New Year's Resolutions...

I'm just like a lot of other people. I make resolutions, swear I'm going to stick by them and then they usually fall off to the wayside.....and then the cycle continues the next year.

I did the same thing this year. Made my resolutions and never stuck to them. But, I figured it's better late than never to take a look at some of them and re-new my commitment to them...and what a better place to document it than my blog. Then, this way I know I'll have to check back in with them to keep up with my progress.

So here goes nothing...

• Eat more fruits and veggies
• If I could live off of sweets and carbs, that would make me the happiest girl in the world. But I can't..to help me out, I want to start making weekly trips to the farmer's market. I think it will be a bit more fun this way to incorporate more color into my meals.
• Cook more often
• I am the queen of eating out. I always say I'm going to find new recipes to make and while I find them, after a long day of work, I don't want to cook! I'm going to try to find an easier way for me to cook after work so no more take out...ok well, once a week is ok.
• Read more
• Ever since I was little, I loved to read. But, as I've gotten older, I've stuck to reading more magazines and watching tv to unwind. I want to start reading everyday...whether it's on my lunch or before bed.
• Stick to my early morning workouts
• Sometimes getting up at 5 a.m. to work out is not so much fun...ok it's NEVER fun! Once in awhile I fall right back to sleep and skip it! As much as I hate being up so early, I know I have to work out in the morning rather than going after work when there's such a big crowd.
• Taking Gia on a walk at least once a day
• Most days I do get to this, but just wanted to write it down so I don't forget!
• Write more cards
• Writing personal cards to my friends for holidays, birthdays or just to say hello, has been another favorite thing of mine to do. But, with the advent of texting and facebook, I've forgotten about it a bit in the past few years...

These are just some of my resolutions. I'm sure I'll have some more. What resolutions did you make? Did you stick to them? 

CLOSED

I just heard on Thursday night that the Melting Pot in Omaha at Village Pointe is officially closing after tonight :( So sad...That was mine and my bf's favorite place to go for birthdays, holidays and other special date nights.

I wish we could have had one more dinner there, but I'm out of town traveling with work this weekend so that wasn't going to happen. So now I'm on a quest to find similar fondue recipes..anybody have any suggestions?

Until we meet again Melting Pot...may you continue to bring lots of joy and yumminess to other cities!

Busy Little Bee!

That's been me lately! I just moved into my new house after nearly 5 months of living out of boxes...let's just say that HGTV does not make moving/getting a new house look as easy as it is on tv!

In addition to that, I've been super busy with work as well as my part time job with the pageant which I just started traveling for on the weekends. Needless to say, I am counting down the days till I have a free day off!

So, I apologize for not writing as much! Between unpacking and traveling and work, I'm trying to find a balance between work and relaxation! I think I've finally found it thought..

Until next time...

Happy St Patty's Day

Happy Leprechaun day!!!

I hate to be a grinch on this holiday, and hate to admit it, but St. Patrick's day is one of my three least favorite holidays! Not sure why I'm not a fan of this holiday (nor Halloween or New Year's Eve). I could attribute it to the fact that I dislike, and am deathly afraid, of anything in costume. My favorite holidays are Thanksgiving, Christmas and 4th of July because they're family oriented (and have really good food for each!) But, I still got festive and wore green to celebrate the holiday!

Training

Running a marathon has always been on my bucket list. It just seems like one of those monumental things to do in life.

But I have to face the reality that I'm not a big fan of running..not to mention I'm almost positive there's no way I can run for 26 miles.

This past weekend I was reading in Fitness magazine about the Disney Princess Half marathon. Being a pageant girl, anything involving a crown or the word princess really fascinates me. After researching it a bit more, this seemed like something I'd want to cross of my bucket list. If I can't handle 26 miles, a half marathon doesn't seem so bad. Not to mention, if contestants on the Biggest Loser can run a marathon, then a fitness fanatic like myself could surely handle a half marathon.

So...it's official. One of my best friends and pageants besties, Tristan, and I have decided to do it together and be each other's long distance training buddies for the next year (she lives in Arizona). I figure if I'm going to run a half marathon, it may as well be a memorable one so why not do it at the happiest place on earth!

I've got a whole year to train and I couldn't be more excited. I'll be blogging here and there about it throughout the year. I know it'll be tough but it's a once in a lifetime thing to do...and I'm glad I'll have my bestie with me!

A Wisconsinite takes on Omaha....

I've lived in Omaha almost two years and there are still some sayings and things I don't understand. While I do live in Nebraska, I'll always be a Wisconsin girl at heart and some things will never change for me...

For instance, it took me almost two years to realize that in Omaha, every restaurant does not have fish fries on every Friday, not just during Lent. A big letdown for this Wisconsin girl..however, I have found some local restaurants that have "fish and chips" on their menu so that'll have to do for now.

Some other observations from this out of towner...

An ATM will always be a tyme machine to me.
A Shirley Temple (Sprite with cherry) is a kiddie cocktail.
Water fountains are bubblers.
A bag is not called a sack.
Lake Zorinsky looks like a big giant pond to me, not a lake.
Culver's will never take the place of real custard in my heart.
I really miss having professional sports in Omaha..while we have good college teams, there's still something about a pro baseball or basketball game.
Omahans and Milwaukeeans always freak out in snow, even if it is only a few inches.
The city of Omaha really needs to learn how to plow...it's a bit unacceptable for my street to not be plowed three days after it snows.
Getting to downtown Omaha in less than 20 minutes is a nice luxury.
AND checking in at the airport, and going through security in Omaha in under 10 minutes is another luxury.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Today it actually felt like spring outside...minus the melting snow and dead grass. The sun was shining and it was a high up in the 40s! Definitely felt like a heat wave.



I've really missed having nice weather. When it is fairly decent outside, I love taking Gia on a walk. It's great being outside and her little legs enjoy the exercise too. But I'm not a fan of when her white fur gets all dirty. I was convinced if we walked away from the melting snow that she'd stay clean. Boy was I ever wrong..

Before we left...



And when we got home, look at what we had a date with...


Gia absolutely HATES getting into the sink to get a bath. I swear she's yelling at me in her little head when I get her wet. But, at least we're dirt free and smell daisy fresh now!

I am here to pump...you up!

This morning, for the first time ever with me, the bf came to work out with me. I couldn't believe he wanted to actually work out with me.

He did pretty well this morning for his first time ever. He's never lifted weights before-only played sports and ran a lot in college. But, what can I say...he had a pretty good trainer-me!

He's finally agreed to join the same gym as me so we'll have some more adventures along the way. I'll let you know how it goes!