The Watson's

My DIY V-Day Gift for Derek

2012-02-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

This year I made a personal decision to put more thought into the gifts that I give my husband. I feel like every year in the past we have focused on buying each other material things that mean nothing from the heart. Thank goodness for Pinterest and all the wonderful DIY project ideas on there because I am really excited about the gifts I'm going to create for Derek this year!

If you're on Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen the "52 Things I Love About You" playing cards. You can see my pin of it HERE. I decided to give a try, and for each reason I included a picture of us that correlated with it. I think they turned out pretty cute!

"Cuddling with you is the most comforting feeling in the world!"

"You're a REALLY good kisser!"

"You give me a little squeeze whenever you put your arm around me. I like it!"

Creating this project for Derek really made me realize how much I do love him and how he has so many wonderful qualities. I feel like sometimes when you've been married for awhile it becomes easy to think about the things that bother you about your spouse or the things they don't do, and so this really helped re-direct my thoughts and appreciate my husband. I can't wait to give it to him :)

I am also starting to think about my next gift for Derek, which will be for our 4 year anniversary on March 21st. I really like this "Alphabet of our Love Book":

You can check out my pin of it HERE.

It is my hope that by being more creative and thoughtful this year that our marriage will continue to grow stronger, cause let's face it..marriages don't stay strong on their own. And if you say you don't have to work at your marriage, well then...you're a LIAR! :)

Raw vs. Cooked Veggies: What's better?!

2012-02-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

"An easy rule of thumb is to avoid fried vegetables or recipes laden with fats or sugar. And eat a variety of fruits of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways."

via "Raw veggies pack a punch, but cooking can unlock key benefits" article.

I'm sure you've heard time and time again that eating vegetables RAW have more nutritional value than eating them cooked. All of those nutty raw food diets have developed from this very idea. But is that really true?! Let me explain the TRUTH (based on clinical studies, of course) behind raw vs cooked:

Raw and cooked veggies both have nutritional benefits, but for different reasons.

RAW VEGGIES still have their cell wall intact, therefore they are higher in fiber than cooked veggies. Cooking breaks down the cell wall of veggies, but this actually means that the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are more bioavailable, so our bodies an absorb them more efficiently. However, it is important to just lightly steam your veggies in a small amount of water. It is true that nutrients can leach out into water when cooking, so you don't want to let your veggies get to the point where they're SUPER soft and mushy. Cooked with a little crisp is best.

So..the whole point of this blog post is to inform you that both raw and cooked veggies have their benefits. If you are suffering from constipation, than focus more on consuming raw veggies. If you are more concerned with getting more nutrients in, go with lightly steamed veggies.

The most important fact I want to mention though is if you are eating AT LEAST 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you are doing WONDERFUL and will get the nutrition you need, regardless of how you prepare your veggies. Just please don't smother your veggies in ranch dressing! A little here and there is OK, but don't compromise your healthy meal or snack by loading on the dressing!

On a side note, FRIDAY is the very last day of my dietetic internship! I just passed my comprehensive exam and am well on my way to becoming a dietitian! Let the studying for the REAL RD exam begin!!!

Excuse me while I go throw up now

2012-01-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

Please take 5 minutes of your time and watch this video about where fast food companies get their meat. Jamie Oliver states that McDonald's uses basically scraps mixed with ammonia to form beef patties for their burgers. I don't doubt that other fast food companies do the same thing. They've gotta get cheap food somehow, right?!

{with the exception of In N Out:)}

Do YOU know where your food comes from?! This actually doesn't sound like such a silly question, huh? McDonald's decided to stop using this for their burgers:

How very considerate of you, McDonald's.

What a freaking joke.

Home Again..until we move to Scottsdale.

2012-01-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hello lovies! I can't believe how long its been since I've blogged! The month of December was just full of beachy vacays! You have full permission to be jealous :) I already blogged about our AMAZING Miami + Caribbean Cruise trip at the beginning of December, but our last little adventure was in Puerto Vallarta, MX for Christmas! Derek's family all came down and we enjoyed two full weeks there! Here's a few pics:

NYE 2012!

The girlies!

I loved running on the beach in the mornings and ending my workouts with a little yoga! I had to do something to compensate for all the delish chips and salsa I was eating every day!

Beautiful sunset!

About to go for a boat ride, snorkeling, and a hike up to waterfalls!

It was a great trip and I definitely got a little tan goin on now :)

As for now it's back to reality for 6 more weeks! My internship will be over mid-February, so I am starting to look for dietitian jobs. Derek has been accepted to law school in Phoenix, so we have decided to move there when my internship is over. We have an apartment set up in Scottsdale already, which I hear is the nicest area in AZ. I told Derek I will only live there if we can be in the nicest city! I am SO sad to leave my beautiful hometown of San Diego, but it is important that Derek accomplishes his goal of becoming an attorney. For that I am willing to sacrifice going from heaven to hell!!!

Elite Caribbean Cruise

2011-12-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

We just got back a fews days ago from our first winter vacay this season! Derek's work paid for us and a bunch of other employees to go on a Caribbean cruise! Because my 25th birthday just happened to be 2 days before our cruise took off, I just HAD to go to South Beach Miami! We ate at a yummy popular sushi place, shopped around, and just soaked up the sun!

My birthday cake!

We stopped by this little pet shop and Derek fell in love with this little dog!

Dash Miami...it was nothing special.

The water was gorgeous!

On Saturday night we rode the train up to Ft Lauderdale to meet up with our friends.

Taking off!!! We were so excited!

Our first stop was Key West, FL! The homes were sooo charming...I would love to have a vacation home there someday! Let's hope we're LOADED!

I just had to take a picture of Derek laying next to this obese woman on the ship. The funny thing is he had no idea why I REALLY wanted to take this pic! Look how skinny my hubby looks! LOL

Top 3 salesman in the company..

and GUESS WHAT?!

My hubby was #1!!!

He was awarded with lots of goodies, including an iPad, Rockwood watch, a waterproof digital camera, and more! Elite definitely spoiled us! :)

1st dressy night!

Here we are in the Grand Cayman. My goodness this was the most beautiful island I have ever seen! The water was SOOO clear and warm! We swam with stingrays, went snorkling, and laid out on the most gorgeous beach! I am already thinking about when I wanna go back!

This girl was loving the water a little tooo much. Wowza! We totally thought her nip would slip! :/

I participated in the Gender Showdown on the cruise!

At one of the game shows my friend's husband told everyone we were polygamists and all of us girls were his 9 wives! LOL Yay sister wives!

Our last stop was Jamaica! I found a star fish on the beach :)

We went snorkling with our friends and laid out on the beach!

Last fancy night! This was such a bootylicious dress. It's officially one of my faves!

They had a big Beatles tribute show that was SO good!

On the last night we OF COURSE had to go clubbing! It was a blast!

We finally ended our trip by spending another 2 days in Ft Lauderdale. We enjoyed the beach, did some more shopping, and of course ate good food! The best part about this trip is I made some really great friends! We can't wait for next year's trip!!!

I'm Finally on Pinterest!

2011-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

Hey lovelies! I finally got a Pinterest account and started a few boards! Let's be "followers"! At least I think that's how you say "friends" in the Pinterest language! CLICK HERE to see what I've pinned so far! :)

Mod Dog Shop!

2011-11-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today I was watching the Nate Berkus Show, and they were featuring different prints offered on Etsy. I just LOVE this one from The Mod Dog Shop:

This posting is for a Samoyed dog, which is in the same family as American Eskimos.

These prints are so colorful and cute, but not cheesy. I've always wanted to add a little something to my home that represents our little babes, so these are just perfect! Here's a few more examples:

Husky

Boxer

Poodle

These are the color options you can choose:

I think I might just have to get bright pink for sweet baby Bella! :)

11♥11♥11

2011-11-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 11.11.11 and Veterans Day today!

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening at my cousin's temple sealing and wedding reception. It was one of the best sealings I've ever been to. Not only did the sealer have such wonderful things to say about marriage, but today was also my grandpa's birthday and I know WITHOUT A DOUBT that his spirit was there with us today in the temple. I miss him so so much! He served in WW2 and LOVED sharing war stories. Derek is OBSESSED with history, and I wish so badly my grandpa could be here to share his stories with him. Someday I know he'll get that chance :)

I told Derek we should take a picture with Charleigh and see what a picture would look like if we had a child! haha! She fit in quite nicely :)

I hope you all had a memorable 11.11.11 and Veterans Day! I am so grateful for those who serve this country and the veterans (including my grandpa) who have served in the past. We are so blessed to live in this wonderful country, and we need to never take that for granted!

Halloween Weekend in Utah!

2011-11-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

This year Derek and I decided to head to Utah for halloween! We had so much fun, even though it was freeeeezing! I have definitely acclimated back to San Diego's weather since moving back here in March! Anyways, here's some pics at my friend Allie's 2nd Annual Halloween Party!

We were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan! I was so excited because we've never matched before! My mom also made my costume because I couldn't find one that I liked in stores. It turned out so good! She might have to make me my costumes every year! haha! :)

My favorite girls! Gosh I missed them SO much!

Shan suuure does love her man!

Honey, stop touching the penis!!!

Zach and Cristi looked sooo cute! Can you believe Cristi is gonna have a baby girl in Feb?!?! She's like Rachel Zoe - never shows!! Lucky girl!

Sara and Cody looked hot, of course!

I love this pic of Allie hanging out on the side...she was such a good white trash preggo lady!

I can't wait for next year!!! I'm already thinking about what I want to be!

I guess it all depends on whether or not I have a bun in the oven..if ya know what I mean ;)

WANTED: San Diego Dog Sitter!

2011-11-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Derek and I are going on a Caribbean cruise from Nov 25th-Dec 5th, and we are desperately in need of someone to watch our darling doggies while we are gone! Please let me know if you or someone you know may be interested!

Bella

Charming

They are great watch dogs :)

Thank you!!!

Marilyn Monroe vs My Grandma: Who Wore it Better?

2011-10-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

My beautiful grandma celebrated her 80th birthday yesterday, and we had a big party to celebrate last Saturday! My mom made her a big scrapbook of her life, and she included a Who wore it better? page in the album because she modeled in the same swimsuit as Marilyn Monroe! I think it's pretty clear who the winner is :)

My grandma looks soooo much better in this swimsuit! Check out those legs! She also got to take the swimsuit home to keep, so my mom inherited it a few years ago. I tried it on not long ago too :) I should have taken pics..maybe I'll do that sometime soon. Here are some more beautiful modeling pics of my grandma! She was amazing!

Happy 80th birthday, Grandma!

Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed supplements: What's Better?

2011-10-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Because I am currently interning at WIC, pregnancy nutrition is constantly on my mind. I have mentioned in previous posts that fish oil is beneficial for fetal and infant brain development due to the EPA and DHA in omega-3 fatty acids. It is in fact the EPA and DHA that you want, and not necessarily the ALA because ALA is pretty easy to get in our diets. So, with that said, should a pregnant or breastfeeding woman take fish oil or flaxseed supplements for optimum nutrition for herself and her baby?

The answer is FISH OIL, and here's why: fish oil naturally contains EPA and DHA, whereas flaxseed only contains ALA. ALA can be converted to EPA in the body, but it obviously takes more work than if it were naturally occuring already. In addition, you are still missing out on the DHA, which is what we really need. So, with that said, if you are pregnant or breasfeeding, take a fish oil supplement in addition to your prenatal supplement! I have never seen a fish oil supplement that doesn't have a statement about mercury being removed for safety, but I would check the bottle just in case. Although I am not pregnant or breastfeeding, I take the supplements from Costco before going to bed to avoid any gross fishy burps!

Here's to having smart babies! :)

Happy National FOOD DAY!

2011-10-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today is National Food Day! These are the 6 principles of Food Day:

1) Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods

2) Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3) Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4)Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
5) Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
6) Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

Buying fresh, local produce from small farmers is so so important. Not only are you purchasing good quality produce that is picked when ripe or very close to being ripe(rather than produce picked several weeks before being ripe), but you are also helping small farmers survive in a world where large companies have taken over our food supply. I personally support local farmers by going to the farmer's market once a week. I buy ~95% of my produce from the farmers market because it tastes so much better, and it feels good to support my fellow Southern Californians. I give myself a $20 budget each week for fruits and veggies and they last me the entire week. I save more money on food now than I did before I started going to the farmers market, and I eat so much better now too. If you don't live in a place where farmer's markets are year round, you can go to supermarket farmers markets (i.e. Sunflower Farmer's Market if you live in UT) and still buy produce that is at least from this country or the region of the country you live in. Have a happy FOOD DAY everyone!

Long Tribal Earrings

2011-10-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

One show that I am absolutely OBSESSED with is Project Runway. This year one of my favorite finalists is Anya Ayouna-Chee, and I must say she wears the most awesome earrings I've ever seen. I'm literally on the online hunt to find some long tribal earrings like the ones she wears on the show. Just in case you haven't seen Anya's awesome earrings, here's a few examples:

This pair looks like dreamcatchers! Ohhhhhmygoodness I'm in love!

It's kind of hard to see in this pic, but these earrings are in the shape of Africa! Sooo different and cool!

These long tribal earrings are quite fabulous as well! It looks like a bunch a really long suede strips tied to big gold hoops! I want em!

Anya wore so many more awesome pairs of earrings this season, but this is pretty much all I can find. If anyone knows where I can find earrings like hers I will love you forever! :)

Proof that pasta can be healthy!

