What is the deal with that girl?

Hi all! Sorry I've been totally slacking lately! It's how I roll! lol Let's just cut to the chase today & answer the question "what is the deal with that girl?" I'm referring to Tracy from The Biggest Loser!!!! Seriously, she was so "wah wah" last week about being behind & I totally felt for her after being hospitalized. I'm sure that was hard. She seemed completely motivated to work hard.

Then WHAM the challenges hit this week & she's all about the instant gratification! I mean honestly who's not when it comes to getting fit. But so many of us have been here (watching TBL along the way for a reminder) & know that there is no quick fix. And if you find one, it's only temporary! All of the sudden, this girl, was all about doing what she could to win. It somehow became about that rather than taking control over her life. She gave up her trainers (yes 2!) to only have to work for 2 pounds. And THEN she caves to temptation to control the game & determine who's loss will count.

Jillian's reaction was actually pretty priceless & pretty spot on if you ask me. Tracy is basically saying "I dont need you." In reality she did drop 11 pounds this week but as most of us know. Diet is key! You can train until you turn green but if your diet isn't ON then it won't matter. So all she had to do is follow her plan even with not being permitted to do alot of exercise yet. I think she was biking & doing overhead presses with DB's.

So that's the show rant. I feel like she was playing VERY dirty for so early on in the game. Is she really there to get healthy? Time will tell but I suspect it's just a game to her. It doesn't seem that her head is in it for the right reasons. Sadly, she'll take Coach Mo down with her.

By the way, Shay making her plea in the end had me in tears. I remember not loving myself, not caring about what happened & just not liking who I'd become. The fat was a safety net. She's going to blossom & she's not going to know who she is when that happens. It's such a scary thing but an equally amazing one too! I cannot wait to see who she becomes!

On the "me" front, things are good. I started my new plan on Sunday & it's going well. The program involves NO counting. It's just 5 meals with set portions. So while I'm still measuring/weighing my food, I am not worrying about "x" grams of protein & "x" grams of carbs. There are preferred food sources but it's nothing you wouldn't find in the Eat Clean book! It's funny to feel freedom again. Heck I made Chicken Parmesan on Sunday & it all fit into my plan! So yummy (will post that recipe later.)

My weight has been stable & no change from last week but that's fine. My cycle is a bit off so if I can hold steady through it that's a win in my book. Ultimately, I'm feeling great & seeing some things changing in the mirror. That's what it's all about folks! My workouts are now full body too & wow are they kicking our butt! Feels great though it's cutting into our running (my legs are sooooo sore!)

How'd you all do this week? I'm so slacking on the blogging but will pick it up again! Thanks for all the comments. I think someone asked to about how to keep at it when the scale isn't showing your progress. IGNORE IT!!!!! Yes, the scale is a great *tool* to monitor progress but it can never give you the whole story! Do measurements, see how your clothes fit, etc. Those things will show more than the scale! So never let it bring you down. What would you tell a teenager if she was obsessing about the scale? Tell that to yourself too!

Until next time! Keep at it my friends!!!!!!

ps...where'd September go??? It's now 5 months until my wedding & just about 3 weeks until my shower! Eeeeeek!

Weightloss Wednesday?!?

Well, it's time. The weekly recap of not only The Biggest Loser but also how we've done as a "group" on meeting our goals this week! By the way, don't you just LOVE LOVE LOVE the Nike campaign? I cannot get enough of it!

Where to start? How about with the show....

I watched with my best friend as we've resumed our traditional date night. I should add that is much to the disagreement of her 3-year old who'd run around saying "No Heba" if you remember that season. Apparently, we must have complained about her alot! lol

The show was good & I was happy to see the one girl return from the hospital though am concerned that something is still wrong with her. She was indeed shaky on her feet still but thankfully smart doctors are still limiting her activities.

I was impressed with the challenge that tested teamwork rather than pure physical exertion! It was challenging yes because they had to maintain their balance on those beams, work as a group, etc but in the end they were not exhausted & spent. AND they got to call home. The one call that made Steph & I cry was the one girl that was talking about the butterflies on her call. Butterflies are something significant to both of us in losses in our families. Otherwise, there were no tearjerker moments.

Actually, in the grand scheme of shows, it was pretty uneventful. Shay complained alot about Julio who in the end pulled it off. Not sure he still gets it but we'll see.

The group weight loss goal seemed lofty too because we all know the curse of week 2 but they pushed hard this week & were able to pull of some interesting numbers. I think the pink team had realistic numbers. I think Week 3 will be the new Week 2 (hehehe.) They will certainly taper in their efforts so we'll see.

