Meg's Last Fling before the Ring!

Last weekend I took a trip to Nashville with my friend Megan for her bachelorette party.

DAY 1

We left early Friday morning and after an hour on the road, we decided we needed to decorate the car. So we made a quick detour off course, hit up a K-Mart and found some window paint, ribbon, and balloons. Here is our finished master piece:

It took less than 5 minutes for us to lose all the balloons, but the paint and ribbon stayed the whole weekend.

We arrived in Nashville around 3pm, unloaded the van relaxed for a minute and then got ready for dinner at Bosco's. I ordered some chicken breast, brussel sprouts, and sweet potato fries. It was delicious!

After dinner we headed for Broadway in downtown Nashville. Here are some snap shots from the night.

Megan (bachelorette), Richelle, BriAnna, Chelsea, and me

BriAnna, Chelsea, Megan, Richelle, and Me

BriAnna, me, and Megan

Richelle and Megan

We went to The Second Fiddle, The Stage, and then ended the night at Honky Tonk Central.

DAY 2

On our second day we were out the door by 10:30am to head to the Belle Meade Plantation for a tour and wine tasting. We had originally thought that it was a winery and that we would be touring that, but I really enjoyed what it turned out to be!

Belle Meade Plantation was founded in 1807 with 250 acres as a horse farm. At its peak, the farm would have reached 2600 acres. For the past 10 years, the bloodline of all the horses in the Kentucky Derby can be traced back to a horse at this plantation. It was really neat to hear the history behind the plantation and walk through the home. 

After we finished the tour of the home, we did a little wine tasting and then headed to The Harding House for some lunch. Once we finished our lunch, we did a walk of the grounds to see the original cabin that the family lived in until the mansion was built, the slave cabins, and more.

We spent about 6-7 hours total at the plantation and then headed back to the hotel to rest a little bit and then head out for dinner.

That night we headed back to Broadway to have a late dinner at Merchants. 

I ordered a Tennessee Mojito to start.

We placed an order for some fried okra and pickles, deviled eggs, and some duck fat tots (not pictured). At first we thought the tots sounded a little gross, but we had to try them. Needless to say, the tots were ah-mazing! 

That night was freezing cold and rainy. We spent the rest of it walking -- no, hailing cabs and trying to find a spot to have some fun. A few of us girls were so tired that we decided to call it a night and headed back to the hotel to clean and get things ready to head home in the morning.

It was a fantastic trip and we are already talking about doing it again! 

I already opened my bottle of the Muscadine wine from the Belle Meade Winery and it was delicious! Wine can be shipped to some states so check out their website!

May Water Challenge

How is it the first day of May already? Is it just me, or did it sneak up out of no where?

Anyway, it's MAY! Yay!

I've decided to do monthly challenges to either break bad habits or to start a good habit.

Did you know that about 75% of your body is made up of water? So you can see why hydration is very important. Here are some benefits of drinking water:

• Aids in Weight Loss - If you feel like you're hungry, it could be that you are actually thirsty. Hunger pangs are often mistaken for being thirsty.
• Healthier Skin - drinking plenty of water keeps your skin healthy by flushing out toxins to keep it clear and keeps your skin from drying out and cracking.
• Helps Digestion - It helps in breaking down food and aids in the absorption of nutrients. It also helps with, well, ya know.
• Muscle and Joint Health - Your muscle tissue is made up mostly of water so staying properly hydrated will help prevent muscle cramps. Additionally, it will help keep your joints strong and lubricated. Keeping your muscles and joints healthy will help keep you injury free too!

These are just a few benefits. There are many more but you get the idea. Hydration is uber important. So, with that being said, this month I decided I would do a water challenge. I am generally bad at staying properly hydrated, and with the weather getting warmer, proper hydration is even more crucial.

I needed to set a goal and also have a way of tracking my water consumption. I found an Android app called Water Your Body. This app will ask you for your weight and give you a water consumption goal and will also allow you to track your water intake. Added benefits: reminders, monthly graph, and daily log. My daily goal has been set at 84 ounces. Keep in mind that if you're working out, you should probably consume more water. Personally, I am not going to count the water that I drink while working out (I never have). It is very easy for me to drink 24 ounces in the course of a 45-minute spin class. And thats ok, because my body needs it.