2011-10-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made the yummiest pasta. I took a random recipe I found and added tons of veggies to it and took out the cream sauce. This is what I ended up with:

If you would like to try it out, here's what I did:

Tianna's Veggelicious Pasta

1-2 T Olive oil ( I just swirled it around the pan once)

1 med. Yellow onion-chopped

1-3 cloves garlic-minced

1 broccoli head

1 cup whole wheat penne pasta

1 -14 oz can of diced tomato

1 c fresh spinach

1/2 c feta cheese

1/2 cup minced fresh basil (Trust me..buying basil fresh is SO worth it!)

6 oz chicken breast baked and shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan (fresh) to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat. While veggies are cooking, cook penne pasta. Lower heat from veggie skillet to low and stir in shredded chicken, herbs, feta, pasta, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and tadaa! You're ready to eat!

Serves 2-3 (what can I say, there's only 2 of us here!). This recipe can easily be doubled to serve a larger family!

A few of my favorite foodie finds

2011-10-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

People often ask me if I spend a lot of time in the grocery store looking at food labels to decide what to buy. My answer to that question today is NO, but if you would've asked that 3 or 4 years ago I would have said ABSOLUTELY YES. Over time I just know what the better choices are because I did all that label reading when I first started shopping on my own and really understood how to read a food label. Anyways, here's a list of a few of my favorite foodie finds! They are nutritious and mmm mmm good! :)

1. Alpine Valley Sprouted Honey Wheat with Flaxseed Bread

(Same brand, different types - they're all good, but I ♥ the honey flaxseed one the best!)

This is by the far the best bread I have EVER had, for both nutritional and taste reasons. With only 80 calories, 4 g of fiber, only 3 g of sugar, 5 g of protein, and omega-3 fatty acids per slice, this bread is AMAZING. I can't even believe this bread contains 4 g of fiber and still manages to be sooooo soft. The honey also gives it a little sweet taste and chewy texture, but it is very low in sugar! I'm obsessed with this bread. I swear they must be lying on the food label :) If you live in Cali you can find it at any Costco ONLY, and if you live in Utah it is sold at a few Sunflower Markets. Even my husband loves it! Like A LOT.

2. Japanese Tomatoes

I recently discovered these tomatoes at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market here in San Diego. I have honestly never had a tomato as flavorful and meaty as these Japanese tomatoes. I have never seen them in stores, so you probably need to check out your local farmer's market to see if you can find them there. They were a little more expensive then what I usually spend on tomatoes, but they were totally worth it!

3. Horizon Organic 1% Milk

I don't know what it is about this milk, but it tastes SO much better than any other milk brands I've ever tried. It tastes creamier or something. I'm also a big advocate for organic ANIMAL PRODUCTS. I don't really care to spend extra money on anything else organic, but animal products are worth it. For produce I'm all about farmer's markets. Local produce is ALWAYS the way to go! Tastes SO much better!

4. Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips

These chips are really, really tasty. They are made with REAL sweet potatoes, so you don't get any of that artificial flavoring crap. They are a good source of fiber (3g) and are low in sodium, but they still manage to have a great salty taste for a chip because sea salt is used and is more potent than regular salt. For a processed product, these are a great pick!

5. Chobani Greek Yogurt

This has definitely become my new yogurt of choice. Greek yogurt is higher in protein and lower in sugar than your traditional yogurts. They also contain live active cultures which are beneficial for your digestive health. Other yogurts tend to be over processed, which kills these live cultures. They only contain about 140 calories, but the high protein content makes them SO filling. They are a perfect snack in between meals. I also like to use the plain version in place of sour cream in recipes. You can't even tell the difference!

6. Kashi Heart to Heart

This cereal is by far my favorite. It will keep you full for a long time, thanks to the high fiber content (5g/serving) and protein (3g). It is also REALLY low in calories (120 kcals/serving), so similarly to the greek yogurt, you can get really full from it without consuming a ton of calories. It is also low in sugar (5g), which is something you should always look for in a good, nutritious cereal. Pour yourself a bowl of this with some Horizon 1% milk and you'll be good to go for at least 3 hours! Adding fresh raspberries also adds even more fiber, Vit C, folate, and other B vitamins and tastes SO yummy!

So these are just a few things I always keep in my kitchen. For more products I love, you can check out my past post about items I love from Trader Joe's. Just click HERE.

What are your favorite foodie finds? I'd love to try em out! :)

The Color Issue Giveaway!

2011-10-14T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! My darling friend Aarean is a very talented graphic designer and has a great new blog called The Color Issue. To kick off her new blog she is having a great giveaway full of colorful things that are so so cute! Click HERE to check it out! :) Here's a little sneak peek!

One BIG reason to eat healthy during and after pregnancy

2011-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post about the top 10 facts I learned at FNCE, eating healthy during pregnancy and while you are pregnant is SO important for both you and your baby. Here's just ONE of MANY reasons why: studies have shown that women who eat a nutritious, balanced diet during pregnancy and while breastfeeding actually impacts their childrens' food preferences. Soooo if you want your children to love fruits and veggies, make sure you eat them before your baby is even born! It has also been suggested that nutrition BEFORE EVEN GETTING PREGNANT may be just as important, if not more important, than nutrition DURING pregnancy. Growing fetuses sometimes have to rely on their mother's stores for their own nutrition, so make sure you eat a good diet BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER pregnancy! It is my plan to be in the best shape of my life before planning on getting pregnant. I want to continue to exercise 5 days a week and eat well so that I can continue to do so throughout my entire pregnancy. If you are interested in reading more about prenatal nutrition and its potential effects on babies, CLICK HERE.

So beautiful, I just have to share

2011-10-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

One blog that I love to follow is Alice Lane, mainly because I have faith that maybe someday I'll be able to afford a piece or two from their amazing store in Orem, UT (or at least convince my hubby that their furniture is worth the $$$). Here's just a sneak peak at what was posted on their blog today:

I must say I am absolutely in love with the colors and the way everything is put together in this space. It's so cozy and beautiful. I'm definitely adding it to my inspiration book of home ideas for when we buy a home next year! You can check out the rest of this pretty room by clicking here.

A little something to share with the boys and girls in your life..

2011-10-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Whenever Derek and I argue in the future, I am going to show him this :) hehe

Amen.

Love her♥

2011-09-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

Charleigh Grace just melts my heart!

Top 10 Facts I Learned at FNCE

2011-09-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo! I definitely learned some great things. Here's a list of the 10 best things I learned:

1. Since 2005, there have been over 24 studies published regarding the benefits of intuitive eating on weight loss and maintenance. People who eat mindfully and eat only when hungry and stop when full are more likely to have a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), enjoy eating, are less likely to have disordered eating patterns, have lower triglyceride levels, eat a more variety of foods, and accept their bodies. If you are interested in learning more about intuitive eating, you can check out a previous post of mine: Mechanical vs Intuitive Eating.

2. If you consume more fruits and vegetables while pregnant or breastfeeding, it is likely that your baby will also like these foods more as well because the taste will not be as foreign to them when they actually start eating on their own. In other words, by consuming nutritious food during pregnancy and while breastfeeding conditions your child for liking similar foods.

3. If 90% of women in the U.S. breastfed for 6 months or more, this country would save $13 Billion in health care. Craaaaazy, huh?!? Nutritious and cost-effective?! I LIKE! :)

4. 75% of products sold in the U.S. contain added sweeteners, and 25% of infant formula have added sweeteners. Apparently some companies want to get people hooked young!

5. Some of you may have heard of the "Dirty Dozen". Basically its a list that is comprised of the top 12 "dirtiest" produce, meaning it is highest in pesticide residue. A test was done examining the actual amount of pesticide residue found on these fruits and vegetables, and the amount was SO minute that there is no way it would harm a human being. The levels were so far below the reference doses, that it really is nothing to be concerned about. The bottom line is: VERY little pesticides are actually being exposed to consumers, so you can continue buying organic if you'd like, but it's not going to make much of a difference at all in the safety of your food.

6. 80% of the antibiotics produced are used for agriculture and NOT to protect human health directly. These antibiotics are used for sick animals, to promote growth, are a temporary solution for getting around sanitation issues at farms, and prevent and control disease. YIKES! Now this is when I think organic/hormone-free is beneficial.

7. There is a strong link between antibiotics in animals and human resistance to antibiotics. If farmers decreased the amount of antibiotics given to animals, resistance would then decrease as well. This means that the antibiotics that we take would work much more effectively. This session that I attended reinforced in my mind that if you can afford organic and hormone-free animal products such as eggs, milk, and meat, it would likely be worth the extra money you're spending.

8. Girls who diet are 12 times more likely to binge on food later. Something that was reinforced with me during this session is the importance of eating every 3-4 hrs so that you don't get to the point of starvation and want to eat everything in sight. Eating small, frequent meals is also SO much better for your metabolism than going long periods of time without food.

9. Osteoporosis and poor kidney function are 2 irreversible side effects of eating disorders. Also, just because a patient may have normal labs doesn't necessarily mean they are okay. One speaker shared a story of a girl in an outpatient treatment program who had normal labs, but one day she went out for a jog and actually died! Although labs are important to assess, they don't always show the health problems a patient may have.

10. Not all RD's are created equal! I heard a few things these last few day that were freaking crazy and SO untrue! Although dietitians are known as legitimate nutrition experts, there are always a few crazies in every profession. Unfortunately sometimes people translate what they hear into something completely inaccurate. It's important to listen to the professionals, but sometimes you need to just use your own common sense when you hear something kind of off the wall!

And now some fun pics :)

My cocoa bean fresh out of the pod!

Cocoa beans in their pod! They go through sooo much processing to make chocolate!

Hanging out with Noelle Freeman, Miss California! I was friends with her and her sis when we were kids! I'm so proud of her!

Who doesn't like to color?! :)

It was a great 3 days! I hope I can go back next year when I'm officially a Registered Dietitian!

I LOVE {free} FOOD!

2011-09-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the start of the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo in San Diego. I have loved just about every aspect the conference thus far, especially all the FREE FOOD I've received. I've basically lived off of samples the last 2 days. I told myself yesterday after indulging in samples that I am NOT going to do that ever again. Until I did it again today :/ Ooops! I've brought home quite a few goodies too. Probably enough goodies to keep my snack drawer stocked for about a month or two, and you better believe that I'll be grabbing more freebies tomorrow! Here's my new stash:

My new snack drawer! I was honestly embarrassed to open my bag today around people because I snagged so much stuff!

I'll post soon about all the great things I've learned at the conference. Yesterday I attended two great sessions on intuitive eating for weight control and optimum health, and today I attended two sessions on pesticides and antibiotics in our food supply. Pics and stories to come :)

No need to apologize, sweetie.

2011-09-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I was watching one of my favorite shows, E's fashion police, and the darling Sarah Hyland was the guest. I don't ever watch Modern Family, but I kind of want to now just because I think she is the cutest thing ever. Anyways, she imitated Lea Michelle's annoying red carpet pose. I personally think it was hilarious, but then she goes and apologizes to Lea tonight at the Emmys!!! WTF?! NO! Don't apologize! She was spot on with her imitation. You can read the article and see the video about it HERE. And on a side note, I was obsessed with Sarah Hyland's dress tonight at the Emmy's. I'm not surprised my favorite designer, Christian Siriano was the mastermind behind it. Heidi Klum also wore Christian and I was obsessed with her dress as well. See for yourselves:

The only thing I wish she would have done differently was worn a less chunky and more dainty shoe. A simple silver stiletto without the crazy platform would have been absolute perfection. But, who is actually looking at your feet when you've got a face like this:

It's not fair, I tell ya! Too too cute!

And I cannot leave you without seeing Heidi Klum's beautiful Christian Siriano gown as well. It's such a fun, yet elegant look. I wish I could wear it :)

I don't know how some people are even questioning whether or not this dress is fabulous. This is true fashion right here! Now I can't wait to see what E!'s Fashion Police has to say. I had some other favorites, but I'm just too lazy to get into it right now! :)

Gooooodnight.

Update on my life!

2011-09-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! I haven't blogged in so so long, mainly because life has been crazy and nothing has really been blog-worthy. Basically I am working for Vista Unified School District and I'm learning a ton about school lunch programs and child nutrition. I'm so grateful for all that I'm learning because I know without a doubt the knowledge I'm acquiring will benefit my own children directly someday. We also recently moved to Mission Valley, so we are super close to the city! There is also a trolley stop right in front of our beautiful and amazing apartment complex. We have been having fun navigating around our new area and are excited for the many things there are to do here. Hopefully sometime soon I'll have a more intriguing post for you all :) Til next time lovers! xo

Funny dog tags

2011-08-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Before I begin with this post, I must include a disclaimer.

WARNING: If you're a prude, you may not want to read on :)

Okay..

Now that I got that out of the way..

I recently came across the BEST dog tags ever.

I am purchasing them next week for Charming and Bella.

What do you think?!

For Charming

For Bella

Funny, right?!?!

They're going to be the coolest dogs in town wearing these!

I'm in ♥ with em!

FYI, they can be found on ETSY.

One big bow

2011-08-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

I just came across these pics from Kim Kardashian's wedding:

What in the heck is Kim's mom wearing?!

Worst mother of the bride dress ever.

And after seeing the royal wedding and how Kate Middleton's sister wore white, I actually thought it looked really beautiful; however, the fact the Kim just copied her is so so tacky. I can see someone who isn't famous copying this trend and getting away with it just fine, but when you're in the public eye and do it it's just all wrong. Way to be original, Kim. :/

Now I'm very interested to see more pics in People Magazine this week!

What did I just get myself into?!

2011-08-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

For Derek's 26th birthday, I decided to mail him a few goodies since he's in Utah right now for his cousin's wedding. One of his gifts is a coupon book I made. Derek is always begging me every year to go to a football game with him, but ever since I went to the Utah/BYU game a few years ago and hated every second of it in the freezing cold I have always vowed to never go to another game. However, I decided it would be thoughtful of me to make a coupon to go to a college football game and not complain once (which is going to be so so hard!). He is so excited about it and has already picked out the game he wants to go to in Utah. I have no idea what I just did. Reality is sinking in. Ahhhh the things I do for this handsome man of mine. This is sacrifice at its finest I'll tell ya!

