My Bro is a Star!

JB and I go to bed at 10, so we rarely catch the nightly news. Wednesday night we got sucked into the last hour of Idol and just happened to catch the first story on the news following the show. Basically some guy was all cracked out and running around in his underpants banging on the roofs of cars or something. Then we see this:




I squealed, "Oh my god, my brother!"

I may or may not have been a bottle of wine deep (let's just say I had a bad day at work).

JB and I were cracking up and discussing how Hollywood he looked. When we rewound it and watched it again we were like, "okay, ___, looking good!" I posted this on my FB and all my friends are like "OMG, he's so cute!"

Gross.

So yeah, this was the second time in a week he flashed on the news and he has also been on an episode of COPS (he's always the good guy though, not the one they're after).

That's my bro. He's a real life super hero.

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I'm in LOVE!

I have finally found the one. Everything I have been looking for. It's amazing and I am ready to commit...at least for the next two months. I'm sure you are thinking I have gone mad and are wondering if I am still with JB and if you are reading my blog, you are probably smart enough to know that I am not referring to another man. I am referring to this:

I have been searching for the thing that is going to get me back to being excited about working out again. I know what I am capable of and I need the right tools to help me get there. For me, an important part of that is a workout that actually feels like a workout, but doesn't necessarily make me want to puke, Biggest Loser style. I am so fortunate to have JB to create at-home workouts for me and help me out at the gym on weekends, and I have my own things that I can do here and there, but I haven't really had anything to get me super motivated and excited about being there since boot camp last year.

The Dailey Method is amazing! According to the website,

sorry for the small font, it's an image so I couldn't just copy/paste

This class literally rocked my world. I feel like I contracted and released every single muscle in my body, even ones I didn't know I had. I wanted to the class to end, but at soon as it did, I wanted more. The problem with everything else I have found that I like, is that it's either unaffordable or doesn't work with my schedule. Or both.

This place has it all. Classes in the morning that I can make it to before work and classes that are late enough for me to make it to after work, but it's actually on my way home. Half way home, actually. It's awesome! I purchased a Groupon last month for 2 classes for the price of one and tonight was my first class. I'm sold! They have a great deal for new members for a month of unlimited classes and a discounted second month as well. As soon as we get our AmEx rebate check, I am signing up. I think Nugget's mom is going to do it with me too!

Can you tell I'm excited?

What kind of workouts do you get excited about? I love trying new things, so leave suggestions please!

Update Soon!

I apologize to my loyal readers (all 5 of you) for not posting all month. I have been so busy at home and at work that I haven't had time to share with everyone all the goodness. I need to blog about my trip to DC and my SIL's baby shower and wedding stuff and I don't want to keep everyone waiting forever because I know you all have bated breath...

Yeah, anyways...soon. Promise.

OWNed

Yesterday was the launch of OWN, the new Oprah Winfrey Network. It has been on in our house all day! I am not home to watch the Oprah show and we don't tape it, but I am all about her new network. She ran a half hour show just to preview the different series that will be coming and they all look great!

Look for the channel on your guide and check it out!

Happy New Year!

I am unwinding from the most awesome weekend and just wanted to get my feelings out while reflecting on it.

JB and I packed up the car on Thursday and headed down to spend the weekend with some friends for the new year. Three of the friends were waiting for us when we arrived, but another couple would be joining us the next day. We ordered some pizza, had some drinks, listened to some tunes and played a whole lot of XBOX 360 Kinect.

First of all, I have to admit that I am completely and utterly in love with that gaming system. I tried the Dance Central game and was addicted immediately. I was really working up a sweat after just a couple of songs. After dinner we played the sports game that has tons of different activities like soccer, bowling, track and field, ping pong, and volleyball. It's great because you are being entertained and active at the same time. It kept us busy pretty much all weekend.

Friday morning we walked a couple of blocks to Harbor Cafe for some amazing breakfast. I chose to pass on the yummy looking bloody marys because we were planning on going for a run later. After breakfast we rested and digested for a while before gearing up for our run. My friend Melissa and I were going to run over to the beach house I am looking into renting for my bachelorette bash. It was 1.2 miles away, so there and back was a nice way to burn some calories.

The other couple we were waiting for was just showing up as we were heading out for our run and JB had taken off to the nearby 24 Hour Fitness to get in a workout since his knee has been bothering him and he couldn't do the run. On the run to the beach house we encountered some treacherous curves and since we were running in the bike lane on a two-lane road, we were both a little nervous. We made it there alive and the beach house was exactly like it was in the pictures online and the location was awesome! I sent a text to one of my bridesmaids to give her the go ahead on sending out the info to all the girls. YAY!

We decided to find a safer route for running back, which turned into a dead end with an entrance to the beach. After assessing the situation, we figured that we could just run on the beach back over near the place we were staying. It.Was.Awesome. Running along with the cool air and the sound of the waves with a soft, yet solid ground beneath me was pure heaven. If I could do that every day, I would be logging some serious miles. I was really trying to take it all in as I ran along and cherish the moment.

After we returned to the house we showered and got ready to walk to a restaurant down on the water for some dinner. One of my friends owns a tequila company with his brothers and they just happen to carry it there since it was his brother's beach house nearby that we were staying at for the weekend. We had 4 pitchers of margaritas (between the 7 of us) and some food before heading to the beach to make a fire and toast marshmallows for s'mores. We could not have asked for better weather. There was no wind, no rain, and we were able to hang out on the beach for about an hour before we headed back to the house.

The rest of the evening was spent playing board games, more kinect, drinking and tunes. We toasted with champagne at midnight and then played some beer pong for good measure. It was simple and fun, and a great way to ring in the last year of my second decade of life. I called both of my parents at midnight and although they probably couldn't hear it on their end, I felt very emotional. I had to sit outside for a few minutes after making the calls just to pull it together.

Yesterday was spent recovering for most of the folks in the house, which is understandable for the amount of tequila we went through. Amazingly enough, I didn't feel too bad. JB and I almost got in a workout too, but in the end it never happened. We watched 4 movies throughout the day and made a delicious dinner. I would look around at several times throughout the weekend and just feel so lucky to be in this house with these people laughing and enjoying each other's company.

I feel so blessed and so grateful for all that I have. With the way the end of this year has gone, it has made me really see the importance of spending time with my family and being thankful that I have so many people to spend the holidays with. I am thankful that I have such great friends in all different areas of my life. I am thankful that I am able-bodied and have gained the information over the past few years to make it easier to make healthy decisions every day and to know the consequences of the unhealthy decisions.

The year ahead is going to be a pretty big one. My niece will be born next month. I will be married in less than six months, and traveling to Europe shortly thereafter. I will also be the Maid of Honor for the wedding of two amazing friends. Oh, and did I mention I will also turn 30? I have no idea what else this next year has in store, but I am ready for it.

I read a lot of facebook statuses and blogs about 2010 being a generally crappy year for most folks. Here's to an amazing 2011 to you all!