Take Time for 12 Things

Just recently we had some friends from Maui stay with us last minute due to some unforeseen family drama on their families part. Chris and I were glad we were able to be there for them and that they felt close enough to call us.

Before they left, Karen (whom I used to work with at The Grand) left me with a poem that hit home on way too many levels.

Last weekend made me realize that no matter how young or old you are, whether you're still in high school or not, whether it's work, home, friends or family drama—EVERYONE has it. But we have to make sure to take time for the special things in life, 12 things to sum it up. And always be grateful for the days we have with our family and friends, drama or not.

1. Take time to dream .... it hitches your soul to the stars.

2. Take time to work .... it is the price of success.

3. Take time to think ... it is the source of power.

4. Take time to play ... it is the secret of youth.

5. Take time to read ... it is the foundation of knowledge.

6. Take time to worship .... it is the highway of reverence and washes the dust from your eyes.

7. Take time to help and enjoy friends ... it is the source of happiness.

8. Take time to love ... it is the one sacrament of life.

9. Take time to laugh .... it helps with life's loads.

10 Take time for beauty ... it is everywhere in nature.

11. Take time for health .... it is the true treasure of life.

12. Take time to plan .... it is the secret of being able to have time to take time for the first eleven things.

— Author Unknown

Fall Means Winter Coats and Show Premieres!

Summer is officially over and fall is upon us. For those of us not living in Texas, that means it's time to break out the scarves, boots, sweaters, peacoats and jackets.

It also means the startup of some of our fav shows and some new gems! Today, we are going to be visiting each show that I watched, how much I liked it and whether or not I think it's going to last. I will also throw in some of my husbands opinions to get a male perspective too. And before you even say it, yes, we watch a lot of TV, but we're OK with that. Admitting it is the first step :)

Here goes:

DWTS: to me it was kind of lack-luster. The only performances that really stood out was Chyna Phillps (who is she again?) and Hope Solo. No one else really did it for me. My husband doesn't watch the show, surprise. Not to mention- spoiler alert for those who haven't watched their TIVO episodes - I am SO glad Ron 'Magic Peace Maker' Artest or whatever is name is, got eliminated! He is a Grade A Asshole! I am rooting for Rob Kardashian (I know, hush!), that girl from The Hills(not significant enough for a name) and Chaz Bono. WILL IT LAST? It's been on for like 13 seasons, so the answer is DUH!

Two Broke Girls: Hilarious! If you don't know the premise- well if you read the title- you know the premise. It's about Two Broke Girls living together and working at a diner. One is your regular, two-job working, middle class girl. The other is a Manhattan Socialite, whose life got ruined because her rich dad took everyones money (sound familiar?). They balance each other out with Ket Dennings sarcastic wit and Beth Behrs(socialite) naive, there is good in all people outlook. And it was created by Whitney Cummings(stand up comic with her own show premiering tonight, check her out!)It even got my husband LOL sometimes, so that's a plus. WILL IT LAST: Hope so and yes.

Glee: I have to say that I am a huge Gleek, but I was not blown away by the first episode of the season. Anyone else? I get that they are disappointed because they didn't win Nationals but does that really mean that Quinn had to go turn "goth" I truly doubt that is who she truly is; they still get "Slushied"; Sue wants to have the Art's funding taken away.... just a lot of things I was like "huh?" The one thing I did like was Blaine coming to McKinley and their big number! WILL IT LAST: With the seniors graduating, the producer said yes it will but of course they are bringing in new faces. Step it up in the next episode!

The Biggest Loser: I love this show and continue to watch it. As a certified nutritionist I like that overweight and morbidly obese people are taking responsibility for their actions and are wanting to do something about it. Granted, not everyone has 8 weeks and the time to take off work, but this show inspires so many other people to get up and do something about their weight that we don't hear about it. My husband watches it every now and then and likes it as well. This season it is a "battle of the ages" a group of five people 30 and under; a group of five people mid 40 and 50's; and the last group of five 60 and over with brand new trainer Anna Kornikorva. It's definitely a breath of fresh air with the two new trainers and the battle of the ages. FYI Bob Harper is still on but Jillian Michaels is now on The Doctors! WILL IT LAST: Just like DWTS it's in it 9 season and I don't see it quitting anytime soon!