In the end of course, they easily met their 135 pound goal and would've easily met the original 150 pounds. It's nice to see no one be sent home but it's a game & I'm sure that will catch up with them along the way! What I just realized is that the show creators are doing well with creating challenges, twists & turns. I do not recall that anything to date has been repeated!

So that's that. A good show though nothing that really jumped out at me to be outstanding. Maybe something did for you though....do tell :)

As for my progress...I'm pleased that there's been a shift downward on the scale. I was talking with Kevin about it this morning & while I get excited, I'm guarded because I know it's been where it is before. I have now maintained within 5 pounds for almost 8 months. Yes, that is amazing & hard to do but I've tried to lose a little here & there though so do find myself a tad bit frustrated. Ultimately, I continue to train hard, do my cardio & eat well. A change is a-coming though. With the help of an old, dear friend, I will continue on my way to where I want to get back to. And to be perfectly honest, I don't really care what the scale says as long as I'm happy with what I see in the mirror. That's the honest truth but for now the scale is a tool in my arsenal!

And finally, I have to jump from the rooftops & say that my bridal shower invitations went out last night. The theme is a secret so we worked on them separately. Steph stuffed the envelopes then we labeled & stamped them. I dropped them at the post office on the way home! I'm soooo excited but today I need to review my registry one more time, make any changes (remove the bedskirt) & then stay away. I dont want to be registry stalking. It'll be a surprise to see what we (okay, I) get!!!!!

Make it another great week & I can't wait to hear how you all did!!!!

Have a fantastic day all!

Living the High Life!

Been slacking a bit!

The week has been a good one! I had a shift down on the scale since last Saturday though my "official" weigh day will be on Tuesday's with the Biggest Loser season! I also got a really amazing email today with a generous & exciting offer. I'll spill on that more another time but will say that it's a step in the right direction for me to be a hot bride ;)

Last night we just had a relaxing night, had some dinner, read some magazines at Barnes & Nobles then headed home to veg a bit before bed. Tonight's plans are with friends. Dinner & heading to the boat (Blue Chip Casino) to play, catch the UFC fights & meet this guy!



How fun is that? Wendell the High Life guy will be in our area! He's been in Valpo before but I was gone at Camp Savage at that time so I missed him. I think he's handing out beer too! Woot! lol

Tomorrow I'll head to church then am off to meet another online friend! I met Cindy on the Oxygen forum & she's in the South Bend area to see her brother so I'll meet her for lunch! Can't wait. I still need to upload pics from when I met my friend Stacia on vacation too!

Okay, that's it. Lame update for today but no news is good news right :)

Have a GREAT weekend, enjoy your loved ones & do something great for yourself!

ps...LOVE the comments from the last blog. I definitely want to address more about what Heather posted about the extreme challenges the contestants do! More on that soon with the help of Tom Venuto's blog!

Game on! (TBL spoilers included)

Yes, I've used that title before but for some reason this time feels different. Many of you know my story & struggles of being overweight pretty much my whole life. I got my head out of my rear, got healthy, ran marathons then decided to do a couple figure shows. So so fun! The dieting took it's toll on my body & it's taken well over a full year to get back to "normal." I've reached that place where all systems are go. I feel like my body is ready to try again. I tried last month but stayed about the same place.

What better time than the start of the new season of The Biggest Loser to make the change? Whether you have no weight to lose & just want to tighten things up or 100 pounds to drop, there's no time like the present to make that happen. Go for it. What are you afraid of? Join me along with a few friends that will post each Wednesday in the comments section with the good, bad & the ugly (hello candy corn) of how your previous week went.

I will also recap the show so be warned if you had to DVR & watch it later!

So let's talk about last night? SOBBING pretty much sums it up! I emailed my best friend (who I usually watch with) because I stayed home since I wasnt feeling well. There are a few that stand out to me.

Abby of course. Losing her husband, 5 year old daughter & infant son in a car accident in the blink of an eye. She was by God's grace not in the car & I think He just has big things in store for her. Humbling.

Next up is Shay. She weighs in at 476 pounds. She's the biggest contestant EVER to be on the show. (There's actually 4 or 5 of them in the 400's!) She talked about her story & when the doctor showed her physical age to be around 45, she cried, sharing that her Mom was just a few years old when she died. It was poor health that claimed her Mom's life. I want to hug her & tell her she does NOT have to repeat that fate. I know that story all too well.

