one of those days

Today has just been one of those days so far. It has been extremely disappointing. However, to compensate for this, I have been having wonderful food to make me feel better.

I woke up this morning bright and early at 4:30 - woohoo! I have these kind of nights every once in a while, and I just could not get back to sleep. When I finally got up, I had this bowl of deliciousness waiting for me in the fridge.

my bloobs say "15" because it's 15 days until the wedding!

I didn't want you to get scared and think I wasn't having any peanut butter

First disappointment of the day:

no more oatmeal.

I ran around like a crazy person all morning - I was tired, crabby, and just not having fun. I thought my snack would pick me up before my workout:

zucchini bread (that almond was just sticking there....)

and some almonds x 2

I am so not feeling this zucchini bread. It just did not turn out good. I need to throw it out today. Sad to waste food, but I will regret it every single time I eat it.

I ran a very very hot 3 miles outside around 11 - it was the first time I could fit it in all day, and needed to get it done!

Lunch was so good - it really delivered. Has anyone else ever used hummus as kind of a "binder" or "cheesy" like substance in pasta/rice? I know Caitlin does this, and i used it in my rice today. It was honestly soooo goood. It reminded me of a thick alfredo sauce. I want it again.. tomorrow maybe?

leftover chopped salad & rice with broccoli and hummus

I ate an apple on my way into IKEA...

Two extremely upsetting things happened while I was in IKEA - the first was the mirror I had picked out was actually too big for our bathroom. The second was my cart hitting my heel and chopping off about an inch of my skin. I was extremely embarassed, my foot was bleeding out all over the floor, and they had no bandaids or paper towels (whaaat?). A nice couple gave me napkins and two bandaids, and they had to send a maintenance worker to come and mop up my blood.

If you have a queasy stomach, stop reading right now... No, seriously... just X out before you get all lightheaded.

perfect... running should be a breeze tomorrow

I then had to go to another store, but got onto the wrong highway. Awesome! I also then went to my house, where I saw my door was painted blue. Remember.... it was supposed to be red? Luckily I know that "rojo" means red in Spanish, or else it might have ever gotten straightened out. The blue door will be red tomorrow.

I came home and made a snack which was sure to cure all blues:

you always make me feel better

thanks green monster - i knew i could count on you.

• 1/2 naner
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 handful bloobs
• 2 cups spinach
• lots of ice

I think I need a nap... there's just got to be some connection between my wakeup at 4:30 this morning and how my day has gone so far.

Question: When was the last time you had "one of those days"? What made you feel better?

stopping when you're full is for quitters

One of my old friends used to say: If you stop when you're full, that just means you're a quitter.

I'll explain why that is relevant in just a second...

I must be getting the hang of this whole "summer" thing - I slept until 7:15 today! You may think this is pathetic - I consider it an accomplishment! I made some whipped banana oats courtesy of Kath this morning topped with raisins and peanut butter. I usually don't do raisins in my oats, but this was seriously delicious. Once I mixed it all up and the peanut butter started to melt, holy god of oats.. I could have died.

you were delicious... let's meet again, say tomorrow at 7:00?
Call me.

You need to know something about me. I usually eat breakfast in my bedroom on a tv tray so I can go on my computer and watch the Today Show - my oatmeal must be in the center of the tray. My coffee must be in the upper left corner. My ginormous glass of water must be in the upper right corner. This is just how I roll in the morning. I really don't realized I do it anymore, but I notice if I forget. Do you have any strange ritualistic habits as well?

After my breakfast, I did some cleaning up around here, then went out for my workout. I had to run and strength train today, so I ran to my gym, lifted, then ran back. I am still sore from lifting on Tuesday, but it felt good to lift again. They say you have to work through the pain to "stretch out" sore muscles - I guess it worked! It was a hot, sweaty workout though and definitely needed to make sure I fueled myself throughout the course of the day after I was done.

So, I ate.... I seriously ate all day. Was I hungry? I can't remember a time I was hungry at all today. But I knew my body needed it even though I didn't want it. Insert after workout snack:

blurry watermelon, grapes, and cookie dough balls

I did some chores around the house (laundry, cleaned the kitchen) and took a shower before I realized it was past my lunch time! Hungry? No. Delicious? Yes.

leftover tofu, sauteed veggies (spinach, pepper, onion, zucchini, garlic), and carrots/hummus

When I went back to the kitchen to wash my dishes, I saw something out the window that was a little out of the ordinary: My father was using a jackhammer.

RIP Pool - I will miss you

Padre has always been a pool hater - he enjoyed this.

I loved my pool - every summer I could be found floating around all day listening to music or snoozing. However, our pool began to get sick last year. It was old and on it's last leg. I, needless to say, was a wreck. I was losing my summertime best friend! Unfortunately, this past winter, our pool was no more. It took a turn for the worst when it had an "America's Funniest Home Video" moment and exploded all over our yard.

Before I left to go run some errands, I grabbed an apple and some Ends n Pieces for my journey.

I felt so drained during my errands. It was around 2:00 when I finally went, and that is my worst time of day. I am sooo tired and just want a nap. I rushed home to do so.

But, before I took a nap, I enjoyed one of my new favorite addictions: GREEN MONSTER TIME!

getting ready to enjoy the monster

mmmmmmm

When I was making this, my sister came home and was in the kitchen while I was making it. I was honestly waiting for her to say, "You're putting spinach in a smoothie?" But, low and behold, NOTHING!! i think my family is finally starting to accept my interesting food choices. I'm down with that.

