Can I Eat It

My friend is a personal trainer & recently challenged her Facebook friends to start listing everything they eat each day in an effort to get ready for summer. I wrote a comment back to her saying, "You don't want to know what I eat everyday...it's scary, but here's a little sample (twinkies, cupcakes & cereal at midnight)."

I've been pretty lucky my whole life, I'm a junk food junky & can usually eat whatever I want without gaining weight.

Unfortunately age has changed all that.

I've just had so many bad habits over the years that the thought of giving up my sweets just makes me almost sick.

The more I thought about it, I figured that writing down what I eat will probably make me think first & try to get some type of will power...for my bikini this summer.

So I'm in...somewhat reluctantly but I know it's a necessity.

TODAY'S ACCOUNTABILITY LIST:

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Three spicy tuna rolls, 5 strips of seared peppered Ahi, 1 shrimp, two chunks of bread, single bite size of each-cheesecake, chocolate truffle, bread pudding. (My boss took us out to lunch so it was larger than normal)- see already justifying.
Snack: 4 thin mint cookies
Dinner: Small portion of stew, slice of whole wheat bread w/ butter & apple sauce
Desert: Bowl of cereal (Cocoa Krispies)~justification # 2: I'm eating it at 9:00 instead of midnight.

Exercise: 20 minute walk & 10 minute floor exercises (stomach, legs, butt & thighs)

Final daily justification:
Something I ate didn't agree with me at all so I've been in the bathroom most of the night...I no longer need to count all of the calories I just ate!

I will try harder tomorrow!!!!!

If you're feeling brave, join me in my accountability list...click on the comment section & list what you're eating each day. Lets see if we can't get in shape by Memorial Day!

Smells & Music

Today I walked past a cluster of jasmine plants lining a walkway. The smell instantly took me back to the carefree summer days with my grandma. She had the volleyball, badminton & horseshoes all set up. Waking up to oatmeal & bran muffins on the table.


I was right there again, as if my grandma was still here smiling at me. That single smell gave me such a warm & loving memory.

A few weeks ago at work we were listening to a radio station & a song came on. There I was, gliding across the ice, practicing my spins & jumps. I was 12 years old, with my Dorothy Hamill haircut & dreaming of the day when I would be able to land an axel jump...then off to the Olympics, every young skaters dream.

My Childhood Idol...DOROTHY HAMILL

What is it about smells & music that take you right back to a certain time in your life?

Jullien Herrera for Man vs. Machine

He's BACK...my son, Jullien Herrera for Man vs. Machine Fall 2010. I love the way he is transformed in each and every photo shoot.

The following is a post from The Fashionisto:

Jullien Herrera by Dana Lauren Goldstein | Man VS Machine Fall 2010

Man VS Machine goes less technical for the fall season with a downtown vibe best captured by the candid photography style of Dana Lauren Goldstein. Comfortable in his own skin, Jullien Herrera represents the youthful spirit of the New York-based label. Easily transitioning from tailored outerwear to lively casual numbers, Man VS Machine gives shape to a no-fuss existence.














Stay tuned for more to come!

Barbed Wire Pad Punk Reunion Party & More

I've been waiting for a weekend that we don't have anything to do. Since moving into our new place we haven't had a free moment to just kick back & relax in it.

On Friday night I had a birthday dinner for Elijah (15). His actual birthday was on April 3rd, our move in day. I also wasn't able to do my annual birthday pics & tribute story to him, because we had no internet. I'll post this later also...can't break tradition.


Saturday we had a birthday party for my nephew, Tristan (3). I got some really cute pics, also to be posted later.

Sunday we had my hubby's punk "Barbed Wire Pad" reunion party. The Barbed Wire Pad was a place all the punkers used to hang out at in the 80's. So my hubby was excited to get to see all his old friends.

I was pleasantly surprised because all the girls were really nice. I usually end up hanging out with the guys at these kinds of things (i'm not much of a gossip person & get really bored with girl conversation). Not to mention girls can sometimes be really catty if they don't know you.

My hubby was really crazy back in the day. Most of everyone's stories/memories revolved around him. He fell off a balcony landing on his head. At another party he accidentally pushed a girl off a balcony while pretending to push her.

The saying then became, "It's not a party until Anthony throws someone off a balcony." In his defense he said, "She jumped!"

Anthony throwing a keg off the balcony...

They were both okay after stitches & casting of the arm.

Then there were the stories of him in vehicles. He was hanging his head out of a car & the hood flew up & hit him in the face...knocking him out.

One night he was pretty drunk & wouldn't put his seat belt on. They were in an open, topless jeep when he fell out. A truck behind them ran him over with the front & back tires. Everyone thought he was dead. His arm was almost completely ripped off & hanging from his shoulder by a few tendons.

He was in the hospital for quite a while after that one, but they were able to repair his arm.

I always thought some of the stories were a little exaggerated, but everyone confirmed they were right on.

As you can see, my husband eventually decided that he wasn't the best drinker & thought that if he wanted to stay alive he better stop.

So after about five hours, everyone safely left the party, no accidents, falls, or trips to the hospital, aging has its advantages!

Streetwear Today Magazine

I went to Barnes & Noble to get a copy of the new issue of German magazine "Streetwear Today." They only had an older issue so I'm still trying to find one. I always make sure to pick up a copy of the magazines my son Jullien is in.

