MyFitnessPal.com

I decided I want to get in the best shape of my 30s so I took a cue from my FAVORITE sister-in-law, Joni, and downloaded the MyFitnessPal app. I've been keeping much better track of the food I eat and I'm feeling great so far! It's not so much about the weight loss but more about overall health (which will result in healthy weight loss and a better BMI).

I hope I can count on lots of support from all my blog buddies!

MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Gardening in the City

Just thought I'd post a couple pics of my gardening adventures! It's been really fun.

Mom and Dad made me this SWEET planter out of redwood from an old deck...so fun! I put Hibiscus plants to give it an "island vacation" feel and put it under my bedroom window in the front yard.

These Mexican Zucchini are really doing well despite the extreme heat.

Going "GREEN"

So, my roomie got a little crazy with the green paint and look how fun it turned out! Totally fits in with the little-Mexico theme in our barrio (neighborhood).

Going "GREEN"

My New Home

I MOVED! And this time it's not an apartment! I haven't had time to take new pictures but this gives you a basic idea of the new place. Just imagine it with the lawn mowed, a couple arm-chairs out front and cute curtains in the bedroom window. The whole thing just came together perfectly because I was looking for a new place and my next door neighbor in the apartments found this house so we decided to be roommates! His name is Justin and he's great.

The house has some serious character. It was built in 1945 so it has that old-fashioned charm. For example, the mail box is built into the wall with access from inside the house. Also, there is a little hatch at the back of the house where the milkman would deliver milk and pick up the used, glass bottles. Sometimes I imagine that I'm a 1950's housewife as I'm washing dishes and doing chores...just kidding!

This house is flush with security features including this scary owl atop a post/motion-sensor light protruding from the roof of the detached garage. The owl basically says "don't mess with this house" to passers by (in the alley). It's super classy!

We decided to take some extra precautions with safety because Justin's apartment got burglarized a couple months ago. My brother (Jacob) works for ADT and he hooked us up with a great deal on a security system. It's pretty incredible. I also installed a photo cell on the front porch so the light goes on at dusk and off at dawn. On the side of the house I installed a motion sensor light. All of that PLUS the owl PLUS Justin's Chihuahua and I think we're pretty safe. It is probably overkill because the neighborhood seems really tranquil LOL!

I really like the place so far and feel a little more settled in every day.

Top Ten

Okay. I'm a baby about being sick...I know this. Here are the top ten reasons I'm mad about getting an awful cold this week:

10  It's way too early in the month to be walking around looking like Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer. I sure as heck don't plan on leading a world-wide (minus the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and otherwise non-Christian countries) aerial sleigh ride for some fat guy with my "nose so bright."

9  "Plop plop, fizz fizz..." I think I have an Alka-Seltzer Plus hangover (if that's even possible).

8  Watching the Alka-Seltzer tablets "fully dissolve in 4 oz of water" has been among my highlights of the last couple days.

7  Shaving hurts for some reason.

6  I haven't spent this much time on Facebook in a LONG time.

5  When I start laughing I begin to cough! And let me just say...there's some funny stuff on YouTube these days so this whole laughing = coughing scenario isn't helpful!

4  Kleenex cool touchtm tissues are a work in progress...don't waste your money on them. I'm going with those Puffs w/ lotion next time for sure.

3  I miss my MidFirst family when I'm at home sick. I'd much rather be at work than this!

2  I'm missing an Ornament Party with my friends as I type this post. I even have a cool, Jack-in-the-Box elf ornament to place on their tree. Guess I'll have to pay them a visit some other day.

1  I CAN'T GO SEE MY NEW BABY NIECE, Autumn Renae Osborn. Isn't she cute!

 

It's not all bad news...

I must say that I'm happy to have a lot of wonderful people looking out for me. My roommate made me some nice soup. Jamba Juice (a quick walk across the street from my apartment) whips up this amazing warm drink with all kinds of herbs and vitamins.  Also, my work has been really understanding about me having to stay home. 

Overall, life is grand and I should be back to my normal self in no time!

Wildcats Like Water

I've been doing some research to figure out what school I should attend. I have pretty much decided to go into the field of hydrology. Every time I mention this to people I get a lot of questions about what a career as a hydrologist would look like. I think Matthew C. Larsen, associate director for water at the US Geological Survey put it best when he said: “Hydrologist is a fairly broad term, but generally, any research or problems having to do with water, there’s a hydrologist working on it.” For my purposes, I would like to work in the field and assist in providing data regarding water sources such as rivers, lakes and oceans. I would also like to be a force for good in cleaning up water that has been affected by pollution.


Though my research, I have found that there are only three major universities offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in hydrology--University of California (in Davis), University of Nevada (in Reno) and University of Arizona (in Tucson). I had initially considered going to a community college to get a certificate in hydrology but the more I research I am finding that the best educational experience is found at these three universities.

I was thrilled to find out that UofA is the leader when it comes to hydrology programs. First, Tucson is a beautiful city and I would enjoy living there. Next, I am an Arizona resident so the tuition will be much lower than other options. And finally, I won't be too far away from my Phoenix friends and family. I have an interview scheduled with an adviser to find out more about how I can get into their program and become a water-loving UofA Wildcat. I'm getting excited!

Halloween 2011

I just wanted to post a couple pics of our Halloween adventures. Overall, it turned out to be a really fun Halloween with friends and I didn't even have to spend very much time/money on my costume!

The Crew...and, yes, that is a dog dressed as a soccer ball haha!

Veronica & I at Amsterdam

We all hung out at Veronica & Kara's house before we headed out to Amsterdam to see what kind of craziness we could feast our eyes upon. Let me just tell you...people are so creative! I wish I would've snapped a few photos of the costumes I saw but I was too busy dancing and having a good time (plus my iPhone 3G dinosaur doesn't have a flash LOL). I really like to see people dressed up and especially love it when folks think of something unusual or come up with their own interpretation of a popular costume.

One of my best friends, Octavio, got off work at 11 (he produces the nightly news for Univision 33--the Spanish TV station) and he met us out. He did a great job on his costume which he modified from a real sailor uniform he found at a thrift store. We found another guy in the original, unmodified version of Tavo's costume and took a quick pic.

It was a spooktacular night!