BBQ Chicken & Dark Chocolate=Healing Powers

The past 5 days or so I've been sick with some sort of summer cold, bleh. I like to call it the bubonic plague, a bit extreme, but it feels justified for how crummy I felt.  Today I've finally hit a turning point, NyQuil has done me GOOD! Brent was VERY lucky he did two back to back fire shifts Sunday/Monday night because I looked like Medusa on meth when I woke up...I was a sight to be hold.

Dinner w/healing properties.

I also think Brent's excellent cooking/bbq'ing has nursed me back to health, (along with my half a dark chocolate bar I consumed at work).  Last night we feasted on BBQ chicken, red & yellow BBQ'd peppers, sticky rice, and strawberry, goat cheese, spinach/arugula salad...YUMMM. I gorged on dinner and then let it settle with a lazy walk down the street to return our movie and redbox. We debated getting another movie and then Brent reminded me we had yet to watch the finale of Spartacus Blood and Sand! SO, I geared up with a huge glass of wine and we snuggled in for the last episode. It was a great summer evening! Can the sun stick around forever, please? But on a side note, I may not be a medical professional, but I now STRONGLY believe dark chocolate had some aid in my recovery, try it.  At the very least it will be delicious and it will make you happy!

Ab challenge!

Confession Friday, here I come. For those of you who know me, know I work out/exercise regularly.  As in, mostly every day except Sunday or Monday (depends on how the weekend goes). Lately, I get to the gym and have NO motivation to work hard.  In the past, I would put all my effort into it, now....I do some cardio and then I feel like I more so dink around with the weights instead of challenge myself. I'm not sure how to get myself back to the motivation level I once had when I would leave the gym exhausted and feeling great. So, I have an idea. I'm going to do a 30 day ab challenge.  From now (8.4.11-9.4.11) I am going to do my eight minute ab work out, of the lovely russian twists/plank scenario. Hopefully some changes take place!!!!!! I figure, even if I don't make it to the gym, I'm at LEAST doing an ab work out, NO. MATTER. WHAT. And believe me, once Brent catches wind of this, I will NOT get away with slacking on this, I firmly believe that man is hard coded to not let me get away with anything! So, good luck to me. Feel free to call me out if you think I'm slacking, I need the motivation! Also, if you feel so inclined...join me! :-) 

P.S. I wish Brent worse awesome tank tops and spandex pants...sooo hot. HA! 

GO DUCKS!!!

I have nothing but love for these new uniforms, my team, and football season. GO DUCKS!!!

 Is it socially acceptable to make a paper chain counting down the days until kick off? If it's not, I don't want to be right...I'm THAT pumped.

Tuesday Pretties

Work has been extremely busy so I am feeling the need for some pretties. Just a few little things I found that put a smile on my face; like Starbucks in the morning, Brent making me breakfast, or roasting mallows over our new fire pit! I hope these tid bits bring a smile to your face, happy Tuesday!

Tutu's Tree

Fresh peonies in my living room

Beauties!

Santorini

Lovely.

Bad Blogger...I apologize!

Beginning of our garden.

Fire pit!

It's been far too long since I last posted, I apologize! Life has taken me by storm and it's a miracle I haven't forgotten my name at this point! Quick recap: the last couple of weekends it has been Brent and my personal mission to finish decorating the patio in our backyard.  We now have a new BBQ, Fire pit, tiki torches, and patio furniture (and of course decorative candles/vases etc). Also, we planted our garden and planted a summer song bird flower seed mix, I'm crossing my fingers everything blooms/grows healthily and properly! 

Grilled steak, asparagus, caprese salad!

This is one of the first dinners we enjoyed on the new BBQ!  We also box a smoke box and hickory chips....the steaks were incredible with the smokey hickory flavor, I highly recommend the smoke boxes, I had no idea it would add so much flavor!

The new set.

And finally, the patio set! Getting this home was ridiculous.  Brent and I were ambitious and thought we could fit it in his car......hahahahaha. It is truly laughable. Once we started trying to fit each piece it became a challenge. Needless to say, it made its way home, but he and I literally had to shimmy in the car and we looked like cartoon characters driving home.  Not one of our brightest moments, but definitely one for the memory books, it was hilarious! (after the fact! haha).

Sansei, Soho, Masu...LOVE!

You know what makes for a great start to the work week?  Getting to have sushi not one, but TWO days in a row for lunch!!! I'm a lover of sushi and have decided to gorge this week on it, and so far it's been a fabulous idea. Some of my favorite sushi spots are, Sansei (in Maui....any sushi in Maui really), Soho on Southwest Water front, and Masu over by Henry's downtown.  What's your favorite sushi spot? I will eat all of it, minus tempura.  Soho has a roll called Mango surprise, OMG...it's to die for. They also have one with delicious chili sauce on, and...of course, my all time fav, Sake or just salmon sashimi. YUMMMMM.

READ ME....errr Read This?

For those of you who don't know, I usually have my nose stuck in a book.  At one point or another throughout the day I make time to read.  Whether it be on my lunch break, after work, or before bed. I also have the habit of reading more than one book at a time. Why? Because there are SO MANY amazing books out there that I'm not sure how to get through my reading list, (yes...I have a list...hundreds of books long) without reading two at once, and possibly listening to one on my iphone while driving to and from work. Is that weird? Maybe, but...oh well! Right now I'm reading the series, Everworld. It's definitely sci-fi and fabulous; full of mythological science fiction! The other is, The Hunger Games. It's GGRREEEAATTT! (insert Tony the Tiger voice).  Last but not least, I'm listening to The Black Swan (not the ballet story) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. I like to have variety while I read so I'm not pigeon holing myself into one genre. For quite a while now I've been trying to branch out. I read somewhere that you are not truly intelligent unless you are seeking out to learn what you do not already know.  So far, following this statement has lead me in a variety of directions and I have learned/educated myself on a plethora of issues/theories/history that I never knew about. Try it out! You don't know what's out there until you look!