Finally, Coach Mo. What's not to love? He's going to challenge those other contestants & be the one that works hard in the background. He'll shock them all!

I was sad to see Alexandria go home. She's a beautiful girl & got stuck with a partner (Julio) who I just dont think is ready yet. Anyway, she did great at home & has now lost 60 pounds. Not only that, she's encouraging her family to live better. So cute to see her prodding her Mom to work harder on the treadmill!

Those are the things that stood out to me most but I had tears just watching the promos! What a great, inspiring & motivational show. Will this be the season that encourages you to reach your goals?

So check your weight, take your measurements, hang up your skinny jeans, whatever it takes. Make today DAY 1 of your challenge. There are millions around the country who will be inspired this season. Will you be one of them?

What are you waiting for?

First things first! Have you visited the Lose-A-Palooza page today, tweeted or blogged about it or even "liked" a post about it on the Weight Watchers FB fan page? Any of the three will get money donated to help feed the hungry! It's super easy & a no brainer ;)

Next on the agenda is waiting. We do it all the darn time. We wait for things to happen, we wait for results, we wait for the weather to clear, we wait.... But some things won't happen if we wait. We have to take action. We have to continue trying even if results don't come at the pace WE want them to come. We have to keep our chins up & know that we are doing the best we can.

So what are you waiting for? I keep the "GAME ON" mentality most days & have stayed the course being back on Weight Watchers even though my results are not coming as fast as I'd like. My body is doing it's usual "drop, stay, gain, drop" phase & while I hate it, I know that I'm continuing to do all the right things. My body seems to have FINALLY regulated it's monthly cycle so that truly was the last piece to fall into place after all the contest prep madness.

What does that all mean? It's GAME ON. For real! I'm 6 weeks away from my bridal shower. Season 8 of The Biggest Loser starts TONIGHT! For me, that show means remembering how I felt at my biggest. I was well over 300 pounds at one point in my life. I still sit here over 100 pounds lighter. I cry with them remembering how shitty I felt, cry with them remember how amazing it felt to succeed even if it was a small success, etc. If they can get on national TV & show the world everything (and I do mean everything..weighing in in a sports bra over 300 pounds?!?) then I can do what I need to do to finally get back to my WW goal weight. It's ONLY 20 pounds. That may seem like a lot for some but it's a blip on my weight loss radar. That doesnt negate it by any means or make it a small goal. I've already seen that dropping this extra is tough & going to take dilligence & determination on my part. But I know I have the heart to make it.

And if I need to put this on my fridge to help me get there then I will! hehehe

What are you willing to do to reach your goals? What will it take? What are you afraid of & what keeps you from succeeding? All questions I will be thinking about while I walk this evening!

I intend to devote Wednesdays on the blog to not only recapping what happened on TBL but also to how my week went with progress. I already update workouts & will continue to do that. Who's with me? Join me in the Wednesday comments section & update your week too! It's through friends & support that we reach our goals! I know that I would never be where I am today without it!

BRING IT ON!!!!!

Lose-A-Palooza!!!!

Some of you may be on the Weight Watchers program but if you aren't then you need to know that tomorrow is Lose-A-Palooza & Weight Watchers will be donating money for blog posts, tweets & FB comments in the Weight Watchers fan page!

WW is trying to feed the hungry so do your part if you are so inclined!!!!! It's easy, costs you nothing but a few moments & someone's life could be forever changed!

Sidelined.

So that pretty stuff I posted the other day has totally knocked me on my rear! I feel sick & it's just because of the running nose, sore throat, stuffy head, etc. I know it's just allergies but it sucks & sucks bad! I did train this morning & did a quick clip on the elliptical but that's it.

I will not be able to run like this tomorrow. Breathing would be atrocious! I just want to go home & crash for the night. Thankfully nothing new I want to watch starts tonight (that I'm aware of.)

BUT Biggest Loser starts tommorrow & I was supposed to resume "date night" with my best friend. I may hang close to home because I prefer to feel miserable there instead! Then I can crash if I really need to! Anyone been watching More to Love? It's finale is tomorrow & I'm totally curious to see who he picks. The beautiful girl from Israel or the former skinny girl who's now fat & thinks her poo doesnt stink? Oh, did that sound partial? lol

I'll be watching both for sure! More from me another day when I'm feeling better!

Happy Monday!!!!

