I've decided not to post about my moving saga until it is complete. Let's just say I have been in SLC for a month now, and I still do not have my belongings. Once they arrive, I'll fill you in with the whole story.
Let's see....yesterday....I won't be doing "Meatless Monday" posts, since I am a hardcore carnivore. I love my veggies and all, but since I've gone back to hardcore low carb, the concept of no meat on Monday just won't do. Maybe a "Meaningful Monday" where I reflect on something meaningful? Oooh Monday Madness?!? We will see.....yesterday was an interesting day. At the end of the day, one of my coworkers was let go. We all knew it was going to happen, but he didn't. It was sad because he is such a nice person, but it really wasn't working out. The position was just not a good fit for him. I really hope he ends up in with a job that better fits his personality and something he can excel at.
After work yesterday, I went to another Bar Method class. Third class, third instructor. She was good, and I could definitely feel the shake for most of the exercises. There was one exercise we did that I don't think I did correctly. My legs were engaged, but I didn't feel it in my core. Next time I'll have to ask my instructor if I'm doing it correctly. I originally signed up for a 6am class for today, but HA who am I kidding?!? I am *the worst* when it comes to mornings. No way was I getting up that early. I did cook a decent dinner yesterday....Pork Chops on the broiler. Just a little salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin and throw it on the broiler. Yum!
Today was a good day. It seemed much calmer in the office, which was a pleasant change. The talk in the office lately has been our very first tailgate of the season on Thursday. That is one nice perk of working in athletics....everyone gets excited for football! Apparently here we go all out with tailgating, so I'm pretty pumped about that. Our theme of the year is fried foods. UGH so bad for the cholesterol and waistline. I will partake, but I won't overindulge. Lies.......I am going to fail miserably. But, I guess one day every other week or so will be ok...right?!? Just have to be good the rest of the time. This week's fried food: Cheese. Cheese curds, cheese sticks, mac n cheese, cheesecake, along with the tailgate staples of brats, burgers, beer, chips, dip-beer cheese dip-and who knows what else. I've been told they are lacking in the dessert area, so I volunteered to bake....EVERY TAILGATE. I'm glad I love baking but I will be torturing myself!! My coworkers already give me a hard time for passing up cookies when people bring them to the office. They don't realize I've always had weight issues and my clothes are currently tight. I would like to drop down the extra 10 lbs I've gained the past 6 months, so I have to pass up cookies and bagels in the office in order to indulge during tailgates. (Future blog post? About me section?) Anyways, I will be torturing myself all football season by baking. No worries, I will sample just a tiny bit before I bring the food in. I cannot bring bad dessert to a tailgate! And then I'll have to sample a bit in front of my coworkers to show that I'm human. I really want to do low carb and sugar-free desserts, but people are very anti-fake sugar out here, so I don't know if that would go over well. I'll gauge after this week how creative and healthy I can get...
...Wait....if we can do boatloads of fried foods, can't I use artificial sugar?.....
Back on point...I decided this week I would make Red Velvet Football Shaped Whoopie Pies! Red for school colors (yay), football for football (duh) and whoopie pies in honor of me leaving Texas (southern staple found at every Valero gas station and mother's baking repertoire). Mind you, I've never made whoopie pies before, let alone red velvet and football shaped. Nor have I ever baked at high altitude. Eeeks maybe I'm in over my head! Shh, don't tell, but I made a batch today using store bought cake mix. If they taste good (told you, I can't serve something that tastes like crap) I will just bring those this week and venture into the better, homemade things later in the season. With all the red batter, it looked like I murdered someone in my kitchen! Tell me, how did I manage to spill coffee on my white shirt while getting out of my car this morning, but was able to drink red wine at our work dinner party this evening (uneventful-not worth blogging about) and baked a red velvet cake with no problems? I'm such a clutz! I added extra flour for the altitude and cranked up the heat in the oven just the slightest bit, per the box instructions. Added challenge: I have no supplies! I have foil pans, a whisk, and a spatula I bought at the store this evening. Forgot to buy measuring cups, which are absolutely crucial in baking!!!! Cooking is an art, you can throw in whatever you want for your own tastes, but baking is a science. You need exact measurements to make sure it turns out correctly. The best bakers know how to combine things in the correct ratios, but not me, I need measuring cups. Thankfully it was just a box mix, so I scientifically guessed the "correct" amounts of water, oil, and extra flour, so we will see when I taste test after the cool. Fingers crossed :)
[For some reason my pictures won't load. Once I figure that out, I'll add them].
Hopefully they taste good and I can take them to the tailgate on Thursday!