The New Girl: Stars Zoey Dechanel who recently endures a bad break up (BF sleeps with someone else) and looks for a new apartment. She finds one with three other guys. What's exciting? The chemistry with the three boys and Zoey is undeniable. Not to mention the references to Dirty Dancing - what girl hasn't gone through a break up and not watched Dirty Dancing?! Zoey is LOL funny and the boys are great. My husband was actually laughing too and enjoyed this one. WILL IT LAST: Yes, please!

Up All Night: Just like with Two Broke Girls, its about two parents who just had a newborn who, you guessed it, stay up all night. Christina Applegate is the working mom and she brings a breath of fresh air, zaniness and her comedic timing to the line up and has a romantic and on screen chemistry with Will Arnett. Just like my last post about women in power, I like these new comedies about working moms loving what they do. WILL IT LAST: I would like to see it last, but I don't give it long.

Survivor: I have been an avid fan of the show and for anyone else who has seen it, this season is pretty much the same. Except this time, like the last season they have Redemption Island where the new cast-offs have a chance to earn their way back into the game. The season looks pretty good, as two All-Stars have come back (Coach and Ozzy) and also Russell Hantz who was pretty much the most hated Survivor player EVER, his nephew is playing. It's looking like its probably going to be a season for the books. WILL IT LAST: duh!

The Playbloy Club: Eddie Ciberan is pretty much the only big name in this 50's set drama. Many have been comparing it to Mad Men. Cibrean said it best on a interview with GMA when asked about the comparison "It's only being compared to Mad Med because that's the only other show on TV right now set in that time period." Which is true. They aren't even about the same shows. I think the show was OK. But OK isn't what you want for the premiere. A lot of things happened in just the first episode, so it will be interesting to see how it folds. Besides the pretty looking girls and lots of cleavage, my husband thought it was just OK as well. WILL IT LAST: hard to say, but I'm gonna say no. But I can look at Eddie all night long.

Revenge: I wasn't too sure about this when I first saw the trailers. But everyone wants Revenge on something or someone, sometime in their life. Premise: a girl is seeking revenge for her father who was wrongly framed and put to death by someone else dubbed the "Hamptons Queen Elizabeth" The girl buys a house in the Hamptons, takes on a whole new identity to hopefully find redemption for her dad. It drew me and my husband in. I would like to see how it all plays out. No big names in this one. WILL IT LAST: Maybe for one season.

Two and a half Men: The much-hyped, long awaited premiere was..... not too exciting. We saw Allen(John Cryer) mourn Charlie Sheen's character while several of Charlie's "conquest" bad mouthed him at his funeral. Then Ashton's character is introduced as a depressed, billionaire who seeks refuge to Allen house to phone his girlfriend telling her he almost committed suicide. Allen and Ashton "bond" over drinks, they come back to the house and Ashton apparently has a threesome with the two girls (much like Charlies character). Right now, nothing stands out about it, nothing too hilarious. And the son was still as stupid as ever. WILL IT LAST: of course, but I'm hoping for better next time.

How I Met Your Mother: they claim this as a new-age Friends. Being the Friends fanatic as I am, I have to disagree. But HIMYM is still hilarious with a great group dynamic. It's hard to explain if you haven't watch the show. For the die-hards, the premiere was pretty good! Spoiler alert: Marshall and Lilly are now expecting a baby and I think this season they are going to try to have Barney be - wait for it - monogamous! My husband and I LOVE to watch this show together. It has something for the girls and guys, so start getting hooked if you haven't already. WILL IT LAST: yes!

There you have it. I am excited about the new, fresh comedies out there this season. Thursday brings a whole new season of premieres with Big Bang, Office, Whitney (can't wait!), Community, Parks and Rec and 30 Rock. More on those next week. Would love to hear your opinions about the shows you caught and which ones you're looking forward too.


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Women in Power = Strength, Passion, Confidence

In this day and age it seems that women have to overcome so many barriers in order prove ourselves—at home, school and especially work. But it has been good to see many women breaking that glass ceiling and defying the odds.

A USA Today 2010 study says that women are out-earning their male counterparts in the USA's biggest metropolitan areas and that makes me very happy to read.

I wish I was in that category. Now, I am writing this as a 27 year-old married, jobless woman. Saying it's hard right now is an understatement. I want to be in that category, I want to be earning something—doesn't mean I need to make more than my husband—but yea, I want to be earning an income.

