Seven Places/Six Wants

So I was going to do seven wants until I realized that most of my wants were basically places...so here we go with six places!

1.  LONDON!

Courtesy

Hubs and I are in the dreaming stage of planning a trip to London.  It's first up on our list.  I have wanted to visit since I was a young girl.

Amanda over at KevinandAmanda.com has been posting photos from their recent trip and she's making me completely jealous not to mention salivate over the amazing food and her out of this world photography skills.

2.  ROME

Courtesy

I seriously want to visit Rome.  The beautiful architecture, the food, the history.  It's on our bucket list.

3. CALIFORNIA

The Brother, Dad, and I near San Francisco in 1989.

In 1989, my family and my aunt and uncle visited my cousin and her family in San Francisco.  Together we all visited Los Angeles and Hearst Castle in San Simeon.  Around 1990, my family moved to a city outside Oakland.  Lately I have wanted to visit my childhood haunts - the apartment and house we lived in, my elementary and middle schools, just everywhere.  I think it would be fun to show Hubs where I spent 4 years of my life.

4.  PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

I blogged recently about the trip fever I have been having lately and the beach is at the top of that list!

5.  WRITE A BOOK or BECOME A SUCCESSFUL BLOGGER

I have some serious hero bloggers and writers and I would love to join their ranks.  I don't know if that will ever happen but until then I'll keep plugging away at what I'm doing!  You never know what the future holds.

6.  BE A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER - Capture Life

I LOVE taking pictures.  People even pay me to take their picture.  But I don't do a good job capturing the everyday.  As Hubs and I look at our 10th wedding anniversary coming up, we have been thinking about 10 years worth of memories.  I have loads of pictures of trips and big special events but then again, I don't have enough.  Maybe being a photographer does that to you, you crave that image memory.  I need to devote more time to just capturing what's happening around me.

Menu Plan Monday

Hubs and I are on a cleaner eating kick.  Of course we are in our ever present search for new menu ideas that are healthy and this week we really did well and since last week we have both already seen results on the scale!  Here is this week's menu...

Since we grocery shop on Thursday nights, I'll start then with our menu...

Thursday - Grocery night and out to eat.  It was Mexican and wasn't entirely healthy but we didn't want hungry bellies for the grocery store.  See I can rationalize this well.  :-)

Friday - Quinoa Meatball Subs - I used this recipe but instead of sliders I used full-length whole wheat buns.  Delicious!

Saturday - I had a wedding photography gig and Hubs spent the day painting so we opted for easy yet it wasn't too bad at all.  We picked up a Palmero's Flatbread Pizza from BOGO at Publix.  We split it for 410 calories each and paired it with a salad.  Delicious and filling.

Sunday - Turkey Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans
I made up my own recipe using ground turkey, parsley, minced garlic, onions, oats, and quinoa.  YUM!

Monday - Spaghetti and Salad (again using ground turkey and whole wheat noodles)

Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry over rice
Picked up some sesame-ginger sauce from Publix.  Planning to add onions, squash, and zucchini

Wednesday - Fish (either some frozen whiting filets we have or regular Gorton's Fish Sticks), Rice, and asparagus

For tons of meal ideas (even ones you can make healthy) visit Orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday!

10 Day Challenege - 8 Fears

Eight Fears - Even if they are completely irrational...

1.  Getting beheaded.  Or just generally getting my head separated from my body.  Totally irrational.  But a real fear.

2.  Getting Stuck in an Elevator

3.  The Dark.  I go to sleep with the tv on and I sleep with a nightlight.  No joke.

4.  Raw (or bad) meat.  Undercooked.  Or just bad.  Yuckie!

5.  Flamingos.  No joke.  They creep me out.  I think it's their legs. 

 

6.  Tripping or falling in public.  Or just general public humiliation.

7.  Needles.  This is sort of ironic seeing as I'm a diabetic...

8.  The Ocean.  Okay, not the ocean exactly but super strong undertows.  I can remember riding waves on an inter-tube and getting pulled under and the undertow and the breaking waves.  I couldn't stand up despite being in less than 3 feet of later.  

10 Day You Challenge - Day 2

Day One - Nine Loves

#1 - Hubs

 

Some people say your spouse can't be your best friend but we truly are best friends.  We are both complete nerds and have the best adventures.

 

 

#2 - My Parents

 

 

 

My parents are pretty awesome.  They are cool cats who raised me to be strong and independent.

 

#3 - My Best Friends

 

And sadly we don't have one single picture with our entire group!!

 

#4 - The Kiddos

 

The red-headed baby doll.

Super Handsome Nerd Baby

The Princess

My favorite ball player.

 

 

#5 - My Fur Babies

 

 Shelby is our rescue puppy.  She's a total mutt but obviously she has a LOT of German Shepherd.  We think her other half is Corgi.  She's a total doll and is seriously glued to my side every minute that I am home.

  

Jax is another rescue but the way cats think, he probably thinks he rescued us.  He is a curious cat but really a sweetheart.  He loves to cuddle on my shoulder and his favorite spot is on the couch behind my head.

 

#6 - The Beach

 

To clarify...Panama City Beach.  Our favorite vacation spot.

 

 

 

#7  - Photography

 

I have a photography business that started out of my favorite hobby.  I love taking pictures.  I love meeting new people through photography.  I have had the opportunity to capture countless family and children sessions and I'm about to photograph  my 5th wedding.

 

 

#8 - Thrift Store Shopping

 

I love browsing thrift stores and in our area, there are quite a few to explore.  You never know what you are going to find.  One time Hubs bought a car seat (like literally a bucket seat from a vehicle) and the other day I found a brand new DKNY sweater.

 

#9 - Blogs

 

I love reading blogs.  I don't comment as much as I should but I am getting better.  Here are some of my favorites (in absolutely no particular order).

