1st Mommy/ Daughter trip

We had our first trip this weekend to Dallas. I wanted to visit friends and attend the football game against one of our biggest rivals, The Texans. Living in Houston as a Dallas Cowboys fan is rough. You can never catch a break. The fans heckle and poke fun at every second. So I just had to go and see this defeating moment live. Boy was it eventful!

 

Being a Breastfeeding Mom and with a new baby I started out at 8am on a Friday just so I could not be engorged and would have daylight to deal with the baby if she fussed. I live 4 hours away from Dallas. I was also traveling with my dog Gizmo and I was all by myself. A big feat, but nothing I could not handle. I got there in great time and got to hang with my good friend Nakia. London and her got to have a reunion and Gizmo and Peanut (our dogs) got reacquainted as well. We all went to have some Brunch on Sunday at a place called Johnathan’s, it was delish.

London was a baby celebrity. Everyone loved her outfit and the fact that she was a baby, had everyone coming by the table. I have to get used to that. I didn’t expect so many other people to actually engage me and my little one.

 

We then went to Uptown Park? Near Max’s wine dive and did some shopping. I tried on jeans, but of course they do not sell things in a tall. 😦 Oh well. We met up with my blog buddy Chelsea, and had Mimosas and some good girl talk! I will be back, and we will of course have to hang out again. I had a blast with her.

 

I went with two good friends, Brandi and Sid and we were ready for war! LOL. Kidding.

The Texans fans really showed up to this game. I think we were about even when it came to fans. I cheered, I almost cried (After a missed Field Goal that sent the game into overtime), and I screamed and acted like a….crazy fan! I love me some football, it was my Dads favorite sport to watch and since I am a Daddy’s girl, well, I followed in his footsteps.

 

 

After the game, I pretty much lost my voice and was tired. I went out the night before and then with a few hours of sleep woke up to do my motherly duties (Pumping and bonding), and forgot to really eat. So that evening I made sure that I ate some food, and sadly I became sick. Food poisoning. For a breast feeding mom that is a nightmare. I needed that food that wouldn’t stay down, and I needed to stay hydrated. I might have curled into fetal position a few times. I woke up early the next day and took off  back to Houston. It rained the entire time but overall the baby stayed asleep and we made it home safely. Traveling with a baby was not the easiest, but it was not half bad. We will be doing it again!

Now it is time for me to get back on my GMAT studies I start tonight/ tomorrow. I need at least 4 hours of study every other day until Dec. Wish me luck

Trip to Atlanta and Such

Last week,

Me and my dad road tripped it to Atlanta. We could have flown, which is the easier alternative. I have not taken a road trip with him since I was a little girl, maybe four! So, it was a great bonding experience. We took our time, started out early, laughed joked and got there safely.

Our reason for traveling so far was for a few reasons; He has not seen his step son from his 1st marriage since the 90’s, and I wanted to see my Extended family on my Mothers side. I got to see my Aunt, my cousins, and even got to hang out with everyone. It was overdue and I plan on coming back. I also got to bond with my Stepbrother and his wife. It was overall an awesome experience.

I found out that I am pretty good at training dogs too. They had a big dog, a lab mix named Taz, and he was a very active dog. So I taught him a few more commands in addition to the ones my stepbro and wife taught him and helped him get more freedom! They kept him in the cage because he could be so excited with company. By the time I left back for Houston, he was a cool calm and collect dog. Exciting stuff. Gizmo, however, might not like that I cheated on him with another dog. LOL That is a whole other story. So I am officially 16 weeks and 5 days preggers and I am starting to poke out. Let me tell you it is weird and awesome. The only dislike I have is my breasts. They are LARGE. They have doubled in size and I think they are not done growing. I am glad I am tall and tig ol’es fit my body type. Otherwise it would truly look like I had some work done LOL.

 

School has really kept me busy and with me trying to do it all and realizing I cannot, I have to learn to prioritize a little bit better. I am working on it!

 

 

Vacation Re-Cap

Hey guys,

It’s been a while since I actually blogged, and it was all thanks to school, work, projects, and just plane ole life getting in the way. Let me tell you what I have been up to!

I have been semi-consistent with my workouts, thanks to school, I even rode my bike to the rail and took it into work. My bike ride to the rail from my house was about a 15 -20 minute ride, then about a 5 minute ride into work. I even found time to get a decent workout in during my lunch. I should have taken pictures but I was in the zone!

This weekend I took some vacation time. It is the end of the year and I have about 68 hours of vacation time I need to use or, I will lose it. So I took off this past Friday and Monday to make it a lovely 4-day hiatus! I went to Austin to visit some friends, and we had an excellent time together. I certainly will be back for a visit. Austin is wonderfully outdoorsy and my type of place. Friendly people, bike trails galore, excellent scenic views, great music, and food! Here are a few pics from instagram:

 

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Being silly as usual

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Coach Lowe, whom I met up with for drinks and the game at Domain

Anthony!

On my last day there, I got to get my Workout on around the neighborhood I did 1.5 miles of cardio, Lunges to the stop sign, 1 minute planks and 25 sit-ups. It was beautiful! I cannot wait to own my own home and continue to do things like that. Running outside versus the treadmill, makes for an excellent experience!