Last little blurb. I bought water pills today. I feel super swollen and it feels like I've retained a ridiculous amount of water since moving to high altitude. I drink lots of water anyways, and have been told to do so to in order to fend of altitude sickness. I haven't been sick, but I swear, super swollen, especially in my right foot. I hope these suckers work! Oh the things you never knew about living high in the sky!
Alright lovelies, time for me to get ready for bed to dream up ways to attract more blog readers ;)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Weekender
Hey y'all!
I know the weekend and Monday has come and gone, but I'm still new at this whole blog thing :-P Just want to give a little recap of my weekend and hopefully have a legit moving story for you tomorrow. So let's start with Saturday. I really need to take advantage of the fact that we still have farmers markets for a few weeks. When I was living in Houston, we had them virtually all year round. The procrastinator in me always put it off. DUMB!! There is nothing like fresh veggies from a Farmer's Market. Sigh. Anyways, I woke up early on Saturday morning and went tothe farmer's market Bar Method class! Maybe one day I'll make it to the market. I decided I really do best working out when I am in a group class that I've paid for. 2011 was the year of Zumba. Ob-sessed. I would probably still be doing it if I were able to find a groupon here in SLC. However, I wanted to try something new here.....enter The Bar Method! I've heard great things about barre classes, which tone your muscles and get in shape based on ballet training. We have at least 3 studios here in SLC that offer some variation on barre training. I picked one that was close to my apartment, had a promo for new students- $99/30 days unlimited, and figured I'd just go with that. Guess what...
LOVE it! :) It's a different type of training than I'm used to. The focus is on isometric movements, instead of cardio. Each little movement must be precise in order to get the full effect of the exercise. I'm not sweaty during class (for the most part) but dang!! Let me tell you "embrace the shake" is no joke! I can't get through a full set of exercises without my targeted muscles shaking. I can tell it is working instantly. My only fear is that I won't be satisfied with my weight loss. I've heard (and believe) that it does burn calories, and I will see an overall change, but not doing cardio is hard to grasp when most say it is the best way to stay in shape and lose weight. The Bar Method recommends attending 3-5 times a week, advises against running, and says you can do cardio once a week if you feel like it, but it isn't necessary. My cardio of choice was even listed on their suggestions, and I did that on Sunday.
Back to Saturday -quick version, promise! After Bar (nope, was about to shorten that to BM...ah no) I stopped at the grocery to grab a few things and had a low carb breakfast at home.
Got my hair done- cut, color, low lights, shampoo, deep condition, style, for $100 and I loved her! First person I went to was a success! Super surprised because in 2 years I never found anyone I liked in Houston.
Sunday! Woke up slightly later than I wanted, but went on another awesome hike with my boss & one of her BFFs. We'll call them K & B. The hike was longer than the past two -2 hours hike time, not including stops along the way, but a bit easier than the others I've been on. Oh did I mention I'm hiking up mountains? We hiked up and actually ran down this one. Definitely got my cardio in this weekend! The awesome part about this hike was that we saw 2 real life up close and personal MOOSE. I've always wanted to see a moose! And I saw 2!! One was super close.....thought it was really cool until I learned they are mean and can attack at a moments notice. Eeeks. Here are a few pics from the hike:
After the hike, we were disgustingly filthy! Even our feet....I don't get it, we had on socks & shoes! Nonetheless, K & B had to go to Nordstrom to exchange an item and buy bright red lipstick. I cannot believe they let us in that dirty! I ended up getting my face exfoliated and a mini makeover for free haha no complaints here! I needed new foundation -I was out, didn't like my old brand, and needed something new for the new climate- and K is a "Face Whisperer." After working in cosmetics for 5 years, she really knows her stuff. I absolutely love what I bought! And for $42, I really have no choice but to love it.
Well worth it though, because you don't skimp on your face! Heard that so many times Sunday! We got salads for dinner, K & B got fro yo (yay resisting temptation for me!) and parted ways. I put together my TV stand and called it a day.
Oh wait...had a good heart-2-heart with my law school BFF, Big E. (She hates that nickname, and rightfully so, but until she gives me the OK to use her real name, I'm going with Big E.) I love her to death and glad we can have convos like we did last night.
Alright, time to go check on my laundry and get to bed STAT. Night lovelies :)
I know the weekend and Monday has come and gone, but I'm still new at this whole blog thing :-P Just want to give a little recap of my weekend and hopefully have a legit moving story for you tomorrow. So let's start with Saturday. I really need to take advantage of the fact that we still have farmers markets for a few weeks. When I was living in Houston, we had them virtually all year round. The procrastinator in me always put it off. DUMB!! There is nothing like fresh veggies from a Farmer's Market. Sigh. Anyways, I woke up early on Saturday morning and went to
LOVE it! :) It's a different type of training than I'm used to. The focus is on isometric movements, instead of cardio. Each little movement must be precise in order to get the full effect of the exercise. I'm not sweaty during class (for the most part) but dang!! Let me tell you "embrace the shake" is no joke! I can't get through a full set of exercises without my targeted muscles shaking. I can tell it is working instantly. My only fear is that I won't be satisfied with my weight loss. I've heard (and believe) that it does burn calories, and I will see an overall change, but not doing cardio is hard to grasp when most say it is the best way to stay in shape and lose weight. The Bar Method recommends attending 3-5 times a week, advises against running, and says you can do cardio once a week if you feel like it, but it isn't necessary. My cardio of choice was even listed on their suggestions, and I did that on Sunday.
