Best Friends Trip!

How could I forget the big news?!

Val and I are going to NEW YORK!!!! Girls trip in October to visit some friends. I've never ever been and have been dying to go. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see some of the fall colors, visit Central Park, Times Square, and hopefully see a broadway show. After hearing about the trip, our other BFF Moni might come too!

Would it be lame if I sing "Oh Happy Days" now? Ok, ok, admittedly I don't exactly know the words to that song, but if I did, you can bet I'd be singing!

Jillian made me do it!

I came to the realization last night that I wasn't going to burn any calories simply by owning a copy of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Funnily enough, I was a-thinking I was going to have to actually work out and get off the couch and do it. Huh!

Anyway, so I did it. I did L1, D1 (Level 1, Day 1). My arms felt like they were going to die. My neck was straining, my knees were shaking. It was humbling how out of shape I was.

It felt great.

My New, Old Best Friend

Inspired by many of the blogs I follow, this morning I decided to get out and enjoy the fresh air and get me some exercise. Pulled out my trusty old mountain bike, who hadn't seen any action in years, wiped her down, gussied her up with some new gizmos (my fav is the wireless spedometer) and was off for a day of creek trail riding.

It was the perfect morning. It's been in the 70s and 80s today with a gentle breeze. At first I was huffin and puffin a little bit, but by about 10 minutes into the ride, I was more interested in counting the number of turtles sunbathing in the creek than feeling like I was going to die. My cardio came back to me. I was golden. Yay!

My first ride was about 6 miles. When I got home Eric decided he'd join me on my afternoon ride (yes, I was jonesing to go back out and 'discover' more of the local terrain). So, off we went in a different direction. This one was less creek, more vineyards and farmland.

I swear the next time, I'm bringing some cash and my ID and we're stoping at one of the hundreds of wineries in Sonoma County. Eric brough along a Twisted Lemonade...lol.

We ended up going 6 miles round trip. 10 miles in all today. Not bad for my first time out in years, and for being as out of shape as I am! I think I've found a new hobby. Eric had a great time too, you could tell. Lots of goofing around and we had fun chatting the whole time. We took a few rest breaks. I think the highlight was riding a long the trail at a leisurely 8 MPH and being passed by a runner! LMAO! I can't wait till next weekend. I'm setting my sites on another local trail to try out. I promise to bring my camera next time, too.

All in all, a great day, good exercise, and actually pretty romantic once Eric came along.

I'm a happy girl. All thanks to this girl. :)

Shout out!

My first offical shout out to an awesome blogger. Ellie, over at Vintage Victuals, does amazing things with food. I've been cooking up a storm thanks to her. Warning: The pictures alone will make you hungry.

Tonight, the hubster will be treated to the Taco Burgers. Perfect Friday night dinner, doncha think? Maybe even with some garlic fries. He has been a good boy lately. He deserves 'em.

Costa Rican Goodness

I've done great with certain things on my to do list (let's keep it simple from here on out. To Do List = TDL, mkay?). So anyway, I have given up coffee. Haven't had a drop since April. :::cough:::

Ok, well thats not entirely correct.

My coworker just got back from her honeymoon in Costa Rica (awesome honeyoon locale, dont you think?) and presented me with a kick ass bag of Costa Rican goodness (aka Cafe de Costa Rica). Which automatically made my sense of smell 1000% heightened.

I sit maybe 12 feet from the coffee pot at work. The smell is incredible. (I sound like a junkie! lol!) After nearly 2 months of no coffee, no caffeinated beverages of any kind, I had about an inch of coffee in a little papercup this morning.

It was divine. It was a perfect amount. So maybe I'll ammend my goal and just lessen the caffeine in my diet. I was up to 2 cups a day, which for me was way too much.

In other news, I talked my gym into lowering my outrageous monthly fee to a reasonable amount, so I'm headed back tonight. I am so so so tempted to start tanning again there, too. It made me feel so good physically, and mentally. But I'm defintely wary of the whole you-could-get-skin-cancer-dummy risks involved too. Oh yeah, there's that.

And as I promised more pictures, I'll leave ya'll with a pic of me and the BFF a girl could ever have. That's Val on the left, and yours truly on the right being the nerds we are.