Happy Favorites Friday!

So it's been several days since my last post! Sorry! I was in the middle of finals and I rocked them! Now I have a couple of weeks free and I will probably be blogging a bit more, at least until Summer classes start!

Today I am blogging about my favorite fitness tips! These are tried and true and if you've hit a plateau, maybe you can try a couple of these tips!

I have incorporated this into my life and has worked wonders! I feel so much better when I accomplish this every single day! Cameron and I have done yard work, jogged, walked, rode bicycles, cleaned the house, weight trained, and played catch! 30 minutes translates into any activity that will raise your heart rate! Try it!

Squats. Its a love/hate relationship. I love and hate the pain, but I would LOVE my legs to look like this one day! Squats work all the muscles in the backs of your legs (not to mention a few in the front), plus you will pat yourself on the back come summer time!

Who doesn't love crunches? These won't work unless you do them correctly and this quick little guide is the perfect reminder! Don't forget to incorporate cardio into all of your workouts to help get rid of the adipose tissue(fat) covering your rectus abdominus(ab muscles!)

One of my favorite things to do while Cameron and I are going for a walk is taking my hand weights with me! I do shoulder raises or air punches while we are walking and it feels great! Cardio and weights at the same time!

The very best tip I can give you is that being fit and healthy is 80% nutrition and 20% working out. My trainer always tells me that I work out every day, but if I eat crap, then I will not only feel like crap, I will look like crap! 

Hope that these tips help you out! Work hard and play harder!

Talk soon!

Monica

Friday Favorites!

Whoo Hoo! Its Friday and I am SO very happy! Things in my life are coming together just as planned! It's been very easy lately to fall into a rut because I'm in school and work full time, but I don't mind it at all. We have a routine and sometimes that routine keeps me going! When I lived in Los Angeles, the routine was a little crazier!

Speaking of LA, let me get into my Friday Favorites! This morning I had to get all dolled up for an event happening at work. This wasn't difficult. I have plenty of dresses and heels to choose from! But it made me think about all of the trends that have come back around! Here are the 5 that came to mind:

Dolce & Gabbana White Pant. These are very sleek and stylish. You can wear them with almost any color. I purchased my first pair over 7 years ago so I  know that they are a classic style!

Floral short. When I bought a pair at an Los Angeles H & M store, I was so excited! They reminded me of a skirt but more comfortable! I paired them with a cute black tank and 5 inch wedges and danced the night away!

The scarf, tank, and maxi...what don't I love about this look. I used to rock this look on Fridays at my old job because I wanted to look dressed up and NOT wear jeans. Now this is possible in LA. This is NOT POSSIBLE in Corpus Christi. It isn't even possible in San Antonio so I laugh inside when I see girls try to sport this look in 90 degree weather and 90 percent humidity!

A classic look from Michael Kors. I have several dresses like this in my closet. Unfortunately, I don't work in an office that requires I dress like this anymore. It's disappointing when I workout in the mornings and face all of the pairs of heels I have, wondering when I will get to enjoy them For now, its only on date nights and special occasions!

Last but certainly not least! The pointed toe heel. I have plenty of these types of heels. I have always been a fan. Round toe, not so much. In my opinion, this style is much more classy and elegant and makes you taller and leaner!

They always say that trends recycle themselves but I think the ones above are here to stay! Classic pieces that you can wear with anything to almost any function!

Hope you have a few in your closet just like me!

Talk soon!

Monica

In due time...

Its been a few days since I've blogged and I have so many things to blog about, namely handicap spots, fitness and my struggle with my body, and being envious over nothing at all...

A couple of my co-workers have become engaged over the past weeks. It's made me dream about my own wedding that will happen soon enough. Cameron and I have had so many conversations about our wedding. We want it to be right and we want it to happen at the right time. We are completely in love. We just purchased our first home, so we aren't in a rush to do anything just yet.

So today, in honor of that dream coming true, I am staying true to Favorites Friday with 5 of my favorite wedding dresses!

This one is so beautiful! I love the flowers on the bottom of the dress. I think it looks so elegant!

I'm in love with this one too!

I love the detail of this dress. I can really picture myself in this one!

The bottom of this dress is so beautiful. It reminds me of a Spanish dancer!

And finally, this one! Its a little racy for the wedding but I know I could pull it off!

 

 

I know that when the time comes, I will have a hard time choosing the right dress. But I'm excited to enjoy the experience!

 

Happy Friday!

 

Talk soon,

Monica

Happy Wednesday!

Just recently I have challenged myself to give a 100% in anything I do. I have been working out everyday and am cautious about what I eat.