Lately..

2011-08-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

I just got back from spending 2 weeks in beautiful Utah! It was my first time really spending time in Utah during the summer, and it was so so nice! I did a 2-week rotation at Intermountain Medical Center and learned SO much. Although I still have a lot more to learn, I feel much more confident in my clinical skills and knowledge after going there. I also got to spend some time with my good friends from BYU and a few of my besties :) We also went up to Anderson Cove and camped for a couple of days and I went to my first rodeo. It was tons of fun, and I actually remembered to take a few pics!

In our cool, matching Jensen reunion shirts! Haha so cheesy :)

The rodeo! I kinda felt bad for the animals, regardless of what my mother-in-law told me. When there's a rope wrapped around your neck, that's gotta hurt. I'm just such an animal lover, what can I saaay.

The Music by Abba concert. Apparently Abba is a big band or something in Utah?! Never heard of em, but oh boy the Utahns were loving it!!

D and I got our tan on at Anderson's Cove. The weather was so perfect. Nothing better than soaking up the sun! I was the only girl in Derek's family to be wearing a bikini! Oops :/

Now I am back in Cali and doing my long-term care rotation. OMG it is SO boring. Never ever ever will I pursue a job at a long-term care center! However, it was pretty funny when I met my preceptor yesterday. She said, "I've gotta be honest...you look much different then what I imagined." And I said, "Ohhh no, did you think I was going to be black?!?!" And she said yes!!! LOL Thanks a lot mother for giving me a black girls' name. So not cool.

For my friends with kiddos!

2011-07-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Lately I came across a few good nutrition articles/blog posts about child nutrition that I think some of you mommies out there may find interesting! Here they are if you'd like to check em out! :)

5 tips for building a healthy lunch for kids
At the Naval Hospital I did a lot of counseling with parents who were concerned with their kids weight. Here's some good tips to keep in mind. As parents, you have control over what your child eats at home (you are doing the grocery shopping - not the child, right?! ), but it may be a struggle when they are eating at a relative's house or at school.

What rewarding kids with food looks like 20 years later
One thing I will NEVER do when I am a parent is tell my child, if you do XYZ, you will get some kind of dessert/candy/treat as a reward. I see parents do this all the time and it really irks me. Click the link above to understand why this is one of my pet peeves.

5 things parents should know about starting and stopping sippy cups
This is yet another topic that many parents just aren't knowledgeable about. About a month ago I counseled a family who was having their 4 year old still drink juice out of a bottle! That is SO bad for a child's teeth, not to mention that's gotta effect his social life :) I personally will try my best to not use sippy cups at all, and if I do end up using them when I have kids I will buy the ones with straws and put WATER in them. Contrary to what many parents think, children should not be drinking juice all day long. They fill up on it and it makes them not hungry for actual meals. Kids should have NO MORE than 4 oz of juice a day. That is 1/2 a cup! So definitely not a lot. Kids can and should drink water. They're still human, ya know?!

Mother influences on their daughters body image
There are several studies that have shown that mothers who display body dissatisfaction and make it known to their daughters tend to negatively affect their own daughters' body image. This can lead to feelings of wanting to diet at a VERY young age. When I worked with eating disorders, there were patients being treated as young as 8 years old. I personally only worked with adults, but I was told many stories from another RD at our treatment center! It is really important that you NEVER say in front of your kids, "Do I look fat in this?", "I need to lose weight", "I need to go on a diet", "I'm so much bigger than I used to be", etc, etc. You get the point. Mothers need to be a good example to their children by making eating balanced and exercising a part of just living a healthy life, not about losing weight and being super skinny.

So these are just a few things to keep in mind if you are a mommy or plan to be a mommy in the future. Although I don't have children of my own yet, I have worked with lots of kids and studied them quite a bit. Hopefully you are already aware of these things and putting them into practice. And if not, it's never too late to start!

One heart-wrenching story

2011-07-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today I worked in the trauma unit and saw some crazy, crazy stuff. My most shocking patient today had to be a young man who was serving his mission in Guatemala when he got attacked by a lion. I have never seen such deep wounds in my life. His entire arm has been torn to shreds by this lion, and he has several other deep wounds all over his body. Leeches had to be placed on his arm to help suck the blood from his arm and to help oxygen get to the tissues so they don't die. The patient also mentioned that he often has flashbacks of the incident, which makes me think he will probably suffer from post traumatic stress disorder for some time. It just so happened that when I went in the room to assess his nutritional status and to suggest a feeding tube, he was getting his wounds cleaned (which of course means they were completely uncovered for me to see up and close). The mother was crying, which made me have to fight to hold back my own tears. Although this young patient may have to get his arm amputated, he was still in great spirits and was surprisingly pretty cheerful. Now THAT was wonderful to see..and kind of made me want to cry even more. I really am looking forward to working with this patient for a few more days before I switch to another part of the hospital. His courage really is inspiring and I know that his positive attitude will make a difference in his recovery. I'll be surprised if I ever see something like this again while working in healthcare, and I really hope I don't have to! Click HERE to see a news report of what happened.

Best wedding invite probably ever.

2011-07-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog post tonight that made me die of laughter. Who puts this kind of picture on their wedding invite?!?! Apparently Joanne and Stephen. Horny lil mormons I'll tell ya!

Opening Day!

2011-07-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was opening day at the Del Mar race track! It was SO SO fun! And I managed to win a little money too :) The only I regret I have is not taking more pics, but here's just a few:

Christine and I were very fortunate to sit in the owner trainer boxes! I used to cocktail in this area, so we met up with one of my old customers and party friends and sat in his owner's box. There's no other way to do it at the track! We were definitely spoiled :) If you haven't come to the track with me before, then you need to add that to your bucket list b/c I can promise it will be good time!

Another Reason to NOT Count Calories

2011-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

I just read THIS article today about a recent study that found that 40% of menu items underreport the amount of calories in their dishes. Food manufacturers and restaurants try so hard to make it difficult for people to know how much they are eating, and they are VERY successful deceivers. This is just another reason I do not count calories. Knowing what to eat and the SKILL(and yes, I mean skill) of listening to your body is SO important to ensure that you are not consuming too much food from day-to-day. I wish more people would grasp this concept and work with a dietitian to stay on track. If only more insurance companies would pay for RD's. Nutrition is PREVENTATIVE medicine, afterall. :)

Okay that's my 2 cents this morning. I am now going to get ready for a very exciting day!!! It is opening day at the race track and I cannot wait! Pictures to come!!!

Proof that modest can be beautiful

2011-07-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

I am the biggest fan of Kate Middleton's chic style. She always looks SO polished, sophisticated, and put together. She really is proof that modest can be beautiful, so why can't some of these mormon clothing companies take note of how to do modest right?!?! I just don't get it. Hopefully Kate's style will become a new trend cause it would make us mormon girls' lives a whole lot easier! Here's a few pics of Kate in beautiful, modest dresses:

Gosh I want em all! Why don't I ever seen dresses like THESE in stores?! C'mon designers, we don't all wanna look like hookers 24/7!!

Good 'ol TJ's

2011-07-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today I came across TWO articles about Trader Joe's products and what some people think are their best items. Let me just say, I am obsessed with Trader Joe's. If you don't live by one, I feel sorry for you. You're missin' out! Utah needs to get one already! Anyways, I went there today actually and now my fridge is like a little piece of heaven. Here's a few of my must haves from the store:

1. Mediterranean hummus:

This hummus has the best flavor ever! The "toppings" include pine nuts, olive oil, red bell pepper, and garlic and it is the yummiest snack with some carrots and pita bread. You have no excuse to not eat your veggies as long as you have this tasty low-cal dipping sauce to go with them!

2. Blueberry Raspberry Oat Bran Muffins

These are also beyond tasty and high in fiber (1 muffin contains 8 grams of fiber)! Excellent option for a quicky breakfast!

3. Blueberry Greek Yogurt (Fat-free)

This is personally one of the tastiest and most nutritious yogurts I've seen in a store. Now I obviously haven't checked out EVERY nutrition label on every type of yogurt out there, but this one is quite impressive. 2 things I like to look for when buying yogurt is SUGAR and PROTEIN, and if it isn't fat free or low fat, than definitely FAT and SATURATED FAT as well. This yogurt has 14g of sugar and 13g of protein. The amount of protein is awesome! It is a great snack because all the protein is going to help keep you full in between meals. 14g of sugar may also sound like a lot, but it's actually not very high compared to most yogurts. For example, Yoplait's yogurt has a whopping 32g of sugar per serving! You might as well just eat a sundae. Chobani is another popular greek yogurt, but they contain just a little more sugar - about 18 grams. I would recommend Chobani was well though if you don't have a TJ's nearby.

4. Crunchy Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing

I love anything with peanut dressing, so it's no surprise I'm a huge lover of this salad. I love these because they come individually packaged so it makes it super easy to just grab and take to work. This salad won't disappoint! Sorry, no pics of this one :(

5. Sweet potato fries

French fries can be nutritious! And these ones certainly are - as long as you BAKE them! However, like all starchy foods, pay attention to portion size because these can be really addicting! They are a great alternative to your traditional deep-fried-french fry!

6. Cherry Chocolate Chip Soy Ice Cream

I fell in love with this ice cream when I worked at UCSD's eating disorder treatment center. I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS THOUGHT I'D LIKE SOY ICE CREAM! But ohhhh man this is a good one. It isn't really any more nutritious than your average ice cream, except for the fact that there is no cholesterol, simply because there is obviously no milk in the ice cream! The big chunks of dark cherry mixed with the chocolate chunks is pretty much heavenly!

So those are a few of my faves. The list could go on, but right now my yoga class is calling my name :)

Happy eating!!!

I'm still alive!

2011-06-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I can't believe it has been so long since I've blogged. Lately my life has been, well, different. I'm almost done with my 3rd week of inpatient care and I am surprisingly not as stressed as I thought I would be. This is a piece of cake compared to grad school! I am able to get some of my assignments done at the hospital so I have very little to do at home. I am currently at the Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton and it is definitely different than your average hospital. The patients we see aren't exactly "traditional", for example today I educated a patient who recently had bowel surgery due to a bomb that exploded next to him which left him severely injured while in Iraq. The poor guy has lost 25 pounds in just 1 month and is at high risk for malnutrition. I have a new found respect for the men and women who serve our country. I'm also a big fan of the guys' manners! I could get used to this :) Also, the highlight of my day is all the eye candy. :) No joke. I swear the doctors at the naval hospital are 10 times hotter than any other hospital I've ever been in! Soooo life could be worse I guess :) haha Derek isn't too stoked about that! This job would be a single girl's dream! One of the doctors actually used to be on The Bachelor. He's a hunk:

I'm determined to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria one of these days! Ha!

Anyways, I am learning a lot and not spending all of my time checking out the cute docs. :) I have just 2 more weeks here after this one and then I go to a dialysis center for a week and then to Utah for 2 weeks to learn more about tube feedings and nutrition support. I am looking forward to being done with my internship (although I have about 6 more months to go!), and it is nice to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! I can't wait to finally be an RD!!

Cleansing Diets

2011-06-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

I just got home from my internship orientation in Utah, and I just came across a great article about cleansing diets from one of my favorite RD's and bloggers, Corinne Dobbas. I love that I saw this article because just YESTERDAY I had not one, but two Isagenix consultants try to convince me that their cleansing systems work and are healthy. The fact that they even had the nerve to try to educate ME, a REAL nutritionist with REAL degrees to prove it, about what they think is good nutrition really irritated me. These consultants use their selling skills, not knowledge of nutrition, to try to convince people that they need to go on a cleansing diet so they can make money off of it. It pisses me off! The most alarming part of the conversation yesterday was when one consultant told me that she has her TWO YEAR OLD son drink an Isagenix detox shake for breakfast with a high fiber bar to keep him "regular". I wanted to say so bad, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME, YOU MORON?!" I was nice though and bit my tongue, although I'm kind of regretting not speaking up about that one. Anyways, I like this article because it simply states that our bodies detoxify themselves, which they most definitely do! We have organs for a reason, and unless you have renal disease or diabetes or some other particular chronic disease, your liver and kidney should be working just fine on their own to rid your body of the things it doesn't need or want, and retain what it does need. I have said this many times and I'll say it again, be aware of money-making diets. They could care less about your health, and the fact that they even call themselves nutritionists or wellness coaches should pretty much be illegal!!!

FYI- A long time ago I actually did Isagenix's 2 wk detox cleanse. I was consuming less that 500 calories a day, so it's no surprise that I lost about 5 pounds. However, its also not a surprise that the following week I gained it all back! It was the worst 2 weeks ever. Just sight of food made me drool. I pretty much got a taste of what anorexics feel like on a day to day basis and it was NOT fun and NOT worth it!

Time to say goodbye

2011-06-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day working at UCSD's eating disorder treatment center. I was soooooo sad to go...I almost shed a tear, but then I thought to myself, 'I can't cry! I've only been here for 2 months!!!' I feel like I clicked so well with all of the patients and staff members, so it felt like a lot longer than just 2 months. All of my patients and co-workers signed a cute little card for me. The best note ever came from the most compliant, vegan, weight restoration patient ever(FYI-being vegan and on weight restoration means you have to eat A LOT. She was so great though and never even complained. I'm surprised she didn't hate me!)...anyways, she wrote, "Just so you know, you're the coolest Mormon I've ever met!" LOL I'm glad I could show her that mormons aren't all weird! LOL My boss (the dietitian) also gave me a medical dictionary! It probably sounds kind of lame to you, and I know it seemed very lame to my patients, but this will DEFINITELY come in handy during my clinical rotations for my internship. Anyways, in these last two months I have grown to love working with eating disorder patients. A lot of people think that if you have an eating disorder you must be some kind of messed up freak, but that is definitely not the case. I have met so many intelligent, sweet, and genuine people who are just trying to figure out how to cope with the issues in their lives. Many of them have big dreams and want to get better so that they can just eat without thinking about every little calorie and gram of fat. I applaud them for having the courage to get treatment and progress in their lives. I really hope that they might all stay motivated and someday reach a full recovery because they all have so much to live for.

