I've Moved!

Please head over to the new & improved Organically Mo!  I already have a post ready & waiting for you there!

Also a reminder to put my new url in your reader so you won't miss a thing!

Big Changes

So I turned 32 and I am already making changes in my life - blog related, of course!  ;-)

I'm working on some new stuff for Organically Mo; hopefully I'll have something ready in a week or 2.

I'll try and check in a few times until then, but if I don't get the chance, don't think I am leaving the blogging world.

Thanks for sticking around!  :)

Celebrating 32 - Part 1

The last time my birthday fell on a Saturday, I was turning 27.

Since this only happens every 5 years or so, I knew I had to live my birthday up!

I was awake by 8am and made a healthy breakfast to start my year off right.

Since we took our 2 week road trip, neither Gary or I were going to buy each other birthday gifts, but he had lost a bet a few weeks ago and I won a foot massage!  Well, we both really won, because it was a win-win bet we had made.  It's much more fun when 2 people can enjoy a win! 

There's this massage place that has been in town for a little over a year now and we kept saying how we HAD to try it out.  Thank goodness we finally did.  They charge $15 for a 30 minute foot massage, which actually included a 10 minute head, shoulder and arm massage before they moved to our legs & feet.

I'm ready to be pampered!

Holy crap!  It was amazing!  I actually preferred the upper body massage more, just because I did a killer arm workout earlier this week, so this loosened my muscles!

Both Gary & I said we would be back.

For the both of us to get a 30 minute massage for $30 {not including a tip} we could afford to do this at least once a month.

Do I look relaxed or what?!?!

 After they made us leave before we took an afternoon nap, we had some errands to run, but I was hungry {it's hard work turning another year older}.

Neither of us wanted anything too heavy since we were going to have a big dinner, so Qdoba it was.  If you have a Qdoba by you and you've never been, stop the insanity and GO!!!

They have what they call their Craft2 menu, where for $6 you can get 2 items off this special menu.  Gary & I always get the 2 chicken tacos and a chicken quesadilla to share.  The picture below is my half of the lunch.  It's a crazy amount of food!!

 We also got a side of chips & a root beer. Gary felt like it was HIS birthday because we haven't had soda in months.

I loved this cup!

 After lunch, we headed to Target to make some returns, then next door to Famous Footwear to find Gary some new sneakers.  I love when Famous Footwear has their BOGO 1/2 off sale....Gary & I both win in that situation.  Unfortunately they didn't have his shoes in stock, so we went home to look online.  We ended up getting him a pair of Puma's and I got my own pair of Puma's:

I've been wanting sneakers to wear to work that don't look so bulky.  I think these are really slick and since they are black, I can wear them with almost anything!

Besides the BOGO sale, I had a code for 20% off our purchase.  So we ended up paying $95 for 2 pairs of Puma's....I was a HAPPY birthday girl!  Gary's shoes alone were normally $80.

While I was processing our FF order, Gary took my car to be washed and came back with these:

Awwwwww!!

 We had plans to visit some friends at their place that night, so I made a quick salad, grabbed some bottles of wine to share and we headed out.

By the time dinner started, Gary & I had enjoyed some orange muscat, so I had a few sips of champagne.

Our friend BJ works with a lot of different brewing companies, so he knows his stuff!  He busted out 2 bottles of this stout for all of us to share.

I was crazy enough to offer to take the glass with the least amount of beer in it.  Silly Mo!  It was seriously one of the best beers I've ever had.

Of course, wherever we were, the dogs had to be there as well!  How cute are they??

 Once the sun went down, we all jumped in the pool for some night swimming.  The only positive thing about living in a place where it can easily reach 100 is that it keeps the pools warm!

 By the time we got in the pool, Gary & I had started chugging some water bottles.  I think we had about 8 between us!  One more difference between 32 & 22 - I now know when I have reached my limit and need to start coming back to reality so I'm not suffering the next day.

 I was so sad when we had to leave, but we needed to get home to Sasha, who had probably thought we abandoned her!  Plus we had another birthday celebration planned for Sunday with my family.

I had SUCH an amazing 32nd birthday!  If my whole year mimics this one day, I am a lucky girl!  :)

It's Been A Long Time Since 22

I was listening to John Mayer at work today and one of my favorite songs "Who Says" came on.  Some of the lyrics really stuck with me.