My arch enemy... (duh duh duhhhhhhh)

See this stuff? Seems harmless doesnt it? Kinda pretty, nice shade of green, etc. Well, for those of us with fall allergies it's the devil! It's lovely ragweed & it's been my arch enemy since I was very young! My only reprieve was when I was living in Las Vegas where this stuff doesnt exist! I moved home from the desert in 2003 & that first fall it hit me, NO MORE HAYFEVER!!!!!! They started to progressively return over the years with this one being the worst yet! I felt like my head was going to explode & had it in fact happened...I'd at least have had some relief! Ah well, such is life!

This week has seemed to pass rather slowly. Doesnt that always happen when there's a short week? Tomorrow is the annual Popcorn Festival & for the second year I'm not running the Popcorn Panic (5 miler.) Kinda bummed about that but am excited to see my bestie's little man (who's 3) run his first ever Kernel Puff (it's the kids race!!) He's so excited & keeps asking when his race is! Then we'll wander the downtown area for all the neat stuff people are selling, grab some goodies (soooo hitting up the boyscouts for some FRESH from the kettle popcorn!!!!!!) then home to clean up. I'll probably meet my Dad & his girlfriend down there around 3ish for a concert then Kevin will come when he's off work. It's always a really great time!

Nothing much else planned for the weekend. I'm heading downtown on foot tomorrow (2miles there) so the walking will be my cardio. I'll easily clock 5-6 miles by the time I get home!

Have a fantastic weekend all!

Can I get a.....

.....no doze? Ah yes, we survived the Jay-Z Concert. It was friggin amazing. He did a fantastic mix of new & old stuff. Actually he saved the encore for a nice mix of all the old faves. AND closed with Encore which most of know mixed with Linkin Park's Numb! Very cool!

Back track, we arrived in the city in just about 45 minutes which was great since we weren't sure what the Oprah Kickoff party would do to traffic. We wandered a bit & made our way to her little shindig but couldnt see much.

Starving, we opted for some Grand Lux Cafe. For those not familiar, it's owned by Cheesecake Factory & there arent many around. Such great food & I opted once again for my Asian Nachos (Crispy Fried Wontons Covered with Chicken in a Sweet-Hot Peanut Sauce. Topped with Wasabi Cream and Melted Cheese.) They are soooooooooo good but really rich too with the peanut sauce. Totally yum!

We wandered a bit more while making our way to the House of Blues where we realized we were about to wait in line for 90 minutes to get in! Picture won't load

There were some very interesting characters there but an equally interesting mix of folks too. I am a total people watcher & this made me happy! hehehe *no pics of interesting people*

Finally we got inside, grabbed a beer & were ready to....wait..... For some reason, it seems the concert was delayed but it was fun people watching more since I had a new audience to select from. Kevin ran into a couple folks he knows at AT&T (an engineer & a big dog.) Thank you to Kevin (big dog) for the tickets!

The concert finally opened with his new song "I Run This Town." No Rhianna or Kanye but it was still great! What I love about Jay-Z & some other rappers is they tour with a FULL band. Not just a DJ playing the backtracks. A full on drumset, guitar playing, piano/keyboards playing band. It was friggin amazing!

I do have just a few pics but they wont load for some reason. They arent that great since I just had my phone but they are suitable nonetheless!

I'm really dragging today since we are the king & queen of the 10pm bedtime. We didnt get home until 1am! Not to mention all the high quality smoking going on in there! Whoa, I really dont think I've had that much of a contact high since Pink Floyd back in the early 90's!

So today I'm dragging, physically exhausted but am loving that I got to see a great artist in action. Oh & I should mention that Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat was in the house too!

The only downer was that we saw on the news that there was a stabbing at the show last night but it wasnt clear if it happened while Jay-Z was on stage or not.

I better get back to work. I have a couple things to get done & my Dad's commented already about me being "slow." lol I'm thinking a pumpkin latte will pick me up at lunchtime!

I'll post up the pics another time if blogger will let me!

Blog birthday?

Hey guys! I think it's my blogger birthday! I started this blog to a couple years ago allow friends & family to follow my contest prep journey but never kept up with it. So now I do it since I've vacated my former home (lol.)

I got some pics today from Kevin's BIL from our trip. I still haven't loaded my onto my laptop because we've not sat still for more than a second at a time! It's a busy time for us lately. This weekend will be no different but I'll try to work it in!

Anyway, as I mentioned before, our trip was really great. The drive was nice & while it was 9 hours, it didnt seem bad at all! We survived our first long roadtrip so that was a good thing. My only moment of being a little snippy was when I was hungry. I mean STARVING hungry but it was fine.

