Tough Mudder is 1 Month Away (insert scream)

Tough Mudder logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My husband and I signed up for our local Tough Mudder back in May. Since then I have greatly increased the intensity of my workouts. Our intention is not to set any record. We want to go out there and have fun with our team. My intention is to most importantly finish and to not end up in the back of an EMS vehicle.  Since the beginning of May I have greatly increased the intensity of my workouts. About 6 weeks ago I really got more serious about it. I started to really watch what I eat and am working out 6 days a week ( my normal was 4-5 days a week).

The bulk of my workouts is Crossfit, TRX classes and running.  I try to also squeeze in a yoga class. I have been doing TRX for about 2 years now and I have always enjoyed it  (well, not during the class). It’s hard and humbling, but I feel like a million bucks when I am done. It also creates (well at least on me) lean muscles, I haven’t bulked up at all and I am a hell of a lot stronger.

My gym also offers Crossfit. At first I was a little hesitant to do it. I was intimidated, but I started doing the WOD’s (workout of the day) with my trainer. He coached me through it for a while. It took about a month or so until I felt comfortable to do them without him. Now I do the WOD everyday but Sunday. What I love about it is that they are no longer than 30 minutes (normally), you get a total body work out in a short amount of time. The exercise also varies day by day so you aren’t doing the same thing. It’s also very social. I have met so many cool people by doing crossfit. I guess misery loves company. In the six weeks that I have been doing it 5 days a week I have greatly increased my endurance and I am a lot stronger, especially in my core (which is my weakest spot).

These are the accomplishments I am most proud of…

-I have lost 4  pounds (which is huge for me). Now I can say I only need to lose 6 more (sounds so much better than saying 10). My Fitness Pal app is so awesome! It is so easy to follow your calories and your progress.

-I ran 2 miles ( regularly now for a few weeks)without stopping and I wasn’t dead at the end. I have also been wanting to run which is huge. I have also started running on the street which is so out of my comfort zone. Running and I have always had a hate/hate relationship. I have even signed up to do a 5k in November and a 4 miler in December.

-I have really kept at it. If I can’t make it to the gym in the morning, I’ll go in the afternoon and -gasp- even on a Saturday!

-Finally my hard work is starting to show. My arms and back are more defined and over all my body is tighter.

Now hoping I survive another month!

Have you set up any fitness goals for yourself recently?  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Emmy Recap

The Show

We had a blast watching the red carpet and show Sunday night with our Facebook friends! Having virtual viewing parties are so much fun. Even if the show was slightly on the boring side we always find things to banter about.  Once we got the boys settled for the night. We sat down in front of the TV and ate some good food from Fresh Market and drank yummy Ecco Domani prosecco which I highly recommend.  Here are some pictures of our Emmy spread and nominations predictions.

Homeland, like I predicted in an earlier post was the dark horse last night. Even though I adore Mad Men (and hope Jon Hamm finally gets the Emmy next year) I was happy to see them take home some big awards last night. If you haven’t seen Homeland I urge you to run and get the DVDs or see if you can catch up on ON DEMAND if you have Showtime.  Modern Family was a big winner last night, which wasn’t a big surprise. I was really glad Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Her acceptance speech was one of the most entertaining moments of the night.

Veep is one of the best shows on TV. I am glad they gave it some recognition. I was surprised American Horror Story didn’t win more. I will be curious to see if they place it in the mini series category again next year.  For a list of all the winners click here.

What did you like about the show last night? Did your favorites take home gold?

The Fashion

I can go on an on about the dresses so I will just pick my favorites and my least favorites.

My favorites were ( pictures take from huffingtonpost.com)…..

This was my favorite dress of the night. It was by Antonio Berardi. It was so different from the other dresses. I loved the blue sequins and it just looks great on Nicole. I love the blue shoes!

I loved the Chartreuse dresses last night. This Lavin dress one was my favorite.  Claire Danes looks great! Her stylist gets so much props from me for finding such a nice and comfortable looking dress to fit her growing belly.

There were a lot of red/burgundy dresses last night.  My favorite was Kat Dennings’ J. Mendel (who was popular on the red carpet) gown. She looked absolutely fabulous. I just love this dress on her. I also love the red lips!