Back to Saturday -quick version, promise! After Bar (nope, was about to shorten that to BM...ah no) I stopped at the grocery to grab a few things and had a low carb breakfast at home.
New Hair! Hard to tell haha
The rest of Saturday was less eventful. Did some random thrift store shopping to buy a few kitchen supplies that are lost in Houston, and also found a cute J. Crew clutch, dressy Bebe tunic, and plaid shirt dress. Went to church, came home, cooked, and chilled out.
Sunday! Woke up slightly later than I wanted, but went on another awesome hike with my boss & one of her BFFs. We'll call them K & B. The hike was longer than the past two -2 hours hike time, not including stops along the way, but a bit easier than the others I've been on. Oh did I mention I'm hiking up mountains? We hiked up and actually ran down this one. Definitely got my cardio in this weekend! The awesome part about this hike was that we saw 2 real life up close and personal MOOSE. I've always wanted to see a moose! And I saw 2!! One was super close.....thought it was really cool until I learned they are mean and can attack at a moments notice. Eeeks. Here are a few pics from the hike:
The trail with pretty trees
Dog Lake
Moose #1!
Dog Lake
Moose #2!
After the hike, we were disgustingly filthy! Even our feet....I don't get it, we had on socks & shoes! Nonetheless, K & B had to go to Nordstrom to exchange an item and buy bright red lipstick. I cannot believe they let us in that dirty! I ended up getting my face exfoliated and a mini makeover for free haha no complaints here! I needed new foundation -I was out, didn't like my old brand, and needed something new for the new climate- and K is a "Face Whisperer." After working in cosmetics for 5 years, she really knows her stuff. I absolutely love what I bought! And for $42, I really have no choice but to love it.
Clean face, new foundation! (No dirty feet pic, thankgoodness)
Well worth it though, because you don't skimp on your face! Heard that so many times Sunday! We got salads for dinner, K & B got fro yo (yay resisting temptation for me!) and parted ways. I put together my TV stand and called it a day.
Oh wait...had a good heart-2-heart with my law school BFF, Big E. (She hates that nickname, and rightfully so, but until she gives me the OK to use her real name, I'm going with Big E.) I love her to death and glad we can have convos like we did last night.
Alright, time to go check on my laundry and get to bed STAT. Night lovelies :)
Friday, August 24, 2012
It's a sign
Good evening ;)
Quickie for ya....I've been doing a bit of research trying to decide if I want to do a monthly subscription of beauty samples. I came upon one for Julep Maven nail polish where it is $20 a month and you get 2 nail polishes, plus sometimes a bonus. The cool part is that the first month is a penny, if you can find a coupon code (super easy to do a web search). I took a style profile just to see what it would say, and it pegged me as "Classic with a Twist." Exactly how I would describe myself! Point #1 for Julep! I looked at the colors that went with my style, and it was a light pink and a watermelon color, with a hand cream. Colors that I would 100% pick for myself! Point #2! And then I looked at the name of the nail polish....don't lie, you know you base your nail polish color for mani/pedis based partially on the name! Anyways, the names of the polishes are "Kate" and "Rose." UM my name is Katelyn Rose!!!!!! Point #3 done deal Julep Maven! How could I *not* subscribe! And for a penny?!? Hello!
Go to http://www.julep.com/?r=23704944, take their quick beauty profile quiz, and see what you get. That is my personal referral link, or if you don't want me to get bonus points (I think? Don't know, I just signed up) just go to www.julep.com. I used the code COLOR2012 to get my first box for a penny. Hopefully it will work for you too :)
What was your style profile? Were the colors and the names something you would pick yourself? Do you pay for sample boxes?