Then, I was still feeling snacky (hungry? no. snacky? yes.) so I grabbed some cashews to enjoy.

Then I finally laid down in my bed to start reading this book, and actually fell asleep for a good half hour. It was all I needed! I felt so refreshed when I woke up!

really good book - about a teenage girl living in England. she's awkward and her mom is crazy. whatever, i'm not good at explaining things sometimes, but I swear it's good!

When I woke up, I tried looking for something in my purse, but then decided you should all be filled in on a little secret....

My purse is always a mess!!!! No matter what I do, my purse is always messy by the end of the day. I also always have at least one headband in my purse at all times... and three packs of post its. Why? I don't know.


Dinner was amazing! My dad was making brats for him, so I decided to whip up something for myself as well. Insert the best potato wedges you will ever eat....

cut potato into 8 wedges, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper, garlic, and basil, cook on grill for 5 minutes on each side. (I also had a salad and grilled zucchini)

I wanted to eat all of these. Unfortunately, I had to leave some for my mom. I also STILL wasn't hungry. I guess I followed my friend's rule pretty well. I never stopped even when I was full. Oh well, some days you just have to force yourself.

After dinner, I headed over to the house so I could take new pictures for you! Actually, we were meeting FH's mom there and my parents wanted to check out the progress.

tile in shower

tile on floor in bathroom

trim around windows

I am off to go pack! I am leaving tomorrow at noon to head off to Savannah Georgia! I'll post in the morning before I leave you all weekend! I will go through withdrawals.

Question: Any last minute advice for packing for a road trip? Keep in mind I am gluten, corn, and lactose intolerant!!! :)

I want to let you all know that in one month from today I am getting married to FH!!!! I still feel like I have a lot to do, so I'm not sure how it's all going to play out....

But! Onto my afternoon snack: the green monster. This bad boy included 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 cups spinach, and lots of ice.

yes, I know my glass is inappropriate. get over it

After my delicious smoothie, I got a call from BIL asking me to come help him in a secret mission: Operation Paint That House!!! My sister and him are moving out tomorrow into a rented house right down the street from FH and me (yay for family neighbors!). The bedrooms were painted an awful green color, so they needed to be painted. Mommasita, BIL, and I are leaving on Friday to drive down to Savannah to pick up his kids and the rest of their things in storage, so it needed to be done before then.

Lucky for us, Padre (aka Dad) had been there all afternoon spackling and taping, so when we got there we went straight to painting!

their living room/dining room

beautiful bay window in the living room

retro clock in their retro kitchen

After I left their house, I went over to mine. My aunt and uncle wanted to see updates on our home - they haven't been there since before the floor was put down! They were very impressed and can't believe we are almost done! Then I talked with FH for a while, and headed home.

By the time I got home, I was ravenous! I even had to call Mommasita to ask her to preheat the oven for me because sweet potato fries were on the menu tonight!

crispy tofu - method courtesy of Emily

this was gone in about 3 minutes flat - and my appetite was not satisfied.

far past my dinner time


I was actually really proud of myself for not totally freaking out tonight. I am a person who loves structure, schedules, and routine. I always eat dinner in between 6 and 6:30 - somehow I think the world will end if it does not work out that way. Today, however, I was totally calm and anxiety free. A little hunger shaken, yes, but I was totally fine with how my day played out.

I was still hungry after dinner though, so I decided to go ahead and have a snack - a repeat from the other night: protein muffin with cocounut milk ice cream on top. Absolutely lovely.

I want to eat you every day!

Something sparked in me today that I wanted to discuss: smoking. I hate smoking. I hate the smell, the taste, the headache it gives me from being around it, the way it makes people look 10 years older than their actual age.. you name it, I hate it.

Smoking is something I cannot and will not ever understand. Many people very close to me are smokers, and my brain does not comprehend why people smoke. In the past, people didn't know how bad smoking was (which I sometimes laugh at... inhaling smoke into your body? not bad? come on people!), but now we know it causes horrible diseases: cancer, emphesyma, heart disease, COPD just to name a few. I understand bad habits; it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. However, if you know how "bad" it is for you, and you "want to quit" - then why just not do it?

Part of me thinks people saying it is too hard to quit is an act of laziness and lack of self control. Another part of me knows that addiction (to anything) is real and can totally control your life. I have also heard many say that smoking is a social event - something you do "just with the guys" or "if it's offered" to you. I'm being very blunt, but since when is trying to impress someone with smoking still cool after you are sixteen? I just don't get it...

I was given one body and one life, and I do not want to waste it (or my money) on a habit that could cost me my life. Although its effects are not immediate, I am a planner. I want to live a long healthy life. I do not want to be hooked up to oxygen or waste away due to lung cancer. I am a believer in knowing what goes into my body. I am a believer in everything you put in to your body (good or bad) will cause some effect (good or bad). Perhaps it's the "purist" in me - smoking to me seems "dirty" and "unclean".

(source)

Uncle Sam is asking a very important request - stop smoking!

Sorry I was so heavy so late at night, but it really irked me for some reason today.

Question: Do people close to you smoke? Do you ever say anything or do you just let it go?

Question #2: Do you have a "strict" schedule you follow or do you just go with the flow?