Just Living Life

Welp, I haven't been on here in a while because I just don't feel like there is much to blog about. I'm spending my days working and my nights cooking, hanging out with friends, watching TV/movies, reading, doing puzzles (crossword & jigsaw - and yes, I'm like a grandma), and the occasional working out.

I've been SUPER dizzy lately from the antibiotic I've been on for acne so no exercising for me right now or I'll literally fall over (which is highly likely for me even when I'm not dizzy...). However, I cut the meds down and dizziness is going away so I plan on starting up Jillian's Ripped in 30 for the month of July! Great news on the acne front - it's FINALLY clearing up! After over 3 months of antibiotic, nightly Retin-A cream, and very mild face washes, my face is looking better. For all those that experienced acne as a teen, I AM SO SORRY. I can't imagine having the face issues I've had recently while going through the harshness of middle school/high school. I mean, yes, I'm SUPER annoyed at being (almost) 25 and having terrible acne, but I might rather have it now than middle school!

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm thrilled! I have a wedding to go to Saturday and I have lots of meal plans with lots of different friends over the weekend! Then, Sunday, you can find me by the pool since there isn't a 3 day weekend for July 4th this year!

Back in the Kitchen

The above pics are a depiction of my Saturday...it was glorious. That was my plan for today too until my body decided it wanted to wake up the dizziest I've been in a long time. So, no sun & heat for me today :( but I did nap (twice) and plan meals for the week! (more on that later) So, it was an equally relaxing and enjoyable Sunday afternoon!

Now on to the main point of the post...the craziness of the past 2 months of my life (out of town ALL.THE.TIME) kept me from cooking. I've come to love cooking over the past 1.5 years of living on my own so 2 months without it is too long!! Well, I'm back! This afternoon, I spent a good 1.5 hours browsing pinterest & food websites for new ideas & recipes. I made my menu for the next 2 weeks and I'm heading to the store soon for this weeks list! I'm so so so excited to be back in kitchen! (my waistline and scale are also excited...)

Lifestyle update: The last 2 months led to little-no exercise and lots of fast food. The weight I lost....well, some of it has been found again. However, the next 6 months of my life look to be conducive to eating healthy and exercise. This girl is thrilled! I have 3 new Jillians I'm about to start (well, 1 at a time. Otherwise, I might die). I plan on nixing fast food and eating at home. I'm not going to cut out sweets or breads or drastic things like that. When I do that, I crave them. BAD. So, I'm going to eat fruits and veggies, drink water, practice portion control and smart eating...THIS will lead to a doable lifestyle change and to weight loss/control.

Also conducive to eating healthy & cooking at home is our new KROGER MARKETPLACE! Guys, if your town doesn't have one, visit Central Arkansas. We have 2 (1 in my town and 1 30 minutes away). LEGIT grocery store. The first few times you visit, your trip will be about 3 times as long as normal because you have to find where they put everything (oh, just me? whoops...) But, it's well worth it for all the  items they offer and the huge produce section. And, I don't mind the long trips. I enjoy my wal-mart and grocery store trips. I know I'm weird for this but something about it is enjoyable to me!

I'll leave you with this weeks menu and I'll post updates later:
Breakfast:
Cereal or Crockpot Morning Casserole

Lunch:
Leftovers
PB&J (my new obsession for another post)
Salads - spinach leaves, strawberries, blueberries, sunflower seeds, etc

Dinner:
Shrimp & Pesto Pizza
Ranch Chicken Tacos w/salsa & guac
Double Crusted Honey Pork Chops w/brown rice & steamed broccoli

Have a great week!

Will There Be Beaches in Heaven?

I really hope so! If there aren't, I know there will be things even more beautiful! But, I really really really love the beach! Yesterday, I went to a town outside of Destin, with some staff friends, called Rosemary Beach. It's the cutest little beach town with cobblestone streets and buildings that look like Italy. We laid out on the beach for a while and then explored a bit. We sat in a cute cupcake shop (and, of course, got a cupcake). Then, we had dinner at a little restaurant called Cowgirl Kitchen. We passed our plates around and ate family style. It was a perfect 1st day in FL! So refreshing and encouraging to be around staff friends!

Today, I'm going to spend some time doing office work (can't forget my normal job duties even though I'm at the beach!) and then spend some time with Molly, my dgroup leader 5 years ago!!! There might be some pool time, some dinner, and a little OKC Thunder watching going on too! :)

Happy Monday friends! 

ps-Mondays would be a lot better if they were all spent at the beach ;)