Tips to Help You Hydrate

• Hungry? Many people mistake thirst for hunger. So, if you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water instead of reaching for that cookie. You might be surprised that your not hungry any more and you just saved yourself some calories! 
• Fruits and Veggies are high in water content, good for you, and generally low in calories for the portion sizes. So not only will it help fill you up but the variety available should keep you from getting bored.
• Watch for Calories in your beverages! Some of these "vitamin waters" are high in calories and low in nutrients. Additionally, if you're trying to lose weight you will want those beverages to be low in calories because, I don't know about you, but I don't want to waste my hard earned calories on a 100+ drink. If you're not a fan of plain water, you can dress it up with something like Crystal Lite On-the-Go packets for about 5 calories, or a Mio Liquid Water Enhancer for no additional calories. Personally, I drink water as is.
• Keep it With You where you go. I keep a 24-ounce glass of water at my desk at all times. You can also keep a bottle of water in your purse, gym bag, or car. This will keep you hydrated and keep you from stopping for one of those high calorie drinks.
• Enjoy! Be sure that you enjoy what you're drinking. If you started drinking something and its not you, don't force yourself to keep drinking it. This should be a positive experience! :)

Question: How much water (or other beverage) do you drink a day? If you drink water, do you like it 'straight up' or do you 'dress it up'?


**DISCLAIMERS**
The opinions above are mine and mine alone. I was not paid by Crystal Lite, Mio Liquid, or Water Your Body. Additionally and more importantly, I am NOT a doctor and in no way should this be taken as advice. If you are concerned about your fluid intake, you should seek the advice of a professional.

Attempting CrossFit

If you are not familiar with or haven't heard about CrossFit yet, let me tell you a little bit about what I know. It may lot be a lot right now, considering Saturday was my first CrossFit workout at Guerilla CrossFit, but I will share what I have figured out thus far.

CrossFit is described as a strength conditioning program that is constantly varied, functional movement, at high intensity. I believe that most workouts are 20 minutes in length that repeat a series of workouts to complete a round - generally called Workout of the Day (WODs). You will do as many rounds as you can in the time allowed to complete your WOD. At the end you say how many rounds you completed. This number is shared among the group but is good for motivation and/or competition if you are driven that way. It is also good to keep track of your growth. Oh - and I should tell you, before moving on, that most of the WODs are named after women or fallen heroes.

Warm Up

We started with a 400 meter jog that was followed by a 7 minute warm up. It was 15 seconds of each set for 4 rounds of:

• plank
• super man
• right side plank
• left side plank
• mountain climbers
• jumping jacks
• jump squats

WOD - Cindy

Cindy was set at 20 minutes and looked like this:

• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 squats

The good thing about CrossFit is that most of it can be modified so that you can grow. I will be the first to tell you that I have very little upper body strength and, on top of that, I believe I have carpel tunnel in my right wrist. So you can see the problem I face when it comes to the pull ups and push ups. Thankfully, I was able to modify both so that I could complete them and work up to doing them the correct way. 

I used rings instead of doing actual pull ups. The rings are like the ones that male gymnasts would use. This rings were strapped to the bar, feet placed the ground and out to the front. I laid back and extended my arms straight out from chest and then pulled the rings toward my body, elevating my back further from the ground.

When it comes to push ups, I can't even do one "lady" style because my wrist will immediately shoot pain up my arm. The pain is so bad that people can't even give me a solid high-five. So to modify, I used a weighted bar that was set on a rack. Because my grip to the bar will keep my wrist in a straight position, it doesn't cause any pain and I was able to do the push-ups. 

When it came to squats, there is no modification. I just needed to work on my form. 

Scoring

As I stated above, you count the number of rounds completed. If you aren't able to complete a full round but was in the middle of a round when the time was up, you just count the number of movements completed in that last round. For example, when the 20 minute WOD was done, I had a score of 7.8 which breaks down to: 7 full rounds with 5 pull-ups and 3 push-ups completed.

I really enjoyed the workout and am considering joining so I can add some weight training to my workouts as, at this time, I mainly do cardio (Zumba and spin).

Have you tried CrossFit before? Did you like it or hate it? Tell me about your experience below in the comment section. :)

12 x 12

Here are the 12 9 books I read in 2012. My goal was to make it to 12; however, this is the one place that procrastination has not played off for me. Although I had made it through nine books in 7 months and had completed 5 of them in December, I just wasn't able to make enough time to squeeze in the last three. I probably could have if I didn't work, want to have a life, or, lets be honest, if I hadn't procrastinated so much.

