Married Life

So much has changed in my life since this summer when I last wrote. I am married to the most wonderful man and am enjoying every minute of married life. 

Before Bryan was in my life, I thought I was happy.  I had friends, a great family, a loving church, everything, but then I met Bryan and I realize that my life was no where near as happy as I am now! 

A month ago, I was having dinner with all my married girlfriends and I asked them, "why didn't you tell me that married life is so AMAZING!"  Thy answered back, "We just didn't want to rub it in."  It's so true!  Waking up to your best friend every morning is priceless!

Bryan is such a wonderful life companion.  I can't wait to embrace each day, each moment together.  I am so thankful that God placed him in my life.

Since the wedding, we have been settling into our new condo and enjoying our first holiday season of married life. 

Things I love about married life so far:
Always having my best friend to confide in.

Weekends, especially weekend mornings, when I get a chance to savor Bryan's extra vanilla french toast.

Spending time with other couples.  Older, younger, or the same age.  It's so fun to relax and enjoy time together.  We have so many married couples friends who have wonderful marriages and I love the influences they are in our lives.

Going to the grocery store and other chores are fun when we do them together :-)  I used to dread running errands, but making a day out of it together (and stopping for starbucks) makes it so much more enjoyable!  Plus we have some of our best quality time conversations in the car, just hanging out.

Going to church together and serving together.  One thing that drew me to Bryan was his heart for people.  I love being able to do that together.

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Have a great night everyone!

xoxo

Engagement!!!!!!

Bryan wisked me away for an adventure last weekend! 

Canoing at JD Park

Picnicing on Palm Beach Island

Surprises!!!!!!

Furture Mr and Mrs!

I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling!

Excited to spend the rest of my life with this guy! ;-)

Easter Weekend so far!

The Weekend couldn't have started any better than a 8:30 am Spin class!  The alarm went off at 7:45am and I knew that I wanted to get an early start on things to have the best day off possible.

The spin instructor kicked our butts but I was happy and sweaty afterwards! 

After class I stopped by the Farmer's Market to get fresh herbs and peppers to make my favorite egg white omelet these days....

Spinach, basil, sweet pepper, egg white omelet.  It was perfect alongside a mug of coconut ginger green tea. Ah!  Great start to the morning!

I enjoyed it while watching a few episodes of Gossip Girl.  I am on season 2 and am addicted!  (hate to admit).

After breakfast, I had some important things to take care of.... making an Easter basket for Bryan ;-) 

As I was constructing everything, I listened to Hillsong united on Pandora.  I have such peace!  I went to a good Friday service last night at the Harriot Himmel Theater and am blown away by how much love God has for us.  The whole story of Easter always makes me tear up.

They had music and communion and played The Passion of the Christ in the background.  It was soo intense and moving.

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 After some great pandora, I ended up with the finishd product:

Bryan's favorites:

• starburst jelly beans
• milk chocolate bunny
• cupcake bites
• flavored tootsie rolls
• m&ms
• beef jerky
• sour patch kids jelly beans
• plastic bowl (instead of basket bc Bryan is "mr practical")

Well, I am off to go to the pool for a few hours and get my dose of vitamine d for the day :-)

Happy Easter!

Apple Spinach Omelet + Starbucks

Happy Tuesday!  I decided to force myself out of bed this morning for a 5 mile run.  I got 8 hours of sleep so I knew that my body could handle it. 

After a 5 miler on the treadmill at 8min pace I was starved.  After a refreshing shower, I decided to pair some of my favorite things together to make a high protein high fiber breakfast.

Delicious and Sweet

Apple Spinach Omelet.
1 diced apple
1/4 sweet onion
1 TB ground flax
Canola oil for cooking
1/3 cup egg whites
4 cups spinach
1 tsp Cinnamon

Saute all veggies and apples in oil.  Add flax and Cinnamon to coat.  Pour egg whites over mixture for 3 minutes to create a fritatta-like mixture.  Enjoy!

After breakfast, I headed out the door for work.  It was hard to get going this morning so my lunchtime destination was easy.  I went straight to Starbucks for a green tea soy latte. 

Starbucks Break

I was also able to catch up on a few books. I am slowly but surely going through the U-Version Bible One year Bible (except I am on the 3 year plan at my rate). I also started reading a Assessment Tool Book called "Finding Your Place in Life and Ministry," By Jay McSwain. Through some quizzes and self assessment tests I am learning about my traits on the DISC grid and how they coincide with my gifts.

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These assessments really are helping me discover where I can feel most fulfilled, being the person I was created to be.  I highly recommend the book to anyone who is curious about how they best communicate and what affects their self-discipline, their leadership roles, emotions, and thinking.

After finishing up the work day, I headed over to LA Fitness to catch a late night spin class.  It was a tough one since I had a luna mini bar 1 hour prior and lunch was nearly 3 hours before that.  I think I need to eat more before workouts. Maybe through in some fruit like a banana and PB as well.

All-in-all, class was great and I loaded up on fresh greens, tofu, half a bag of roasted peanuts, yogurt, and half a jar of nutella.  Yes, I think I ate back enough calories, that's for sure!

Have a great night everyone!

A Great Weekend!

This past weekend was so needed.  Friday night I got off work a little early and went out to the pool for a little reading at dusk.  I could feel the breeze off the intracoastal waterway - it was gorgeous.  Then a few hours later I went back to shower up and head to Hard Rock in Ft Lauderdale for girls night! 