I know this one was my husband’s favorite last night… giggle giggle! I wasn’t sure about this dress at first. Of course the Zuhair Murad frock fits her like a glove and she looks like a sexy siren, but it was the back that sold it to me. I love that the sexiest woman on the red carpet is 40 years old! I love how Sofia knows what looks good on her. She always has great red carpet moments!

At first I was not sure if I liked this dress by Monique Lhuillier or not. But the more I saw her in it, the more it grew on me. I don’t think anybody could pull this off. It looks great on Ginnifer. If the dress was another color I don’t think I would have liked it at all.

My least favorites were (I am not going to write my thoughts, because I try to not be negative on this blog)……

Which dresses did you die for? Which dresses made you frown?

Hope you all have a great week! xoxo

Getting Ready for Emmy Night

 

I am getting excited for TV’s biggest night!  Once again, I will be watching with my husband and my favorite Facebook friends. I feel like the MTV Video Music awards were a bust this year, hoping the Emmys  are a little bit more exciting.

I am hoping for big wins for Homeland, Mad Men, American Horror Story and Veep. All the major categories are so stacked with talent; it is so hard to know who is going to win for sure. To view a list of the nominees click here.

Here is an article from the Washington Post about their predictions. What are some of your predictions?

Let’s not forget the fashion! I have cleared my schedule to start watching the red carpet coverage as soon as it starts. I usually flip back and forth between E! and the network coverage. Can’t wait to see what everyone will be wearing. Here is a list of best dressed predictions. Who are you excited to see on the red carpet tomorrow?

The Hollywood Reporter has great pre Emmy coverage. Click here to check it out!

Everyone have a great weekend and don’t forget to tune in to ABC at 7pmE/4pmP

 

Fall Smoothie

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My fabulous friend Kris inspired me to make a pumpkin smoothie this morning. It couldn’t be more perfect for a rainy chilly fall morning.

Ingredients (sorry I didn’t take a picture of them)

– 1 banana

– 1 scoop of whey vanilla protein

– 2 tablespoons of  canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie mix (which makes it sweeter)

-1 tablespoon of greek yogurt

-1 teaspoon cinnamon and or nutmeg (up to you)

-6-10 ice cubes

– 1 tablespoon of chia seed (This is optional but, I like them on top after blending)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth! Enjoy!

I hope you all have a good first week of Fall! xoxo

The 5 Healthiest Alcoholic Drinks

Thought this was a good read before the weekend! xoxo

I LOVE This New Show…

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I am a big fan of Ryan Murphy’s shows.  Nip Tuck, Glee and American Horror are pure television gold. So, it’s with no measure of surprise that the first episode of his new show The New Normal has me hook, line, and sinker. The writing on this show is AMAZING. My husband and I were either crying with laughter or mouths agape over this show’s primetime dialogue risks  (“They ‘went there!'”)  The cast is great, but Ellen Barkin owns every scene.   Her exchanges with Nene Leakes are priceless. If you have not watched it, I urge you to stop reading this and set your DVR immediately.  Or you can catch up with the episodes here.

If you have seen The New Normal, what do you all think? What are your favorite moments?  I’m partial to Ellen Barkin’s exchange with Nene Leakes at the fertility clinic.

Wishing you all a great weekend! xoxo

I Remember……

I couldn’t let this day pass without posting something about today. We all remember where we were on this day 11 years ago. I was a newlywed living in Germany. It was the afternoon over there when the attacks happened. I had just dropped my parents off at the airport. They were flying back home to DC after a wonderful 2 week visit. I clearly remember how beautiful that day was. Blue skies and a slight September chill. As I drove back home from the airport, I saw children and their parents walking to the school bus. For whatever reason that scene touched me. Maybe, I was just in a sentimental mood because, I had just said goodbye to my parents. Regardless of the reason, it gave me a warm and fuzzy that I carried all the way home.