On Monday I will be starting the very last part of my formal education - my dietetic internship! It's so exciting to think that in 7 months I will be completely done with school and a dietitian! Never in a million years did I think I would go to school for nearly 7 years to become a dietitian with a master's degree. I am proof that you can do anything if you are willing to work hard. Science is actually a subject that used to be VERY difficult for me. I have always been more of an english and fine arts kind of student. I feel like I have had to work twice as hard to understand the same concepts my classmates were learning in school, but I am so glad that I was willing to put forth the effort to do what I love - nutrition! I am definitely feeling nervous about my internship, but I figure if I can get through grad school, I can get through this!!! Wish me luck :)

How 'bout that werewolf?!

2011-05-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

Oh you know who I'm talking about..

The one, the only, Bentley from The Bachelorette. He looks like he should join the cast of Twilight. He's just gross and very unattractive. And I'm convinced the show hired him as an actor for this season and they're feeding him all of his ridiculous lines. LAME! Ohhhhhh boy...I don't know if I even want to keep watching this season. Ashley is SO annoying...especially when she using the words "perfect" and "amazing" to describe everything! Be real already!!! If it were me I would be much more brutally honest and blunt with some of these losers.

I've gotta try these!

2011-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

I came across a to-die-for recipe today that I must try ASAP! Maybe for Memorial Day? :)

Andes Mint Cupcakes!!!

OMG they looks sooooo yummy, huh??!! You can get the recipe and try em out too by clicking HERE.

Exposing Common Food & Nutrition Myths

2011-05-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I wanted to study nutrition in college was to find out the scientifically proven facts on common nutrition myths we hear every day. I wanted to know the truth about what I was putting into my body and what my body does with that food. I was sick of hearing about what you should and shouldn't do from random, inaccurate sources. Here's a list of a few myths I'm sure you have heard, and the actual real facts behind them:

Myth #1: "Organic foods are healthier than non-organic foods"
Organic food is in no way more nutritious than non-organic food! Food is food people! :) Pesticides do not change the composition of the food in any way, which means organic foods do not have less calories, micronutrients, or phytochemicals than non-organic food. As long as you are washing your produce before eating it, you have nothing to worry about. And don't even get me started on processed organic food products, ie chips, crackers, and cookies. Are you kidding me?!?!? Why these things even exist, I don't know. Oh wait, actually I do know. It's called MONEY! They are without a doubt not always nutrient dense just because the word ORGANIC is printed on the box. Some people also try to argue that organic food tastes better. This is obviously debateable, but I think that's a bunch of crap too. Food is still traveling just as far, whether it is organic or not. Instead, look for locally grown produce. That I can promise you will taste a whole lot better than produce that comes from across the world.

Myth #2: "Take Vitamin C supplements to avoid or combat a cold or sickness"
This is another silly myth that SO MANY PEOPLE believe! And it bugs me. A lot. Several studies have looked at vitamin C and it's ability (or lack there of) to prevent the common cold. What has been found is Vitamin C supplements do prevent & can decrease the longevity the common cold ONLY among people who are Vitamin C deficient to begin with. Guess what?!? Vitamin C deficiency is SO rare. Most people, especially in the US, get PLENTY of vitamin C through diet alone. Vitamin C supplementation isn't going to do a darn thing for ya if you are trying to prevent or get rid of a cold or other sickness. All your body is going to do with that excess vitamin c is pee it out. What a waste, right?! How Emergen-C is still in business beats me.

Myth #3: "Don't eat after 6 PM or it'll go straight to your butt!"
Your body doesn't know what time it is, so it doesn't matter if you eat at 6 AM or 6 PM. Your metabolism doesn't think, 'Oh it's 6PM, time to shut off now!' What matters more is WHAT and HOW MUCH you're eating. Eating dinner at 7 or 8 or even 9 PM will not make you fat! The important thing to remember is when you are winding down from a long day, it is important to still be mindful of what you are eating.

Myth #4: "Pregnant women shouldn't eat fish"
A lot of women think that they should avoid fish during pregnancy because of mercury. There definitely are some types of fish that women need to avoid, but I actually encourage fish intake during pregnancy for the omega-3 fatty acids because they contribute to brain development in growing fetuses. Fish that women should definitely avoid are shark, swordfish, tilefish, albacore tuna, and king mackerel. Tuna is consumed quite often, so pregnant women should limit their intake to 1 can per week. Fish should be consumed no more than 3 times per week, and the closer to 2-3 times per week, the better!

Myth #5: "Take good (and often expensive) vitamins for energy"
Vitamin/mineral supplements do not give you energy. They are simply a way to make sure that you are getting the micronutrients your body needs. They do not contain calories, and calories is what fuels our bodies and gives us energy. Also, liquid supplements are not absorbed more efficiently than tablet supplements. The body is going to absorb them just the same. What matters more is the form each micronutrient is in. To learn more about that, you can read one of my past blog posts: Things to know about supplements.

Myth #6: "Carbs are bad and make you fat!"
Carbs are our bodies' preferred source of fuel, so why that Atkins guy even came up with his stupid low carb diet is still a mystery to me. The brain requires 130 grams of carbohydrate daily, which is why low carb diets are so startling. When there aren't enough carbs consumed to fuel your body, it has to rely on protein and fat. What ultimately results from this over time is ketosis, which seriously disrupts the pH of the blood and is known as ketoacidosis. Ketone bodies are eventually metabolized to acetone, which causes the bad breath. Carbs can be converted to fat, but ONLY if you eat a lot of them. The reason for this is because there is only so much glycogen (the storage form of glucose in the liver and muscles) the body can store. Fat, on the other hand, has no limit as to how much can be stored. So the bottom line is, you've gotta be eating a lot of carbs to get fat off of them solely.

Hopefully some of you found this useful. It drives me crazy when I hear people giving others inaccurate nutrition advice, so I hope I cleared up some of these common myths for you! What do you always hear about regarding foods and nutrition? I'd love to clear up more common myths! :)

Universal Studios!

2011-05-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Derek is in town this weekend so today we went to Universal Studios! I was probably 8 years old the last time I went there, so it was really fun and everything seemed so new to me. I went to take our first picture of the day and realized that my camera wouldn't turn on! Being the blonde and sometimes-airhead that I am, I forgot to put the battery back into my camera after charging it! Oops! Luckily Derek's iphone came to the rescue :) Here's just a couple pics from our fun day!

Me in my sweeeet 4D goggles!

I made Derek take a picture with spongebob because he is seriously obsessed with Spongebob Square Pants. It's kind of lame, but I'm not going to complain because there could be a lot worse he could be watching! No joke though, Derek is so cute. He watches Spongebob every morning like a little kid!

Psycho set.

I personally have never seen this movie.

From the title of it, I don't really want to see it either :)

I don't think I need to mention my love for celebrity gossip and why I took this pic.

I really hope this isn't a life-size cut out of this host. He's a shorty!

My favorite show of the day was the dog training show (of course).

There was actually a mini american eskimo in the show! Too bad this pic doesn't show him too well.

I was freaking out over his cuteness. Charming would rock these tricks.

One downside of the day was the crap-food that we ate. Derek bought a questionable sausage from "Pinks Hot Dogs". Ummmm I don't even know if they used real beef. It was probably a rat they ground up into what looked like a hot dog. You could literally see chunks of white fat in the sausage. Derek took two bites and threw it out. Best $8 ever spent!!! NOT.

I had a pretzel that I'm pretty sure was made about a year ago.

In other words..it was freaking HARD!

Yuck.

Let's just say it's something I would probably find in my grandmother's cupboard.

Good food makes me happy so I was kind of a grump for a little while there.

I just regret not taking pictures of the sausage!

Nevertheless, it was a fun day! We ended it by cruising by multi-million dollar mansions (including the Playboy Mansion!) in Beverly Hills. I've come to realize Los Angeles is only worth living in if you're really, really, really rich. San Diego is just so much better :)

Judgements

2011-05-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about making judgments of others. I like to think that I'm not a judgmental person, but I know that I still do it just like everyone else. Yes, there are definitely some people that judge more than others, but let's face it...we all do it.

My job has opened my eyes a lot to the fact that EVERYONE has their own unique weaknesses and struggles and you would think that you could pick out of a crowd who is anorexic or bulimic, an alcoholic or crack head, a porn addict or sex offender, a liar or cheater, a verbally and/or physically abusive husband - or even sometimes a wife (being single in these times would be kinda scary right now!), or a person with a mental or physical disability. You may think that you can sometimes try to guess or figure out a person based on certain behaviors, or just the opposite...never in a million years suspect that someone close to you could be struggling with one of the issues above. Many of the girls I work with are girls that I absolutely could see myself being great friends with outside of this treatment center. There are law student & medical students, mothers, hippies, Asians, large framed and small framed patients here. I love them and do not look down on them for their personal struggles. In fact, I applaud them for the courage they have to get healthy and set goals for the future. I feel like this goes for any personal struggle or weakness that I and you may have. I think it's really important that instead of judging other people for the way they may handle their own issues, we support and encourage them. Whoever came up with the saying "Never judge a book by its cover" was a wise-wise man, or woman! Just something to think about :)

I Just Can't Get Enough!

2011-05-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

My sis took more pics of baby Charleigh Grace. This little cuddle bug just melts my heart. Ugh she's like a perfect chunky roly-poly!

Doesn't get much cuter than that!!!

Hawaiian-inspired Mother's Day Breakfast

2011-05-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely mommies out there :)

This morning I made my mom these bad boys:

Coconut-macademia nut french toast! Mmm they were delish!

You can find the recipe HERE.

My parents have a love for Hawaiian-inspired breakfast foods..and well, all Hawaiian-inspired foods actually. My parents absolutely love Maui (who doesn't?!) and they travel there twice a year. When I saw this recipe, I knew my mom would love it!

If you decide to make the french toast, the only recommendation I have is go to Great Harvest for the bread if you can! There isn't one in San Diego so I just went with store-bought bread. It was still yummy, but I think having freshly baked bread would make a big difference. Next time I'll try to find a good bakery for some thick bread.

I hope everyone has a wonderful mother's day! I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful mom who is a great example to me and who I can talk to about everything. Moms make such huge impacts on the lives of their children, and I can't wait to be a mommy myself some day :)

Mechanical vs. Intuitive Eating

2011-05-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I know a lot of my posts lately have been nutrition-related, but seriously I feel like all I do now is work, and work, and work..Which basically means all I think about every day is food and nutrition!

Since working at an eating disorder clinic, I have thought A LOT about intuitive eating, mainly because here the patients have to eat mechanically. Some of you may be thinking...what's the difference?! Mechanical eating is when food is basically placed in front of you and you have to eat every last bite. It is very structured and you eat based on a time schedule...for example, breakfast is always at 9, lunch is always at noon, snacks are always at 2:30 and 4, and dinner is always at 5:30. Eating disorder patients have to eat this way because their hunger/satiety cues are all out of whack. It may take YEARS for some of them to know what it really feels like to be hungry or full. Also, some of them would never even start eating or would eat very little if they didn't have to eat everything on their plate. With intuitive eating, all that structure goes out the window. You eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're full. You listen and TRUST your body. Intuitive eating is very difficult for most people because of this very fact - they don't trust their hunger/satiety cues and they feel that they will get fat by not sticking to a diet plan, when in fact, intuitive eating is the VERY BEST WAY to lose weight and maintain it. I always say kids are the ultimate intuitive eaters...usually. And this is why I will NEVER tell my kids they have to finish everything on their plate.

Anyways, I have become living proof that intuitive eating is a skill that all people should re-learn to do. For the last 3 years I have been an intuitive eater & have been good about exercising 3-5 days/wk. As a result, I maintained a healthy weight of 115 pounds (which is appropriate for my height - 5'5").

Weeeelll....at my current job I am eating with the patients twice a day (usually breakfast and lunch and sometimes an afternoon snack). Everything we serve here is fresh and nutritious. What I'm actually putting into my body is probably more nutrient-dense than what I was eating before. Soooo...why is it that I've managed to gain 4 pounds in 4 weeks?!?! Yep, that's right. Once I was told I cannot eat intuitively with the patients and that I had to eat EVERYTHING on my plate, I gained 4 pounds. For the first time in 3 years. One of our therapists has been here for 2 years and has gained a total of 25 pounds from working here and eating with the patients.

My purpose of this post isn't to say OMG I gained 4 pounds..because really...119 pounds is still a healthy weight for me, but what I am saying is I am PROOF that intuitive eating works for weight loss and weight maintenance. We need to forget about diets and restriction and just listen to our hunger & satiety cues. Eating really healthy meals all day long doesn't mean a thing, unless you are listening to your body and being aware of HOW MUCH you're eating.

And P.S. It's probably a good thing I start my internship next month and have to quit here, even though I love it here! Who knows what I'd look like 6 months from now otherwise!

