be having the wedding at a local tropical greenhouse and cafe:

The view from the door of the cafe. It may look cramped but I promise if I did a panorama (which I'm kicking myself for NOT thinking to do), it wouldn't look so "are you only inviting 18 people?"

And we're pulled the trigger on December 6th, 2014! Our trip to Germany/Belgium/Switzerland in late September forced our hand a little... and D put his foot down about it not being during regular football season (this should fall between regular season and bowl season well enough) and I wasn't keen on putting it off until 2015. So, December 6th it is!

And really... that's about as far as we've gotten. I have a dress shopping date set and engagement pictures scheduled. And of course the spreadsheets have begun!

And that's really about as far as we've gotten so far. This weekend my mom is throwing us an engagement party with the family and D's mom is coming down for it. I'm excited for our first real event! I plan to wear as much white as I can justify! :D

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20 Random Questions

Hi Sugarplum! has other popular bloggers guest post for her and answer the following 20 random questions. I am... not a popular blogger? but I wanted to answer the questions anyway so here they are, on my own blog! I always love reading these things from other people... reminds me of old MySpace surveys! So if any of MY blogger friends want to do one, I'd eat it up! It's a really simple post if, say, you're swamped with work and wedding planning! :)

What is your road trip essential snack?
A small coffee, a big bottle of water and sunflower seeds... they help keep me alert.

You've been handed two free round-trip tickets...who are you taking and where are you going?

Australia, no question. The East coast to surfer's paradise. And I'd take D. I know I travel well with him :)

What was your high school jam?
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy! It reminds me of driving to street concerts with my girlfriends in the back seat of someone's Nissan Xterra wearing denim mini-skirts and flip flops.

Would you rather have a perfect bum, or a flawless face?
I've always struggled with my skin and my bum has always been one of my favorite parts of my body... and it's worked out well for me so far! So I'm going to stick with the bum! 

What shows are you ashamed to admit are on your DVR?
Dance Moms is my only REALLY guilty pleasure. That and Fashion Police.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Was it meh or toe-curling?
I was in 7th grade and it was perfection! It was in the tunnel under the waterfall at Putt Putt and it was very sweet and innocent. The perfect first kiss! My SECOND kiss... slobbery and disgusting!

Do you have any siblings, and if so, where are you in the birth order?
One older seester.

What physical quirk were you born with?
Uhmmm... I was born especially hairy? I've since learned how to manage it though! 

What was your first car, and did you name it?
An old oilfield fleet truck with a steel bumper, luckily. I would have destroyed a regular bumper backing in the concrete pylon behind my best friend's driveway basically every time I left her house. It didn't have a name.

What would you request for your last supper?

My dad's lasagna, chips and guac and salsa, cheesecake and a giant, undercooked chocolate chip cookie.

How tall are you? Do you wish you were taller, shorter...or are you just right?
5'6" or 5'7"... I used to wish on my birthday candles to be shorter when I was a kid but now I'm happy to be a little taller than the average girl. I think it gives me extra confidence.

Do you prefer to DIY or hire it out?
I grew up DIYing everything with my mom so my natural tendency is to want to do everything myself. 

What do you eat for breakfast?
Starbucks turkey bacon breakfast sandwich more often than I'd care to admit. 

What would you do for a living if you didn't need money?

I'd be a celebrity personal assistant! I think I'd be really good at it and I'd get to go to the most incredible destinations and events!

But only if it was a nice, funny celebrity, like Ellen or Emma Stone.

Finish this sentence: Every room needs.... 

Art you really love. 

How frequently do you wash your hair? Do you have any hair secrets or tricks?
2 or 3 times a week. 
21 Benefits by Pureology is my newest obsession. It makes my very highlighted hair feel like an 8 year olds! Also, dry shampoo AND dry conditioner! I just started with the dry conditioner and it's a game changer.

Will you leave the house without makeup?
Very rarely. At the very least I'm going to grab BB cream, eyeliner, mascara and cream blush to apply in the car. Life's too short.

You just unloaded your Halloween haul...what candy do you go for first?
Anything and everything with peanut butter in it.

What totally inane talent do you possess?
I think I'm really good at diffusing tense situations. 

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