Keeping Up

I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's day. Like most of us, I had my share of treats last Thursday to commemorate this "holiday." However, the husband and I celebrated it on February 16 & 17 since he had school on Valentine's day.

I put Charlie in charge of coming up with the weekend festivities since I'm usually the one in charge of planning everything. While I did give him some suggestions on what we could do, he did manage to surprise me and make the weekend very special in our own way.

Just last week I read how couples can stay together and keep the "flame" alive by just working out together a few times a week. Along with this, on last week's episode of The Biggest Loser, Olivia, one of the past winners talked about how her and her husband go on fit dates. What are fit dates? They are dates that are about getting your heart moving and being active.

So what did we end up doing for our Valentine's weekend? We strolled through Mead Gardens in Winter Park and then spent a little over two hours in Wekiva Springs on a 13 mile bike trail. There was sand, wetland, hills, and more on our adventurous ride. While it was not the typical romantic date most people has, it was very fitting for us and I enjoyed the workout since I got to eat whatever I wanted.

Biggest Loser Challenge

This past Monday night while watching The Biggest Loser, Charlie came up with a brilliant idea for us as tv viewers to be more involved with the show and it's contestants. We were both slouched on the couch watching the show when he mentioned we do something for every pound each contestant loses at their weigh in.

Although the show has been around for several years now and I occasionally watched a few minutes of it, we didn't get attached to it until 3 seasons ago. Why then? Because they were all going to run a marathon at the end of the season so Charlie became very interested. Since then we haven't missed an episode.

Well, for Charlie's brilliant idea, he opted to do push ups while I did jumping jacks. We talked about continuing this new tradition once the next season starts and doing it from the beginning of the season.

I think this is a great way for us to stay active while watching tv and feeling like we are on the journey with each of the contestants. So my question is, who else is in for the challenge?

#9- 25 Things to do Before Turning 25

Less than a month after turning 24 and I've already started working on my list of things to do before I turn 25 at the end of the year.

I'm hoping to accomplish at least 75% of my list. The items that I don't complete, I will still work on them for my bucket list. I'm still working on the list since I only have 16 items.

But here's the first accomplishment...

#9 on my list was to attend a UCF alumni event. I signed Charlie and myself up to attend the Rosen College AlumKnight Out 30th Anniversary Celebration on January 18th at Howl At the Moon.

The event started at 6pm and lasted until 9pm. The $5 admission covered two sinks and appetizers. We arrived at the event a little after 7 and only stayed for an hour.

This was my first time at Howl at the moon and I was very pleased with the venue. They had live music, tables, and a little appetizer buffet bar until 8.

Although, I have crossed out attending a alumni event from my list, I would still like to attend another one and actually network/mingle with the attendees.

Sushi for the Mind

I was listening to Johnny's House this morning on my way to work and Laura was talking about sushi and since I just grabbed some for dinner, it seems fitting to do a post about it.

I consider myself an intermediate user . In the past few months I've been eating more of it and it really is true what they say, it is an acquired taste. My first time was while I was working a night shift at Gaylord and I was only able to get a few pieces down.

I still don't use chopsticks because that's just too complicated but now I know what I like and what to look for. A great place I found by UCF is Kyoto and they have a happy hour deal for one roll (6 pieces) for $3.73 (including tax). In the last few weeks, I've tried their smoke salmon, california, and crunchy rolls.

I'm not sushi is for everyone but it is definitely something to give a try. If you are looking for a place to try it, I recommend Kyoto and Whole Foods. Yes, Whole Foods. They now have a sushi bar where you can customize how you want it and it is made fresh for you while you shop. I tried Wasabi at the mall but it left me wondering how long the food was on the conveyor belt for so I would skip this place for your first try.

Here is a site to get you started on your very own sushi experience:
http://www.asukajapan.com/wf/605

Things I Have Done Before Turning 24

I'll be turning 25 at the end of next year and I recently started looking into creating my own list of "25 Things To Do Before Turning 25" since it is a milestone year. Upon my research for the list, I have discovered that I have actually accomplished quite a few things before even turning 24 so I thought I should start with what I have done. Career related items are in bold, life items are in italics and travel items are in blue.

1. Run a half marathon. I've actually already ran three half marathons with my fourth one coming up in January.
2. File my own taxes. I completed and filed my own taxes this year and felt very proud of myself since I didn't mess anything up.
3. Plan your career, prepare for it to change. I started UCF with Criminal Justice as my major and ended up switching to Event Management after my first year. I still got my minor in Criminal Justice and I am currently working on my MBA.