Quickie for ya....I've been doing a bit of research trying to decide if I want to do a monthly subscription of beauty samples. I came upon one for Julep Maven nail polish where it is $20 a month and you get 2 nail polishes, plus sometimes a bonus. The cool part is that the first month is a penny, if you can find a coupon code (super easy to do a web search). I took a style profile just to see what it would say, and it pegged me as "Classic with a Twist." Exactly how I would describe myself! Point #1 for Julep! I looked at the colors that went with my style, and it was a light pink and a watermelon color, with a hand cream. Colors that I would 100% pick for myself! Point #2! And then I looked at the name of the nail polish....don't lie, you know you base your nail polish color for mani/pedis based partially on the name! Anyways, the names of the polishes are "Kate" and "Rose." UM my name is Katelyn Rose!!!!!! Point #3 done deal Julep Maven! How could I *not* subscribe! And for a penny?!? Hello!
Go to http://www.julep.com/?r=23704944, take their quick beauty profile quiz, and see what you get. That is my personal referral link, or if you don't want me to get bonus points (I think? Don't know, I just signed up) just go to www.julep.com. I used the code COLOR2012 to get my first box for a penny. Hopefully it will work for you too :)
What was your style profile? Were the colors and the names something you would pick yourself? Do you pay for sample boxes?
New city!
Cleveland Katelyn coming live to you from Salt Lake City! Obviously my goals of keeping up with my blog have failed drastically. No guarantees that I will actually be able to keep up with it now, but I'm in a new town, with no friends (yet!) so I have plenty of time to blog.
Why Salt Lake? My job! The crazy thing about my profession, is that you *must* be willing to move throughout the country if you want to advance. If you are lucky, you will find a place you want to stay forever and the stars will align for you to advance and stay at the same place. Or, when you reach the point of your career when you are ready to stay at the same position, hopefully you will be in a city that you enjoy. Thankfully, I am young and single, so when this position came open, I was able to apply with no worries. Long story short, I fell in love with Salt Lake City during my interview, and I was offered the job a few weeks later. I moved all of my belongings into a moving truck (long story on that later...) went on a family cruise (yay), came back to Houston to say my goodbyes, and began the 3 day drive to SLC.
I'll save the move and moving story for my next post, but I am very pleased to say that I am beyond happy here in SLC with my job and the city itself. SLC is an interesting place. It obviously has a tremendous influence from the LDS (aka Mormon) population, but there is also a huge counter-culture presence. My ultra-conservative dad is fearful that I will become a Mormon and also be under the influence of hippies, as SLC is "too close to California." Never fear dad! I only plan on taking the best of both worlds :) From the LDS population, I love their kindness and love of family. Who can argue with that?? From the "hippies," I am already living a healthier lifestyle, with the food I eat, mountain hiking and keeping active. There is no way I will ever become vegan or whatnot, because I just love meat! haha And no, I will not live in a tree. I love modern conveniences way too much. Lastly, I will learn to ski. I know this is very frightful to dear old dad, but I promise to take lessons and will be cautious as I learn to ski.
As for my blog, I plan on documenting my new life! From my instagram pictures (new obsession) to baking (once my pans get here) and fashion (Glossybox here I come)! So, cheers to new chapters and life experiences....I'm off to go see The Watch at the $1.75 movie theater. Nope....definitely don't have that in Houston!
-C.K.
Why Salt Lake? My job! The crazy thing about my profession, is that you *must* be willing to move throughout the country if you want to advance. If you are lucky, you will find a place you want to stay forever and the stars will align for you to advance and stay at the same place. Or, when you reach the point of your career when you are ready to stay at the same position, hopefully you will be in a city that you enjoy. Thankfully, I am young and single, so when this position came open, I was able to apply with no worries. Long story short, I fell in love with Salt Lake City during my interview, and I was offered the job a few weeks later. I moved all of my belongings into a moving truck (long story on that later...) went on a family cruise (yay), came back to Houston to say my goodbyes, and began the 3 day drive to SLC.
I'll save the move and moving story for my next post, but I am very pleased to say that I am beyond happy here in SLC with my job and the city itself. SLC is an interesting place. It obviously has a tremendous influence from the LDS (aka Mormon) population, but there is also a huge counter-culture presence. My ultra-conservative dad is fearful that I will become a Mormon and also be under the influence of hippies, as SLC is "too close to California." Never fear dad! I only plan on taking the best of both worlds :) From the LDS population, I love their kindness and love of family. Who can argue with that?? From the "hippies," I am already living a healthier lifestyle, with the food I eat, mountain hiking and keeping active. There is no way I will ever become vegan or whatnot, because I just love meat! haha And no, I will not live in a tree. I love modern conveniences way too much. Lastly, I will learn to ski. I know this is very frightful to dear old dad, but I promise to take lessons and will be cautious as I learn to ski.
As for my blog, I plan on documenting my new life! From my instagram pictures (new obsession) to baking (once my pans get here) and fashion (Glossybox here I come)! So, cheers to new chapters and life experiences....I'm off to go see The Watch at the $1.75 movie theater. Nope....definitely don't have that in Houston!
-C.K.
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