P.P.S. Here's a great book you should check out if you are interested in learning more about intuitive eating:

Old FB Posts

2011-05-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Jana posted a cute conversation on her blog today between her and her hubby..before he was her hubby :) It made me think about what my husband and I said to each other on FB before we got married. Here's just a few little comments that I can't stop laughing about:

1. An example of how my hubby can be a little perve sometimes - or maybe just a sexually frustrated 22 y/o virgin:

I had just gotten FB for the 1st time and Derek "poked" me. I was like WTF is that?!?! He, being the the guy he is, was thinking very differently about what the "poke" meant. LOL

Now here's an example of me showing my sexual frustration (Being LDS and engaged isn't always easy!):

FYI - I have seriously helped Derek in the grammar-department over the last 3 yrs!

This last one is an example of just how silly Derek can be, and it was 1 wk before our wedding:

Umm...I love you like a midget loves ice cream?!?! What does that even mean?!?! I love that I'll always be able to trace back our old conversations thanks to FB!

Hotel del Coronado

2011-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Derek came to town and we had so much fun! Unfortunately I suck at remembering to take pics so I only have pics from the last day he was here. Derek's flight didn't leave til 6:30PM Monday night so we went down to Old Town and had lunch at the best mexican place in San Diego - El Indio Shoppe. I HIGHLY recommend it! They're chicken tacos are pretty much the best things ever. From there we went down to Hotel del...a gorgeous historic resort right on the beach on the charming little island of Coronado. I have always been obsessed with Coronado, but I had never actually gone to Hotel del! This resort is pretty famous for the taping of Marilyn Monroe's movie, "Some Like it Hot". It was absolutely beautiful and I'm determined to stay a night there soon...like maybe our next anniversary :) Here's some pics:

Did I mention I live in paradise?! If this isn't proof I don't know what is!

The sky was soooo blue & pretty!

Derek got FRIED! Of course he didn't listen to me when I said the UV rays are strong here!

We ALMOST stopped for a sundae after the beach..until we saw the price! Now that I'm actually reading the menu though, that Miah' O My sounds worth it!

The gorgeous chandelier in the the hotel!

Old school baby! :) hehe

I had to use my nostalgic setting while in the hotel. I love how old, yet preserved everything is! These books were falling apart!

Derek booking it out of the hotel. He was pretty moody because of his sunburn.

I ♥ you, Coronado!

Just a Spoonful of Sugar...

2011-04-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

I read a great article today about sugar and how as humans, we were born to love it, and that is okay! This is something I tell my patients every day.. SUGAR IS NOT THE DEVIL :) As many people now know, breast milk is best for babies...and guess what?!?! Breast milk is very sweet and loaded with carbohydrates that are important for babies' growth and development. So if breast milk is best for infants and is very sweet, why are people so hard on themselves for having a so-called "sweet tooth"? Okay, now I'm not saying we should all go out and binge on candy, ice cream, and cupcakes this weekend, but what I am saying is...give yourself a break! Take a minute to assess if you are really wanting that cookie or if you are in fact just hungry for food in general. If you're feeling hungry - and if it's been 3-4 hours since you ate last - then eat a balanced meal! If you aren't hungry and still feel like that cookie, then have the dang cookie! Just don't eat the whole batch :) And if anyone is interested in reading that great article on sugar & our health, you can find it HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone :)

My New Favorite YouTube Video

2011-04-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on Chelsea Lately tonight and it's so funny I just had to share:

I seriously can't stop laughing out loud right now!!! They chose the wrooong guy to report this story!

Time to Vent

2011-04-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

As of a few days ago, my job was so peachy keen. I loved all of my patients and how cooperative and respectful they were. Well...the breeze of my job just ended. Ugh. I am now learning the importance of being tough and sticking to your guns when working at an eating disorder treatment center. It is actually pretty common for new patients to be rude and well..pretty much hate you. I am the one who puts food in front of them and says...EAT! Our new patient I'm pretty sure hates me. Ha! I think it's kind of funny, which is unusual because I have to admit..I like to be liked :) Today I kind of hit a breaking point and had to vent to the dietitian I work with..and now I'm venting to you too. Nothing annoys me more than when I have to repeat myself. All day I say these words over and over to our new patient: You need to stick to your meal plan. You must eat what the other patients are eating. I don't care if you don't like butter, you have to eat it. You need to stay seated while eating...the list could go on. And it's driving me nuts. But, I'm grateful for the experience. I know I will encounter similar patients in the future, and I'm usually a total pushover so it's good for me to learn now how to deal with these types of patients. She needs to just get better soon so I can go back to working with the nice and easy patients who love me {or so I think!}

I MUST See This!

2011-04-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the commercial for "African Cats" and ohhhhh man is it one that I must see!!! I am pretty much the biggest animal lover ever, and this trailer melted my heart a little. I might just shed a tear when I see it. The baby cheetahs are pretty much the most precious little creatures I've ever seen. See for yourselves:

I wish I could sneak my own little "Cats" (aka Mr. Prince Charming and Miss Baby Bella) into the theatre with me. I think they would appreciate it as well :)

One Great Nutrition Blog

2011-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

Today I stumbled across an EXCELLENT nutrition blog, Green Grapes.

The author is a registered dietitian who I swear thinks EXACTLY like me.

I just want to comment "AMEN" after every single one of her posts.

You should read it if you care at all about your body & want to become the healthiest you possible.

And, NO, she didn't pay me to say this :)
In fact, she doesn't even know I exist! Ha!

Anyways, you should check it out!

Why you Shouldn't Believe Everything you Read

2011-04-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Because I am working at an eating disorder treatment center now, I have been doing a lot more research in my free time regarding this serious issue. A few areas I have been researching include eating disorders and their effects on metabolism and satiety/hunger cues. I recently came across a great example of why people shouldn't believe everything they read on the internet {And believe me, A LOT of people do this and don't know how to determine what is fact or fiction}.

Anyways, a girl in a nutrition forum was asking how she can lose weight for her wedding(she's 5'6" and 175 lbs) without relapsing back into disordered eating patterns, or even worse, back to her full-blown eating disorder. One very uninformed person responded by saying, "Maybe you need a good multivitamin to boost your metabolism, and for energy."

This comment made me almost laugh out loud. I probably would have if I didn't have patients in the room next to me. A multivitamin will NEVER boost your metabolism and give you energy. Energy comes from calories. There are NO calories in multivitamin supplements, and if there are, they MUST have some type of actual food in them. Also, your metabolism isn't going to all of a sudden get faster by taking a multivitamin. They play absolutely no role in weight loss. Never have. Never will.

I am a strong believer in taking multivitamin/mineral supplements to back-up your {hopefully} already pretty balanced food intake and for getting in all of your essential micronutrients - not for weight loss purposes. I bring this up mainly because I have met many people who seem to be easily influenced by the crap that they read on the internet. It blows my mind what some people will do in order to try to obtain the perfect body because they "read it somewhere" and my new job opens my eyes to that idea more and more every day! Be sure to look for credentials when reading health information and hopefully a little bio will be included as well so you can determine for yourself whether or not an author has the education and experience to advise you on your health! And finally, if it sounds too good to be true, than it probably is! :)

MudRun @ Irvine Lake!

2011-04-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today I did my first MudRun and ohhhhhhh boy was it fun!!!! It was definitely a "memory making moment" :) hehe Click HERE to view a hilarious video from today. We also {obviously} got tons of great pictures too:

Before the race...all clean and pretty. We were Team "I ♥ it dirrrrty"!!!

Getting our stretch on!

And we're off! We had no idea what to expect!

Dirrrrty Girls :)

These steep muddy hills were crazy!

Chillen in the mud bath! It felt good after our long run uphill!

Me doing the backstroke. I decided to make the most of it :)

Crawling in the mud out of these long tunnels!

I love this pic with our shoes!

We made it!

Who needs a mud mask?!

Getting clean in the community shower. It reminded me of the holocaust. Sad, I know...but, true.

I HIGHLY recommend doing a mud run if you haven't already. This experience has definitely made my top ten most memorable moments in my life thus far!

One Precious Babe

2011-04-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

My sister took some pics of her sweet little baby, Charleigh Grace. They are so cute, I just had to share. Just imagine how bad I'll be with posting pics when I have one of my own! I just wanna eat her up :)

I can't get enough of this one! I love Charleigh's little baby feet on the end :) So precious!

Gosh she has the most beautiful family! Aren't these pictures so pretty?!

Sleep Deprived & Bugs of all Sorts

2011-04-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't aware of my current situation, I am living at home with my parents until my husband moves out to San Diego in July. Because I am a big wimp, the thought of living alone scares me so I figured why not move back home for a couple of months. One reason why I hate being alone at night is that Charming gets super protective and barks at everything. Knowing that Derek isn't around to keep me safe puts the pressure on him to be the big man of the house. Anyways, my parents went to Vegas for Sunday and Monday night, so I had two male dogs trying to protect me - Charming & my parents' dog, Max. The problem is is Charming and Max think that by protecting me they should bark at every little sound (many of which I don't even hear) at all hours of the night and it freaks me out even more. Last night Max started barking for about 5 minutes straight at 2 AM. Not cool, Max. Not cool.

Trust me. You want to read on.

I decided to finally get up and yell at the dang dog. While I was up I felt something in my hair. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I found a TICK in my hair!!! Ahhhhh I seriously about died. Thankfully it wasn't latched on to my scalp, but OMG!!!! I was holding the nasty little bug between my index finger and thumb. I had found a tick on Charming's tummy the day before, and I thought that was traumatizing! The rest of the night I kept scratching my head with the fear that I might find another buried in there. There was no way I could go to sleep now. Oh yeah...and did I mention I had to wake up at 6:45AM to go to my first day of work at my new job?!?!! Ugh. I just kept envisioning ticks all over my room, laying eggs everywhere!!! SCARY! I thought having dogs would be easier than kids, but maybe I was mistaken. Kids don't get ticks, right?! Thanks, California for the warm welcome home!!!

The ticks aren't all..

I swear bugs love me or something. This morning as I made my commute to work I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a strange looking structure on my back window - on the inside of my car. I kept fixating on it (probably not smart when driving in traffic) and after a few minutes I saw it move! It was a giant grasshopper crawling in my backseat! So once again I freaked out at this large creature messin around in my territory. I called up my husband and just cried, "BUGS LOVE ME!!! AH!!!" Once I parked my car I took my umbrella and startled the guy to get him to jump out of my car! Oh yeah...and speaking of my car...I totally hit someone today in my car. A big-A Denali. Luckily there's just a little scuff on both of our cars, but holy crap?!?! Why is all this bad stuff happening to me now when I was on such a high from my internship results the day before?!

On a positive note, I really enjoyed my first day at the eating disorder center. I prepared lunch, ate with the patients and participated in the nutrition discussion group. The RD I am assisting is really cool too, which of course makes my job more enjoyable :) And getting fed yummy catered food at work is something I definitely am not complaining about either! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings - and hopefully no bugs will be involved!

I'm SO excited, I can hardly breathe!

2011-04-03T16:21:00.001-07:00

Today I found out that I was admitted to Utah State's dietetic internship program!!! Although the program is based out of Utah, I will actually be completing my rotations in San Diego County! I haven't been this excited & relieved in a very long time. As I've mentioned in previous posts, this is the third time I have applied for internships. It seems nearly impossible to get matched and so I was REALLY nervous and so scared of being rejected AGAIN. I really have my graduate advisor to thank for this. She encouraged me to apply even though she knew how defeated I felt and I am so grateful for everything she has done for me. It is so interesting the way things worked out with this whole process. I was absolutely devastated when I didn't get hired at UCSD's eating disorder treatment center, and as I result I decided to apply for internships again (something I was not originally planning on doing!). However, I was later offered the job at UCSD after applying to internships, so I have ended up getting both of what I wanted! This whole process has taught me to trust in the Lord's timing. Things have worked out better than I could have ever imagined, and I really feel like my persistence and hard work has paid off. I can't wait to start my internship this June and be a dietitian next year! :)

Jimmer's Song

2011-04-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today I came across Jimmer Fredette's song, which was probably created by BYU football players because I swear the only black guys on that campus went there just to play football. Trust me I would know. I went there. This guy should really thank his parents for his name because I think that alone has added to his fame. Anyways, here's the song. The little LDS lingo mixed in there make me laugh.

I love this comment that someone made on YouTube, "If someone taught him how to "Jimmer" he'd probably get banned by BYU for premarital sex". Ha! So true! I always think of a penis when I here the name "Jimmer". And I swear that people 50 years ago used this term. Maybe I should ask my g'ma? :) jk. On another note, my hubby is so pissed that Jimmer was awarded the AP Player of the Year. He's a Ute fan (YUCK!) and hates BYU. It's a big problem in our marriage :) Anyways, GO PENIS!! I mean.... GO JIMMER!

1st Beach Day in 2011!

2011-03-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today was absolutely perfect here in San Diego. 80 degrees without a cloud in the sky. My favorite! I decided to take my little 8 year-old niece, Analeyah, to the beach for my very first beach day in 2011. We had so much fun!

I promise I didn't mean to color coordinate my towel and bikini. My toes just happened to be pink too! Oops!

It was a great day basking in the sun and getting rid of what Utah gave me - pasty white skin. However, I decided that using tanning oil would be a good idea for my first day at the beach this year. I don't know what I was thinking!

I'm burnt. Pretty freaking bad. And I don't have any Aloe Vera gel. Ugh. I'm just hoping it turns into a tan!

Little Miss Charleigh Grace

2011-03-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

My sister Kristin had her fourth baby girl on Wednesday and my goodness is she beautiful!!! She's a little chunky monkey at 9 lbs 12 oz with lots of dark hair! Finally she has a little girl who looks more like her husband than her. We're hoping it stays that way! It would be so cute if she was the only one with a darker complexion and coloring - and still beautiful of course - just in a different way. Kristin's other girls are 8 and 6 (twins) so it feels like the very first all over again. I just love this little baby and holy cow I want one of my own now! Here's pictures of the sweet little Charleigh Grace Dore (pronounced like Charlie!):

This lil one was born with some long nails! I just had to snap this picture of Kristin filing her one day old baby's nails. I love her little chubs. My gosh I wanna just nibble on those cheeks!!!