It's hard writing this as I do hear all these great stories of women entrepreneurs and friends getting their dream jobs. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to stand apart from the thousands who are probably applying for the same jobs as I am? Who do I need to network with? What am I missing? What happens if my husband loses his job? What else can I contribute to this marriage? When will I catch my break?

These are just some of the many questions that keep me up at night. I know I am very blessed with the many great opportunities that my husband and I have—most importantly his job. And it's a job he actually likes doing and is pretty good at it :) We have a great family, wonderful friends, a roof over our head, food in our bellies every day and we have each other. I do know the wonderful things that are going on in m life. Sometimes I just wish I did have a job.

All things are possible and I know this. I know this because of the strong female influences in my life: my mother, my former boss, a good family friend and of course my sister.

My mother has a wonderful job and she loves working with the City of Houston's WIC program, while my dad is retired. She is so passionate about what she does along with a strong work ethic. Did I mention her wonderful marriage and success at raising three beautiful children? If only I can find that perfect job and pull it off with the ability and strength she has.

My former boss, Laura Pennino, who gave me my first job out of college. She is a strong and determined female CEO of Pennino and Partners. She set goals and makes them happen. I have the confidence and experience all because of her and hope I can accomplish things with the force and strength she does.

My good family friend Alicia Jimenez. My sister and I were the flower girls at her and her husbands wedding, and her little girl Ashley was the flower girl at me and Chris' wedding. She is a loving wife, devoted mother and strong working professional. She handles her work life with strength and professionalism and her home life with love, smiles and lots of cookies! I hope to handle my work and home life like she does.

My sister—I can't say enough great things about my sister. She has been there for me when I needed her, had the courage and strength to finish college even when she didn't feel like she could and is making her mark at St. Augustine as the best 1st grade teacher and Reading Coordinator they have ever had. I hope to leave my mark at my perfect job one day with the strength and passion as she does.

All these women have, among many, one attribute in common and that is strength. They all are the strong, beautiful women I admire. They also give me hope. Hope that I will find a great job; hope that I will be a great working professional; and hope that I will one day balance it out with having a family and being a great wife at the same time.

Whether it be a woman in power, working mom, a stay-at-home-mom or married mom's to be contemplating of quitting all together—there is one factor that will always be there—their strength to be the best person they can be.

I know there is a job out there waiting for me (crossing my fingers) and God has great things planned.

As I wait, I continue to do some freelance PR for Lucky11Studios and I couldn't be happier to be doing what I love. Keep up with our work and recent clients and wish us the best!

"Pick the day. Enjoy it - to the hilt. The day as it comes. People as they come... The past, I think, has helped me appreciate the present - and I don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future." ~ Audrey Hepburn

Smart Grocery Shopping Today

I am all about healthy, nutritious food—but it also has to be good to the taste buds. A lot of nutritious food out there doesn't taste good. Becoming a certified nutritionist has helped me learn about how our bodies react to the food we put in it and how to eat better. So I am on a mission to cook healthy and tasty food.

I will be posting my recipes on here. And please feel free to post your go-to recipes or experiment with these recipes and let me know your feedback!

First off, you should know that I buy most of the meat from Costco. It's cost efficient, easy and you always have meat for a variety of meals. I also purchase a lot of our whole wheat bread there and freeze it till I'm ready to use it. I purchase:
100% whole wheat sandwich thins—great for sandwiches, breakfast, mini pizzas
Whole Wheat, reduce fat English Muffins—great for all of the above!
Whole Wheat wraps—all of the above



Meat I purchase:
Chicken breast tenderloins
Ground turkey
Salmon fillets or Salmon burgers (so good with quinoa or on a salad)
Cooked and peeled shrimp (jambalaya, chili, pasta)

I purchase these on a monthly basis. Not all of them, just most of them depending on what I want to do for the month. Plan ahead!

I don't usually purchase my vegetable from Costco. I don't really need to say why (pesticides, pesticides, pesticides). Plus, Seattle is filled with Farmer's Markets EVERYDAY. And I actually love going to them picking out fresh fruits and veggies. If you look at a garden, you will see that not all tomatoes, apples berries look the exact same. But guess what, the ones at grocery stores do. Ever wonder why? To prevent them from bruising and insects—on the ride to your store, they are injected with growth hormones and pesticides to keep them looking them same. No lie. Read more info here on the top 20 scariest food facts.

