Day 3

Today I woke up feeling so good! According to the scale I've dropped 3 pounds in 3 days. Incredible! I hate eating breakfast this early before work!!! My staple veggies in the morning-bell pepper, Italian squash, green onion. Threw in a leftover ground beef patty chopped up and 2 eggs scrambled. Wasn't sure how it would taste with the ground beef but it's surprisingly tasty and didn't need to season my veggies or eggs since the ground beef was already seasoned.

Lunch: I must say I ate at 7am and had a handful of macademia nuts around 10 and I wasn't hungry all morning! I just ate some nuts bc I knew I wouldn't be eating lunch til 1. Lunch is leftover grilled chicken on butter lettuce, white onion, avocado. Side of carrots (more not pictured), celery with a little sun butter. And the usual iced tea :)

Dinner: My kitchen somehow got destroyed by this meal!! Grill squash (SO good!), salad with grilled chicken breast, roasted yellow bell pepper (I followed the nom nom Paleo app for roasted bell pepper) took forever to blacken it on the gas flame, 1 hard boiled egg, avocado oil & a splash of balsamic vinegar. Whew!

I went to the gym after work (which I typically dread because I'm so tired and so burned out after work. I went to the gym and did the best cardio I have ever done!! I felt so good the entire time, even during running! This girl doesn't run!! I'm loving how I feel!! My only complaint so far about this Whole30 is that I have SO much energy at night it's hard to fall asleep and then I wake up feeling a little sleepy.

Whole30 Day 2

I woke up pretty late this morning after dealing with that awful headache. It was nice to sleep in and recover from that terrible pain! I woke up, weighed myself which I am down 2.2 lbs since yesterday. Pretty sure it's not possible to drop 2 lbs in a day, but it looked nice on the scale being down vs up like I'm used to! Even if I really didn't lose 2 pounds, it just gives me great motivation to continue! I woke up feeling so good! Breakfast consisted of red bell pepper, green onion, eggs scrambled with a half avocado & must have coffee :)

Lunch was leftover dinner minus fried egg. Veggies on side and added some sunbutter on my celery. Black iced tea with a lemon slice.

Whole30 Challenge

Today marks the first day of my Whole30 challenge. I am so excited to start this journey and to make my health a priority. I'm looking forward to feeling the changes in my RA and changing my taste buds. This challenge couldn't come at a better time. Yesterday I went to the Dermatologist to have a small Milia removed from my eyelid and I had her look at a super dry spot on my foot that has been with me all summer. I just assumed it was from a pair of sandals I was wearing and my feet being extra dry in the summer. Sure enough she said it's Eczema. I know changing my diet will get rid of the Eczema without needing to use the prescription cream she ordered for me. I'm going to do the Whole30 challenge and if my Eczema does not go away then I'll use the cream. I figure I've had it for 3 months, what's another month (or hopefully a few weeks) until it goes away. Day 1 was a success!! Breakfast consisted of red bell pepper, zucchini, green onion sautéed in coconut oil with a dash of Turmeric and Chili powder. Eggs scrambled in with the veggies. Half avocado on the side. And my favorite coffee black!

Lunch was grilled chicken breast, sautéed kale & zucchini, & side of avocado.

Dinner consisted of dinner...organic ground beef patty, fried egg on top, mashed avocado, & white onion sandwiched between two living lettuce leaves. Sautéed carrots, summer squash, & Italian squash with a sweet potato on the side. SO good but definitely too much food. Our hungry eyes were bigger than our tummies tonight! ;)

Dinner was SO good!!! I started getting a headache around 7pm (we didn't eat dinner til after 8:30, so late) and maybe being hungry triggered my headache. It was the worst excruciating pain on my left temple and above my left eyebrow. Like my brain was pulsating away from my skull! I toughed it out and went to sleep, fell asleep fine, woke up at 5am and the pain had move to my right side (same feeling). I tried to tough it out but I just couldn't do it and at 7am I had to take ibprofen. I didn't want to do that because I wanted it to go away naturally but it was so excruciating I just couldn't tough it out any longer! I fell back asleep for a few more hours and woke up with no headache but my head felt sore. Overall, day 1 was a success and I felt so good. Not hungry, but satisfied. How we should feel after we eat. I have ZERO craving for carbonation. I would crave a diet coke with lunch or after work around 4pm. I never had that craving today. I hope it stays that way!

Antigua

Brad and I flew to Antigua for a vacay just the two of us! :) Gosh I love traveling with this man. We have the most incredible time together! Antigua consisted of delicious food, lots of pool and beach time, and the Antigua Carnival. We love the Caribbean and booked two vacations for Summer 2013...Bahamas and Jamaica.

Road Trip!!!

