25th Seattle AIDS Walk and 5K Run

I participated in the 25th Seattle AIDS Walk this past Saturday with some of my GREAT friends!  We arrived (venti coffee in hand) at Volunteer Park in Capital Hill to start the race.  Thank goodness it was SUNNY and HOT, so yes...I sported my awesome shades :)

We were very early so we walked around to all the different booths and got a lot of cool and interesting things.  Thanks to Whole Foods I was hydrated all day, man they had an awesome spread of little pastries and fruits and a gazillion bottles of water.

My goodies

At the opening ceremony there was a flash mob!  FUN!!!  Next year I want to be part of one, not organize it, but be part of one.  This year over $300K raised!  We waited patiently for the walkers time to start...must say I was sweating in anticipation....no I was sweating because we all were herded like cattle in front of the start line awaiting the signal to go and it was SO hot!

A friend and I under the hot sun!



The walk was great!  Pretty much flat the entire way except for the killer hill at the end...whew...I'd rather start with the killer hill than end with it!  I got to see a part of the city that I haven't really seen before, I haven't explored very much of Capital Hill or Downtown yet, but I will!  Definitely need to go back and explore Volunteer Park as there was SO much there that I didn't get to see.

Our team!!!!  We be winners!

I have to say that we all looked pretty good after walking 3 miles in the hot sun!  I'm so very glad that I got to participate this year and will definitely again next year.  Heather and I have a goal of running it next year, so I better get my okole (butt) in gear and start training for it!

Our friend Jen was a Volunteer...I WANT HER SHIRT

This was my second 5K I participated in....last year I was 45 pounds heavier and I did notice a difference this year.  Of course last year it was an obstacle course and this was a straight walk, but imagine having to carry a big ol' bag of rice with you.  Hopefully next year I'll be another 45 pounds lighter and can finish the race with a sprint!

Don't go chasing Waterfalls

Had a fabulous weekend and so far this week has been pretty good too.

On Saturday morning, my friend Maria and I drove up to Snoqualmie Falls...of course a pit stop was made at Starbucks for my best buddy (a venti skinny caramel machiato).  The drive was very easy and since it was 7 in the morning there was no traffic what-so-ever. 

We got up to the falls about an hour later and walked around a bit.  Luckily it wasn't rainy, a bit overcast, but I'd take that over rain ANY DAY!

We then went and had breakfast at the Salish Lodge, wow, what a beautiful hotel!  Mental note:  I will stay here one night!  The view was spectacular and the atmosphere was comfortable.  I bet it costs quite a bit since the breakfast was a little on the pricey side.  I had the french toast with cinnamon vanilla whipped cream and raspberry compote.  Delicious!  Also ordered a pot of the pear caramel tea...perfect since I was a little cold.

After breakfast we walked around the upper path (the lower path that leads down to the waterfall is closed until 2013).  Have to say it was a short yet fun walk.  There were a lot more people there by then (I think there was a wedding).  I saw maybe 3-5 people taking pictures with their Ipads.  Really, is it easier to carry around a huge Ipad than a smaller camera?  Hmmm....maybe they don't have a camera, but it was kind of funny seeing them try to hold this huge thing while balancing on a rock trying to take a picture.  I just used my camera phone (yeah, I'm that awesome!).

Saturday night I went out with my friends Erin and Heath.  The entire week I was telling myself I would not drink (since I've drank for the past 5 weekends now), but got a little stressed before heading out and wanted to "let my hair down."  So yes, I had a few drinks (diet coke and vanilla vodka - yum!) and had a GREAT evening!  Thank you to both Erin and Heath for watching out for me!  Erin and I went out with a few friends to Denny's and were out until 4:30a!  Yeah, I'm WAY too old for that, although it did feel a little bit like my younger days when we'd go out dancing and then eat the calories that we burned dancing with a Grand Slam at Denny's.

You can always tell how much I've had to drink from the color of my cheeks :)

"No one can love you until you love yourself"....great quote.  Read this off of a blog that I follow.  I must say that it is completely true!  I'm still trying to embrace myself emotionally and physically.  Slow process, but I'm getting there with the help and love of my family and friends!

Can I just tell you how much I love this guy!!!

