Getting Motivated…Again

After being on vacation for the last two weeks, you could say my diet has gone out the window…completely. I stuffed my face with countless amounts of fried, buttery, creamy, sugary, salty, and absolutely delicious foods while away. Normally I am really good at this travel diet thing, seeing how we live on the road 90% of the time. But, this time, I somehow managed to forget all the rules and compleatly let myself go. It’s amazing how fast you can forget about how good you feel when eating right when there is an ice-cream cone staring you in the face.

This is now my second day being “home” and I’m starting to get back on track. Last  night I ran to the grocery store to try and get myself back on track. I stocked our fridge and cupboards with oatmeal, protein powder, egg whites, brussel sprouts, asparagus, chicken and Greek yogurt. I now have no temptations surrounding me and am forced back into a healthy lifestyle.

My next motivator is my car is still stuck in Houston, Tx. Why does this motivate me? It leaves me no excuse but to fill my day with cardio. I may aswell head down to the fitness center than veg on the couch all day with no way out of the hotel. Five days of two-a-days at the gym and then a trip to Boise should have me back on schedule. Did I also mention that my scale is being held hostage with my car in Houston…that’s probably a good thing.

The Keys to Relaxation

Paradise: Found

Last week my husband and I are spent the week in the Florida Keys…Key West to be exact. Neither one of us had ever been here before and wanted an easy tropical getaway. We had some time and Hilton points to burn so we headed south. We arrived under a blanket of darkness and the only things we saw were the dingy convenience stores on the out skirts of town. After stopping at one I wasn’t sure just what we had gotten ourselves into. After another 20 minutes or so of driving we arrived at our hotel and I was pleasantly surprised. Even at the late hour, the bell boys were happy to greet us and haul our load luggage to our room. And I must say we have a lot of luggage compared to the average traveler since we basically live on the road. While checking in, our Diamond status paid off and got us upgraded to a one bedroom suite. Once up to our suite, we found a nice plate of cookies, cute little cakes, fresh fruit and bottled water. It was a nice treat after a long day in the car. After we devoured the goodies,  we headed straight to bed. After 13 hours of driving we were exhausted.

Waking up the next morning we were pleasantly surprised. Since we were so tired, we didn’t even do any looking around when we got in. Or suite was pretty awesome. When you walk in the bedroom was off to the left. It had a king bed, two windows covered in shutters, a small writing desk, dresser, TV and a nice sized closet. The bathroom was just down the hall and to the left. It had a large glass enclosed tile shower, lots of storage and a pretty dark wood vanity. In the main living room there was a big sectional couch, TV, small refrigerator, and a buffet. Just off the living room there was a small breakfast nook and a big enough balcony. But, in my opinion, the best part of the whole room sat on top of the buffet. It was a Nespresso machine with a never-ending supply of espresso.

Later that morning we ventured out to the pool. It was nice and quiet since we showed up right after a holiday weekend. The moment we appeared at the pool we were greeted by a very helpful pool boy. He asked us where we were headed (beach or pool) and rounded up two lounge chairs and a table for us. He also laid out our towels for us and tucked them into the sides of the chairs. After about an hour of lounging when we thought things couldn’t get any better, the pool boy walked around with a basket of frozen towels infused with eucalyptus. It was incredibly hot and these towels were such a treat.

 The next day we decided to lay out by the water. Granted, it is not the type of beach where you can stroll in the waves, but it you’re ok with that it is absolutely beautiful. The waters are very blue, scattered palm trees, hammocks and white sands. Mid-morning you can see Tarpin feeding about 20 feet off shore. A rare sight that close to the beach. The service on the beach is just as nice as the pool. They bring by frozen towels, popsicles, and they clean your sunglasses for you. Who knew these little gestures could make your day?