On June 29, Brad and I set out for a 12 day road trip. We started by driving to Lake Havasu and staying the night there. We woke up on the 30th at 5am and headed to Durango Colorado. On our way we drove through Flagstaff (beautiful!) and 4 corners (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, & Colorado). It was fun to take photos in 4 different states at one time! :) We made our final destination for the day in Durango Colorado to stay at his cousin Chrissi's house. They just moved into their beautiful home a week prior onto 20 acres of land. We went to dinner with them and went back to the house to hang out. We woke up early July 1 and headed northeast through Colorado...through Alamosa, Pagosa, and made our way to Colorado Springs to go to the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial. One of Brad's coworkers had a heart attack on duty almost two years ago and was put into the memorial recently. The memorial was very moving. We decided to take a slight detour to Breckenridge. We drove through Divide, Breckenridge, and Frisco. So glad we stopped. Those cities were so pretty. So wonder why Brad loves his boys snowboarding trip! After our detour we headed to Boulder for dinner at Mountain Sun Brewery. Very hippy! We drove a little further to our hotel in Loveland. We woke up early July 2 and headed east to Denver. We did a tour of Coors Field, where the Rockies play. Awesome field!! We drove just a couple miles north to Mile High Stadium (now called Sports Authority stadium) where the Broncos play. They don't do tours on Mondays so we just saw the outside. We decided to drive more north to Golden where we did the Coors Brewery tour. We had to wait outside in a line for the shuttle for over an hour but it was definitely worth the wait! We did the self guided tour with little cell phone things to listen to each station. Halfway through they gave us a small sample of either Coors Light or Coors Banquet. We both did the Banquet since we always have Coors Light. At the end of the tour we could choose 3 different beers. They were full size beers, it was awesome! After our tour we drove to his old captains house in Loveland. What a beautiful home and neighborhood! The next morning, July 3, 2012 we woke up very early to head northwest to Wyoming. We drove to southwest Wyoming and headed up north into Jackson and Jackson Hole WY. We entered the Grand Tetons, what amazing mountain ranges!! After the Tetons we entered Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was incredible!! We spent the day driving the southwest part of the park. We saw Old Faithful and watched her blow. Unreal!! We drove north to the north entrance and stayed at a hotel right outside the north entrance in Gardiner Montana. We woke up on the 4th very early to head into the park to see some animals out and about before it got too hot for them. After seeing the animals throughout the north part of the park we headed east to Cody WY. Cody was so cool! They had all the streets shut down for their 4th of July parade. We were able to eat at Prime Cut steakhouse. Delicious! We headed southwest into Yellowstone and drove through the northern part of the park. On July 5th we woke up at 4:30 to head west to Seattle. We drove through Montana (Bozeman, Butte, Missoula). We stopped in Ceour D'Alene Idaho for lunch. Ceour D'Alene was probably our least favorite place. Nothing special and people seemed to be kinda rude. We got back on the road and headed into Spokane WA and finally made our destination into Seattle. We went to Pike's Place Market while waiting for Mallory to finish a study session. We got a coffee from the first Starbucks ever and walked around a little bit. We then drove to Fremont and waited at Brouwers Brewery until Mallory joined us for dinner. We had a great time enjoying dinner and a beer. We took a walk around Fremont by the water and then headed to Fred Meyer (like a wanna-be Target) to get Brad some lounge shorts. We went back to Mallory's house and hung for a little then hit the sack! We finally were able to sleep in a little on July 6, I think we woke up at 8:45! We finally got around and headed to Milstead & Co (a really really good coffee place, Mallory knows the owner) in Fremont. After coffee we went to Portage Bay for breakfast near U-District (near University of WA). After breakfast we went to some wineries in Woodenville WA (about 30 minutes east of Seattle). We first went to Chateau Ste. Michelle and did a tasting, we weren't very impressed with their wine. We did 2 red and 2 white tastings. Supposedly they're known for their white wine and their Reisling. After that winery Mallory took us to JM Cellars just a few miles away. Its a small family owned/operated winery. When we arrived there was no one in their tasting room except for the lady who pours the tastings. She said to us that John (the owner) was doing a barrel tasting and we should jump in on it. She gave us glasses and we found John and he ciphened Malbec (Brad's favorite red wine) straight from the barrel! May have been the best Malbec we've ever tasted! We noticed John had a broken foot and we asked what happened. He said a barrel from the top fell and landed on his foot, crushing it like a grape. He had more than 30 breaks in his heel bone and now he's calling that barrel "My Left Foot." After the tasting we headed down a small walkway and down to a small pond and hung there for a little bit. After the winery we went to Whole Foods and got some dinner and took it to Greenlake to eat by the water. What a beautiful day, 80 degrees and clear skies! On July 7 we left Seattle at 6am and headed to Oregon. Once arriving in Portland we headed west and went to Tillamook Cheese Factory. We did a quick self guided tour, bought some cheese and then drive north to Cannon Beach, with the recommendation from my dad. After Cannon beach we drove east to the Hood River to go to Multnomah Falls, unreal!!!! After our stop there we drove south and made our final stop for the night in Bend Oregon. We ate at Bend Brewery and went to bed pretty early! We woke up on July 8 and drove south to Crater Lake. Crater Lake was breathtaking and probably the most amazing thing I've seen!! After Crater Lake we drove south into Weed, CA and Yreka CA. We then headed back up north to Ashland, OR for lunch. Ashland was such a cute little town! We stopped at Boot Barn to get Brad a belt in Medford Oregon. We arrived in Grants Pass for the night and ate at Wild River Brewing Co. July 9 we woke up early again and took the 199 south through Crescent City, Eureka, and through Redwood National Park. We took a slight detour off the main highway and drove through Ferndale. A cute old Victorian town. After Ferndale we drove through Avenue of the Giants. These redwood trees were unbelievable! HUGE!! Took some great photos and got back on the road. Once in Healdsburg we got off to do a tasting at Ferrari-Carano winery. Beautiful grounds & gardens but we didn't think the staff was too friendly. After the winery we drove south a little more to Santa Rosa and went to Russian River Brewery in downtown Santa Rosa. We enjoyed a few delicious beers while watching the Home Run Derby! At 8:30, Brad's friend John picked us up from our hotel and we went to see his new home and ate some food at Flipside Burger joint in downtown Santa Rosa. We stayed the night at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country. July 10 we woke up and drove through San Francisco and headed home :( Our road trip was the best trip we've ever taken together! We had such a great time, laughing and now we have all kinds of inside jokes! 5,306 miles of memories! And an elbow to my cheek a mile from home! ;) "Creepin'...Kirsten's creepin'!" "Drink-a-mug-a-milk-a-meal"

