Never Ever Ever - Link Up

Never Ever Ever will you Ever hear me say... 1. Let's get fast food for dinner 2. Traveling is so boring 3. I can' relate any real life event to any FRIENDS episode 4. I'd rather have water than a margarita 5. That is too many chips for me 6. Garlic bread is too garlicy 7. I hate cuddling and hand holding 8. I don't facebook stalk 9. Adventures are no fun 10. I usually can't find anything to talk about Linking up with Neely

Happy Friday

Sometimes the stars just align.

source

Fresh Produce Box

Our complex has partnered with some local farmers to provide us and others around our neighborhood with local fresh produce! We decided this week to give it a shot, and believe me we were not disappointed! 

The fruits and veggies are so vibrant, luscious and rich looking and we both can't wait to dig right in!

Box Contents

Burgundy Spring Onion

Detroit Red Beets

Blue Dwarf Kale

Swiss Chard 

Carrots

Curly Parsley

Fava Beans

Strawberries

Mustard Greens

Bacon Avocados

We made carrot noodles last night and I ate some of the strawberries this morning.

There is just so much, I feel a little bit overwhelmed! I don't know where to start with all of these beautiful leafy greens!

Any ideas??

AGD IRD 2013

Check out Day 2 of #RawWeek2013!

our table

Lighting Candles

Pearls, badges and sisterhood - no better way to spend a beautiful Saturday!

On Saturday, my college women's fraternity celebrated their International Reunion Day. Alpha Gamma Delta is a great organization that has helped me grow in so many ways throughout college and has extended to after college. I have met some of the most influential women in my life and would not trade my experiences for anything.

The sisterhood that I have established here in Los Angeles has been such a blessing and I am grateful every day for the beautiful women that I have met through this organization. I have met women old and young, new to the organization and tenured, beautiful women, inspirational women and women that I am proud to call me sisters and my family. Nicole is a new addition to my squirrel collection! She was taking photos at IRD and we kept catching each others eye. We introduced ourselves and now are blogging buddies, facebook friends and we hope that our paths cross again at future functions!

Right now, we sadly only have one chapter in Southern California, at Chapman. The good news? We are reinstating the chapters at San Diego State, UCLA & USC, so the IRD will be a huge event next year and I can't wait!

We got fun lip glosses and candles that we could write on with chalk. 

And the squirrel in the lower right corner is a little keepsake box that the Alumnae Chapter President gave to me as a thank you for my involvement. I am so thankful and can't wait to store my badge inside of it!

How I love those Alpha Gamms...

:-)

#RawWeek2013

Source: Uploaded by user via LaTache on Pinterest

I am teaming up with Stephanie from BEAUtiful Mess for #RawWeek2013

One day down, six more to go!

I have been contemplating doing some sort of a cleanse for a while now, especially after the fun spring break we had where we ate and drank our way through. I consulted my great friend Melissa, with RNL, and she even guest posted for me about cleansing and detoxing at home. This guest post got me really thinking thinking about it. At the beginning of last week, Rich was out of town so I figured I would eat mainly raw meals since I knew he wouldn't be totally on board with it, and salads are a great one person meal. It was a lot easier than I thought. I just made big garden salads and added lots of yummy toppings: carrots, snap peas, beans, radishes etc - all kinds of good stuff!

So when I saw that Stephanie was doing and entire week of Raw, I figured, what the heck?! 

So here it goes!

On Sunday, I meal planned for the week. I decided what both Rich and I would like. This can be a challenge because when it comes to food we aren't too picky, but the things I don't like he likes and vice versa. (And no, I am not making separate meals for him...He can make his own breakfast and lunch and what we have for dinner will be what I make and it will be Raw :-) ) I also wanted to chose meal items that we either (a) had already, (b) wouldn't be too hard to find or (c) wouldn't cost us an arm and a leg to buy and we could use again.

Oh and we don't have a juicer or a dehydrator which crossed out quite a few options!

After I planned the meals, thank you pinterest (my raw board), I headed to the grocery store and bought the food that we would have for the first part of the week. Our complex offers fruit and veggie boxes that are grown and prepared locally for $17! Which is a total steal - with the boxes containing enough to feed 2 families for a week! Ahhmazing!