But....that doesn't mean I don't absolutely love food! I'm a closet foodie and wish that I could eat anything and everything and be thin. But that just isn't in the cards for me. Cameron and I have fun cooking together and searching for healthy recipes that we enjoy. Here are a few of my favorites:

Bison burger! If you haven't tried this type of meat, I suggest you do. It is healthier and leaner than regular ground beef and the taste is amazing!

Chicken and cheese tortellini soup. This is fairly easy to make and we added chicken as our protein for the dish.

Fried orange chicken with saffron rice. This is one of my favorites! Usually I grill the chicken for a healthier option but this time decided to lightly fry the chicken pieces.

Huaraches with beef fajita and Mexican rice. Huaraches are a popular staple in Los Angeles and I fell in love with them when I lived there. Huarache translated mean "shoe". Although I didn't shape the masa to look like a "shoe", its still the same!

Grilled salmon with baby shrimp and lemon broccoli. We make salmon at least once a week. It is super healthy and has a great taste!

Tacos Dorados. These tortillas are lightly friend in olive oil and shaped to resemble a hard taco. We stuff them with shredded chicken and top them with some avocado and crema (mexican style sour cream).

Turkey with homemade mashed red potatoes and french style green beans. I left this in the crockpot all day and it was tender and juicy! 

So there you have it! 

We are always looking for new and exciting recipes, feel free to send some our way!

Talk soon!

Monica

So you think I'm pregnant?!

So every now and again, someone will ask me if I'm pregnant. Its not because I have a belly the size of a basketball, or because I am eating pickles and ice cream, or even because I am bloated and wearing maternity clothes! No, no, no....its all because I enjoy wearing the one style that I realize now, can never be in my closet again...The EMPIRE waist.

I wore a cute tank top that just so happen to be empire waist. The material was light and airy and there were lace shoulders to compliment the top. Cameron and I were coming out of a restaurant and two ladies approached us to inquire about the establishment. One women asked what I had ate so I answered, "A burger, but I worked out today, so it was my treat." Her response? "Oh! Are you eating for two?" I couldn't believe what she had just said. My stomach is flat and in this top you can't even tell, so why would she ask? I quickly responded with "No, I just though Cameron and I would pretend tonight." Needless to say she was embarrassed and apologized over and over again. LOL...but I vowed to Cameron to never wear an empire waist again. This wasn't the first time and I knew it probably wouldn't be the last. I love this style because its comfortable but I am realizing now that it may not flatter me like I would want.

So here is an ode to empire waists everywhere...I loved you but you must go now...please don't try to contact me, I won't pick up, I won't answer the door. Goodbye...

Talk later!

Monica

Favorites Friday!

I thought I would change it up a bit!

Who doesn't have a favorite of something? Well I have tons of favorites in all things! Today its all about the movies! Cameron and I love movies so I thought I would share some of my favorites with you!

Love Stories-One of my favorite love stories! I am a fan of Keanu Reeves and I love how this story isn't a typical boy meets girl love story! 

Period Pieces- My all time favorite movie. All of the actors are superb but my favorite is Val Kilmer! I think his performance is Oscar worthy!

Action-If you love fast cars then you will love this movie. All the movies in this updated series are great to watch, just make sure you grab plenty of popcorn if you are making a marathon of it, they are working on a Fast 7 coming out in 2015!

Dramas-This story touches my heart in more ways than one. Its about a father who uses his imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. This is a must see!

Comedies-This is one of my favorite comedies because, in a way, it reminds me of myself! LOL! The pressures of trying to fit in!

Thought provoking- When I first watched this movie, I thought that every high school should play this for their students. This movie is about change and the fear some people have to do so and what it creates. Awesome movie!

Well, its Friday and these are my favorites!

Talk soon,

Monica

Pet Peeves!

Ok I'm gonna talk about it...pet peeves. Everyone has them! They annoy us, frustrate us, or even anger some of us.

I have listed my pet peeves below. The first one gave me inspiration to write this blog in the first place.


Classmates talking while a professor or instructor is talking
Getting the bath rug wet when you get out of the shower (I step on my towel so my feet dry first)
Women who bite their nails, its a disgusting habit and I saw a classmate of mine doing it last night! Gross! At       least do it in privacy!
Sitting in a restaurant trying to have a peaceful meal when their is a screaming kid sitting nearby. What's               annoying about this is that the parents ignore the screaming child!
Smokers(see previous blog post)
leaving empty containers in the refrigerator or pantry
parents who take children to see Rated R movies
Hair on the floor (gross!)
Horrible drivers

So I probably have so many more that MAY come up in the future but I don't want to bore you! Have any pet peeves that annoy you?

Anyways, Have a great Thursday!
Talk later,
Monica