Too Darn Hot...

This was the reading from my car at 4:17pm today.... 100 degrees... Today marked the hottest day in LA history!  Luckily, I spent the bulk of it indoors in my cool office building.  But when I got home & tried to work out, it felt like a sauna in my house... probably because I RARELY, if EVER, turn on my AC.  I have too much house to waste money cooling all the rooms when I'm only in one of them.  I did manage to do a DVD workout & two miles on the treadmill.  It took every bit of me to finish that two miles!  I was pooped when I finished!

So, I guess I don't have anything to talk about really.... work has been pretty nutso.  I've been spending time with friends... the usual stuff.  I thought I'd share with you a couple of things I have recently acquired... and a couple of things I would like to acquire soon!

First up:  Champion Sports Bra Style #1018!  The bra happens to be discontinued, but I found a couple on ebay.  Believe me when I tell you, this is the best sports bra for the money that I have ever found.  Holds "my girls" in when I'm jumping around and jogging... excellent for someone who is well-endowed.  But for some STRANGE reason, Champion discontinued the style... and I haven't found another one they make that compares.  I should write them a letter.....

Next up, another discontinued item:  Nike Shox Navina Sparkle... I don't think you can get the full image from the pictures, but they are quite bling-a-licious!  And I must have them!!!  Trying to decide between the white and black... they're also on ebay.  A wee bit pricey, but they would last me 2-3 years easily since I swap out shoes so much.

Finally, I've been drinking Shakeology meal replacement shakes.  Yummy yum yum!  I put ice, soy milk, maybe a half a banana in mine & it makes a great shake.  Totally fills me up!

Of course, drinking Shakeololgy means I needed a new blender!  A REAL BLENDER!  No, it's not a VitaMix, but it's also not the $30 blender I had from Target.  This one really works.  It set me back $80, but it's worth every penny...

Well, that's it for now.... gotta jump in the shower and get my mind right for Tuesday.  Hope to talk to you soon... I'm gonna do better with the blogging... (I know I keep saying that!) Did some fun things last weekend & have some fun things coming up... so I'll have lots to talk about!

Toodles!

Summer's Over...

It's been a while since I last posted, so this will be a catch up blog post!  August was a busy, but WONDERFUL month!  I would have to say the highlight was watching my BMFF (best male friend forever), Sean Patikas-Hunter, marry his beautiful wife, Rita, aka Mrs. Patikas-Hunter :-)  

The night before the wedding, Sean calls & tells me to come over... they're celebrating his last night as a single man over at his house.  Rita was already at the hotel.  So, of course, I get there & I'm the only girl there (sometimes I think Sean forgets I'm not a guy... LOL!)  I'm used to it by now, and Sean's guy friends don't even blink when I show up.  We talked & ate & drank... around midnight the guys were going to some bar, but I recommended that Sean stay home & get some rest.  He listened (and I'm sure he appreciated it the next morning!)  The wedding was Friday, August 20th... the day was perfect.  The ceremony was beautiful... I didn't even burst into a complete cry bubble the way I normally do at weddings.  I think I had gotten out of my system earlier that day... the wedding was in the evening on a yacht in Newport Harbor.  I hadn't seen Sean all day, but a few hours before the ceremony I got a text from him which pretty much brought me to tears.  Happy tears.  By wedding time I was all cried out.  I did get a little misty when I first saw Rita, because she was so beautiful.  I remember her telling me about when she found her dress & how she knew it was perfect.  When I saw her standing with her dad... Wow... she was right.  She was a picture perfect bride.  Here are some shots from the wedding & reception:

My best friends at the wedding, aka, "Sean's Lady Crew" LOL!
Stacy, Sharon, Taufiki, LaVetta, JoLai

The happy & handsome groom, Sean

"I do..."

The wedding party

Great friends from all over the country
to celebrate Sean & Rita's big day!

With the bride... I told Sean I'm on Team Rita now! LOL!

My favorite picture: the mother/son & father/daughter dance...
What you don't see is that Rita is looking at Sean the whole time.
That is when I cried again... it was such a moment.

Okay, so remember the weight loss challenge?  I actually lost 10lbs in August!  It was a result of checking my diet & working out (like I always do.)  So I felt good going into my Labor Day weekend vacation to Florida.  I wasn't going to go crazy and eat everything in sight, but I was not going to be the snack police either.  Yes, I ate a lot of chips... they were in the beach house, and I ate them.  But I also went walking with my dad Saturday & Sunday morning... walked on the beach Saturday... and went walking twice on Tuesday in Atlanta.  Some pix from Florida:

During my beach walk...

On my morning walk with Daddy...

This is pretty much what I did... :-)

Posing at sunset...

After my walk... the water was so clear!

My suntan... which almost became a sunburn...

We left Florida on Monday & headed up to Atlanta to celebrate Kimberly's  40th birthday.  She had a t-shirt & flip flops themed BBQ, and it was a blast!  I got to see a lot of friends from college, play with my nephews & eat some DELICIOUS fried fish.  Oh yes, I enjoyed that fried fish!!!

Yes, 40 year olds double dutch!  And do pop ups!

Our last day as 39 year olds together... Miz & Biz

Auntie's baby, Zachary... my little sunshine!

I'm proud of myself for not beating myself up for snacking and eating things that I normally wouldn't eat.  It's all about moderation.  As much as I would have loved to come home, jump on the scale & weigh what I weighed when I left.... that wasn't the case.  The good news is that I didn't gain even half my weight back, and I enjoyed some great food.  Of course, I'm back on my grind now.... I have given myself a 10lb goal for September.  I can do it!

Toodles!