4. Travel abroad/overseas. Visited Ireland this past summer for our honeymoon for 7 days and 6 nights. It was an incredible experience since I got to visit Trinity College and sleep on the driver's side of the car. I've gone on a cruise to the Bahamas, visited Cuba twice since leaving when I was 7 and going on my third trip really soon.
5. Mentor or volunteer. I've done a numerous of volunteer opportunities since I was in middle school. I have volunteered at a school, Give Kids the World, Orlando Health and Rehabilitation Center, Daily Bread, and in one of this year's NBA Cares events.

6. Learn how to cook at least one good meal. In the past few years, I have started to experiment in the kitchen and I can cook a variety of pastas as well as make a good steak.
7. Take part in the political process. While I did an absentee ballot for the 2008 Presidential Elections, I still voted. This year, I will be going to the poll office and voting in person.
8. Write a 5 year plan. While it might need to be revised, I did have to write a 5 year plan a few years ago for one of my hospitality classes.
9. Develop healthy habits. If you know me from my early years, you know I hated salads, I didn't see the need for them. Well, a few years ago I gave up bread for lent and decided to pick up a healthy eating habit and started eating salads. I do not eat them everyday but I have learned to tolerate them and eat them with my meals every now and then. I also started eating sushi from a spur of the moment decision while working at Gaylord Palms to try out the sushi restaurant there.
10. Get a job working with clothes. This was my first job and I quickly understood how annoying and messy people can be. Whenever I go to store and try items on, I hang them up properly and put things back myself.
11. Try an exotic food you can't pronounce.  Thanks to my co-worker, Andrea, I tried some Indian food a few months ago. What did I try? I can't remember it all but I know one of them was tofu and I kind of liked it.
12. Go to Vegas. I celebrated my 21st birthday in Sin City and got proposed to at the Grand Canyon.
13. Go to a college football game. A few years ago, Charlie and I saw UCF vs. Marshall. We left a couple of minutes early because it started raining and UCF ended up winning the game even though they were down when we left. I will try to go to another game within the next year and actually stay until the end.
14. Take a road trip with your friends. Charlie, Shelby, and I drove to Louisville, KY in April for the KDF Marathon and Mini-Marathon. We stopped in Atlanta, GA and at Fazoli's a few times. Of course we made Charlie listen to the Spice Girls and BSB on the trip.
15. Open a retirement account. I started my 401K about 5 years ago and have the minimum set.
16. Finish college. Graduated with my bachelor's degree in May 2010.
17. Have a yard sale. When Charlie was moving out of his last apartment, I helped him set up a yard sale. We actually made pretty good $$$ for being out only a few hours.
18. Travel outside the state. I've visited Savannah, DC, New York, Louisville, Chicago, Atlanta, and Las Vegas.



19. See your favorite band live. The NKOTBSB concert was a great girls night.  Sandra, Amanda, Joselyn, and myself were all little girls once again.
20. Learn CPR. I am CPR certified by the American Red Cross.
21. Attend a midnight screening of a blockbuster movie on opening night. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises in Times Square. Charlie and I were up for over 24 hours on this day since we had flown back from Ireland.
22. Get married. Charlie and I were joined in holy matrimony on July 7th, 2012.
23. Attend a Cirque du Soleil show. I've actually seen three of their shows-La Nouba,  Dralion, and Zumanity.
24. Walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. I was able to do this on December 27, 2009 and right after Charlie proposed in front of Eagle Point.
25. See a play or ballet. Apart from school plays and productions, I've been able to see Grease with Taylor Hicks, Phantom of the Opera, and Vampire's Ball.

These are just some of the things that I have done that I can share with the public.

One Cup of Joe...

To go along with my previous post on how knowing the amount of calories can help everyone shed a few extra pounds during the holiday season, read the following article to learn more about everyone's favorite drink: coffee

Panera Bread's New Look

Have you visited your neighborhood Panera Bread recently? If you have, you might have noticed a few changes. They have updated their menu boards with the calorie count for each item they sell. I know not everyone counts their calories but this is a nifty tool for consumers to have in order to make better food choices. I for one, love the new menu boards. When I started my diet last year, I counted my calories to keep track of everything I ate and keep focused on my weight goals. I still like knowing the amount of calories food items at restaurants have because it helps me make a better educated choice on what I eat. If you are in a hurry for a quick lunch, try Panera Bread's You Pick Two with a half size tuna salad sandwich on honey wheat bread and either their low-fat black bean soup or low-fat garden vegetable with pesto.

Another new trend for Panera Bread is their frequent card. They rolled out the Panera Bread card at the end of October, which gives consumers freebies every once in a while. The card can be found at your local Panera Bread and all you have to do is go online, create an account and you receive a free pastry or drink right away to use during your next visit.