 

Plain Chicken

Peanut Butter Fingers

Mama Laughlin

Skinny Meg

Kevin and Amanda

The Pioneer Woman

 

#10 - Reading

 

I like to read when I can sit down and really enjoy it.  I like all sorts of genres - Romance, SciFi, Fantasy, Mystery, Classics, etc.  This past weekend I explored Play Books on my tablet and started reading The Secret Garden.  I know that I read this in school but that a little while ago so it is like reading a brand new book.

 

 

10 Day You Challenge - Day 1

I came across this the 10 Day You Challenge on one of my favorite blogs - Peanut Butter Fingers.  I decided to give it a try.

Day 1 - Ten Secrets - I don't really know how good these "secrets" are.

#1 - I want to be a writer!  I write some but keep it hidden.  I am not comfortable sharing it but writing and getting published is definitely on my bucket list.

#2 - I have a soft spot for boy bands.  This may not really be a secret but I love some Backstreet Ones, New Kids on the Block, One Direction...etc. 

#3 - I have to hype myself up to run.  When I'm running, I get pretty unmotivated very quickly.  I have to constantly coach myself to keep going.  It's easier when I take Shelby because then I can say "Come on, Girl.  Just a little bit further," and everyone thinks I'm talking to the dog.

#4 - I'm quite OCD.  Some things I can let be ridiculously messy and unorganized but certain things have to have their place before I can relax.  Sometimes it happens with other people's stuff and I can't relax until I right the wrong. 

#5 - When I lost enough weight to stop shopping in the plus size section, I did a little happy dance in the dressing room. 

#6 - I absolutely despise wearing a swimsuit.  They are horrible creations.  Each time I'm in a swimsuit, I'm constantly thinking about how uncomfortable I am.  And I suck in the entire time I'm wearing one.

#7 - I'm scared of the dark.  I have to have light.  I cannot go to sleep in a completely dark room.  I fall asleep every night with the television on.

#8 - I can't stand nicknames like Kid, Honey, Sweetie, or any of those.  But I never correct someone if they use a nickname.  I'm generally friendly that way.

#9 - I once got my haircut and I told the girl that I liked it but I was crying before I ever got to my car.  It was sooooo short.  I cried all the way home. 

#10 - At Potluck meals, I only get the foods when I know who made them.  I have an irrational fear of buffets and potlucks in general so I make sure I know who made the food before I will even try it. 

Stay tuned...I think my Nine Loves is much better than my Ten Secrets.

Memorial Day Weekend

On sort of a whim, we decided to go camping Friday night.  There was supposed to be a new meteor shower to see and the weather was supposed to be great so we set out for my cousin's farm. 

Don't ya just love my packing list!?

 My cousins have property only about 20 minutes from our house.  It's a giant farm with loads of open sky.  It was the perfect setting.  We found a nice campsite and set up our tent and built a little fire.  The evening turned out much cooler than expected so the fire helped knock the chill off.

 We took Shelby.  First of all, Shelby LOVES to ride in the Jeep and exploring is her favorite hobby.  She was in farm heaven with all of the smells from horses, chicken, crops, and good Alabama grass.

All of the camping essentials - fire, comfy chairs, and the Jeep that got you there.

My cousins were there preparing a field for planting so we got to visit for a while.  When they headed for home, we fired up our tiny new camp grill and made burgers.  We had burgers, chips, and monster munch for dessert.

The meteor shower ended up being a little lackluster and we were just plain exhausted so we ended up falling asleep somewhere during the 11 o'clock hour.  

Shelby kept us up off and on all night.  Sleeping in a new place was exciting stuff.   

We ended up waking up around 5 Saturday morning.  Camping makes you an early riser. 

My cousin came by early to get started on their planting and we attempted to make breakfast.  All we ended up making was sausage patties but we all three ( me, the Hubs, and Shelby) enjoyed them.

I had a photoshoot on Saturday morning but afterwards we headed to my parents' house to enjoy some dinner.  My dad was hungry for bbq so he went a little wild on the grill.  We had ribs, pork steaks, Italian sausage, smoked sausage, and chicken kabobs with squash, zucchini, and onions.  We also had homemade potato salad and coleslaw and corn on the cob.  It was so delicious!

My daddy knows his way around a grill.

 We spent the rest of the weekend hanging around the house, working outside (Hubs!), and swimming at my parents' house.  On Monday, I had a late lunch with my parents, grandmother, and aunt.  It was another round of my dad's grilling goodness. 

My parents have 5,000 beach towels but this one made me giggle.  They have had it since my brother picked it out when Aladdin first came out in theaters (1992!). 

Menu Plan Monday

So I was completely devastated this morning.  I had a gain of 5lbs on the scale!  This gain was due to improper planning - no meal plans, no lunch preparedness and eating entirely too much junk!  Hubs and I are determined to be better - plan better, shop better, be better.  I really want to try more clean eating.  I really need to focus on less fatty and carb-heavy foods.  Instead of dwelling on that horrible number on the scale, I plan to get rid of it by focusing, planning, and working hard!

Here is our menu this week -

Saturday - Stuffed Peppers (these were prepared by the Publix Meat Dept and not homemade), loaded potato casserole, and green beans

Sunday - Country Fried Steak (this is part of that no planning/bad decisions thing...), mac & cheese, leftover loaded potato casserole

Monday - Chinese "Fried" Rice and Chinese Chicken Salad

Tuesday - Steak and Chicken Kabobs (with squash, zucchini, and onions), rice, and corn

Wednesday - Breakfast at home - whole wheat pancakes and smoked sausage

Thursday - Grocery night with a plan for healthy, clean foods!

For hundreds of menu plan ideas, visit orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday!