Rewards for Rewards

I confess that I got a bit carried away with eating the past several weeks.... OK months.  I used my birthday, vacation and super busy with work and travel as excuses to eat as long as I was exercising. Enough is enough.  I know better than that.  I am "satisfied" with my body, but not "happy" with my body so time to get back in gear.

First, I know I feel better when I eat better AND work out.  Second, feeling better about my body is reward enough. However.... the reward is even better with more reward. I will reward my reward.

My ultimate goal is to lose 25 pounds.  If I go down 20, that is where I was at when I was at my best 2 years ago.  If I get there, I would be satisfied.  If I drop the 25, I will ecstatic.  That is the overall goal.

Here is what I decided.  Short term and long term goals. I made these decisions:

1- If I stuck it out for 1 week and dropped even 1 pound, I would reward myself with the new Kate Spade purse I have been eyeing (reward received this week!)
2- If I loose 10 pounds, I get a pair of shoes of my choice from Foot Candy (no price limit....OK, less than $700)
3- If loose 20 pounds, I get to spend the Tiffany gift card for lots of money that I have been holding on to for quite some time
4- If I get to the ultimate goal of 25 pounds, it's time for a shopping spree of new clothes... no holds bar!

See? The reward is the weight loss and health improvement and I will reward the reward.  Love it.
So far so good.  So far I love the warm weather, healthier food and continued exercise. 
Off for the weekend.....  see ya.

Work, Work, Work

I have been working so much the past 3 weeks I have been very much neglecting my blog. Sorry blog. Working every single day. Lack of sleep. Always on an airplane. Not a ton of fun. This is why I am so excited to have a (fairly) open weekend to relax, hopefully hang a bit by the pool and drink some wine with friends. So necessary. Here is what happens when I work too much: I get a cold (hate sniffles). My beauty regimine slacks (I shall not go into detail here to avoid the obvious). I get feisty and kinda bitchy. Poor Casey misses her mama. I cannot keep a happy schedule to save my life. Some things just simply get missed. The good news is... Since I am a crazy, ridiculously organized gal, not much gets missed. In most cases, more gets done and sometimes things get done over-the-top because I am a tad bit anal. True. So, the last 3 weeks... (aside from work of course) A nice Memorial Day weekend. Lots of travel time to see friends in MN. Enjoying some good food (although wayyyyy too many calories and cocktails) due to the travel. Birthday with Mom. Ok. Not so bad. Work will still be very busy for the next several weeks. Time to focus on the fun stuff and think positive. Now time for some Chinese food and wine! Ta-Ta!

Sunday Accomplishments

By that title, you would think I have accomplished a ton.  Not so much.  But for a lazy Sunday after a week on the road for work and a Saturday in wine country, I really have accomplished more than I expected. 
Slept in a little, downloaded some pics, ordered some new furniture, checked-in for my red-eye flight tonight, watched about 6 hours of DVD shows, finished up the final loads of laundry, sent a few emails.... Not bad 5 hours.

But, my main accomplishment today has been increasing my technological intelligence.  Seriously, I had no clue how much fun I could have with my new Ipad once I was actually self-educated on all of it's many wonders.  I could sit on the couch with this thing all day.  For real.. What took me so long!? I feel smart!

Only a few more things on my "to do" list today before I head to the airport at 10:45PM tonight. Sigh.  Big sigh here.  Ugh.  But for now.... I think sitting outside in the sun with my latest issue of US Weekly is on the agenda.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Deja Vu of Vegas

I am behind again... Please forgive me as I have sinned: it has been 2 weeks since my last post. I came back from a fabulous cruise and have not been back on my blog since. Shame on me. But I did just spend the last 7 (yes 7) days in Las Vegas and lived to post about it. I say déjà vu because I am quite sure I have posted some of these same comments to come in the past.

Here is what stands out to me most about Vegas this week:
The lobby at the Bellagio is very pretty
The smoke in Vegas is extremely annoying
Terry Fator is a great entertainer
People should look in the mirror (front & back) before they leave their hotel room
Not really sure how all those expensive shops pay their rent and stay open
Why does it take so long to check-in at every darn hotel?
The walk from the MGM to their conference center is ridiculously long
Bellagio has an amazing spa
Vegas makes tasty Sangria and Bellini's
The salsa at Diego at MGM is some of the best I have ever had
2 blocks in Vegas really equals 1 mile
Did I mention more mirrors are required?

That pretty much sums up the past several days in sin city. And I never sinned. Well... Maybe just once. And it was worth it.

40th Birthday Cruise!!!

The Crown Princess pool with jumbo-tron for "Movies Under the Stars"

Fort Lauderdale upon departure

Our suite! (Larger than expected)

Me enjoying our balcony at sea

Relaxing in the sun

Captains Champagne Party

The ship at night in Curacao

Me in Curacao

Shannon & me in Curacao

The aft pool

Our fave pic from the trip

Me on our balcony arriving in Curacao

Shannon in the piazza

Emily & Andi

A few pics of Emily & Chad's wedding and Andi's baby shower in Minnesota.... Great weekend with great friends!