Me and Sarah

My friend Sarah and I have been friends for over ten ears since meeting in highschool and it is always a pleasure to meet up with her and catch up :-)

We met at a seafood restaurant called Blue Pointe. 

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It has delicious fish and chips and oysters.  We were lucky to get a table on the patio overlooking the fountains.

After stopping by a few bars/ clubs after dinner, I headed back home.  I love being able to sleep in my own bed and I was fully awake at 2am for the drive back. 

Saterday was spent watching Season 1 of Gossip Girl, walking along the coast on Palm Beach island, and going for a 3 mile jog along the waterway. 

Palm Beach Island

Since Bryan was working, I decided to take the time to watch girly shows since I knew we would all be meeting up at a Hibatchi Grill later that night.

For dinner, a group of 24 of us met up for my friend's 27th bday.  Her boyfriend flew in for the event which made it extra special ;-)

Saito's West Palm Beach
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I love birthdays and decided to put all healthy eating aside to indulge in a huge slice of triple layer Chocolate Dulce birthday cake from a local brazilian bakery.  It was delicious.

Then on Sunday, Bryan came over for my first attempt ever at waffles.  I just got a waffle/pancake maker and was excited to try a new recipe I found on a cleaneating website. 

Protein Waffles
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I made protein waffles with added banana for sweetness.  They turned out wonderfully and kept Bryan and I full for the entire morning at church.

Sunday afternoon I invited a few friends over for a poolside BBQ at my condo.  Luckily it didn't rain til the end and we were able to eat under the overhang.  I love to relax in the hot tub on a rainy day anyways ;-)  Its so refreshing.

After everyone left, Bryan and I decided that we needed something sweet ASAP.  So we decided to make butterscotch blondies.  Recipe was courtesy of the butterscotch chip bag fom publix ;-)

They were delicious!
All in all a fun, busy, and refreshing little weekend!

Happ Monday everyone!

Today, I decided to start the week out right

Lake WortH Street Painting Festival

Bryan's mom was in town so we naturally took her to the best festival in town.  The Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. 

A day of art.  It inspires me to pursue creativity!



If only if only I could create like the artists.  The art this year was beautiful and full of color!

Bryan's mom, Bryan, and I

almost like the real thing I saw in Paris.  Nice work! ;-)

For some reason i was drawn to the color and mystery behind this one.

Love this one!  Such a good verse to remember :-)

 

"Starry Night" is my mom's favorite painting. So I took it to send to her since she wasn't able to attend the festival this year.

Mom weekend!



Me and my beautiful mom

My mom came to visit over the weekend!  Its funny how we always seem to plan a weekend get-together in spring. 

She arrived early Saturday morning just in time for brunch at my favorite spot- Paris Cafe. It is a local favorite to many palm-beachers and it was a gorgeous day to grab an outside table on the sidewalk.

Paris Bakery and Cafe

I ordered my favorite: the Moulan Rouge made with fresh spinach, goat cheese, pistachios, cherry tomatoes, and avocado.  It never disappoints. 

My mom got the Quiche Florentine with a fresh spring mix salad and their famous tarragon dressing.  We both rounded out the meal with fresh french bread, soft goat cheese, and homemade strawberry jam.

After brunch we walked down to the green market to see and taste locally made baked goods, gourmet olive oils, and view the gorgeous display of orchids and herb plants.  If I only could keep it alive, I would have bought one!

West Palm Beach Green Market
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 As always, my favorite thing at the green market is the olive oil tastings!

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After browsing around downtown, I decided to take my mom on a tour of the island of Palm Beach.  There is a beautiful chapel overlooking the inter coastal waterway that I have always dreamed of getting married in.  Of course I had to show her that ;-)

After time on the island we decided to give our legs a little rest and got some cold vitamin waters to nourish our thirst as we drove up to Juno Beach.

Juno always holds a special place for us both.  We used to go there all the time the first year we moved to Florida back in 2007.  It is so refreshing, lined with tons of natural sea shells.  The beaches in South Florida are way different than those in Central Florida where my parents now live.  Though the sand isn't as soft as New Smyrna or Daytona, the beaches here have a natural beauty to them.

After some much needed beach time (Thank GOD for warmer weather again!), my mom and I headed to the Gardens Mall to get in a little shopping :-) Girls Weekend + Shopping + Starbucks = HAPPINESS!!!!

After one of this...

Venti Zen Tea with steamed Soy

I was ready to roll! My mom and I stopped at Macy's first since we both have the Macy's credit card (I know.... trouble!) and had some extra 20% coupons to use up.  I ended up getting a cute maxi dress in aqua and yellow stripes, a short red dress for work, and a few cute tops.  Love Macy's!!!! :-)

After some relaxing shopping and browsing we headed back to my condo for the last hour before my mom had to head back up to Orlando. 

I showed her our view of the intracoastal since she hadn't seen it yet.

Balcony view

Final pic before she had to leave! sniff sniff

Mom weekends are sooo needed, even if they only last for 6 hours!  It was so refreshing to catch up with my mom and share some quality time bouncing around South Florida for a day. 

Question:
Do you get to see your family often?  If so, how often?
Since my family is 3hours away, I usually see them once every 2-3 months.  Its good but I always wish I could see them more ;-)