So I promise we weren’t just beach bums the entire week. Every afternoon we got into town to see what Key West had to offer other than being incredibly hot and humid. (For those of you that don’t know we came from living in Houston and we were still dying in the Keys.) We found lots of really great shops, historical stops, and wonderful food. My favorite shop was the Kino sandal shop. It’s tucked away in a shaded square. When you walk in it’s a small shopping area and beyond the counter opens to a large warehouse where you can see all the workers making the sandals by hand. The average price is only $12 so I walked out owning three new pairs and my husband got one too. Another of our favorite stops was the Ernest Hemingway House. It’s a small fee to get in and comes with a tour. I would highly suggest taking the tour instead of walking around aimlessly. I learned a lot about the man that I never knew. The house is beautiful and so are the grounds. You could easily spend and hour or two looking around and petting Mr. Hemingway’s six-toed kitties.

All in all Key West was a great decision.Easily one of the most relaxing trips we have been on yet. It is beautiful and tropical and feels like your far removed but you don’t even need a passport to get there. We both can’t wait to get back and spend some more lazy days in the Keys.

I Could Be a Traveler

When I say I could be a traveler I don’t mean someone who is constantly jet-setting . I mean a real life Gypsy…aka Traveler. Unlike the real Gypsies, we don’t have a camper or trailer that follows us around. All we have is the company issued Ford Flex and a hotel room.

When I first started living this way back in February I have to admit it did take a little getting used to. No place to really call “Home”. New faces and new places to get used to. But after the initial shock of it, I suddenly realized I  could look at this as an extended vacation. In fact, it’s better than a vacation. We get paid to hang out here.  We get to take our time and explore the city that we are stuck in. Currently we’re in Houston, TX. And for those of you that don’t know Houston well, I’m 6 months in and I still haven’t seen the whole city!

Today we are at the end of my husbands tour. Today I will spend the day packing and organizing; getting everything ready to load in our cars. Tomorrow we have to check out of the hotel we are staying in and go on our time off for almost two weeks. This time we’re headed to Atlanta, GA for the Boise State v. Georgia game. Then after 4 days there, we’re headed off to some R&R in the Florida Keys.

Back To My (Wannabe) Roots

I don’t know what has always drawn me to the south. Maybe it’s the people or the weather. Possibly the lush green landscapes or the beautiful architecture. Perhaps my mom just fed me too much fried okra while growing up. Whatever it may be, I have always been drawn to the southern region of the US. Just a few short months ago I was getting married and being whisked away and much to my pleasure we were headed south! Houston to be exact. (I have since determined this is not the South, but I will elaborate on that in a later post.) I can’t tell you how happy I was to be calling my folks in February to tell them I was wearing shorts and a tank top while they were still shoveling snow!

This, however, is not my first rodeo down here. I went to college in a small town in Arkansas. I had two different roommates during the time I was there. They are both drastically different people and I love them both. Each of them taught me their version of being a true southern girl. I’ll never forget my first lesson. It was how to say my roommate’s boyfriends name properly. His name was Tyler. Not hard I thought. I was very wrong. About an hour later my roomie was satisfied enough and I realized my very simple version of Tyler was really TIE-lur (said best with a very heavy southern accent).

I love the south like I was born here. Here are some reasons why I can’t get enough of this place:

• Real Sweet Tea
• I don’t care what is happening around you, a southern woman always looks put together: hair, makeup, nails, and outfit. It could be World War 3 and they would look perfect!
• Fried Okra
• When you ask “How are you?” You get a real answer, not just a short “I’m fine”
• Bonfires
• Lightening bugs! Love these little creatures
• Amazing thunderstorms
• Slow summer nights-people down here know how to soak in life and truly enjoy it

I’m so glad to be here and I plan on enjoying every southern moment I get from here on out.

My First Blog…Ever

I have been debating for years now if I should write a blog. I guess I just can’t figure out who wants to sit around and read my ramblings. Plus, I never really had much of a plan. It probably would have been terribly boring. I would have just written about being a 20-something, my 9 to 5, and loving my awesome little dog. Now, I have a purpose…or I would like to think so.

My life changed fairly drastically on November 29, 2010 in a really good way. I agreed to go on a blind date. I never in a million years thought that a blind date would amount to a hill of beans, but as soon as he walked through the door I knew I was head over heels for him. Love at first sight? Yes. 100% sure. Very shortly after that on February 3, 2011 we were getting married. Then, on February 4th I was moving over 2000 miles across the country. Some might call us crazy, but we both had never been more sure of something in our lives.

I hope my blog will entertain you while taking you on our journey through life.