It has been one of those....

Have you ever heard anyone say that before? Someone says that it has been one of those ..... mornings? days? weeks? months? years?

I have. In fact, I am guilty of saying it. Actually, I just now thought it to myself, "It has been one of those weeks."

Shame on me.

So, I had a rough week at work. And it is only the first week of class of the semester and I already have a ton of work to do/feel behind already. And I have not physically felt 100%. And my car battery died last night in the school parking lot (had to have it jumped not once or twice, but three times in order to make it to work this morning). And I have been an emotional basket case (please tells me the emotions calm down after the wedding planning is over and we are married, pleaseeeee).

Please notice how the above list does not include anything life threatening, seriously health related or traumatizing. If it did, then maybe I would have something to complain about. But relatively speaking, in the grand scheme of things, I should not be complaining about a single thing. I am so blessed and take it for granted so often. Scott and I are healthy. We are gainfully employed. Our family and friends are healthy (and we get to see them this weekend). What more can we ask for? Life is good. For so many others, life is not so good. My high school classmate, for instance, who lost her father this week, has every right to complain. As does the cancer patient and so many others who are fighting for every breath. So who am I to complain?

People. It is always something. It always has been and always will be. Always. Deal with it and move on. When I finally made it to the car dealership this morning to get my new battery, I indulged in half of a cake doughnut with chocolate icing in the lobby, read some case law, and caught a few minutes of Gaga in concert on Good Morning America. I call that living the dream, folks.

At the risk of sounding cliché, don't sweat the small stuff. The next time you think you are having a bad day, week or month, think again. And be grateful for what you have and enjoy it :)

Shrimp Scampi

So with a little over a day to spare, I checked the last remaining item off of my to-do over break list! I tried the Shrimp Scampi recipe (courtesy of The Pioneer Woman) last night! Shocking I know, but I actually cooked dinner. And Scott seemed to like it (and went back for seconds) so I consider it a success! The Pioneer Woman's version is much more pleasing to the eye, but mine ended up tasting surprisingly well! I made just 2 changes to her recipe - I used whole wheat angel hair and did not use any basil. I also made the whole box of pasta, so there are some serious leftovers. It ended up being a great, flavorful, almost-summery meal and I highly recommend trying it sometime. Here a few snapshots to prove that even a novice cook can make this meal happen :)

We ate dinner out on our screened back patio and watched the sunset :)

And it is back to class for me tomorrow! Break just flew by (hopefully Summer Semester will too).

What I'm Loving Wednesday!!!

Once again I am Linking Up With Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Here are a few things that I am loving on this beautiful Wednesday....

• I'm loving... Breaking Through's Flip Flop Swap!!! Check it out and sign up! I mean, who does not love flip flops?

• I'm loving...that my wedding hair and make-up trial is TOMORROW!!!! (And that I get to see G for the first time in weeks!)
• I'm loving...sparkling water :) Simple, I know, but oh so good. I have been on a serious Pellegrino kick lately!
• I'm loving...that weather permitting, we get to go boating this weekend with our friends M & J!
• I'm loving...that one of my bridesmaids (RV) is walking in her graduation from U of Hawaii this weekend! She is getting her P.H.D. people! Awesome! This also means she will be back on the mainland soon! Cannot wait.
• I'm loving...Simply Scratch's recipe for Easy Lemon-Garlic Tilapia! I tried it last night and it was delicious!
• And as always...I'm loving Scott :) My husband-to-be in less than 3 months. Here is the quick version of how we met!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Meeting my hubs-to-be

Scott and I both found their way to Florida a few years back to take advantage of the warm weather and sunshine of our great job opportunities. I moved to the Tampa Bay area a few months after college and began working at a small architectural firm. After working in Georgia and California, Scott moved to the area to continue his career in the lighting business. Little did we both know that we had both chosen to live in the same small neighborhood on Snell Isle. Our paths did not cross immediately, however. After the firm I was working for closed its doors, I ended up working 3 different part time jobs (2 of which were nightmare-ish). I had no idea that those jobs would (thankfully) change the direction of her life in the best way possible.

