21 Day Fix - Round 1 Results

On July 20, I fully committed to completing the 21 Day Fix program! I've started it in the past and always quit a week or two in! I was tired of quitting and tired of gaining weight!

I'm proud to say that I completed the program yesterday! I wasn't perfect...I ate too many carbs, drank some alcohol, and had some cake. However, I didn't let that derail my entire program. I started back with the plan the next day or next meal. I worked out every day! This past week I did double workouts, since it's an option for the last week. I figured since I had the time, I would do it! I also incorporated Cize workouts the last few days because I wanted to try it out! Spoiler alert: I love it! Stay tuned for my plan for next month or so!

So without further ado, here are my results!

If you would like more information about the 21 Day Fix, please leave a comment below! I will happily answer any questions!

My favorite meal of my day!

I first tried Shakeology last August! I can't believe it's been a year since I decided to get it and try it out! I haven't drank it the entire time , but for the majority of the time I have. Each time I get off track and then start drinking it again, I wonder why I ever stopped! It's so delicious and it helps with cravings, so why would I stop drinking it?! I don't plan on stopping again! It's so easy in the morning and fits in well with the 21 Day Fix, which I am following!

Today I'm sharing my go-to recipe:

Ingredients:
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
Spinach
1/2 Banana
1 tsp PB2
8-10 oz water

Directions:
1. Blend water and spinach together.
2. Add banana, Shakeology, and PB2.
3. Blend and enjoy!

21 Day Fix Counts: 1 red, 1 green, 1 purple, 1 tsp

2015 Summer Must-Haves

Here are my 2015 Summer Must-Haves!

Flamingos seem to be in this season! I'm seeing them EVERYWHERE! I'm loving these headbands that I'm also seeing EVERYWHERE!

Organic Cotton Pink Flamingo On Mint Head Wrap, Etsy, $10

I love a good fit and flare dress! I wore this one to a wedding last month and it was so flattering and comfortable, plus the print is fun for summer!

Printed Fit & Flare, Target, $24.99

Sunscreen is a year-round essential here in Texas, but especially important in the summer. My favorite sunscreen is a store brand from HEB, which a Texas grocery store. It's a spray on, that you can spray on when wet, which is a huge plus! Now that we have a pool, we are buying more sunscreen.

Wet Protection, SPF 85, HEB, around $10.

Koozie are pretty much life around here. We have a pretty hefty collection going and I don't see any signs of stopping. This one is just hilarious and perfect for your 4th of July celebrations!

Red, White, and Wasted Koozie, Frogstones, $8.99

I love Budlight's Ritas!! All the flavors are great! I can't wait to try the Lemon-ade-rita! 

Budlight Ritas, Various Stores, Price Varies

21 Day Fix Week 1 Meal Plan

Here I am again, I want to follow this program so bad, but always seem to get off track!! I'm recommitting this week, starting Monday. Here is my meal plan for the week!

I created the spreadsheet myself and it seems to work best for me, for planning the week out. I will track my food on an app that I have.

I'm also starting a DietBet! I've tried a few of these before and never won, so I really want to win this time. It's also ending very close to my BFF's Bachelorette Party and Wedding!! So I have that motivation, as well as the motivation of the wedding to keep my going! I've decided to start posting my daily food, workouts, etc. on Tumblr so follow me on there, if you want to see my journey!!

If you have any questions about any Beachbody program, please don't hesitate to ask!

Book 4: An Abundance of Katherines

I just loved this book!

 It was light-hearted and fun. 

The audio was well done and fun to listen to. 

A coming of age story that perfectly captures modern times.

Source

Rating:

Book 3 - The Maze Runner by James Dashner

"The Maze Runner cover" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia

Ahh! This book! I thought I would NEVER finish it! In fact, it fell into the category of "a book you started but never finished." I'm not sure why I disliked the book so much. I did something I usually don't do - I watched the movie before reading the book. This may have been the issue. The other thing I thought might be the problem, is the fact that I listened to it. In the past, I've listened to several books through Audible and always liked them. This one was just so boring to me! I'm glad I finally finished it! Overall, I liked the story but I think since I knew basically what happened, I was over it. Plus, the narrator was just not keeping me interested. I finished this over our honeymoon (posting about that soon!) and I'm glad it is out of my life ;)

Rating: 2/5

Stitch Fix Review

Yesterday I got my Stitch Fix for April. I've used the service for a little over a year (I think) and it's always a fun surprise to see what they choose for me!