Three Years!!!

2011-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Three years ago on the first day of spring I married a studly man by the name of Derek Watson. We decided to keep it a low key night by going to Cannella's for dinner downtown and doing my favorite thing of all...packing. Oh joy. That was fun. jk. However, because we are moving to San Diego tomorrow we kinda had no choice. And when I say we packed, I pretty much mean I packed. Here's the proof:

Derek cuddling with Bella while watching March Madness games. Ugh. While I, on the other hand, was packing/complaining about packing:

Even though our anniversary wasn't all fun and games, our dinner at Cannella's was freaking delish. See for yourselves:

Appetizer - Bruschetta with goat cheese

Main course - Chicken Marsala

And last but not least...

Dessert - Spumoni ice cream (my personal fave!) - and I got so excited to eat the dang thing that I forgot to take a picture before scarfing it down! Oops!

I totally look like I'm in a food coma! ha! I was VERY full - even though we shared everything!

The happy couple :)

And I can't forget the necessary lovin' for every anniversary :)

Yay for reaching three years!

Words of Wisdom from Bethenny

2011-03-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Today while I was waiting to go in for my Mystic Tan to be ready I read US Weekly's article from Feb 28th with Bethenny Frankel. I must admit...I really like her! And this article made me like her even more. She is so right on with her attitudes toward living a healthy life. There were so many great quotes in this article that I just have to share because they are completely in alignment with my nutrition beliefs. Here are a few of my faves:

"People assume that I’m going to tell everyone that everything needs to be organic, local and vegan every day. It’s not like that. Yesterday, I had a little bit of gelato and a red velvet cupcake. You can go into a deli and have a bag of potato chips and it’s OK. You can have pizza.”

I love this because I feel like so many people think that organic is always healthier than food that isn't certified organic. This is SO false. It makes me laugh when people think they are healthy because they spend extra money on organic food. It is so unnecessary. Also, I love that Bethenny believes that you can be healthy and still eat pizza and cupcakes - in moderation, of course. This quote coincides with that idea:

"I always say I don’t think you should be guilty about food. You can have it all. Just don’t have it all at once!"

I reeeeally love this quote too:

"I cringe when I hear people say, 'I look chubby in these jeans' or 'I'm going to go on a diet.' Mothers say it all the time in front of their daughters. That will NEVER be in my vocabulary!"

It is SO important that mothers do not display a personal negative body image in front of their daughters. Studies have shown that young girls own body images are often a reflection of their own mothers' body images. I am not a mother yet, but one thing I know I will never do is talk negatively about my body in front of my children. Instead I want to be a good role model to them by showing them that you can be healthy and maintain a proper body weight by exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. I never want to refer to foods as "bad" and "good" either because all food is good - in the right dose. :)

Anyways, I think Bethenny is awesome and I admire her views on nutrition and exercise. I also really hope I can be disciplined with my exercise regimen during my future pregnancies like she was. She gained a healthy 35 pounds and looked so hot! See for yourself:

She looked crazy good!

Anyways, so while your eating out this weekends just remember you CAN and SHOULD have dessert, but share it with a friend :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Hobo

2011-03-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started working retail, I kept hearing tons of hype over Hobo wallets. I was the type of person who really didn't really see the value in purchasing a great wallet..until now! Today I decided to buy a Hobo wallet and I am SO glad I did! This wallet is awesome and so so cute! It has tons of little compartments to hold all of my crap and it is surprisingly light. I have also been told that they last a really long time, which is nice because I like to get my money's worth. We got in 3 colors at my work today: coral, mustard yellow, and aqua blue. I, of course, went with the coral! The yellow was super cute too though. Hobo wallets are definitely something I have added to my list of favorites :) Pics:

I ♥ it!

You Stole the Words Right Out of My Mouth!

2011-03-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I just read THIS article about Ashley being the new bachelorette. I swear this reporter must have read THIS blog post of mine from last week! :) Okay not really, but this reporter and I obviously think alike! I've gotta say I am VERY disapointed that Ashley is going to be next bachelorette! The producers must like girls with awful annoying laughs - remember Allie? Ugh. I honestly don't think I'll be watching this next season :( I wanted to see Ms. Money dangit!!!

I'm Going Going, Back Back, to Cali Cali!

2011-03-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today I was officially offered a nutritionist position at UCSD's eating disorder treatment center! It is so interesting the way everything has worked out with this job. I actually applied for this job back in December and I was totally made to believe I was going to get it. However, the RD went with another girl - which she just told me on the phone she totally regrets! Ha! Anyways, the RD told me if things didn't work out with her that I would be offered the position. I thought ya...right. In the mean time I decided to apply for dietetic internships for the third freaking time, which is something I never would've done if I got this job in January. Sooo to my surprise the girl was not a very dependable employee, so I was just offered the job! Thankfully the RD also told me she really hopes I get into an internship and she is willing to hire me for just a couple months if I am accepted in June. I am really excited because eating disorders is the reason I wanted to become a dietitian in the first place, and I'm looking forward to using my degrees and learning more in the process. I move March 23rd, so I have A LOT to do in a very short amount of time before I leave. Moving is surprisingly going to be bitter-sweet. I am looking forward to living close to the beach again and being close to my family, but I am also going to miss all of the AMAZING friends I have made here. I honestly feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends who I love to pieces! At the same time though, I know we will always keep in touch and be life-long friends. I love that every time I hang out with my besties I feel like I'm in my very own episode of Sex and the City. Besides the fact that we're Mormon. And married. Ha! :) And to my Cali friends....I'll be home soon!!! Woohoo!!!

I ♥ My Husband!

2011-03-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Derek left for Vegas today to go to the MWC basketball tournament. I personally don't understand how ANYONE could find 3 days worth of basketball entertaining, but whatever. I've learned to accept his addiction to sports. Anyways, he left this morning to go "work" and then he said he was going to go straight to Vegas from there. Little did I know, his "work" consisted of going to the Mac store to buy me a new laptop and case! He called me and said he "forgot" something so he had to come back. When he came home he said I need to close my eyes for a surprise. I'll be honest with you..his surprises are usually kinda lame..like a candy bad or something. Seriously. I honestly wasn't expecting much. Ha! But to my serious surprise this surprise was actually a good one. This was my ghetto 30 lb (no joke - this thing is massive) laptop & case from before:

And here's my beautiful, new white Macbook and hot pink Marc Jacobs case:

(Please excuse the lack of sheets on my bed - today was laundry day!)

I'm pretty excited about my new little toy! :)

Guilt

2011-03-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

So I just watched The Women Tell All on Hulu and I can't help but feel guilty about the post I created about meeting Michelle last week... not like she reads my shiiiii or anything, but I just felt so bad for her last night! I really think that she just has an interesting sense of humor and she loves to be competitive. I don't doubt that she'll be on next year's Bachelor Pad 3. Also, I'm pretty positive Brad is going to choose Emily..I mean, how could he not?!?! His body is way too bangin to be married to someone like Chantal. You have to admit, they look pretty weird all over each other in their swim suits. Guys with 6 packs should not be allowed to date girls with chubs like Chantal. Anyways..back to Michelle. I know this probably would NEVER happen, but I think she would make a VERY entertaining bachelorette. If the producers want lots of viewers, they need to ask her. There's been speculation that Ashley is the next bachelorette, and oh my goodness I hope that's not true! I don't think I can handle hearing her annoying laugh and over-exaggerated bubbly-ness for an entire season. No way. I wouldn't watch. Anyways, I'm excited for next week! It's about time Chantal gets the boot!

ME?! A TV STAR?!

2011-03-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

Okay...not quite...

BUT,

I have been asked to be in a little segment on KUTV called Fresh Living. I have been asked to talk about ways to stay energized and satisfied throughout the day, so I am going to focus on snacks rich in fiber due to its major role in satiety. I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty freaking nervous about this, but kind of excited at the same time. The only other time I've been on TV was The Price is Right, and all I really had to say on that was "One dollar, Drew!!!" :) I'll let you all know when my episode will be on TV! It should be the last week of this month sometime! Yikes!

My Run-in with the Devil!

2011-03-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Today at work I helped out the one and only...

MICHELLE MONEY, aka psycho beast from this season's The Bachelor.

I usually don't ring people up at work, but today when I saw her standing in line I jumped on the nearest cash register to help her (I'm lame, I know). She was returning a Tory Burch wallet that broke, but because she didn't have the receipt I had to look through her latest credit card transactions to find the UPC. All I'm gonna say is WOW. This girl likes to spend lots of money at Nordstrom! Anyways, I of course asked her if she was Michelle from The Bachelor and she responded by saying, "Yes! Have you been watching this season?" I said yeah...and then it got really awkward and quiet because everyone knows how evil she was on the show. I wanted to lie and say I loved you on the show, but I just couldn't get myself to lie THAT bad. I wish it was Emily I was meeting because that I could've said, "I love you! I hope you win!" Anyways, after searching through her millions of recent transactions I found her proof of purchase for the wallet and finished up with her. And then of course I bragged to everyone at work about how I just helped the villian of The Bachelor. :) Afterwards I thought about what I wish I would've said to her if I was unprofessional and brutally honest. This is what I came up with:

1. "The first episode I watched this season was the one where you snuck into Brad's bedroom and talked crap on all of the other girls. My first impression of you was that you may quite possibly be possessed by the devil."

2. "I saw your interview on Ellen and how you mentioned you haven't been watching the show at all. You are the BIGGEST FREAKING LIAR! You love yourself waaay too much to not watch yourself on TV!"

3. "My friend Aarean came up with a little nickname for you, the ME ME ME Monster! Get it? You're all about YOU!"

4. "You must have gotten your role in that Mormon movie before the media found out about your affair with a MARRIED man, right? YOU SLUT!"

and last but not least...

5. "What is the name of your plastic surgeon? Cause I'll be sure to go to him if I want to ever look like I have 2 solid rocks sitting on my chest." Example:

Overall though I have to say she was very nice and naturally beautiful(she was wearing very little makeup), but then again I'm not trying to date a guy that she likes. Apparently she likes married men though, so I better keep my hubby far away from her! And who knows, maybe I'll see her again. She obviously loves shopping!

Oscar's Fashion Recap!

2011-02-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

I was SO excited to watch the Academy Award's last night for 2 reasons: James Franco hosting and the fashion, of course! :) Here's a few random thoughts I had about the night, and then I'll get into who I thought looked amazing and awful:

1. I thought James Franco was SO funny - and he didn't try too hard - unlike his co-host Anne Hathaway. Anne was just kind of awkward and sort of bugged me. I usually love her too. I'm also thinking her stylist, the amazing Rachel Zoe, must be on maternity leave. I hated all of Anne's dresses and she usually looks perfect!

2. My favorite joke of the night: when James Franco said how he can't believe how offensive recent movie titles are - Rabbit Hole, How to Train Your Dragon, Winter's Bone...LOL...what can I say?! I like pervie jokes!

3. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I totally teared up when Natalie Portman won Best Actress for Black Swan. She was soooooo amazing in that movie and I'm glad she won! She totally deserved it, just like Sandra Bullock last year.

4. Speaking of Miss Sandy, she made me laugh out loud when she presented the winner for Best Actor. Every time I see her on TV, I love her more and more. She's so hilarious, beautiful and classy.

5. Last but not least, I have the biggest girl crush on Mila Kunis! I loved seeing her on the red carpet. She just seems so cool and down to earth. And I can't forget to mention how stunning she is! And I wish I had her seductive voice. She's just a hottie! Can't you tell I'm totally obsessed?! :)

Now on to the fashion!!! Here are my faves of night:

Mila Kunis, of course, in Elie Saab. I love this color on her!

Hailee Steinfield in Marchesa. She is actually my very favorite of the night. This pic doesn't show the gorgeous detail on the top, but TRUST ME, it was amazing and so age appropriate. This girl really knows how to dress on the red carpet. I've loved every choice she's made this award's season. She is just darling!

Matthew McConaughey's girlfriend, Camila, in Kaufman Franco. This dress is really simple but I absolutely love it. She looks beaaautiful!

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein. Again, this is a very simple dress, but looks so well put together and stunning. It is a perfect example of how you don't need an over-the-top dress to look gorgeous.

So these were my very faves, but I also loved Reese Witherspoon {her hair was particularly gorgeous!}, Natalie Portman {although I wasn't fond of her purple heels}, Michelle Williams and Amy Adams!

And now for the not so good! Here it goes:

Scarlett Johansson in D&G. I hate the floral lace and the color of this dress on her. And her hair looks like crap. I just don't like her and I certainly don't like this dress. I don't know how some people are saying they love it!!

Nicole Kidman in Dior. This dress is way too busy and stiff-looking. I was disappointed because Nicole looked so pretty at the Grammy's, and then she chooses this for the biggest award show of the year!!! It was really, really bad and is definitely my pick for worst dressed.

Penelope Cruz in L'Wren Scott. This is another dress that some critics have praised and I think it is so ugly! It looks like sequined flames or something. Just burn the thing!!! And her new momma boobs are popping out way too much for me. They look gross if ya ask me!

Marisa Tomei in vintage Charles James. Okay...this dress just looks like a bad prom dress!!! I'm pretty sure my sis wore something similar to her senior prom in the 90's. I hate the hair too. Blah.