We shopped with Kevin's sister both days hitting up a couple GREAT malls along with the Nebraska Furniture Mart. Wow, that place is like Best Buy, Ashley Furniture & Hobby Lobby all smashed into one! Huge superstore!

On Friday night there, we had a FANTASTIC dinner at Jack Stack BBQ. It was phenomenal! We all got a 2 meat platter & mine included smoked sausage (which was just okay) & the beef brisket (AMAZING!) My sides included BBQ beans & also a corn casserole which was basically mac & cheese except it had corn instead of noodles. So yum! For dessert, we decided to try the "world famous" carrot cake. OMG, it was like nothing I've ever eaten & we are carrot cake fanatics! It was HOT cake with the frosting oozing down the sides with pecans. We were seriously in heaven! So YUM!

Uncle Kevin with Emma who will have him wrapped around her finger in no time!


Emma & her lovely Mommy


Uncle Kevin, Emma & soon-to-be Auntie Heather


The weekend was a good one. I think I mentioned the fresh candy corn (hehehehe) yesterday & it was really tasty! You know how fresh, whole foods just have that "clean" taste? Well, so does the candy corn! Plus, they have a huge meat market there with fantastic prices on everything (beef, chicken, buffalo, etc.) so we plan to head out there to stock up sometime!

Tonight again is the Jay-Z concert (sick of hearing about it yet?) It's going to be so fun! Although Oprah has part of the Mag Mile (Michigan Avenue) closed for her taping of her season premiere so it's going to be an interesting drive into the city. What typically takes us about 40 minutes may be longer as a result of road closures. But we'll get there, grab some dinner & be ready to rock :)

Have a GREAT night!

Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! I hope your day is off to a great start! Ours began with Kevin's alarm clock going off at 5am because he forgot to turn it off. That typically only happens at my house :) We did fall back asleep until about 830ish though. We had a FANTASTIC run this morning too! It was cool out but the sun was brutal! But we knocked out 6 miles nonetheless. The scrawny high school cross country boys were out too! Actually, ALOT of people were out running, biking & walking. We happen to live in a pretty active community!

This weekend has been fun! We trekked to Amish country in Shipshewana, Indiana where we wandered. I bought a few things including some fresh pumpkin butter for me (which was FAB on my oat bran), huckleberry jam for Dad (who will also eat it on oat bran), low sugar dried pineapple (so yum) & finally some HOMEMADE FRESH candy corn! It's so yummy & has NO artificial taste to it. I was amazed!

Today we are just relaxing, watching a movie we never go to last night (got sucked into the TLC shows on obesity) & that's about it. I'm making traditional enchiladas for dinner & have the chicken cooking in the crock pot. Maybe tapping into a bottle of Shiraz as well.

Enjoy the last day of your weekend. Ours technically ends today but tomorrow we are off to see Jay-Z after work. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!

I'm sucked into a marathon of Gangland on History Channel at the moment. Not something that seems typical of me but I worked with troubled youth for many years. Many were gang bangers that were in the treatment facility as their last chance before prison. I learned so much from those kids & am still inttrigued by their lifestyles. We even had the Chicago Gang Unit come to educate our staff on the syndicates.

Okay, the vacuum is staring at me & unfortunately is not going to run itself in my house so I better get to it!

Have a FAB day!

Pity party?

Ugh, so I'll confess that yesterday I was having a pity party for one. I've been working with my doctor to get my body ready for baby making (no worries..not until after the wedding.) So she's changed my pills to get my cycle going again. Well, I have the WORST cramps, boobs hurt like a mother & I found myself overindulging on some of my beloved candy corn the other night. It happens but I started falling into the "why can't I get my head out of my ass" moments that creep up.

Well, today I realized, I'm eating well daily & a goodie on occasion is totally acceptable. Hello.....living life remember? I couldn't fully enjoy my dinner at Red Robin as a result (got the totally yumm-o veggie burger) but guess what? I stopped when I was full. GASP. You mean you DIDNT keep eating anyway? Nope. Well, hello small miracle! In thinking about all of this, I realize that I'm actually morphed into that "normal" girl that I always wanted to be. Just eating what I want, in moderation & trying to lose a few. What human woman isn't living that way? So pity party ended as abruptly as it started. We all know it's totally hormone related anyway.

I found a super funny video on Facebook today. If you are my friend, check it out otherwise go to google & search for "surprise your man pole dance." I will warn that one site called it the "fat girl" dance but it is a big girl attempting this hilarity. It IS funny though.