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

On Saturday, June 16, 2012 we left for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with Bobby, Lisa, Eddie, and Lynne. We had a great time laying out at the beach and the pool.

Honeymoon

more to come...

Wedding

9.10.11. Most amazing day of my life. Our wedding was everything I ever dreamed of. I wish we could relive the day all over again. It was beyond PERFECT!!

Rehearsal

We had our wedding rehearsal on September 8, 2011. We did our rehearsal at the church, St. Martin De Porres and continued with dinner at Chevy's in Anaheim Hills. Everything went so smoothly and we had a blast!

New Job

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Bachelorette Party

August 12-14 we all headed to Vegas for my Bachelorette party. Mallory flew into Vegas from Seattle and the rest of the girls carpooled there. Brooke drove me, Nicole, Carrie, Kristen, and Kelsey. Lauren drove herself out. We arrived around 9pm to our hotel The Hard Rock and got ready for the night. The first night we went to The Bank nightclub at the Bellagio. We had a blast dancing and getting free drinks :)

The next morning we soaked our feet in our jacuzzi tub and ordered Starbucks, got ready for the day. Brooke made us neon pink shirts, mine said "Bride" and the girls' shirts said "Bridesmaid" or Maid of Honor" for my sister. We walked the strip, ate at Margaritaville and headed back to lay out by the pool. As we were walking up to our room Mallory slipped on a spilled drink in the hotel lobby. No one at the hotel helped us and couldn't even give her ice. So the time I was supposed to be laying out by the pool, I was running around like a mad woman trying to get help for my sister. We ended up going to our room and getting ready for the night. We had reservations for dinner at Firefly and then headed to Marquee at the Cosmopolitan hotel. That club was out of control! Huge huge huge and that night a very popular DJ Dash Berlin was there.

Overall we had a blast and can't wait to go back!!

Lingerie Shower

On July 30, 2011 Brad's mom, his sister and some of my bridesmaids threw me a fun lingerie shower. The invites, colors, and lingerie were all so cute! The best part was the dirty books my friends got me and the book was passed around and my grandma and brad's grandma thought it was hilarious! Along with the whip and tickle. Oh boy!

Bridal Shower

On June 26, 2011 my Mom and sister threw me the most amazing bridal shower ever. Every single detail was incredible.

Kellen Blaine

On April 10, 2011 my cousin, Kyle, and his wife, Chelsy had their first child. They didn't find out the sex and they had a handsome baby boy, Kellen Blaine. We met Kellen on Memorial Weekend when they came down to visit family.