It's been a long night in New York City
It's been a long time since 22
I don't remember you looking any better
But then again, I don't remember, don't remember you
It HAS been a long time since 22 for me....10 years on Saturday, to be exact.
So many thoughts are running through my head right now ~
*All the ways I have changed, yet all the ways I am still the same.
*How did I even GET to 32???  I barely turned 22, or even 18.
*I was WRONG when in high school I thought 35 was old.
*I've been on my own {with Gary} for almost 10 years now.
*My boobs were so much perkier back then!
*I had a lot more money to blow when I was living at home.
*How did I work fulltime, go to school parttime, have a fulltime boyfriend, yet still have time to kick it with my girls??  {answer:no housework or need to cook dinner every night}
*When I was 22, I had no problem going to bed at 1am, getting up at 6am and being at work by 7:30.
*When is the last time I have had at least 3 or 4 consecutive nights of good, solid sleep??  I can't remember.
*Not only were my boobs perkier, so was my ass.
So maybe my boobs and ass aren't so perky anymore, maybe I am in bed by 9:30 every night, but I am much more secure in my body and myself in general.  I know who I am and I'm pretty confident that I know what I want from my life. 
At 22, I was searching for answers.  I still am, the questions are just different.
I feel like the last 2 years I have just been dipping my toes into the ocean that is my 30's.  I think that it's time for me to dive right in and embrace my age fully.  32 is not looking bad at all...I plan on making this my best year yet!
Getting older doesn't scare me....I look forward to my birthday just as much as I did when I was 10 {but now I won't cry if I don't get presents}. 
So thankful I have made it to 32....here's to 32 {plus many} more!
***Any other Leo's out there??***

When The Beer Isn't Flowing

Gary & I had been looking forward to this past Wednesday for about a week.  The local brewery was going  to throw themselves a 1 year birthday celebration with deals for their loyal customers.  Our plan was to get there early {between 4 & 5}, drink some brews, eat some dinner and stroll down Main Street.

During my break at work, I decided to check out their Facebook page to see if they had posted an specials yet.  Well, I didn't find specials, but I found this:

FAIL!!!  Why in the world did I think the celebration was on the 25th?!?!  

I was so looking forward to a night off from cooking dinner, but neither Gary or I wanted to spend extra money on dinner & beer when we already knew we would be going there NEXT Wednesday.  Plus, my birthday is this weekend, so the festivities {aka the spending on money} will begin.

Gary was kind enough to stop by the store and pick up some lettuce so I could throw a salad together.

I tossed together some salad, chicken cooked in BBQ sauce, chopped walnuts, strawberries and blue cheese.  SUPER FILLING!

But there's always room for dessert!

We have been consistent with eating fruit after dinner if we are still hungry.  Normally a small handful is all I need to fill my sweetness craving.

Today was a crazy busy day at work.  I had to go to Costco to buy enough hot dogs, buns, chips, water, etc. to feed 400 incoming 9th graders on Monday.  Buy the end of the work day I was already close to 7,000 steps!

I definitely felt tired and had to make myself go to the gym today.

Guess what??  Once I got there, I did not regret it.  Shocking, right?!?!

I played musical cardio machines.  First I went on this torturous machine that resembled an elliptical, but felt more like a stair master.  I lasted about 5 minutes, then had to get on the treadmill, where I ran half a mile.

I then did the following workout from here:  

I don't have a wedding to prepare for, but I figured my arms could use it.

DAMN!!  They are burning!

Working it!

Love my little gym bag!

 After that, I jumped on the Arc Trainer for about 10 minutes.

By the time I got home, Gary had washed the zucchini for me.

All I had to do was chop it, season the heck out of it with Garlic, S&P.

AMAZING!!!

Half a sweet potato and some leftover tri-tip rounded out our meal!

Sweet cherries for dessert!

I Found a Lump

Like for real.  Last Thursday.  Under my armpit.


So I went to the doctor on Monday to have it checked.


Good news: The lump I found wasn't anything to worry about.


Bad news:  My doctor thought the lump SHE found might be something to worry about.


She wanted me to get an ultrasound and a possible mammogram.


Just so you know, cancer does run in my family.


I turn 32 this Saturday....I didn't want to celebrate earlier with a mammogram.  But I knew I'd do it if they wanted me to.


I was in a daze as I went to schedule my ultrasound appt.  


That daze continued until Gary & I got to the Radiology department today.


My technician was very nice and beyond thorough.  Nobody has ever spent so much time with my armpit before.  She took her time getting good images of my lump & helped relax me {as much as possible}.


Once she was done, she ran the images to the Radiologist and he had me come to see him to explain my results.


Which meant no mammogram....which meant nothing to worry about.  Whew!


I ended up having a clogged sweat duct.  Since it doesn't bother me too much, I don't have to have it taken out.  If it gets worse, I always have that option.  


I am beyond thankful that everything turned out okay.


This post wasn't written to have you tell me how glad you are I get to keep my boobies {unless you're my husband - you TOTALLY can}.


It was written as a reminder of how important self-examinations are. 


Please, please, please check yourself every month.


If you find something, go to your doctor.  It may just be a clogged sweat duct like mine, but the peace of mind I have was worth my $15 co-pay and the 2 hours I had to take off of work.