Next tip, get to your framers markets! Click here for a great website that lets you know where farmers markets are in your area. Would love to hear about your experience. And don't be afraid to ask the producers about the products they are selling. It's their baby and they will tell you everything from how often they water, when they pick to best preserve their freshness, etc.

Canned Items I purchase:
black beans—can be used in omelets, salads, chili's. But make sure you rinse and drain them to wash out all the extra sodium.
crushed tomatoes—tomato sauce, eggs, chili's, saute with veggies, pizza sauce

Frozen items I purchase:
Vegetable Medley. I've said this before, but don't be afraid to purchase frozen fruit or veggies. As they are frozen at the peak of their freshness which means you still get all the antioxidants and benefits from eating them compared to grocery store f&v's.
Frozen Fruit mixture—great for breakfast smoothies, after dinner desserts(not loaded with HFCS) and snacks.

I also purchase their Havarti Cheese in bulk. Here is some nutritional info about Havarti. Just remember portion size! It's cheaper then the deli sliced cheese and healthier than some of their options. Swiss or pepper jack cheese is also a good option. As for turkey (lower in sodium than ham) for our sandwiches, I purchase that at Safeway.

I hope this helps. I always try to write down what it is that I do and how it is helpful. I cook dinner for Chris and I every night, so purchasing the meat and canned items in bulk saves time and money—and makes it easy when I'm preparing meals for the week.

Leave your tips here and let me know what else you would like to see. I will be posting some recipes soon!

HAPPY AND HEALTHY EATING

Life Is Not a Race, Take Some Me-Time

I saw this on one of the women entrepreneurs blogs I follow on Twitter (@womenonthefence) and just had to share it.

SLOW DANCE.

“Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Do you run through each day
on the fly
When you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste,
not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
‘Cause you never had time
to call and say “Hi”?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away…

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.”

Everyone is always on the run and on the go. We have to get out of the house and not miss traffic. Gotta make this meeting or my boss is gonna kill me. I have to make these brownies tonight for my kids bake sale tomorrow. I have to study right now to get into a great college. Can I make a 15 min run today after a long day of work?

There is always something that you are going to feel like you need to be in a rush for, but really what we all need to do is SLOW DOWN.

I really have to credit my mom with this, too. It doesn't matter where we are or where we're going, you will always hear her say "What's the rush? We're going to get there eventually." It doesn't matter if there is a five car pile up or just 5 o'clock traffic, she is as cool as a cucumber. Thank you mom for teaching me the patience I have—but could always have more.

Chris and I have had a lot of things happen to us, good and bad, but we are on a mission to just slow down, take life as it comes and live our life day to day—not in the past. That was one of the main reasons we left Houston. To put it in Chris' words "We were tired of the rat race." Sitting in traffic every day, always rushing some where. So we definitely slowed things down, Maui style, and loved it while we were there. Fast forward to present time: Dealing with moving two times, up rooting our lives, leaving our friends and families, not having a job, several family health scares, death of a very close friend, births of our friends babies, a new group of friends, air mattress and college living for a week, getting to know a new city— so yes, we have been through A LOT. But there is always time to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N.

Take time during your day, kiss your kids and parents, call a friend, listen to music for 10 mins, send a "just thinking of you" text to your significant other, take some me time and slow down.

Something Chris and I love doing is we have a date night set every week (thanks Loni!). No matter your schedule, set date night every week with your sig other and stick to it. We also do a Taco Tuesday. We look forward to these things every week. No matter how fast or crazy our lives have been.

So slow down and take a deep breath. You will always get to where you're going.

What me-time will you initiate this week for yourself and/or with your loved ones?

Officially Seattlelites!

So it's been about 2 months since I have updated this blog and many things need to be, well, updated! So this entry may be a little long!

We need to change the name of the blog, because obviously we are not longer living on Maui. So stay tune for a new makeover!

Chris and I have been here in the lovely Emerald City for exactly 2 months! And honestly, it's been pretty great! We were kind of nervous the way people were talking "Why would y'all move from Maui to Seattle where it rains all the time?" blah blah blah. I can't tell you how many times we heard that. But since we have been here it has only rained about three times. Granted we did move here during two of the beautiful months they have here in Seattle. So we have been super lucky with this weather. They say it's starts getting cold and rainy within a month. So ask us in a couple months how we are liking it here and we'll see.