I came across a blog that my old nutritionist(okay, she's my age but you know what I mean) is now keeping. She's onto new adventures & saying she is full of knowledge is an understatement. I swear I can still hear her voice in my head sometimes! It's a good thing trust me! So go check out Jodi Jones & you will LEARN! It's sensible, sane & logical nutrition without the "omg, I ate 5g too much of protein." I thin it's what most of us strive for in life!

Off for a fun-filled weekend which I blabbed about yesterday but what I dont think I shared is that we are going to see JAY-Z on Tuesday night in Chicago! I'm sooooo excited! His new stuff is on the radio now & it's fab. Kevin's hoping for an appearance by Beyonce but I'm holding out for Kanye! Woot!

Have a FAB weekend all! I'll leave you with this motivation. Just in case you forgot that being strong is okay....

Having a moment...

Well, it's almost the weekend again & while I had a long weekend away last week, I'm still uber ready for this one to come too! Kevin's off all weekend so that means fun stuff!

We are headed to Amish country here in Indiana to see if we can find some bedroom furniture for married life. Neither of us has a nice bedroom set (though I'm still rocking the dresser my Dad built me for my 16th birthday!) We saw a set at a store in KC that was Amish built & hope to find something similar locally. We are also having dinner made for us by Kevin's roommate's girlfriend then heading to the casino boat for some PLAY TIME! They have a super fun 80's band at one bar & the Region's very own Nicole Jamrose (of Nashville Star fame) is playing in the other. So that's all Saturday. Then Sunday we'll head to church, an open house & then veg out.

I also need to make a trip to South Bend (or we'll stop on the way to Shipshwana) to visit my "aunt" Debi. Her Mom collapsed & is currently in a coma though somewhat responsive by squeezing fingers when asked to do so. It takes me back to my own time spent with Mom in the hospital. I hate knowing how people feel in situations but equally am glad to be there for her. I plan to put together a bag of snacks. I lived on granola bars when Mom was in the hospital. I was never hungry but knew that I had to eat something so I hope to give her some of the things that kept me going too. So if you are the praying type, please shoot one up to the Big Guy for us!

I'm having some time of reflection in the last couple days too just about my own health & it's really helped me realize what's important! More on that later perhaps. It's probably nothing I've not babbled about before but sometimes it's a good thought process to have!

Okay, just about time for me to head out for the day.

GO BEARS!!!!!

Wake up? No thanks!

I'm soooooooooooooooooo sleepy today! I have not been feeling the greatest & am still not sure if it's a virus or just allergies. But I swigged some Nyquil before bed last night anyway! I slept like a baby but almost overslept & was a slug when we started running this morning. It was a short one because I was having some potty issues (sorry but it is what it is...) so it was only a 3 miler.

Today is Kevin's birthday. Most dont know this but he's a younger catch for me ;) He's 34 today & when he has a birthday it makes our age gap seem less. It's only 3 years but when I turn 38 in January it'll "appear" worse! lol So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweetie! I was going to make enchiladas but his parents are taking us out instead! Red Robin here we come! Delish & oh so naughty but totally worth it! The Whiskey River BBQ Burger is my fave in case you wondered! haha I also made him some snickers brownie bites. He didnt want a big cake so that's what I managed instead! Perfect! And then Friday, I'm taking him to Outback for dinner! It's birthday WEEK you know ;) lol

I found out today that Cheesecake Factory now has Red Velvet Cheesecake. How on earth could 2 of my faves be on the same plate at once? Holy-food-explosion-please-get-in-my-mouth!!!! I will be going soon. Actually, maybe next Tuesday when we go into the city (Chicago) for the Jay-Z concert. Thinking......

Have a great afternoon!

Finally FALL!!!!

I've seen this on many blogs today but today marks the fall season. Not officially just yet but close enough with school back in session, signs of Halloween in the stores & a few of my other faves. It's going to be a busy fall season for us but it's going to be SO FUN!

Let's do a little photo montage, shall we?

Favorite fall treat?



It's so naughty with all it's HFCS goodness but coupled with some peanuts, it's my absolute FAVE!

Hometown festival!



Orville Redenbacher started the famous popcorn empire right here in Valparaiso! So each year we celebrate!

NFL!!!!!



Boiler Up!!!



My bridal shower (not the actual invitation since I dont know the theme)



Finally, we'll round out the fall with our friend's wedding.



By the time that is all over, we'll just be a few months from our own wedding!!!! Just a bit under 6 months for us to go! Time's flying by & it's hard to believe that fall is knocking on the door but I'll open it! I love this season, the cool temps & the beautiful colors that come with it!