There were a couple dresses on the red carpet that SERIOUSLY reminded me of previously worn dresses. I am pretty confident that they will be mentioned on E!'s Fashion Police tonight when they do their little "B*tch Stole My Look!" portion of the show. Here they are:

This was worn by an actress in "Winter's Bone" and it resembles Taylor Swift's dress sooo much from the 2010 Grammy's:

Taylor Swift looks sooooo much better in it! I loved this dress on her!

This dress reminds me A LOT of a dress Christina Aguilera wore on the red carpet this year:

I think that both dresses are hideous and should've never been worn!

What did you think of last night and the fashion?!

Etsy

2011-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

I haven't been working very much lately, which means I've been snooping around Etsy a little too much! Lately I've been obsessing over the song "You Are My Sunshine", probably because I'm the most baby hungry I've ever been in my life! Here's a few things that I love (ideally for a nursery, but we'll just have to wait and see about that!):

Cute, huh?!?! Can be found at theinksociety

Can be found at barn owl primitives

One thing is for sure..I'm definitely going to have to incorporate yellow somehow into my future nursery! I love these so much!

Another thing I am obsessing over is hand stamped keychains. I think they would be great sentimental gifts. Here's a few I love:

Ok, I know..another "You are my sunshine"...it's just so cute! Can be found at rawartletterpress

I reeeally want to get this keychain for my husband. I think it is so simple, yet so sweet! Can be found at theCopperPoppy

I ♥ this pet ID tag. It's also only $12, and so much cuter than the boring ones you can get at pet stores. Can be found at PoochyCouture

This keychain can include the names of your family members, best friends, or any saying or quote you love. I have a great idea for what I want to have created with this! Can be found at 2sweetpeasjewelry

I love Etsy for all the custom pieces of artwork, jewelry, clothing, and other accessories that every day people create by hand!

Our Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Derek and I had a GREAT Valentine's Day! I don't understand why some people dislike this "Hallmark Holiday". I think it's awesome that there's one day out of the year dedicated solely to love♥ And I am more than willing to take advantage of being taken out to dinner, being bought romantic gifts, and making sweet love to my hunny! Too much info? I don't care :)

This year we had dinner at Rodizio Grill, which was so so good and exchanged gifts. We then came home to watch our own shows, in different rooms of the house. It's no surprise we'll be celebrating our 3rd anniversary next month! Here's some pics from last night:

This picture of Derek makes me laugh soooo hard!!! He reminds me of a puppy dog drooling over people food! He LOVED all the meats!

I opted for salad and a peach cream soda :) Mmmm

One happy hubby!

I bought Derek the iphone 4 for Verizon, which I'm not realizing wasn't the best idea. He is addicted!

Derek's card was sweet and funny - perfect!

Derek bought me a Lois Hill necklace - the first of many to come :) ha! It's hard to see in the pic but the charm is a stiletto heel! I love it.

I was also in need of a new wallet, so D bought me this super cute Juicy one! Again...love it!

My Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without my favorite candy - Reese's!

I topped off my night by watching the Bachelor while Derek watched ESPN. Typical.

I hope you all had a fun Valentine's Day with your sweeties!

Yuck

2011-02-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

There were so many yucky dresses at tonight's Grammy Awards! I don't even have the energy or desire to tell you about them all. Pretty much the only pretty dresses I saw were worn by Nicole Kidman and Selena Gomez. Is it just me or did everyone look so trashy?! Here's one pic though that I will take the time to actually post because it is just weird.

Are those not the grossest breasts you've ever seen in your life?!?! Yikes. Natalie Portman's bug bites wouldn't even fit into that dress!

The mullet-style dresses were all over the red carpet and I HATE them! Long or short. You can have one or the other people! I can't wait to hear what Joan Rivers says about some of these awful dresses tomorrow night!

Crazy for Coral!

2011-02-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

Although it is only February, I am already thinking about Spring fashion! Couture Carrie posted this pic of a gorgeous Michael Kors dress in the most beautiful color:

I'm definitely on the hunt for more coral to add to my wardrobe. Here's some pretty things I found and love:

Cut-out ruffle monokini at victoriassecret.com

Roxy 'Wave Breaks' Dress at nordstrom.com. This is the perfect little dress for the beach!

Ella Moss 'Cassidy' Top at nordstrom.com. Also comes in grey!

Quilted Wristlet at express.com. This would be a great little bag for a night out! And it's only $15!

Tory Burch Coral Flats at toryburchs-sale.com. I am SERIOUSLY in love with these and they are at the top of my wishlist!

Ahhhh...coral. Such a pretty color and soon to be found in my closet for Spring :)

Not So Hot Afterall..

2011-02-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

I saw this pic of Sofia Vergara and my jaw literally dropped!!!

She looks NOTHING like herself!!! This has to be the biggest transformation of any woman I've ever seen without makeup. It just makes me think a lot about image and how so many women compare themselves to celebrities who have access to the best makeup artists and hair stylists. It is SO unrealistic to think that us {normal} women can ever look perfect like so many celebs. Especially when you consider all the airbrushing, digital lipo and digital breast enhancement done in magazines. Look at the difference of Sofia all glammed up:

Well, I just want to say THANK YOU to the very mean paparrazzi who took the makeup-less photo of Sofia. It sure makes me feel better about myself :)

My New Love

2011-02-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have seriously fallen in love with ZUMBA!

I was totally scared to try it because I knew I would look like a total fool, but everyone looks ridiculous for the most part so who cares!! I pretty much looked like the old women in this YouTube video the first time I went:

I think I keep going back just so I can master the booty shake. This latin instructor I go to in Sandy is
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
and shakes her butt like no one I've ever seen before! I'm determined to shake mine like hers. And hopefully get a butt like hers too :)
You should all try it. It's a crazy latino-reggae-egyptian-hip hop mix and so so fun! I like the whole persona of the instructor I go to. She wears all the bright colored workout clothes like the Zumba instructors on those TV infomercials, and the fact that she's latino with long dark hair makes her fit the part of a Zumba instructor perfectly! I'm all about instructors that fit the part of the classes they teach (especially with yoga)...anyways, I'm addicted and hopefully I'll be able to shake my ass like a Zumba instructor in a couple of months! :)

P.S. My hubby seems to like it when I come home and show him what I did in Zumba class and I'm sure yours would too! Ha!

LaDitta Design Giveaway!

2011-01-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

My adorable friend is a fantastic graphic designer and she is so creative when it comes to making posters! She is currently giving away one of these:

You can read more about how to enter the giveaway HERE.

She also creates super cute posters with the lyrics to your favorite primary song with your nursery colors! She has made me two so far and they make the best baby shower gifts. You can also check out her design blog HERE.

I ♥ your style, Aarean! :)

..and I hope I win your LOVE poster!!!

Preceptors: Check!

2011-01-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

Today I finalized my last internship preceptor!!! Woohoo!!! I haven't felt this relieved about anything in a very long time. The last preceptor I was waiting to hear back from was for my 13-week school lunch rotation, so I was soooo happy when she said yes! Finding someone to train me for 2 or 3 weeks wasn't hard, but 13 weeks is a LONG time! The dietitian sounds SUPER cool and nice too, and working with people I like makes a HUGE difference! My dad actually totally hooked me up with this rotation! He worked at Vista Unified School District as a science teacher and V.P. for 38 years, so he told her about me and then I called her. It's cool cause I am very familiar with Vista Unified. The other rotations I am excited about is my 3-week eating disorder clinic rotation and my 4-week WIC rotation. I am sooo glad clinical nutrition isn't an emphasis! I really hope things work out this time because I have found some really cool preceptors to work with and I think I would love my internship (which is something most ppl never say!)...The fact the I found all these preceptors so fast when my SDSU advisor said it would be impossible makes me feel like the hardest part is over with my applications. I wish I could just say "BOOYAH" to her! haha! Now I just need to get accepted and I'll be soooooo happy!!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

2011-01-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Golden Globe Awards, and I watched mainly for the fashion of course :) Here's what I think:

THE GOOD

January Jones looked gorgeous in this Versace gown. I loved how the bottom was just a ton of thin strands...it's a great execution of the modern flapper.

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive. I was loving all the modern designs! This dress was super modest and still gorgeous, which can sometimes be hard to do. And I am loving those shoulder pads!

Olivia Wilde looked stunning in this Marchesa gown. It reminded me a little bit of Cameron Diaz's dress that she wore to an awards show last year. I love that gold at the top!

Emma Stone in Calvin Klein is my pick for best dressed! This gown looked so perfect with her skin tone and she couldn't have looked more beautiful. This dress isn't super flashy, but it looks elegant and classic. It's perfect!

THE BAD

Julianne Moore in Lanvin. Yuck.

Christina Aguilera in Zuhair Murad. I'm sorry but I just don't like this girl or this dress. Period.

J.Lo looked awful in Zuhair Murad. That draping was SO ugly! I wish there was some way she could just take that off! No bueno, J.Lo.

THE STRAIGHT-UP UGLY

I absolutely LOVE Natalie Portman, but she definitely disappointed me last night with her dress. I was SO excited to see what she was going to wear because I knew she was going to win for Black Swan. When you have a good shot at winning big, you gotta dress the part girl!!! That rose applique reminded me of something that would be on a bad prom dress and the fabric looked SO cheap! However, I still love her and I'm so happy she won for Black Swan!

How does Heidi Klum host Project Runway?!?! She has looked so tacky at all of the recent award shows! I ♥ Marc Jacobs, but this should be saved for a nice dinner on a tropical getaway not the Golden Globes!

THE WORST OF THE WORST

Tilda Swinton is THE modern day polygamist. I was speechless when I saw this on TV. What in the world was she thinking?!!!! She is BY FAR the worst dressed of the night. Is she trying to get a role on Big Love or something?! One thing is for sure...Warren Jeff would be proud of this look.

What did you all think of last night's fashion?

My tummy is in knots!

2011-01-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

The last few days I have been beyond stressed. After meeting with my graduate advisor at BYU on Monday, I really felt strongly that I should apply to dietetic internships for the third time! I know I'm a bit crazy and and I am definitely terrified of rejection at this point; however, I don't want to throw away the 6 years of college I already completed to not end up reaching my biggest goal, which of course is to become a dietitian. So...my applications are 85% complete and I shouldn't be that stressed, right? Wrong. I have decided to apply to Utah State's distance program, which allows me to complete my internship in San Diego. The only problem is that I have to be the one to convince dietitians that I have never met before to train me! Yesterday I called my advisor from SDSU and she really discouraged me. I felt like total crap after talking to her. She basically told me that there are no preceptors left in San Diego and it's highly unlikely that I will find people to train me. Although this totally freaked me out, I panicked and called like 20 people! Many haven't responded, but I did find 3 people that said YES! Now all I need is 2 more people and I have a few promising prospects that I think will say yes. It just goes to show that there will always be people in this world trying to keep you from accomplishing your goals. I'm grateful that my advisor from BYU encouraged me to apply again, and I'm also grateful that my SDSU advisor was so pessimistic! It has only made me more motivated and aggressive about finding these last 2 preceptors. Nevertheless, my tummy is in knots and I am WAY stressed out. At the same time though I am proud of myself for not giving up and persevering through this inconvenient process. I'm just hoping the third time's the charm :)

Prettiest Home Ever.

2011-01-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

My friend Bri has a great re-design blog, and posted a few gorgeous pics from the Alice Lane blog today. I just HAVE to share with you the home they featured on there today. It's completely my aesthetic (if I had lots and lots of money). Here's just a little taste:

You can check out the entire space HERE.

Gorgeous, huh?! Can I please be rich now???

And by the way, Happy 1.11.11!
I have a feeling today's gonna be a good day :)

20% Off @ Nordstrom/Nordstrom Rack!

2011-01-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hey all my lovelies living in Utah! On Monday, Jan 24th we will be doing inventory at my work. Basically we'll be scanning everything in the Accessories department so our inventory is as accurate as possible for 2011. Nordstrom wants employees to recruit their friends to help out with this process. They will pay you $9 or $9.50 an hour and it will start at 6 PM and end probably around 10 PM. And the best part is is you get to use our employee discount (which is 20%) for a week for helping out! I have saved TONS of money on the CUTEST clothes/accessories/shoes with this discount. It makes a HUGE difference! Let me know ASAP if you are interested!

My Butchered Hair

2011-01-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...

It looks like I'll be starting off 2011 with the WORST HAIRCUT OF MY LIFE!!!

The scary thing is this picture doesn't even do it justice.

I have never cried due to a bad haircut until today. I called Derek and seriously just bawled for about 15 minutes. The worst part about it is she charged me $110 to get my roots touched up and for this dreadful haircut. I love the color but everything else is just wrong. She just went nuts with the layers and I specifically said I DO NOT want my bangs to start far back. If she would've gone about an inch further I would have no part left! I feel like this is a white trash-looking haircut! I don't know what to do! It looks okay when I put it in a ponytail or half up half down, so I'm trying to decide if I should just do that every day or cut it short again to get rid of all these awful layers. I reeeaaally don't want to cut my hair short. I like it short but I've been growing it out for 2 years! However, it is a bit unrealistic to wear my hair up everyday til it grows out. I'm about to call the salon and ask for my money back (for the haircut anyways). I adore the girl who did my hair (she reminds me A LOT of Zooey Deschanel) so I feel a little bad cause I know this is going to offend her, but I didn't spend $110 + tip to look like this!!!

Recap of 2010!

2011-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

2010 was a great year for us Watson's! Here's a few highlights:

We kicked 2010 off right in Puerto Vallarta! This was the night Matt proposed to M'Lindsey! It was pretty much the sweetest proposal I've ever seen or heard of. (mainly because I gave him 85% of the ideas! ha!)

The episode of "The Price is Right" that I was on aired! This is one of the best memories of my life! Haha! I felt sooo lucky to have been chosen :)

I graduated with my master's degree from BYU in Nutrition! This is definitely my biggest accomplishment to this day. I have never worked so hard in my life! Derek also graduated from UVU in Business and is in the process of applying to Law Schools!!