After the grocery store, I prepped and stored our dinners for Monday and Tuesday. I, honestly, was shocked at how quick and easy the entire process was - thankfully!

Honestly, I accepted this challenge and was a bit worried that it was going to be really tough to complete. I know it is only Monday night, so I can't say too much, but I am pleasantly surprised at how easy this has been!

However, let me be honest....I accidentally cheated...if you can call it cheating...I ate nuts and seeds that had been roasted and I had beans in my lunch salad today, and I didn't realize that it wasn't 'raw' until after I consumed it, thought about it for a minute and googled it. But I will not let this get me down...I will just make sure not to do it for the rest of the week!

Check out what I ate on Monday here!

Join us!
#RawWeek2013

Life Lately

Selfie :-)

I have kept myself very busy over the last few months: I kept in touch with friends in different time zones, I researched recipes for my sweet husband to make us, I got my TEFL/TESOL certification and I watched a lot of TV shows, movies and read some books!

I am so blessed with my sweet husband who always takes the best of care of me. He always knows how to put a smile on my face even when I was feeling down.

Thankfully we have streaming Netflix and midway through my recovery, Netflix offered us a free trial of the DVDs, and thankfully we have a library near us and I figured out how to rent e-books and store them on the kindle!

TV Shows:

Newsroom

Girls

Parenthood

Game of Thrones

Revenge

House of Cards

Breaking Bad

Sister Wives

Homeland

How I Met Your Mother

Movies:

The Dilemma

True Lies

The Hurt Locker

The Hunger Games

This Means War

The Change Up

Crazy Stupid Love

Breakfast at Tiffanys

Game Change

No Strings Attached

Men Who Stare at Goats

Invictus

The Departed

Black Swan

Horrible Bosses

Hall Pass

The Artist

Burlesque

Country Strong

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Key Largo

Hope Springs

Rudy

Argo

Silver Lining Playbook

Sleeping with the Enemy

Monsters Ball

My Left Foot

Inglorious Bastards

The Bucket List

Cider House Rules

There Will Be Blood

Breaking the Rules

Trouble with the Curve

Casablanca

The Big Sleep

Books:

Redeeming love

The Psychopath Test

Heaven is for Real

The Tiger's Wife

Half of the Yellow Sun

Haircut!

I just got my hair cut and I am so happy with the cut!

I haven't gotten my hair cut in forever so I was long overdue for a freshen up.

Happy Saturday!

We Are Beautiful

This video is going around facebook so I finally took the 7 minutes to watch it and I am so glad that I did. The sentiment is so raw and so real.
While I watched this video I thought about how I would describe myself?  I have a big forehead, I wish my skin was less sun damaged and freckled(if only I was diligent with sunscreen when I was younger) And then I thought about how other people would describe me. How have I been described before? How would the two images compare?
And then I realized that I am beautiful.  Every woman, man and child is beautiful. It is so important that we tell ourselves this so that we can radiate confidence, happiness, joy and be the positive change that we want to see in the world.
You are beautiful. I am beautiful. We are beautiful. The world is beautiful.
Dove's site

How to Create a Daily Detox

How to Create a Daily Detox…..

By: Melissa Schollaert, RDH, HHC 

Spring is a time of renewal and refreshment.  It’s usually a time where we doing some “spring cleaning” around our house, yards, and cars. We also usually begin to enjoy being outdoors more, increase our exercise and start to crave lighter, and typically healthier foods, such as salads and smoothies. We naturally start an internal spring cleaning. This is essential because we are surrounded by chemicals, air filled with metal, and foods containing pesticides.  Our beauty and cleaning products contain chemicals, which can all end up leading to a toxin burden within our systems. Yuck, right?? And we know this toxic burden brings fatigue, breakouts, unwanted weight, mental fog, makes us sick, gives us dull hair, and more. Well, no worries friend. I’m going to give you a few practical tips to make each day and internal spring cleaning that will translate to the outside as well.  

1. Start your day with warm water with a squeeze of lemon. This will “wake up” the digestive system and alkalize your system. It’ll help clear up your skin, aid in weight loss and act as a diuretic to flush out any bloating. Want to kick it up a notch? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper. 