Emily & Chad before the ceremony



Ann & Darien- Bridesmaids!



Emily & me



Emily & Chad in the limo

Ann & me at the rehearsal dinner

Emily & me at the rehearsal dinner

Andi opening her baby gifts

Andi's guests

Me, Andi & Sam

Mid-Week Wonders

It's Spring in the Bay!  Love it.  Some showers and some sunshine. Happy enough with just that, but some other stuff makes it even better too:

*  How well my hairdresser can straigthen my hair and I love the way it looks for 2 days (until I try it myself)
*  New TV shows that pop up mid-season- like "Nurse Jackie", "Scandal", and "Best Friends Forever"
*  Cupcakes from Teacake Bakery in Lafayette (especially pink velvet!)
*  Lavender oil
*  Tons of daffodils
*  Arrival of a huge In-Style in the mail
*  Asparagus-stuffed chicken

And some lessons learned too!

*  Must use LOTS of "barrier cream" when going to spray tan (trust me, my feet are spotted orange) - thanks Mystic Tan
*  A little bit of baking soda when baking goes a longgggg way (again, trust me)
*  Lavender oil (see above) is great, but it leaves a mark (for real)
* Spanx fix alot- but not everything

Now it's time for a little Betty White.  Well, not a tiny-size Betty- just some Betty on TV. Humor is good on hump-day eve. G'night.

Small Luxuries of Easter Weekend

Looking forward to brunch on the water in Berkeley with my little brother for Easter tomorrow, which has become a tradition now, but before then, enjoying a day in Park City (at home #2) before I head back to the Bay (home #1).


Park City is very strange.... I arrive Thursday night so I could hunker down (yes, I did say that) in the home office and get some major work done yesterday (got it done- make the weekend even better!). Arriving Thursday night, it was clear and the weather was fairly nice. I woke up yesterday morning and it was snowing like mad. Yes, April 6. As of 5pm or so, it was gorgeous outside again. Sunshine and not a cloud in the sky- just as it is right now on Saturday morning. Love the changes.

So, with the sun shining, good time to head to the gym and then see where Park City takes me later before I fly tonight. Love this town.

A few plans... replant the bulbs from the gorgeous tulips Mr Big brought me 2 weeks ago, enjoy some leftover pizza that he bought us last night, and call a few friends, all while I get to look at the snow-capped mountains and enjoy the bright sun. Simple pleasures. Simple luxuries.

Happy Easter weekend to all. May you enjoy it how you wish- worshipping, with family, with the Easter Bunny or all of the above.

Rediscovering Whole Foods

I try to eat lots of fruits & veggies.... I try to limit the sweets (does not always work).... but I am NOT always good about where I go to get them. I love Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lunardi's in CA, Byerly's in MN, etc. but I get lazy because Safeway is right across the street (Safeway is not bad- not ripping on Safeway- but the others are simply better).  I have been to Whole Foods twice in the past week and it reminds me how much I LOVE the place.

Produce, soups, seafood, all kinds of organic stuff, sushi, fresh salads.....and my recent faves:  Tapioca (with vanilla bean), hummus/black bean wraps and brown sugar/banana frozen yogurt. Yum!  So very tasty and so very different.

Unfortunately, not all locations have the same "stuff".  No tapioca pudding or wraps in Park City :( Oh well. Made me start a scavenger hunt for more exciting stuff.  Find this time:  Lobster Chowder for dinner!

If I can have tons of fun searching for healthy and delectable food, I am happy.  And it costs less then new designer shoes that I also happen to adore :)

Happy Thursday night to all.  Enjoy your dinners or midnight snacks!

April Showers...

April showers bring May flowers, right?  Maybe it's an April Fools joke.... it rained like crazy the past several days and now, April 1, it's as sunny as can be.  I guess we will see....

I am quite excited about April being here... many reasons. Maybe the first is that I actually slept kinda decent (better than usual) last night.  Always a good way to begin this new Spring month.  Let's see what else April brings:

* My birthday month! (Not that I am excited about turning 40, but still, love my birthday)
* Easter (I have always loved Easter- bunnies, brunch, baskets... what is not to love?)
*  Emily & Chad's Wedding in Minnesota- a very good friend (yes, a bridesmaid AGAIN)
*  Andi & Mark's baby shower- my best friend since I was 5 and their first baby
And last, but not least...
* My birthday cruise with Shannon!!!!  So excited for this- my first cruise ever, with a good friend, to tropical islands I have never visited, and relaxation that could not come at a better time

While times are stressful and a bit crazy, these are some wonderful things to look forward to in April.
Happy April to everyone in blogland- and beware of April Fool's pranks!