this diet diary

Shots from last weekend: our second time at westfork trail in sedona. so beautiful!

I was so bummed I couldn’t find my camera before our trip - these iPhone pictures truly do not do justice!

throwback to my first Saint Patty’s Day in the office…which is why I almost wish I was at work today.

Green Blue Moon + Lucky Charms + Subtle Green Accessories

My sister’s car was broken into while she was hiking Lost Dog Wash in September. We went to court last Friday for a restitution hearing and thankfully she was awarded some restitution to help pay for the stolen purse, wallet, workout gear, damages to the car & window, etc.

It’s unfortunate because even though she was granted restitution - she still has had to deal with the major inconveniences that have followed this ordeal - working with a prosecutor, insufficient fund charges from the bank, filing insurance claims, going without her stuff, having her car in the shop…

We still had to wake up early on a Friday & get asked to remove our belts (correction: just mine, but still) by the guard at security with his magic wand and his lack of a sense of humor. Worse yet, I missed out on St. Patty’s Day celebrations at work, which are historically awesome.

Even now, the criminals responsible have done this to other victims - so the money they are required to pay will be spread between my sister & others at a whopping $50 withheld from his checks monthly by the Department of Corrections for the next 14 years.

ANYWAY: This is just another reminder for all my hiking friends - do not leave your valuables in your car! 

Silver Lining: when this happened, we weren’t sure anyone would be caught but like I mentioned back in September - the criminals used her credit card at Boston Marketplace & were busted because they couldn’t resist some greasy junk food on a stolen card.

Random: props to anyone who recognizes this coat! I bought this coat even when it didn’t fit me as inspiration to lose weight. It’s gorgeous and I hung it on my wall as motivation when I started this journey almost 3 years ago now! My sister and I went shopping a couple months ago and picked out a skirt for her with identical fabric so she paired the 2 together for her day in court. THIS is my first post of the coat - hanging on my wall! And THIS is the post where I realized it fit me again!

three-day-weekend recap:

• quality time, wine, card games, apps & trashy TV with with some exceptional ladies i’m proud to call my friends
• way too many drinks (mostly skinny margaritas)
• piestewa peak hike & sunshine
• too much dining out: true food, chopshop, american taco shop (boo) & nourish
• snapped my boyfriend’s car key in half, called a locksmith, $60 & 90 minutes later: a new key
• lounging on lounging on lounging: so much time in bed!

the next couple days are all about: veggies, juice, water

update in photos:

this past week has been jam-packed with festivities & lots of girl time!

• celebrated rachael’s bachelorette party with a group of 20 in old town - a total blast but involved excessive amounts of alcohol & hot pink
• ladies night with apps & wine - chocolate covered strawberries & cards against humanity
• relaxing to finish off saturday night with the cutest puppy -ever- and crafting some valentine’s day treats for thursday!

it was a break from the usual to be out & about so much this week but i’ll need to realign next week with less boooozin’ and more sleep, water & veggie juice!

sunday funday recap (and it’s not even 5pm yet…!)

• investigating flooding in my backyard in neon yellow rain boots
• breakfast at Orange Table in old town
• stocking up on tons of fresh veggies & fruits at the farmer’s market
• conquering an easy but enjoyable hike at Papago Park
• earned the “Tree Hugger” badge on Yelp…this accolade is overdue
• reading books on top of the mountain in a light rain drizzle!
• right now: planning tonight’s dinner, it will most definitely involve green beans & salmon

happy sunday!

Wooo: photo update from our spontaneous trip to Joshua Tree :)

We used airbnb for the first time to rent a 220 sq foot “barn” in the desert. Spent our days exploring the national park & taking an even more spontaneous 110-mile-drive to LA just to get dinner.

Marveled in the glory of the view of the Salton Sea and the San Andreas Fault Zone from Keys View in Joshua Tree. Grilled mushrooms and veggies in the desert. Discovered Natural Sisters Cafe in Joshua Tree … and I could probably get breakfast there every single day.

Sidenote: if you haven’t used airbnb yet, you should try it! We had a great experience and probably won’t be staying in hotels anymore if we can avoid it. They are in upwards of 190 countries so it’s likely that if you need a place, you’ll be able to find one.

update in photos

• girls trip to Flagstaff: rented an a-frame cabin in the woods, celebrated birthdays & drank wine in a hot tub in the forest
• epic phx suns’ win 
• work ‘ugly sweater’ holiday party complete with ice-skating at the w rooftop bar
• in recovery-mode with whole foods juice

Birthday Weekend Recap!

I was beyond humbled to receive an unexpected number of cards, flowers, baked goods and gifts from coworkers and friends. I even got packages in the mail from New Zealand. $15 to ship a dinky package - grateful is an understatement.

I guess it just goes to show you - be nice to people and they will remember your birthday. Also - if you have no expectations, you’ll always have a really great time.

One of my best friends of all time surprised by coming to visit from out of town and took me out for sushi and…drinks, yes, drinks. I had my first alcoholic beverages in 5 months on Saturday night and I have no regrets. No regrets!

After a night of bar hopping, we came back home and went swimming and ate ice cream. Yes, ice cream.

I went to breakfast on Sunday morning and a ‘luau’ inspired (by this I mean: swimming, pineapple, umbrella toothpicks, coconut cups, leis and beach wear) dinner with my family.

I had so much fun and it was particularly nice to have my birthday celebrations dragging out for more than 4 days. Even with no regrets, I’m very consciously aware of all the desserts and drinks I consumed…

It’s actually pretty neat to indulge in things like alcohol and goodies when I normally abstain, because it makes it that much more of a treat. I definitely need to go into ‘detox’ mode to make sure I get right-back-on-track ASAP but I think we should all let ourselves live it up once in a while.

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday special…I hope 24 is a great year :)

Sedona is gorgeous and just a 2-hour drive away. I went with my favorite guys and took advantage of this last weekend. We spent the day hiking and enjoying the scenery. Here are some photos so you can live vicariously through us. My favorite trails (so far) and recommendations are Devil’s Bridge and West Fork Trail.

This makes me recognize that sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in Arizona, a state that is so diverse in outdoor activity potential. It snows in the winter, (I still found ways to run in the snow, remember?) but also reaches peak temperatures of 128 degrees in the summer. I’m revved up and ready to explore more state and federally funded resources locally. So lucky.

Annnnd on another note, I have had a gym membership with LA Fitness for over a year now and everytime I go, I feel like a mouse in a cage. The gym just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.

One of the reasons I get so excited about Bikram Yoga, which probably annoys friends, family, and bloggies alike - is because it’s the one indoor exercise or fitness activity that I LOVE. Anyway, this thinking out loud makes me want to cancel my gym membership and reinvest those dollars into an alternative but equally valuable exercise promoting membership/expense/equipment.  Please send ideas and recommendations my way!