 

I headed back home, and stopped at Rudy’s BBQ for some brisket. Austin always makes me crave barbeque for some reason and then proceeded to come home relax and start working on my paper that was due. I worked on it for most of Monday and editing a 20 page paper, and mellow out. Hope everyone’s weekend was fantastic. This week I plan on working out, playing with my pooch completing my Grad school work, and attending a pot luck for work!

How was your Weekend?

What are your plans for Thanksgiving in the Office?

Weekends in Lousiana

*This is a day late due to WordPress Mobile Technical Difficulties*

 

I spent my weekend in Louisiana.

It was a good one. I got to spend some quality time with my new boyfriend (Yes, ya’ll finally). I decided to take vacation on Friday so I would have time to get my hair done (2-week ritual), and drive up early. I learned that from my last visit that a turn around vacation isn’t ideal.It rained so hard the entire time I was on the road. I got there and we went to the gym, Friday was my rest day so I just did 30 minutes of slow cardio on the elliptical, and we spent the rest of our time inside thanks to the rain and watched movies and caught up.

Saturday was better,

We continued to watch movies, relax and went to the gym and rocked out our shoulders and abs. Reverse crunches, 150 twists on a gym ball, and 40 mins of cardio will have you spent! I think I took a nap and spent some QT with my dog and my guy.

Sunday was beautiful! I woke up early to finish some of my homework and other things that were due for school for about a good hour and a half and after that we took Gizmo for a walk. I spotted the pool, and we went back in the house to watch football, and then we went to the pool. Let’s just say I acted up! Cartwheels, jumps, dancing and funny poses you name it. It was fun. We then went back to the house so I could pack up and head home :-(. Long distance sucks but it can be done! We are working on it 😉

Today’s back and biceps workout will include:

• 20 mins cardio (will do at home) 
• Reverse Grip Pull downs
• Bent Over Barbell Rows
• Hypertensions
• Straight Arm Pull Downs
• Concentration Curls
• Dumbbell Alternate Curls
• Cable Curls
• 20 min cardio(will do at home) 
• 150 twists

 

My triceps are sore from 3 days ago, but I will be okay. I got this work out from Bodybuilding.com Kris Gethins 12 week program. I am 5 days in and I feel great.

Weekends and such

Good afternoon!

How was everyone’s Weekend?! Mine was fantabulous! (Yes that’s a made up word) I first would like to point out that She’s Losing It nominated me for a WordPress Family Award! Yay! Thanks Girl! I am honored.

This award was created for bloggers who are part of the WordPress “family” and take the time to be supportive of other bloggers by giving positive feedback, answer questions and do so in a non-competitive way.

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.(done)
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.(done)
3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.(doing)
4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them.(done)

My nominations for the award are(drumroll!):

1. The Dancing Runner

2. The Better Man Project

3. Fit Foodie Le

4. Our Personal Journey

5. Life Is a Damn Circus

6. Life N Thymes of food

7. Project Life to Light

8. Everyday Power Blog

9. Cherie Runs This

10. Fit is the New Black

Now, to my weekend. I went to visit my new boo, (I have a boyfriend now!) at his Military Base in Louisiana. I made the three hour trek with my pooch, and it went without a hitch.  I got there and we hung out, watched football, went to eat with his friends, and watch a movie. The next day, we went to the gym and GOT. IT. IN. Did I mention he and his friend are training for a fitness competition? I had an amazing workout with his guidance and his friend and wife. It was almost like a double gym date of sorts lol. We did barbell exercises, leg lift machine exercises, dumbbell exercises, and resistance bands. Then we went and did 30 minutes of cardio. I was HUNGRY! I tore into one of my pre prepped meals when I got back into the house. After that, he gave me a mini tour of the post, and took a test for class. we spent the rest of the time watching some football (I love Football!). I had such a great time I didn’t want to leave. 😦

Here are some vids and pics:

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Also, I have lost about 4lbs already being on my 6 small meals, low carb, meal plan as of lately! I am so excited! I hope I can see an ab soon! Anywho, that was my weekend! Stay tuned for Transformation Tuesdays!

Random Weekend

What a weekend!

I started out my weekend by going to a cousins birthday at a local zydeco bar/restaurant called Jax. Zydeco is a music genre that comes from Louisiana that has a fast tempo and an accordion is heavily involved in the music. They had a live band and the dance floor was packed! It was fun and I am not that talented in the dancing portion of Zydeco, but it is fun to watch and attempt. I have a video on my instagram feel free to check it out here

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After that I went home and woke up the next day ready for bootcamp. No one showed up but me. The workout consisted of:

• 45 second rope thrusts
• 45 second jumping jacks w/ rope
• 45 second box jumps
• 45 seconds high knees
• 45 second 5 part sprint/runs 150 yards

 

 

A new Water Bottle for my Workouts I can freeze!

Post Workout!

3 rounds of this in the hot, and humid sun and I was beat! Also, a funny side note. We were at a field and I had hydrated prior to me working out. The problem is, my bladder is on the weaker side, and I had to GO! I had to stop on my second round to take care of this. My trainer was concerned I didn’t have any toilet paper and I was like I would just have to make due. I take showers after I workout. LOL.