This is my brother Justin and I LOVE him sooo much.  He's in the Airforce and is stationed in Arkansas and is one of the best guys I have ever known.  He and I are going through a lot right now, but I am so glad that we have each other to lean on.  I am blessed and honored to have him as my little bro and am proud that he choice to serve his country and so far has done to two tours overseas.  I love you JUSTIN!

Single and 30!

Yet another change has come into my life...my husband and I have filed for divorce and I have to wait for a few more months for it to become final.  In all honesty, the beginning was very difficult for me to believe...."what, I'm 30 and now single?" "I've been with this man my entire adult life and now I am single?"  But guess what, I've come around to the idea and yes, I'm still scared at times, but this is a NEW adventure for me.  Sure, I'm sad because I not only loss a partner, but I also lost a friend; guess what I have a great bunch of friends and family members who are behind me in my decisions and who are supporting me all the way!

So I take off the the mismatched pajamas, clean out my house and rid myself of clutter and memories (well, I don't throw them away, rather have them in a memory box...some memories were are too precious to forget) and start to a happier me.  I also turn the music up VERY loud of music he hated and I sing at the top of my lungs..."I'm a barbie girl, in a barbie world...." (don't lie I know you have at least hummed along to that song!).

I know that there will be good days...and bad days, I relate to my emotions right now as a roller coaster, good days, up, bad days, down...but I'm hoping that there will be more good days in my future and very little bad. 

On Friday I went to a Mariner's game with some of my cousins and a good friend.  We met up at Tiki Bob's (never been there before and I LOVED IT!)...after quite a few drinks (and even some shots of tequila) we were on our way to watch the Mariner's kick the Royal's butt (and they did 7-3!).

View from the Beer Garden

Our seats were far back and we didn't even make it there...we ended up at the beer garden all night and we all had a blast!

Me and my friend Maria



So yes...big change, but a good change.  Can't wait to see what the future brings!!!!

Up and Down

Wow, I've had quite a vacation away from this blog, but am going to reorganize my priorities which this blog is one of.

Recently I have had many personal issues occur in my life which at this time I'm not ready to disclose just yet, but I will tell you that the title says it all. My emotions are off the wall...one day I'm fine and another I'm not.

I've been cooking/baking quite a bit more. In fact, I'm getting these really great recipes from the blogs that I follow. Of course, many of them are not as healthy as I would like, but they are very very tasty :0).

I made these tonight, Smores Cookies which I got from Sweet Pea's Kitchen its like the best summer cookie ever which reminded me sitting around a roaring campfire with my family.

My big 3-0 is coming up and I'm like the title says up and down on whether I'd like to celebrate or not. I feel like drinking the night away so that I don't remember turning the dreaded number and like to hang out, but then again I don't feel like celebrating when I'm sad. But maybe this is what I need....I need to celebrate something in my life. Also, I always plan my parties...always. I'd like for once just to take the back seat and watch things unfold. I'm at fault as well, I like to be in control to make sure everything goes the way I want, but I just am NOT in a party planning mood.

The other weekend I went to visit a friend in the Tri-Cities. It was about a 3 hour drive and I loved every minute I was there. Sarah and her husband Jason, were great hosts and I had a great time. Sarah and I went wine tasking at Tagaris and Bookwalter, it was my first time and I got pretty tipsy. I bought a bottle at Tagaris and I must say, each glass tasted better and better with the next one :) I swear the last glass I had tasted like liquid honey.

Sarah and I are planning on taking a trip to Italy, not until September 2012...I really hope that this trip really happen.

Many changes are happening in my life and I need to accept these changes and learn to adapt.

Blah Week

This week at work has been pretty stressful. A lot of unknowns are out there and I don't work well with unknowns :(

I weighed in today and lost .2 pounds, I feel a little dissapointed because I worked the WW plan and worked out, but only .2 loss??? But, then I spoke to a co-worker and they said, "hey it's a loss and not a gain right?". Very true! I still lost weight this week and should not feel down, but proud. I was so use to seeing bigger numbers in losses, but I should be exuberant that I did not gain .2 right??? So yes, people, I lost .2 this week and I'm proud! I'll just keep working at losing more next week.

Went to the gym last night with my mom. I swear I would work out more and more if I could just watch television while I do it. Last night I caught the very end of Law and Order and sweated while walking on the treadmill. I wanted to do some weights, but didn't feel that motivated. I will tonight though.