What have we been doing since we've been here? Read on my friends:
1. Chris actually surprised me with a dog when I came back from my visit from Houston. He is an adorable Havanese, Irish Pied color. Pictures on Facebook. He has brought so much needed joy to our life right now. Not to mention we really missed having a dog. His name is Mac and he definitely keeps us busy but with a smile on our face.

2. We have made our duplex a home with all the great wedding gifts we received, an awesome king bed from Ikea, matching set of drawers, a Suede dark grey couch from Ashley's, a rich, dark brown TV stand (ikea) and the best 46'' HD 3D TV. We are set in that department. We even have a second bedroom and a front yard for our puppy to play in! Even have my parents coming to visit in October, his friend late October, and my best friend in Nov!

3. Chris is loving his work in the heart of downtown working at the Seattle Met Magazine. He takes the bus everyday as parking is super expensive EVERYWHERE here. He actually doesn't mind it.

4. I actually am doing some freelance PR for our company, Lucky11Studios. It is for New York Pizza & Bar. They are opening up their third location here in Seattle and I am handling all the PR, marketing and social media. I am having so much fun and love being able to do PR again.

5. When we weren't busy the first couple of weekends going to Bed Bath and Beyond, Ikea and Target to stock up on everything we actually made it out to Deception Pass. It is a huge national park right by the water. It was gorgeous. It was the first time we took Mac out and he LOVED it. Photos are on facebook. We had such a great time hiking there, sitting by the water and soaking up the sun. It was by far the prettiest thing we have seen since we've been here. We are definitely going to go back and camp there.

6. We made it to a live music show outside! It had literally been almost two years since we've been to any musical festival. For those of you who don't know Chris, that was something missing from his life and we had the best time at Bumbershoot this past weekend. He was really excited to see Broken Social Scene who put on a great show. I even found two new bands I liked a lot, The Lonely Forest (who opened up for BSS) and Tennis. The weather was amazing, sun shinning all day, and the food was great! We had such a good time and it was nice to be able to spend time with each other, listening to music and indulging in great food and drinks.

7. Pikes Place Market is the coolest thing ever! So many fresh fruit and flower vendors, antique shops, local food AND the first Starbucks which I have yet to try. Every time we walk by it the line is out the door. I am determined to get there within the month!

8. We have definitely had our share of coffee also. Well, let me say, I have, Chris on the other hand is another story. He was getting to a point where he liked it but now he doesn't. URGH! One of these days!

9. There are some GREAT food places here too. Tried some great sandwich shops downtown. So far my favs are The Berliner (german sandwiches) and a cute little sandwich shop at Pikes Place. Chis loves QDoba, a mexican place like Chipotle, of course! And I think we found our favorite Mexican place. Food is probably a little better than Maui. But nothing beats the Maui beaches and sunsets, which we miss.

10. Finally, we are loving the neighborhood we live in, Upper Queen Anne. It's a quaint, cosy and quiet neighborhood. Just minutes from a gorgeous park we walk Mac to and coffee shops where I probably spend too much time. It's super safe with a great view and just blocks from where Chris can catch the bus. Most importantly, our car is right out front and we DON'T have to pay for parking, yay!

It's definitely been a whirlwind since we have been here, going through ups and downs. But We wouldn't be able to do any of this without the love and support from our family and friends. We can't say that enough

I am writing today as we went down to the DMV (took the bus actually!) got new drivers licenses, registered our car and got new license plates. It finally hit us. We are now officially Seattlelites, and it feels pretty good.

As we start another chapter of our life together so do my sister and brother. MY brother and his wife have moved to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, living in our family cabin we have there and are liking it right now. My sister starts her second year as the first grade teacher and Reading Coordinator at St. Augustines, planning their wedding for March and have some really exciting news coming soon. Chris' brother graduated high school and started college, his youngest sister had a job at Holiday Inn but still looking for a teaching job and his oldest sister is still working with the energy company. And our parents all have good bills of health- which is always a great thing!

We are so lucky for the amazing opportunities God has blessed us with. AS we are approaching our one year anniversary October 9, we are blessed and so thankful to have each other in our lives and definitely don't take that for granted. Always say "I love you" and never have regrets. Life is too short to be mad. Love the one you're with and thank God everyday. I know we do.

Thanks for reading!!































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