Back To Work {and the gym}

Monday morning was back to work for me.  I enjoyed 4 glorious weeks off, but still wasn't ready for the craziness that would hit me when I returned.


To catch some of you up, I run the Activities Office at a local high school.  I.LOVE.MY.JOB  Working with students who want to plan events and be involved in school is a godsend.  I particularly love that the dress code for my job is pretty relaxed.  I also run the student store part, so I am constantly moving boxes, bending, etc.  Nice jeans and cute tennies are a must!


I am always busy, but there are certain times of the year that are crazier than others.  The beginning of school is one of those times.  We are busy with registration, Freshmen orientation, club sign ups, sports starting, and before you know it, Football Homecoming has arrived!


Needless to say, I feel like in 2 days I have already worked the equivalent of a week.  Especially today.


I ate really well {aka stuck to the food I brought with me} but because of the craziness didn't find the time to take pictures.


***Please note I am now OFFICIALLY a blogger because I am sad I couldn't take picture of the food I ate.  Totally normal***


So when 3:30 rolled around, I was more than jazzed to head to the gym.  I am starting to look at the gym and the times I run outside as a treat, something I GET to do, not HAVE to do.  Plus it gives me time to get my thoughts together before I come home, catch up with Gary & make dinner.


Once again, I was so out of it, I didn't take a picture of me looking a hot mess!!  You all lucked out today.


My workout today was simple, as I want to work my back into exercising and not jump in head first.


I did a mile jog {constant jog for a 12:47 mile}, worked my legs on the weight machines for about 15 minutes, then did a .5 mile cool down {didn't look at the time, but my pace was 3.5}.  I finished in about 35-40 minutes.


Since I was lame with photos so far, here are a few of my favorite vacation photos!  I will close my eyes when I get stressed and think of all the amazing things we saw in Oregon & Washington!

Happy Tuesday!


***How do you deal with stress?***


***How is your week going?***

What a weekend!!

My weekend started Friday night with a trip to the Stanislaus County Fair.  We hadn't been in a few years, so we wanted to support our community.

This guy eats his Wheaties!

 It was about 93 degrees at 5pm, but we stayed cool by drinking beverages.  ;-)


My mom & dad were working the American Legion beer booth, so we HAD to buy from them.

We also enjoyed cheeseburgers that were very tasty!  They didn't taste like a burger you would buy at a Fair, so I was really impressed!

 You KNOW we couldn't leave the Fair without sharing a funnel cake.  This tiny sucker cost us almost $6.

I totally forgot that Bret Michael's was playing at the Fair that night, but I was gently reminded when I saw women of ALL ages walking around like they were auditioning for another season of "Rock of Love."  Don't some of these people realize that certain things cannot be unseen??  

We hung around the Fair for about 3 hours, until we were sick of the farm animal smell, the temptation of food and the lack of clothing around us.

Saturday morning started with a filling breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and strawberries.  NOM NOM 

I then made myself run 2 miles at 9am.  It was already in the high 70's and felt MUCH warmer in the sun.

I made myself some iced peppermint tea once I was done!

It was worth it though.  The energy I had all day was indescribable!

Saturday was also a big day for us technology geeks!  Gary & I finally decided that after 4 years of being cable-less, we were going to have Dish Network install a dish for us!!!  

Yes, we have TV again!!

I am excited, yet nervous at the same time.  I am thrilled we finally get to watch some of our favorite shows in HD, but I still do not see why people NEED 250+ channels!  

We celebrated that night with a glass of orange muscat.  Both of us were so excited we nodded off during the movie we were watching.  Our exciting life!!

Sunday was the BEST day though.  

We could no longer see our friends post on Facebook and Twitter about how amazing Dark Knight Rises was.  We had to see for ourselves.

Take it from me....HOLY MOTHER WHAT THE WHAT?!?!  IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! 

GO SEE IT!  I cannot count the number of times I got goosebumps while watching.  And I totally want to go back and watch the last 10 minutes of the movie over & over.

Instead of spending my July paycheck on fatty popcorn and soda, we brought our own snacks.  I have not had Reese's Pieces in at least 3 or 4 years!  This may be my new movie theater treat! 

What could make my Sunday even better {other than work calling and telling me to take tomorrow off on their dime}??


I AM THE NEWEST FITFLUENTIAL AMBASSADOR!!!!  


What is Fitfluential?  According to their website: "FitFluential is a growing family of fitness fanatics spreading a positive healthy message year-round."

To me it is more than that.  Ever since I started reading blogs, I saw how hard these Fitfluential Ambassadors worked at their health & sharing that with others.  Once I started my own blog, my goal was to become one of these Ambassadors.  Fitfluential Ambassadors are people from all walks of life and all different sizes.  What we all have in common though is that we are doing the best we can health wise and we're sharing it with the world!

I am so glad to be #fitfluential!!