Did a little better this week and even jogged at 4.4 mph for a few.

When I got home I attempted to make french fries, with butternut squash. I saw Hungry Girl make it on her new cooking show on the Cooking Channel. The food I would eat everyday without hesitation is french fries, YUM! They are the devil to me I swear. They definitely didn't taste like my usual french fries from McDonald's but they are a good substitute. I should have left them in a little longer so that they could crisp a bit more, but I doused em' with pepper and dunked em' in my ketchup and mustard blend and they were good. They were a lot sweeter than normal fries, but if I'm in a rut and need a fix :) then I can go for them. PLUS, they are 0 WW plus points for a serving. I ate mine last night with my dad's homemade meatloaf. I'm not usually a fan of meatloaf, but this was pretty yummy.

I will be headed to Hawaii next month and then New Orleans in April, my two vacations for the year. I uber excited about both vacations, but I need to get ready for em'. I would like to lose another 10 pounds before I go and try to get my arms and legs beach ready. I'm still debating on whether or not I will fake and bake before I go. Lemme tell you all, that I am pasty white. I tan pretty easily, and am originally from Hawaii (even got me some Hawaiian/Filipino blood) but I look whiter than rice! A nice base tan is what I need :) I'll keep you updated on what I decide.

Greenlake

This morning I met up with one of my good friends Maria, who I haven't seen in FOREVER, to walk around Greenlake. I'll be honest I tried to talk her out of walking the lake and just meet up for breakfast, but she talked me into walking :)

This morning I attempted to make a poached egg, never made one before so the night before I looked up how to do it. After reading a few articles I knew I could do it, so I woke up and headed upstairs to the kitchen. Didn't make one though because all of the articles I read said you need vinegar, which we didn't have. So I ate an apple instead and headed out the door to Greenlake.

Only took 10 minutes to get there from Edmonds and I found a great spot. Anyone who lives in Seattle knows that its soooo hard to find a parking spot near Greenlake. Met Maria at Starbucks and sipped on a Skinny Caramel Machiato while we walked.

When we first started our venture, it started to snow!?! WTH? But luckily that only lasted a few seconds, and other than the cold and wind, it was a great day for a walk.

We finished the 2.8 trek around the lake in an hour....gonna get that number down next week!

I remember being a kid and roller blading with my cousins around the lake. The path is sooo much nicer now and I recall a few times where I ate gravel cause the path was uneven and the tree roots lifted up many areas. I even remember screaming "LEFT" to the walkers to tell em' I'm passing you on the left! Gosh, I even swam in that lake back in the day, wouldn't recommend that now though! You'd be swimming in duck poop :)

I feel great after the walk and even more relaxed!

No Pudge

Today was a very lazy day. I didn't leave the house and barely left the bed! Woke up around 10am (geesh) and headed upstairs to eat something (cheerios and soy milk) and then started to make dinner. After purusing Foodgawker I found a recipe for Smashed Potato Soup.

Very easy recipe and it was yummy! The longest part was peeling the potatoes...we only had small ones so I had to peel quite a few. Threw it all in a slow cooker and let it cook for 6 hours. Once done, I mashed the potatoes down and added the non-fat half and half and cheese and dinner was served. I love me some slow cookers! I am looking for a steel cut oatmeal recipe to make for Monday morning. Trying to mix up my work morning breakfasts so I don't get in a rut.

For dessert tonight I made two servings of Mint No Pudge Brownies. Completely forgot about No Pudge. A friend a few years ago told me about it and I was stoked to find it at Albertsons! Very simple, 2 tablespoons of mix and 1 tablespoon of vanilla yogurt - nuke it for one minute and viola! Brownies! I didn't each much today so I treated myself to two servings.

Right after I ate my dessert, yum....Lonnie (my husband) wanted to go to Burger King. Before we left, I went onto their website
and looked what I could eat. I could eat everything and my downfall is french fries, BUT I got a junior whopper with no mayo (7 WW points).

I think that if I eat out I'll just make sure I am able to check their nutritional information so I know beforehand what I want (and should) get. I love that many places are required by LAW to post this information. I thought it would be weird to sit down at a nice place and ask for their nutrition list, but it's not.

I'm hoping to hit the gym tomorrow, I excited to actually.