So here's his latest pics:

Issue #31 on stands now

photos: Maike Paul for STREETWEAR TODAY MAGAZINE

stylist: Stephan Kallaus

LOVE THIS PIC!


This has a David Bowie look going on.

Jullien also just booked his first HUGE campaign for SISLEY. Shot by a very famous photographer. This wont be out till later this year but for those of you who aren't familiar with the modeling world...the main goal is to book a campaign. That's where the money is...so WOO HOO to JUJU!!! (My nickname for him since he was a baby).

I Was Rescued

Most of us take technology for granted. I can remember when there were no computers/cell phones/I Pads/I Pods. I know that makes me sound ancient, but just think about it...it was only back in the 80's.

We used to spend our time playing family games, (Trouble, Operation, Candy Land-my personal fav) and actually played outside (Hide-n-Seek, Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, Kick Ball etc.) We even walked to and from school, and would never think of yelling at our parents for being late to pick us up.

AWWWE the good ol' days!

Fast forward to this past Friday. We spent the entire day moving into our new home and scheduled the cable company to be at our new home on Saturday. The clock ticked past the time they were supposed to be here. My hubby called & found out that...surprise...they had messed up our order and accidentally canceled it. After about an hour and several transfers, the best that they could do was re-schedule it for Tuesday.

Now lets count...Saturday (1), Sunday (2), Monday (3) Tuesday (1/2 day). Okay that's three and a half days of living in the stone age...no television, emails, Facebook, Blog, Twitter, Hubpages or phone, just silence.

I went back in time...and I didn't like it one bit!

The good ol' days no longer seemed so good. I felt lost, disconnected from the world. I was sitting in a cave. The earthquake happened here & I couldn't even find out where it was centered, what the magnitude & the damage was. I felt like I was in a third world country, isolated and out of touch.

Okay so I exaggerate a little...but you try turning everything completely off for three and a half days.

You know you couldn't do it.

We are slaves to technology. We no longer enjoy, not knowing what is going on around the world & in our friends & families lives every minute of the day.

Our lives have become a "Real World Reality Show" for the whole world to see.

I'm happy to say that I received a knock at my door on Tuesday afternoon. He was dressed in a tan button down work shirt, navy blue pants, with a heavily loaded tool belt strapped to his waste & carrying a ladder. He had a bold bright red patch on his shirt which read those three magical words............

Time Warner Cable.

The cable guy was my knight in shining armor...coming to rescue me from my cave.

Hello T.V., Emails, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Hubpages...I've missed you!

California Surfer Receives An Escort From A Whale

I just read this story & absolutely loved it! Thought I'd re-post it for those of you who didn't hear about it...SO COOL!

California surfer receives whale of an escort during marathon paddle

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

When Southern California surfer Jodie Nelson set out Sunday to standup-paddle nearly 40 miles from Santa Catalina Island to Dana Point, she hoped it'd inspire her best friend, who has been involved in a long and exhausting struggle with breast cancer, to keep fighting.

Nelson, 34, whose mother and aunt are cancer survivors, also hoped her nine-hour test of endurance would raise money for two cancer charities and heighten awareness about a plight affecting millions of women.

What Nelson could not have known was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours, thus joining the cause.

"It was a day that all of us involved will never forget," Nelson said, in reference to Angela Robinson, her best friend, and the rest of a crew aboard an escort boat.

Minke whales are not commonly seen off Southern California, and those spotted by boaters are often elusive. So when a mammal Nelson named Larry joined her endeavor to become the first woman to make this long paddle, she took it as a sign.

"To me it was a total God thing," the San Clemente resident said. "We prayed at 4 that morning that God would reveal his beauty and creation and nature, and allow me to endure this long trek, so for me it's not such a huge surprise that this happened."

Larry did not merely swim close to Nelson. He rolled around repeatedly alongside her and blew bubbles beneath her board. A film crew was on the escort boat and CNN, Fox News and ABC are just some of the networks she says are interested in the story and footage.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society whale researcher, said minke whales can be friendly but added: "This type of quality encounter is highly unusual."

Nelson raised only about $6,000 in advance of the paddle, disappoingtingly short of her target of $100,000 for the Keep a Breast Foundation and Boarding for Breast Cancer. A few of her celebrity friends let her down, she said, but when this story reaches a national audience she expects the pool to grow considerably.

"I thought, 'I don't need so-and-so,' " she said of a particular celebrity, whom she declined to name. "Because I honestly feel like Larry is going to help us reach the $100,000 mark with our fundraising effort."

Larry or no Larry, completing a stand up paddle over 39.8 miles of ocean and sharks speaks volumes about Nelson's strength, stamina and determination.


Larry took her mind off the task for two magical hours, but her mind never strayed from the cause. "I can't even begin to compare what I did to what cancer patients are going through," she said. "But I wanted to put myself out there in a dangerous and scary, overwhelming situation; something that was big and just to show people that you can win that battle with that big, scary thing called cancer.

"I wanted to draw some kind of parallel and just encourage people to keep fighting."

Those wanting to help Jodie with her mission can do so via her page on the Keep a Breast Foundation website.


Photos: courtesy paddlewithpurpose.com

Ultimate Procrastinator

So we will start moving stuff today...I still haven't packed a thing.

Wonder how all that stuff is going to get into those boxes lying around the room...hmmm...

Anyone think I'm the worst procrastinator in the whole world?