I have seriously been working around the clock and have had no time for anything else! Therefore, not much to update. It is a good thing I am busy though, considering lay-offs are rampant (including at my office). The biggest news lately in my life has not been about me, but about a few of my friends. First, my childhood friend (and Chris' roommate) John got engaged and will be getting married this fall. Second, I helped my college girlfriends throw a bachelorette party for my sorority sister and dear friend Monique. She will be getting married in three weeks! We did not do the traditional wild and crazy thing, we did it in our usual style and hung out at home in our pajamas with tons of food and wine. It was such a fun way to spend quality time with Mo before her big day. Third, my college friend Laura had a baby yesterday! Ella Grace Hesemann, 5 lbs 9 oz. The whole family is doing well. That makes one more of my friends I have to play catch-up to. I am a little behind on the whole marriage and babies thing.

SoBe Lifewater

While I'm on the subject of favorite things, I figured I would add one more. I am addicted to SoBe Lifewater. I drink one pretty much every morning. For some reason it just goes down easier than plain water, I guess because it tastes so good. The best part is that they are full of vitamins, which is important for me because I don't take a multi-vitamin or anything like I should. They are low-cal too, with 0-100 calories per bottle. You should definitely try one. The goji melon flavor is my favorite. Happy Friday!

Belfonte

I have never really been a fan of yogurt, but I have been trying to make myself like it because the active cultures are supposed to be great for people like me with IBS. I am so happy to say that I finally found a brand that I actually love to eat: Belfonte. The Belfonte Dairy is a local Kansas City dairy, and they make great ice cream and other dairy products too. The yogurt is spectacular though, even the nonfat version tastes great. And they have a huge variety of flavors. My favorite is Key Lime Pie. Yum!

I tried a new yoga dvd this week: Bryan Kest Power Yoga. I really like this one. Supposedly Bryan Kest is a popular instructor all the stars in Hollywood go to. The dvd has three workouts on it, one for beginner level, one for intermediate, and one for experienced. The beginner level workout is challenging but a bit more "user friendly" than the Mark Blanchard one. I really liked the combination of poses in this one. Although, I think you still need a basic understanding of the standard yoga poses before you try it. Anyway, it is a great one for an at-home work out, once you get past his 80's jeans shorts.

Yoga

Before I moved to KC and got the big-time job, I was a regular at yoga class, going 2-3 times a week. Since I moved, though, it has been so hard to fit working out into my schedule. I really miss yoga, and it helps me de-stress, so I decided to buy some DVD's that I can use at home. I figure I am more likely to do something if I don't have to leave my house! Well, I am so glad I did. I started the first one this week and I already feel so much better. So much more relaxed, flexible, de-stressed. I think yoga should be a necessity in everyone's life! The DVD I've been doing this week is Mark Blanchard's Progressive Power Yoga Trilogy. It has three DVD's and each one has a work-out that's about an hour and a half. If you alternate them you're body won't build up a tolerance to the movements--the variety is beneficial. It is a good set because there are people of all levels in the class and if you can't do the poses he is doing, you just do as much as you can or rest. The goal is to keep practicing until you can do what he does. The sessions are a little long, so I usually fast-forward through parts of them...45 min is about all I can take. And, I would say this set is not for a beginner that has never done yoga before. But if you've done a beginner yoga class for awhile, and you know all the basic poses, it's great. I cannot stress enough how great yoga makes you feel. Get out there and try it!

VH1's Tough Love

I was just relaxing this weekend and channel surfing when I came across the first episode of a new show, "Tough Love" on VH1. I am hooked! It is hosted by Steven Ward, and his mother JoAnn Ward, both partners in Master Matchmakers. It is a "boot camp" of sorts for women with serious dating difficulties. Steve--who is hilarious--is embarking to teach these women to recognize the mistakes they are making and train them to behave appropriately with men. The ultimate goal is for him to find them a match, but not until they have proven to him that they will change their ways. The girls on the show are so comical in their embodiment of typical female stereotypes (e.g. the stripper, the gold digger, the stalker, the picky princess, the marriage obsessed, the career woman). I highly recommend you check out the show, it will keep you laughing. Even Chris was loving it. =) Check out the show's website here.

Baby Pintado

My best friend Carie had her baby yesterday! I will let Carie post the pictures and details, but I just wanted to express how happy I am for Carie and Johnathan and their new baby girl. They are all doing well and baby Pintado is so precious. Carie was absolutely glowing when I saw her at the hospital. She is an inspiration to all of us future mothers. Congratulations guys, you make a perfect little family. Stay tuned to the Pintado Page (link at left) for more information. =)

Fabulous Florida Family Fun

Here are a few pictures from my 5 day vacation in Florida last week. It was so wonderful, I wanted to stay forever! Chris and I went down to visit my parents at their vacation home in Palmetto, which is near the Bradenton/Sarasota area. My brother was able to come too and it was so great to have everyone together. The first day we went fishing out on the boat. We didn't catch much but it was fun to be out on the water. We went out for a great seafood dinner that night, and unfortunately poor Chris got food poisoning, we think from a bad oyster. He did not have a good night, to say the least. He was a trooper though and was feeling okay the next day. He certainly didn't eat anymore seafood, but I think he enjoyed the rest of the trip. =) The rest of the week was just nice and relaxing, laying out by the pool and at the beach. My mom and I even managed to squeeze in some shopping time. It was hard to come back to the real world and the cold weather!

The building where my parents live, and the marina

Getting the boat ready to go out


Enjoying the ride down the Manatee River


Beach day
(I know my mom's hat is not my best look, but it kept me from getting burned!)

Dinner at the Bradenton Yacht Club
(you can see the boys did not re-apply their sunscreen at the beach like the girls did)

Pet Problems

I cannot believe how far behind I am on keeping up with my blog, as well as my friends' blogs. So sorry girls! They scolded me at our big girls weekend 2 weeks ago and I promised I would do a better job. (Am I starting to sound like a broken record?) I just got home from a week-long vacation in Florida, so I will post pics from that as soon as I get them all loaded on my computer. In the meantime, I am having some sleep issues I could use some advice on. I read this great article in Glamour magazine this month about how important it is to get your body's required hours of sleep every night, and how it can help you lose weight. The most inspiring part for me though is how important a good night's sleep is for preventing that groggy mid-afternoon feeling I always get. I always seem to lose concentration in the afternoon and turn to bad things (like soda) to keep me awake. If you want to check out the article, click here. So last night I got all settled in for a good night's sleep at a decent hour, and I was sleeping great til about 4:30 this morning, when my two cats decided to prowl around my bedroom and get into everything, making so much noise I couldn't sleep. So, I locked them out of the bedroom, and then they proceeded to cry and cry until I would let them back in. By the time they settled down on the bed and actually slept, it was 6:30, time for me to wake up. I was so exhausted! I know it is bad for your sleep to have pets in your bed, but the alternative for me is to have them crying outside my door, which isn't any better. Help! What do I do?