Each shipment, they get more accustomed to your style and understand what you like, what fits, and what types of clothes you prefer. This is based on the feedback you leave when checking out.

Here's what I got this month:

Bracelets...I love them, but bracelets get in my way since I'm on the computer so much. Honestly, when I thought about it, I was surprised I've adjusted to wearing my Fitbit all the time. 

Cardigan - Liked the light weight fabric, but the fringe isn't really my style. 

Did not keep

Chevron tank top - loved the blue and the pattern of this, plus it's appropriate for work! 

Kept

Chevron tank with tie back - flowy, colorful, and chevron (my favorite pattern)!! 

Jeans - these are my new favorite jeans!!

Kept both

Overall, I loved everything from my Stitch Fix this month but didn't keep the bracelets or the cardigan. I can't wait to get my next box. I've changed my shipment schedule to every 3 months, mostly because I don't need new clothes that often ;)

Book 2: Bossypants by Tina Fey

By the recommendation of my friend, Amanda, who I'm doing this challenge with, I listened to Bossypants by Tina Fey. Let me tell you that it was one of the best audio books I've listened to! My top choice is still Ender's Game.

Tina's book is hilarious but her narrating the book makes it even better! This book could fit multiple categories but for now - I'm placing it under a book that made me laugh (as the year goes on, I might re-arrange my books depending on my tastes or if there is another book suites my fancy more).

Mostly sarcastic with a little seriousness, this is an overall great book! I definitely recommend the audio book!

(From Wikipedia)

Rating: 4.5/5

Marsala - 2015 Color of the Year

The 2015 Color of the Year is Marsala! It's a gorgeous deep red that will work great with any season! Below I'm listing some of my favorite finds in Marsala, so far!

Tavia Peasant Top

anthropologie; $49.99

Marsla in Bloom

Jamberry Nail Wraps; $15

Glass Tea Light Holder

H&M; $4.95

Infinity Scarf

Etsy; $22

Book 1: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I finished my first book for the book challenge last week sometime.

I read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn for the mystery/thriller themed book.

I enjoyed this book and the way it was set up. It kept me interested in it the whole time, because you don't find out what truly happened until the very end.

It kept going back and forth between characters and time periods, which kept it interesting.

Overall, the story was very sad and it made me thankful for the life I have.

I recommend this book!

4 out of 5 stars

2015 Reading Challenge

One of my goals this year is to read more and to read consistently. So when I found this awesome reading challenge on Pinterest, I was excited! I was even more excited when my friend at work mentioned it and suggested that we should do it together. We won't necessarily be reading the same books for the different categories but we can hold each other accountable. There are 50 categories and one is a trilogy, so a total of 52 books or one per week this year. Now, I don't think I can do one book per week while I work, so I'm hoping to gain some ground this summer and on our honeymoon! The first book I will check off is a mystery/thriller. I'm currently reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. It's excellent! I will report back when I'm finished with a review! Check out the challenge here. Let me know if you are inspired to read more or even take on the challenge!

2015

It's a few days into 2015 and I've been thinking about the year ahead. 2014 was great! We did so many things, hung out with amazing people, and even moved. 2015 will be a big year for us as we are getting married! The time has come! When we get married, we will have been together 7 years! It's crazy to think about all we've done together in such a short time. I think that's a whole other post in itself. 2015 is a big year for our friends as well. My best friend since 1st grade is getting married in June. In April, our good friends are getting married. Bobby and him worked together in 2009 and they ended up at the same company here in Waco. The couple is moving to California which is super sad but exciting for their future! Another of our couple friends is getting married in the fall. So 2015 will be the year of weddings! 

A few other things I want to focus on this year is health and exercise, figuring out my passion in life, reading more books, and blogging more. I definitely want to get my weight under control this year. This is something I have struggled with for the past few years and it's time. I want to be in good health before having kids - which is still a few years off in case you're wondering! 

Another thing I'd like to do is meditate! The next semester of work is going to be extremely difficult and I need to find healthy ways to deal with the stress! Exercise, reading, crafting, and meditation all seem like a great start! 

I have high hopes for 2015 and am looking forward to the year ahead!