After that I got a call from a friend in Austin inviting me to a boat party. I thought why not. So I packed Gizmo up and made the 3 hour trek to A town! The boat party was fun. Gizmo likes a house environment and it was good to see my friend.

 

Passenger seat side!

I packed up on Sunday made the trek back. I studied for about 2 hours and read the 1st chapter for school (I am trying to be studious), and ended the night watching the VMA’s. Miley Cyrus was a disaster if you want my honest opinion. To end the blog on a good note here is a quote or a motivational paragraph! It gave me life, I hope it gives you some too!

 

 

WordPress.org in it

Hey guys,

 

I am back to my normal shuffle of things, Work, dog, school, ect and  I am refreshed from my trip(Atlanta). My mother is the most hilarious air passenger in life. Her luggage was a duffle bag of some sort and a huge cooler (IDK why either) and she over packed so it kept falling. She got patted down by TSA because she forgot to take out her loose change in her pockets after bragging to me that she has flown for years and I should follow her lead, and when the plane takes off and lands she cannot be spoken to, nor touched because she has to concentrate on not peeing on herself. Me and my sister were in tears. I must travel with her a lot more, she is an absolute joy. I am  in current talks of another trip to Vegas, Detroit and Atlanta. Yeah, I am ambitious, but I have a free flight thanks to my travels this year and some vacation time to burn. I also possibly plan on driving to Detroit possibly since it is the only way to afford the trip. Right now tickets are in the 400-500 dollar range and that is not the range I am willing to pay for Detroit. Nope.

Tonight, will go for a joy ride on my bike tonight catch up on my GMAT studies (My test is in 2 weeks! AHHH) and cook. Things always seem to workout, sleep might not be an option. I can also opt to ride my bike early morning. I might do that. Anywho, I recently switched my blog to wordpress.org and boy am I EVER confused. If there is anyone out there that can help me, Lord Jesus, please help me. I think I did it correctly, however, due to the filters at work I am unable to view my webpage to see if it was successful. Let us pray it is.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands,

 

Oh how they hurt so good. Today I had a formal introduction to them in the Power Hour class. My goodness, it showed just what muscles I have not been working. I have work to do. She almost made me cry. The bands were very effective and the burn…….4 alarm. I burned almost 500 calories today. Nice. I thought that the Power Hour on Wednesday was intense. Nope. No cigar….today was even more of a challenge. So, today she taught me the perfect form for a push up. I so thought I was doing it right. Nope. I felt my core get a workout like never before. I shall try it again. The lady that instructs has to be 40+ She mentioned she has grown kids, and can do one arm push ups. {insert inspiration here}

 

 

So, I really thought this Friday was the last Friday in this month. WRONG. I would have so showed up to Critical Mass today and wondered if I was on an episode of punk’d. So NEXT Friday, I will be participating in that wonderfulness. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I plan on studying for one, frolicking at the beach in Freeport, and having a lazy Kabob -BQ on Monday at my apartments pool. Hope everyone plans on doing something interesting this weekend!

Stadium Sprint Challenge

If you like a great challenge, then a stadium sprint is definitely a way to go. Tribesports has put together a workout that will work your upper, lower body and core. The best thing of it all is that you can use your own body weight. I am considering doing it sometime this week. I live where I have access to stairs (stadium not needed if you do not live close to one). I love that Tribesports puts up new challenges every week and day. It is refreshing to switch up the routine and keep it spicy. Follow them on Instagram as well, they have some really awesome challenges of the day that they post. Mini Circuits and Supersets galore!. Click the picture to take the challenge

In other news:

I went to Las Vegas this weekend and had a blast! It was a nice little birthday get away with some amazing friends from Dallas. We did everything we wanted to do! We walked, ziplined, danced, ate, toured, gambled, rode bulls, shopped. You get the point. I walked at least 10 miles each day. At least it felt like it. Here are a few pictures.

Weekend recap

Where do I begin? I went to Dallas this weekend and I really enjoyed myself. I have created even stronger bonds with my friends that have moved there and lived there that I met a few years back, and got to even have my 1st experience with taking my dog with me on his 1st road trip.

My trip consisted of me catching up with friends, failing miserably at karaoke, dancing and emphasizing and eating delish brunch. My dog got along well with another pet in the household, and even attempted to be the house alarm system. My dog is an absolute character I tell you. I got some beautiful Candies platform heels for 10.00!!! At the buffalo exchange and had an amazing lemon cupcake.

On the way back to Houston, it was an adventure, I have a friend who rode with me back. My friend isn’t the biggest fan of energetic dogs and my dog is the epitome of energetic. If you look up in the dictionary energy, you will see a picture of Gizmo. So I finally used the dog crate I bought over a year ago and it worked well. Now he whined, growled, barked, huffed and puffed in protest, but we made it with no incidents.

Overall, this trip really showed me there are genuine people out there and that there is appreciation for you when you least expect it. As of lately, I haven’t felt appreciated, and it feels good to be validated that you DO impact people’s lives. Sometimes you just need that.