One of those jobs was tending bar at the small, Snell Isle neighborhood bistro. The name of the bistro was Brophy’s (this is a photo of the bar area decorated for New Years:). For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit Brophy’s, you understand why we hold this place so near and dear to our hearts. The Broph, as we lovingly refer to it, was famous for its chili. One quiet (and by quiet we mean that the bar was empty) Saturday evening while I was bartending, a stranger walked in wearing an old Georgia Tech hat. This stranger ordered a bowl of chili and beer. Thinking that there was no way this guy was 21, I asked for his ID. After seeing that his name was Scott and that he was actually 27, a few years older than I was, I was thoroughly embarrassed. Scott must have loved the chili, though, because he became one of my best (and favorite) customers. And the rest is history!

What I'm loving...

Today I am Linking Up With Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Here are a few things that I am loving on this lovely Wednesday....

• I'm loving...that my husband-to-be took me on a date last night :) To a movie no less!!! So exciting!
• I'm loving...The Lincoln Lawyer. It was a fantastic movie! I absolutely loved it. A must see.
• I'm loving...being on break from law school. I do not even know what to do with myself. Oh wait, yes I do! I am checking things off of my to-do list :)
• I'm loving...that our wedding invitations were mailed out on Monday! Yay!!!!
• I'm loving...that G finally gets back from France this week!!
• I'm loving...Scissors & Spatula's Strawberry Walnut Bread! I made some this weekend and it was awesome!!! With that being said, I am also loving my Kitchen Aid Mixer!
• I'm loving...the sample triangle shaped top tier of our official wedding cake!! Thanks to Mindy from Sweets by Mindy! It was perfect! And delicious!

Perfection.

• I'm loving...Island Way Grill in Clearwater, FL! We ate there this weekend with an out of town visitor and the food was perfection!

Check out these shrimp!! (And please not the delicious edamame in the background)





I love that I'm loving so much food :) Happy Wednesday!!!

Toxic Guilt

Today an emailed popped in my inbox containing this article from Spark People. I started subscribing to Spark People right around the new year (you can find some awesome healthy recipes and healthy living articles among many other things). It was also when I made the firm decision to begin my wedding weight loss battle journey. All of my wedding to-do checklists suggested beginning your "fitness" routine with about 6-8 months to go. And since I do not think there is EVER an easy time to begin to lose weight, the start of the new year sounded just as good as any other time (especially after I indulged in a few too many Christmas cookies and spirits). So here I am, 4 months later, having (proudly) lost a few pounds, but knowing I still have a few pounds to go. My hair and make-up trial is next week so I plan on trying my dress on then and seeing how it fits! We shall see how it goes :)

Anyway! Back to the article. The article talks about guilt. Toxic guilt to be exact. And as I hopped on the treadmill this morning, I was definitely remembering that delicious flourless chocolate dessert I enjoyed last night. I felt so guilty (But it was soooo good!) So when I read that Spark People article I could relate.

I hate feeling guilty. Though I swear I have some sort of guilt complex. I know (and have been told) that I feel guilty about things that no one else worries about and things that do not deserve a second thought, but I cannot help it. I admit that I am not perfect :) I am a work in progress.

Food and I have a love/hate relationship. I love eating it, but hate what it does to my waistline! Lately, food has definitely been at the top of my list of things about which I feel way too guilty. From now on, I am going to make a serious effort to limit the toxic guilt I feel about eating. Am I going to keep trying to lose weight? Yes, of course (I want my dress to fit like a glove!) And does that involve making sacrifices? Absolutely. But I need to work on not being so hard on myself. I still have 3 months to go! I can't get burnt out! Slow and steady wins the race :) If I deprive myself of all of things I love to eat and drink all of the time, I will never make it!

Looking back, I am so grateful that I started losing when I did so that it was healthy, gradual loss. I have good weeks and bad weeks. But my goal is to keep the drastic measures to a minimum. Which means making conscious decisions about what I eat (and not feeling guilty aftward), keeping up with a regular work out routine and remembering that it is okay to splurge and treat myself every once and a while! But not to get crazy! :) I refuse to let the toxic guilt from inhibiting my weight loss success!