2. Ditch the coffee. Coffee puts heavy burden on your adrenal hormones (essential for energy), acidifies the system, and dehydrates you, leaving you exhausted and looking old. It’s also full of pesticides. Switch to an organic antioxidant rich (think young, beautiful, energetic) herbal tea, such as yerba mate. 

3. Dry skin brush every day. It clears the skin of debris, promotes circulation, assists in movement of lymph and waste removal, and helps with pesky cellulite. Look for a natural-bristle brush at a health food store. Aim for two minutes of circular scrubbing and give those dimply (toxic) areas some extra attention. 

4. Sweat each day. Now that your skin is opened up, break a sweat to assist your body in its big job of daily chemical removal. If you’re too tired to exercise, hit the sauna, steam room, or take a hot bath. Do what you must to sweat. You will feel the difference. 

5. Finish your morning shower by alternating between water temperatures as hot and cold as you can stand. The technique increases circulation, which in turn flushes the lymphatic system, keeping you healthier by boosting the immune system. 

Finally, if you’re feeling like you need a deeper spring cleanse, please seek the guidance of a professional Holistic Health Counselor, Naturopath or Integrative doctor. A professional will be able to assist you through your cleanse to be sure you get optimal results, as well as help guide you through any side effects or symptoms. Because we are all so different, a health care professional will also be able to make the best recommendations for you with regard to your health and lifestyle.

Melissa Schollaert is a Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor and founder of Real Nutritious Living. She's been an on-camera expert for ABC, NBC, and GoodDayLive, with her writing published on a number of healthy living and nutrition websites. She also teaches cooking classes and workshops at Whole Foods and various other retail outlets.  She’s an avid yogi, always improving surfer, and a firm believer in faith, love, and the healing power of green juice. She’s got a heart for helping others achieve their health goals to attain their healthiest happiest life.  Check out her website, Follow her blog, “Like” her on FaceBook, and enjoy tips and tweeting here.

Weekend Update

1. I never liked tomatoes so I never liked bloody marys - had one this weekend and I think I may  be acquiring the taste...

2. Mom and I got Clarins facials...I may be switching to Clarins...love the stuff!

3. Lunch outside, enjoying the weather and people watching

4. Martinis and snacks

5 & 6. Brother time

7. Celebrating

8. Friend

9. Amy

10. Lauren

11. The only picture of Rich and I from the entire weekend

12. Lots of tea time

We had a great weekend full of sunshine, great news, baseball, pampering, friends, family and lots of food! We are reminded by the people in our lives how blessed we truly are.

My Nephew is Cuter than Yours...

This weekend we got to spend time with family and pups!

Meet Shaq.

He loves Rich.

Rich loves Shaq.

Meet my handsome Nephew.

We love Vincent.

Vincent loves us.

He is so calm and mellow and has so many people in his life who love him.

He is going to grow up to be smart, kind, caring, strong, successful and most of all loved.

I am proud to share my birthday with this heartbreaker and I am more proud to be his auntie (We will see what name sticks, La Tache may be a bit long..ha!)

He is always smiling and always curious and I know that he will stay that way!

I love my sweet family. 

I am so honored to be part of it.

--

linked up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans

Spring Break Part III

We had a busy first weekend - here - and a relaxing first part to the week - here - then we headed to Oregon.

Rich's grandparents are in Washington and we had been planning this visit for about a month now - so needless to say, we were very excited to be on our way!

We arrived in Oregon on Thursday night just in time for dinner at Huber's Cafe in SW Portland.

They are known for their Spanish coffees - Rich had one this trip and enjoyed it (I didn't get a picture because Rich was being a party-pooper :-))

I had their Seafood Penne - it was very good!

On Friday morning, the boys headed to the shooting range and G-Pat and I walked through downtown Camas and walked through their many antique stores.

For lunch I got to see my beautiful Alpha Gamm Big Sister!

We hadn't seen each other in too long

We ate at Dorio and had gyros and champagne. The food was light and delicious and perfect for lunch.

After lunch we walked around the Alphabet District and then headed to Deschutes Brewery where we met up with Rich and his grandparents.