The title links will direct you to Goodreads for a far better description than you will get from me and I have provided links for the authors websites. You can follow me on Goodreads by clicking here.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

I picked this book up in the Denver Airport while on a layover. Once I opened the cover, I was hooked. It was almost impossible to put the book down because I was dying to know what would happen next.

"Told with Jennifer Weiner's trademark and with sharp observations, Then Came You is a hilarious, tender, and timely tale that explores themes of class and entitlement, surrogacy and charity, the rights of a parent and the measure of a mother."

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book was purchased at the local Half Price Book Store and was collecting dust on my book shelf for months. So I dusted it off and started reading it on a Saturday afternoon and found my self not wanting to stop. I carried the book with me to work, read on my lunches and breaks, and often found myself trying to hold my eyes open late at night so I could just read a little more. I read this in about 3-4 days. After I had finished I watch the movie. On a weeknight. Now that's some crazy talk. If this is on your list to read, get to it!

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

The book started out slow for me, so slow that I had originally started to try and read it in August of 2011; however, I believe that was because I had watched the movie first and was waiting for it to align. Which it never did. Surprise. But once I stopped trying to compare the book to the movie, I found myself wrapped up in it. The book, as always, is better. Thinking I might need to read the next book in the series.... wondering what becomes of Rebecca Bloomwood.

The Violet of March by Sarah Jio

I absolutely loved this book. Although the book is relatively small and quick to read, Sarah Jio shows her skills in writing by capturing a story of self-discovery, love, and friendships that is entangled with mystery when she discovers a journal from 1943. I found myself reading the book with a piece of paper trying to figure out the mystery of the journal; to see if I would be right in the end. I loved this book so much, I purchased her next book Blackberry Winter.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This was off to a slow start and was a bit of a challenge to read between things (like answering the phone at work) due to the time traveling; I had to keep flipping back to see where we were in time because it changed so much. And sometimes the changes and perspective seemed off. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

"An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come."

True Love (and Other Lies) by Whitney Gaskell

This book tells a story of a regular woman learning to take down her wall and let people in. Also one about friendships and making hard choices when you're faced with them. But this couldn't be complete with out the hint of a love story. Ok, so it's more of a hint -- after all, the book is titled "True Love and Other Lies." I completed this charm in four days. And I want a sequel. I just need to know where it all ends! 

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

I first fell in love with Mindy on hit TV show The Office. She has since left the office to start her own show (which she writes, produces, and stars) The Mindy Project.

Anyway, I wasn't really sure what I was getting into with this book but I thought if it was anything like what she does on TV, it would be hilarious. Problem is, my expectations were a little high. While I enjoyed the book and found parts to that reminded me of my life and were down right hilarious; there were also parts that I was confused with. Maybe that was her plan -- to leave some sort of question lingering so when she writes her next book, you nab it up to see if your questions are answered. If that is the case, then she is brilliant. 

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

I watched this movie a long time ago and didn't know that it was based on a book. When I found out there was a book, I had to run out and get it. It was an easy read and hilarious. I couldn't get enough of it. I watched the movie (again) the day that I finished reading the book. In this case -- there were details changed and left out -- but I found the book to be just as entertaining as the book. Granted, the details that were changed would have made it better, but I wasn't as disappointed with this one as some of the other "based on book" movies. I was going to purchase Two for the Dough, the second book in the series, but my local Half Price Book Store didn't have a copy on hand. I decided that I would have to wait and that I had plenty of books on my bookshelf that needed to be read before I purchased anymore.

How to Love an American Man: A True Story by Kristine Gasbarre

I really liked this book. I think every female should read it. It is a story based around a woman who is trying to discover who she is and, really, learning how to accept who she is. Her grandmother has the best advice ever. And if I had a choice, I would want a grandmother like her. Don't get me wrong, I love the grandmothers I was blessed with; however, it makes me wonder if my life choices would be any different if I would have received some of the advice she gives to her granddaughter in this book.


My 2013 goal is to read 24 books. I am currently at a whopping two. I really need to get a move on it. (You
would think I would have learned from last year..) Don't forget to follow me on Goodreads to stay updated on my progress and to check out my bookshelves. You can find me here. :)



Zoo Time!

Fort Worth Zoo

Dallas Zoo