My sis got married in June and I was the matron of honor! It was great to have another excuse to go to Cali :)

We moved to Chicago for Derek's work with Pinnacle Security. That's about all I'm gonna say about that. :)

We made a little road trip to Gettysberg and Hershey, PA! Hershey was my fave :)

We went to my hometown of San Diego for my cousin's wedding in October, so we of course had to go to Disneyland for a day!

Witches night out with my besties, minus Shannon :( Allie also hosted a super fun Halloween party too! I am so grateful I have become great friends with these awesome girls!

My sister and her cute little family (minus Analeyah) came to Utah to visit me for Thanksgiving and my birthday! We went up to Derek's Uncle's cabin in Heber and had a blast!

Christmas in Cali :) Here I am with my pretty sisters!

New Year's Eve in Utah! I went with D and his family to watch his cousin's perform at UVU and we had tons of fun!

Overall 2010 was a great year! So many exciting things happened and we are looking forward to another great year in 2011! So far we are planning on going on a couple's cruise with our closest Utah friends, travelling to Hawaii in September, law school for D, possibly moving to Cali THIS MONTH if I get hired at UCSD's eating disorder treatment center (I find out if I got the job this wk!), and the BIGGEST news of all...we might start trying to get prego in the Fall/Winter! Yikes! We hope you all had a wonderful 2010 and wish you the very best in 2011!

Br-Br-Br-BROKEN!

2010-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

Remember my little story about Derek's ghetto Honda?! If not, you can check it out HERE.

Weelll...the 1st gear is still out, and let me remind you that it went out in MAY.

However, now the 2nd gear is out too.

Sadly, Derek was driving down to Las Vegas to watch the Utah Utes get their asses kicked by Boise State when this happened....in the blizzard that is rocking Utah right now.

Derek is now being towed back up to Orem.

I told Derek that he is going to be seriously screwed when it starts snowing and he doesn't have a 1st gear. Now the car is definitely un-driveable.

I'll just say this once and once only.

"I TOLD YA SO!"

Husband's need to listen to their wise wifey's a little more often, dontcha think?!?! ;)

Burlap Pillow

2010-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today while I was blog-stalking I came across this SUPER cute pillow idea from Tater Tots and Jello:

I am obsessed with the phrase "Keep calm and carry on" and after seeing this I want one sooooo bad! However, because I am mentally challenged when it comes to sewing I think I might ask my mom to follow the tutorial for me! Isn't it adorable??!! I gotta have it!

Peppermint

2010-12-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been waaaay too obsessed with all things Peppermint. Here are my two latest discoveries:

Chick-fil-A's Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake

I had one of these today and pretty much died and went to heaven.

Cheesecake Factory's Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

Another fabulous holiday treat that I tried a few weeks ago that makes me drool just to think about.

I will definitely need to kick it up my exercise routines a notch after the Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

xoxo, Your Nutritionist Friend. Ha!

(all things in moderation people :))

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2010-12-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Today I read an article on Yahoo that really kind of made me laugh because I could totally relate. It was about how common it is for husbands and wives to hide what they buy from their spouses. You can read the article HERE. I know this sounds kinda bad and maybe even really dishonest, but I totally do this quite often. :/ However, Derek has caught me before and he is always wondering how the balance on my credit card doesn't exactly budge. I also confessed in one of our counseling sessions a few months back. I don't do it to be sneaky though...I do it to avoid fights! Derek is the type of person who LOVES to save and see lots of money in the bank, whereas I'm the type of person who likes to reward myself with pretty things. Honestly though, he is the cheapest person I have ever met in my entire life. It's a little much sometimes!

Anyways, back to the article. The best part about this article is when this lady explained how she hides things. She said, "When I go and splurge on Jimmy Choos or Manolos, I never ask for the box, I bring a big enough purse and just put them in my bag. I put them under the carpet in my car and wait until [my husband] is walking the dog and then they make it into the closet. " Ok so I can promise you don't buy Jimmy Choos or Manolo's, but I DO hide stuff in my purse! Haha! One time in Chicago I bought this faux fur vest and had to shove it in my purse so he wouldn't see. The funny thing is is the vest was so big that my purse looked HUGE, and I couldn't leave it in the car cause I was driving his car! I was SHOCKED when he didn't ask what was in my purse. It looked as though I had stolen a small dog!

Derek sometimes will say things like "oh my gosh I can't believe how much nice stuff you have that I've never seen before"...or "see you don't need to go shopping"...funny thing is it's 9 times of 10 something I bought on my credit card and didn't tell him about. So why the heck am I confessing this to you?!?! I have no idea. Maybe I'm just hoping that someone out there will be honest back and admit that they do it too!!! :)

Cha Cha Cha Chia!

2010-12-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

I got pretty much the best white elephant gift at a Christmas party last night:

Chia Obama! hahahaha

Derek and I saw this commercial for it the night before the party and we couldn't stop laughing:

I love it...Lincoln, Washington, and Obama! Really?!?!

Thank you Chia Pet for creating the best white elephant gift ever!!!

Bella's Flower

2010-12-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

For my birthday I was given 2 adorable doggy collars for Charming and Bella. Bella's is soooo cute I just had to share.

I can't get enough of that little flower! Because my dogs have soooo much fur, you can never really see their collars, but the flower is all you see! It's precious. And just wait til I have a little girl for real. Since I'm so excited about this you KNOW I'll be SUPER excited to accessorize my little baby! :)

Charming's collar is darling as well. It's brown with green polka dots. The best part is is these were made by a local dog collar designer in Utah. I love supporting local businesses and her business is just so clever! You can check it out at Woof Ware Online!

Baby Head

2010-11-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

I've always known I have a small head, but today was proof of that. Why?!?! Cause I bought this...

...in the kid's department at Nordstrom!

The other day at work I tried on just about every cute hat we sell at Nordstrom Rack and they were all HUGE! So today I figured I'd go a different route and all of the hats fit me in the kid's section! NO JOKE! I guess I'll be heading to the kid's department any time I need a new hat from now on! Ha!

Laugh til your tummy hurts!

2010-11-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

These videos are sooo freaking funny! Every time I watch them I laugh soooo hard! This is my brother-in-law being a total goof! Unfortunately they aren't loading properly, but you can see them by going to my facebook page HERE. I promise it is worth it!

Aren't those HILARIOUS?!?!!!!

Joseph is gonna be the next "Hide yo kids" YouTube star. LOL

List of Gratitude

2010-11-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Because my last post was a bit of a downer, it is important that I also explain the many things I am grateful for. I am a thanksgiving baby and so I love everything about November! The food, the family gatherings, my birthday, and most importantly focusing on all of many many blessings. Here's just ten out of many things I am grateful for:

1. The temple

Every time I set food in the temple I immediately feel the spirit and know that my Heavenly Father loves me. I also love that it is a place I can go to when I am in need of direction and answers to my prayers. I went to the new Draper temple on Wednesday alone for the first time ever! It was a little scary going alone (I'm not gonna lie) but I felt so comforted and loved which is exactly that I needed at the time.

2. My education

I am so grateful to be only 23 years old and have already completed my master's degree. It is the best feeling in the world to have accomplished something so huge at such a young age. I have my parents and husband to thank for this. They have always pushed me to go after what I want in life and to encourage me to get a good education. Although I am not working in nutrition right now, I know that in the future I will find a job that suits me well.

3. My sisters

I am SO grateful to have sisters! I feel sorry for girls without them! I always look forward to going home to hang out with them. They are both so fun, supportive, and sweet. I love these girls!

4. Great Girlfriends

I ALWAYS look forward to hanging out with my girlfriends! When I first moved to Utah and I had NO friends here! I was basically a loser :( And I was a miserable, unhappy loser too. I am so grateful that I met Sara out in Chicago while our hubby's were working for Pinnacle. She has been such a wonderful friend who has introduced me to a bunch of other great girls. I love every time we get together and they DEFINITELY make living in Utah much more bearable!

5. My sweet lil babies!

I love my little dogs sooooo much! Derek took this picture one day while I was at the gym. This is actually when they were shaved over the summer. D said they sat just like this waiting for me the entire time I was gone. American Eskimos are the most loyal dogs ever. I love how they are both playful and cuddly. There isn't much more to say about these little babes except that they make me really happy.

6. My Car
Okay, so I know this one sounds a bit materialistic, but after living in Chicago without my car I realized just how VERY grateful I am for my car! You never quite realize how important your car is until you don't have it for a few months..especially in a place where you can't walk anywhere! I'm also grateful for my GPS! haha but seriously though..that thing helps me out so much!

7. My mom

This picture was taken on my wedding day while I was getting ready to go to the temple and I absolutely love it! My mom has always been a huge support to me and I know would do anything for me. I swear she does just about everything perfect and is so wise. I am thankful that she raised me to be a strong and independent woman and I love spending time with her.

8. My Hubby

My husband is always encouraging me to excel and he is a wonderful provider. And most importantly, he's a great cuddler. I know that he will always do all in his power to provide for our family and make sure we are secure and safe. He's such a babe!

9. Great food!

I love to eat delicious food! Fortunately I love nutritious food, or "chick food", as my husband likes to call it. Seriously though, life would not be complete without yummy food and good company to share it with. Food just makes everything better!

10. My darling nieces

I love these 3 little girls. They are so precious and so fun. I can't wait to see them tomorrow! (Although I won't get to see Analeyah because she's a lucky little 8 y/o who is in Maui with my parents for her bday) They are the sweetest little things and I love them so much! My brother's little girl Savannah is just the cutest little girl too. I can't wait to see her again too over Christmas!

Defeated

2010-11-14T17:10:00.000-08:00

So tonight I found out that once again I was not accepted to a dietetic internship. I feel so defeated and so discouraged. I have worked SO hard and have done so many extracurricular things to be the best applicant I can be so it's just really frustrating. I just don't understand what else they want! I have my master's degree, I've worked at a hospital and restaurants ever since I was 15, volunteered for several different organizations, presented at a nutrition conference, was an officer for the nutrition club at SDSU, wrote a thesis, and I'm a member of several nutrition organizations. I just feel like it is so unfair and I'm so confused. I don't even want to apply again in the Spring because I feel like I'm just wasting my money on all these applications! However, one thing I am planning on doing is calling the places I applied to so I can get some feedback as to what I can do to improve. And on a positive note, I am glad we will be sticking around here for a little longer. I am so grateful for the amazing friends I've made here and I am looking forward to making more memories with them! Also we will be house hunting this week so hopefully we'll be moving into a great place soon! I guess I'm just not meant to be a dietitian any time soon. I'm going to apply for some nutritionist jobs anyways though and hopefully find something I love.

House Hunting

2010-11-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Derek and I find out our fate as to where we will be moving in January. I applied to dietetic internships for a second time to three very random places: Houston, Oklahoma, and Iowa! I chose these places mainly because they are all 6 months long, whereas most internships are 10 to 12 months long! Pretty much I want to just get it over with so I can be a dietitian already. However, because there are only about 2,500 spots available and over 5,000 applicants wanting internships, I am being realistic about the possibility of not getting accepted. Right now is just a very difficult time to become a dietitian. As our backup plan, Derek and I have decided to buy a house in Utah if I don't get accepted. I kind of feel like regardless of what happens on Sunday, I'll be excited either way now. If we end up house hunting we will literally be starting on Monday. We are living with my mother-in-law right now because of our current situation, and ummm...I'm ready to have my own space again!! Fortunately, houses are insanely cheap right now and it is a perfect time to buy, and I know I can get a job in my field because I have my master's degree..it just might take a little longer to find something that I really want to do {i.e. NOT work in a hospital!} I was bored the other day and started house hunting on the internet. I have found what looks like everything I want. I want an older home with a cottage-y feel that isn't too big with lots of charm and room for my dogs to run around outside. Here's a few pics of the outside:

Isn't it adorable?! The inside looks super cute and charming too. I pretty much can't get this house out of my mind. If it is anything like the pictures in person, it is the perfect house for us. It's in Pleasant Grove, only $155,000, 3 bd/2bth, it has a pretty backyard with a dog run (so Bella can dig all she wants!), and the kitchen needs a remodel. I know that sounds weird, but I've always wanted to build my dream kitchen. I've had this picture for about 2 yrs now and I'm obsessed with it:

I LOVE those blue and grey subway tiles and marble counter tops. So dang beautiful.

So I figure it's a win-win situation regardless of what happens. I obviously want to become a dietitian and get my internship over with, but it's always been a dream of mine to become a homeowner and get to decorate my own place. And I think my aesthetic is pretty obvious! My home would be soooo beautiful! We'll see what happens :) I'm NERVOUS!

Glitter

2010-11-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

A girl from my work was sporting these beauties today:

Glittery TOMS!!!

I'm in love and they're even cuter in person. Can't wait to pick myself up a pair!

My Latest Steal!

2010-11-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

I am SUPER stoked! Today I bought an adorable Juicy handbag for $42.00
{Originally $200}!

Isn't it SO cute?!?! And SO freaking affordable! There's something about getting something fabulous for super duper cheap that just brightens my day! :)

Strawberry Blonde-Blonde

2010-11-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today I dyed my hair strawberry blonde and kept my blonde highlights, so in other words I am now strawberry blonde-blonde! In high school I used to change up my hair all the time, but I have done the same old boring highlights for the last 5 yrs so I decided I needed to switch it up. This is the result:

I think it turned out pretty, but I am still getting used to it. In person you can definitely see the strawberry blonde a lot better than in this pic. I'm glad she didn't make it streaky {that was my biggest fear!} and it doesn't look RED {thank goodness}. I was so super nervous so I'm glad it's just a slight change!