When I came home I turned on CNN international (it was the only English-speaking channel we had because we lived off post, so it was on a lot in our home) and I saw that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Like everyone else, I thought it was a freak accident.  I tried to call my husband at work to comment on the situation, but he was in a meeting. I ended up calling a good friend of mine from graduate school who also happened to move to Germany after graduation. We saw the horror unfold over the phone together. When we saw the plane hit the second tower, it was evident we were under attack. It was at that moment that I came to the awful realization that our lives and way of life was going to be very different.  I was worried for my friends that lived in NYC and family and friends in DC. I was also very worried about my parents who were in the air (who eventually returned to Germany and stayed for another week, because of the closed airspace). Thankfully, all our loved ones were ok. My husband didn’t come home until late that night, because the post went on lock down.  Once he was home I gave him a big hug and just cried.

To those that lost their lives we remember you

To those that survived we support you

To those that helped we honor you

To those that work everyday to keep us safe we thank you

Let’s never forget.

Fall Is Here….

 

….well at least in our home.

I don’t care if it is 100 degrees, but our fall home decor comes out on September 1st. This is my favorite time of year. I love the smell of fall ( you all know what I am talking about), that  lingers in the late summer mornings. It makes you realize that football, sweaters, apple cider, pumpkin anything and heartier meals are just around the corner.

I don’t decorate the outside of the house until October 1st. It’s just too hot for the pumpkins and I like my pumpkins to last until the Christmas decor comes out. I also take that time to put out the indoor and outdoor Halloween decorations.

I decorate discreetly. When you come into my house, fall is not in your face.  I try to just accent the season in the common areas of our home.  Here is a peek at the decor inside my house.

The only faux plants I buy are from Pier1 Imports. I love the quality and look. They really hold up in storage. I change the flowers in the vase with the season. I believe I got the faux leaves at Walmart. It’s from their Better Homes and Garden decor line. The bamboo vase is from Pier 1 Imports.

This vase is a recent addition. I was happy to find a bigger bamboo vase that matched the one above. I found this one at Home Goods. The flowers are also from Pier 1 Imports.

I use my mantle to accent seasonal decor. I got the lovely straw pumpkins at TJ Maxx last year. The pumpkins and leaves in the vases are also from Walmart’s Better Homes and Garden. The rest is from Pier 1. Once October rolls around I add some spooky Halloween accents.

Changing the candles around your house to the colors of Fall,  is also a quick and easy way to accent the season. I got these candles from Pier 1 Imports.

The leaves in the white pitcher have always been used as a centerpiece to the kitchen table. Just a nice pop of fall.

This looks better in the person. It’s the centerpiece of our coffee table. I love using the faux pumpkins and leaves to add little accents. The glass bowl is a darker than the picture portrays. The rings on the bowl are the colors of the pumpkins and leaves. They complement each other very well.

Check back again in October and I’ll show you our Halloween (my favorite holiday) decor.

What are some of your favorite fall decor accents?

Have a great Monday everyone! xoxo

 

Moon Man Review

 

 

As I mentioned earlier a bunch of us got together last night over the cyber-world and watched the VMA’s. The general consensus was that the show lacked its normal spontaneity. There were no big surprise appearances or any train wreck moments. One thing I was disappointed about was the lack of live performances. I feel like normally the show is jammed packed with live performances and this year there were only a handful. These were a few things that I did enjoy:

1) Rihanna’s red carpet dress. She look absolutely stunning and I love her more natural hair style.

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2) The Fab 5. I just love these girls. They all looked great and look like they were having a blast!

 

 

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3) My favorite performance was Green Day. They have been rocking it out for over 20 years now and they look the same! I am not going to lie I was a little nervous when they invited the crowd on the stage I was afraid they were going to get squashed. Click on the link below to watch for yourself.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/832105/let-yourself-go-live.jhtml

There are my 2 cents about last night’s show. Can’t wait for the Emmy’s! Hope you all have a great weekend. xoxo

PS: If you tuned in last night what did you think?

 

 

VMA Facebook Viewing Party

 

In a few minutes I am going to start a Facebook thread that will unite family and friends from all over the country. We will begin our recent tradition of watching awards show and bantering on what we see. It is so much fun and makes whatever we are watching that much better!  For those of you watching enjoy! xoxo

PS: look out for a post regarding tonight’s fashion and shenanigans.