Engagement Session

This post is LONG overdue. We took our Engagement photos on February 5, 2011 in Big Bear Lake, Ca. :)

My Valentines

Tonight I made my Valentines for my students and two gifts for the two teachers I really look up to and have been huge positive role models in my life for the last 6 years. I forgot to take a photo of the clipboard I mod podged but it turned out pretty cute! :) I love crafting and wish I made more time for it. It's so relaxing!

Dress shopping!!!

This past Saturday, January 22 I had two appointments to try on wedding dresses. My first appointment was at 11am at The White Dress in Corona Del Mar. I fell in love with the 3rd or 4th dress I tried on. Absolutely amazing and exactly what I was looking for! :) We had another appointment at 2pm at Mariposa in Anaheim so we had time to spare and got lunch at Taco Rosa at the Irvine Marketplace. We headed to Mariposa and the moment I walked into Mariposa I didn't have a good feeling. The set up was different and I didn't like how you have to walk out on a stage to show your family/friends the dresses you're trying on. It was very busy and I had to share the stage with 6 other girls and 3 mirrors. My bridal stylist never straightened out my train or anything. She was rude and I did not feel comfortable at all. I told you about 20 times what I was looking for and she would bring me the complete opposite!! After about 6 dresses I was annoyed and almost snuck out the back door! ;) We headed straight back to The White Dress to say yes to the dress and pop champagne!!

Our 2nd annual Ensenada Cruise!

This past weekend we took a 3 day cruise to Ensenada! We went with about 80 people from church. We had a great time hanging with some amazing people. Brooke, Charlie, Bob-o, Lisa, Megan, Mary and some friends we hadn't seen since last years cruise. We went into Ensenada, ordered bucket of beers, had some delicious Mexican food, and watched some football playoff games.

Kenyon's 40th Birthday

Last night we celebrated Kenyon's 40th Birthday at the Cannery in Newport Beach. It was a great time with amazing friends. Kenyon looks like she turned 30, not 40! I hope I look that good at 40! :)

Disneyland

Tonight Kristen and I went to Disneyland. We had a fabulous time and took photos with Donald, Mickey, and Minnie! I love our Disneyland dates!

Christmas 2010

Christmas day we woke up and at 9am my Grandparents came over. We always sit in a circle and each open a present one by one so we can see what every one got. We took a brunch break around 11am and finished opening presents after that. We just relaxed all day and watched some football. We ate a yummy dinner and continued the laziness into the evening. :)

Glamis Round 2!

Brad and I headed out to Havasu the day after Christmas. We spent the night there and got up early and made our way to Glamis. We had such a fun time with some of his co-workers and their family.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve Brad and I drove to The Acosta's so Brad could meet his Goddaughter Brooklyn and we could give them their Christmas present. We had such a good time relaxing with them and I loved every minute of holding Brooklyn. Brad looked like a natural holding his Goddaughter. It was so sweet. :) We're so in love with our beautiful Goddaughter.

That evening we went to Brad's parents for Christmas Eve dinner and to celebrate Christmas since Brad had to work Christmas day. We exchanged gifts and had a wonderful time. I love spending time with his family. I am truly blessed to soon be a part of their family.

New car!!

Well my little 1995 Infiniti G20 named Harold decided to completely die on me last Sunday, December 19. He was in Brad's garage and I started him to warm him up and I went back inside to grab my stuff and came back out and he was off. I tried starting him again but he wouldn't start. My fuel was low and figure maybe he was out of gas. My dad rescued me and brought me 5 gallons of gas but Harold still wouldn't start. We decided to just leave the car and head home. Brad, his dad, and Walt worked on Harold for 3 days straight, changing different things and still Harold would not start. At this point I was so over dealing with all the problems and worrying if I would make it to work or wherever I was going when I drove Harold. I no longer felt safe driving him. Brad was frustrated and annoyed having to deal with the car and putting money into it was not worth it anymore. I hated having to call my Dad to rescue me since Brad can't leave his work to help! I pictured being married and still calling my Daddy to save me...that isn't going to fly! So on Thursday, December 23, Brad and I went to Guaranty Chevrolet and test drove an Equinox and I fell even more in love with it. I always loved the look of the Equinox but I had never drove one. Driving it was the cherry on top. I was head over heels and we ended up purchasing a brand new 2011 silver Equinox! :)

Glamis

First time in Glamis was absolutely amazing! What a gorgeous, breathtaking place. Miles and miles of HUGE sand dunes!

My Goddaughter is here!!!!

My beautiful Goddaughter Brooklyn Grace was born yesterday December 15, 2010 at 3:07pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. I met little Brooklyn the next day and got to hold her for 3 hours. She slept so peacefully in my arms. I could have held her forever. So amazing and I am so speechless! Mama did so well and looked amazing when I came to visit. Daddy on the other hand looked more tired than Mama! ;) Just kidding, they both will be amazing parents!