After a few beers, my Big Sis headed on her way and the rest of us went to Henry's for Dinner. Their Signature Gorgonzola Fries were recommended to us, A.Freaking.Mazing! And I had the mac & cheese.

Saturday morning we woke up early so I could meet a high school friend of mine for brunch at Tasty n Sons. The menu is meant to be shared - we didn't realize this at first, so we ordered separately and then we got the hang of it and ordered a dessert! We ordered the Chocolate Potato Donut, Cast Iron Fritata, Boudin Blanc Omelette and Auntie Paula's French Toast Sundae. Everything was amazing, especially the company! :-)

After brunch Rich, the Grandparents and I headed to Newport, Oregon.

We made it to Newport and, of course, stopped at Mo's for lunch.

After lunch we headed to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I would definitely recommend the aquarium - it is outdoors and there are so many exhibits to see.

The weather was absolutely perfect. We drove around to different view points and over the Yaquina Bay Bridge & the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport. Rich and I walked along the beach and enjoyed the sunshine.

By this time it was dinner time so we headed over to The Rogue Alehouse. This restaurant is right on the water and has amazing views. Sadly the alehouse only has tours once per day, sadly, we missed it. The food was good and the beer was tasty.

We were pooped after dinner so we check in to the hotel, rested and relax and then Rich and I went for a moonlight stroll along the beach. It was so peaceful. We had to turn back and head back to the hotel because the wind picked up..a lot!

Sunday morning we had a hotel Easter Egg hunt, had breakfast in the hotel, checkout of the hotel, went to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, the Depoe Bridge and headed back to Portland for lunch at the Newport Seafood Grill and then to the airport.

We are in the season for Whale watching, so when we were at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and at the Depoe Bridge we were able to see some whales spouting and the first sighting we saw we saw the whale come out of the water! It was such and amazing sight! 

We were both sad to leave because that meant that our vacation was over and Rich had to get back to school!

Spring Break Part II

After our first busy weekend - here - we spent the first part of the break relaxing!

We relaxed on the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu.

We drank iced coffees, went for long walks and read for leisure.

It was so relaxing.

uno. santa monica

dos. malibu pier

tres - sies. malibu beach

siete & diez. library alehouse (beer with fish & chips - yummm) - and that fun fact is hilarious!

ocho & nueve. bearded papa cream puff bakery

The water in malibu is so clear and beautiful! We were able to find perfect parking and the beach was not too busy, which was so nice.

Loving: My Husband!

As always, I am loving my husband.

It is so hard to describe how happy I am when I am around this man.

A friend said to me, this past week, that love is a choice. We choose to love each other. This statement resonated with me. Rich and I choose to love each other, every day, to and to take care of each other and to work through the tough conversations and enjoy the amazing memories we make with each other every day.

He is truly my partner. We work together, strive to communicate well and, above all else, push each other to be the best we can be. He is my biggest cheer leader, and I his. We know when to take life seriously, when to take moments with a grain of salt and when to roll with the punches.

We know how to laugh together and love each other.

All I can say is thank you.

linked with wilw

Spring Break Part I

The little over a week of Spring Break was absolutely amazing!

We drove all over California - literally.

We saw Family and Friends.

We spent the long Easter Weekend in Oregon

---

Thursday morning, we drove up north for less than 24 hours...

Yes...it was a long day, but it was beautiful weather and great to see my parents and brothers - we even squeezed in a high school JV baseball game against our rival high school - I am so proud of my little broski!

Rich's parents visited for the night, on Friday, and we made delicious deep dish pizza!

deep dish pizza

family time

---

On Saturday we headed to San Diego for some friend, baby and cousin time! :-)

On Saturday night we went out in the Gaslamp District with Rich's cousin.

I think we had a little too much fun..

We decided to do our own little "bar crawl"

Ra

Barleymash - where we met two sad Gonzaga fans...

Searsucker - where I got stepped on by a giant

The Tipsy Crow - where we were invited to a wedding by a bride at her bachellorette party

The Field - where we drank Irish Coffees (and lots of water)

and we ended at Dennys - haha

The first weekend was a whirlwind, but it was so much fun!

This was only the beginning of our great week ahead!

Happy April

Happy April!!

May April bring lots of showers for all of our May Flowers!