Viva Las Vegas!

{warning: long post} enjoy!

It wasn't until I was 2 days into my Vegas trip that I learned what "Viva" meant! Live Las Vegas. While we did not live Las Vegas in the typical sense (drunk & ridiculous) we did have a very, very good time!!! Not only will I be telling you about our trip...but what we ate! While it definitely wasn't "all healthy" we never intended it to be. We tried to make smarter choices and I'm very proud of how we did.

The reason we headed to Vegas was because my Father in Law was getting married to his girl friend of 14 years...Penny! They made the meaningful date of 11.14.13. They got married at 14:00, on the 14th, of the month they met 14 years ago.

We headed out on Wednesday night after work and got into Vegas at about 10pm which was about 3 hours later than we were supposed to be there! It was fun flying in at night!

 

Wolfgang Puck at the MGM Grand. The only restaurant open at 11pm.

THE FOOD: We split a pizza, each had a salad, and one beer.

 

Bright and early Thursday morning I took a taxi to the most magical place on earth ;-) Before class I had an apple. Then when we pulled in I saw that Whole Foods was right in the parking lot so I headed over and got some grilled veggies & eggs before class.

 

 

barre3 Henderson!!!

Jackie, barre3 Henerson's owner, and myself!

I took a class by Meredith and she taught a really fun class.

THE FOOD:Eating my Whole Foods salad in the window of our room at the MGM.

 

barre3 Henderson is in the same parking lot as a whole foods! Amazing!! I headed over before class and got two big salads for lunch before the wedding, apples, and a few other healthy treats!

A little barre3 in the background!

barre3 ball plank!

 

Thursday afternoon Penny and Mike got married!! Jason was the best man.

 

All the Eeds!!

The whole group that came down for the wedding!

 

I wore this tight dress without Spanx!! NON SCALE VICTORY!!!

I did wear tights but they were a size to big!

 

After the wedding we headed back to our hotel changed and headed back to the Bellagio to do our one day of gambling & drinking before their wedding dinner. I don't have any pictures from inside the casinos because I was told we couldn't take pictures (by someone) and I didn't want to get in trouble! Though, I can now officially say I understand how people can get "the Hangover" drunk in Vegas!! We sat at a video Roulette table and made a bunch of "safe" bets and drank way too much wine. Then we headed into dinner where we ate WWAAYY too much. We had a salad, this amazing chicken & potato entrée, and then cake of dessert. I was SO full I couldn't even finish dessert which is pretty much unheard of! I figure, if we only did that for one night in Vegas we aren't doing too bad!

Jason's first time seeing the Bellagio Fountains!

 

Friday morning we decided to head out to see the Hoover Dam! Jason, Matt, Chris & Alex had never been. I had been once but it was 2 months after 9/11 so we couldn't go on a tour.

 

For breakfast I honestly can't even remember what we had! Heehee. We were busy trying to get the rental car!

 

Jason looks pumped to drive us hooligans to the dam Dam!

Ps. I had to have heard over 50 DAM jokes that day. UG!

barre3 at the Hoover Dam!

 

There was water in that tunnel. I was scared.

We don't use the "leak" word here. We use the "seep" word. Same different. The rocks were wet!

The turbines.

That's a L O N G way down!

US <3

Hoover Dam from the lookout on the new bridge!

 

This wasn't here when I went in 2001 so it was fun to see it from a new vantage point.

THE FOOD: We had sandwiches, apples, almonds, and water for a picnic lunch by the dam.

barre3 core ball warrior 3

 

Once we got back from the Hoover Dam we headed up to Fremont Street to see what that was all about!

It was fun to see the giant ceiling TV in person! Fremont Street definitely wasn't our thing.

 

BURGR by David Ramsey. AMAZING!!!

 

We headed back to the strip before we made our way to see "O"! We happened upon the restaurant BURGR and it was SO worth the wait!!

 

Burgers at BURGR!

 

THE FOOD: We each had a burger (DUH) and split the fries. We also each had to 2 beers. This was definitely our one night to go all out, well, maybe there was the wedding dinner too ;-) I wish I could go back there tonight!

 

The "O" curtain! This show was definitely worth the money!!

 

Saturday started out with sleeping in followed by lunch! We ate at a Japanese restaurant in our hotel and each had some kind of rice meal! Then...

 

sunshine & beer!!! It was about 75 degrees and we needed a little Vitamin D!

Side Note: We make a quick mess of hotel rooms. It's quite humorous!

 

Saturday night we were hanging out with Jason's brothers, Alex, and their friend Ethan. We had a BLAST at the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas. I'd definitely recommend you go there if you like lots of beer! Mine was so big I couldn't even finish it!

Jason in beer heaven.

 

It was a 2 hander!!!

The group minus Alex!

THE FOOD: Beer, bread, brats.

Where'd I go?!?!

 

Then we went to something I wish I hadn't paid $60 to go see - Tournament of Kings. The boys all wanted to go and they had a good time but the whole time all I could think of was "Where is the GD silverware" and "Horse poop is going to fly into my food".

Last night. Exhausted.

I'd say we did a lot of walking!!!

Monday after Vegas. Gym time at 6:00 am.

 

All in all we had a great trip but I would have been okay with it being 2 or 3 nights, not 4! I gained about 2 pounds while there but lost it within a week so I determined that is also a success!

 

Fingers crossed {that our next vacation is to the beach}!!!

the price of my success...

I spend a LOT of money on myself...but not in the way you might be initially thinking.

As a teacher I don't make much money. After the house and the car payment are sent in, I have less than 50% of my check left. We've been in debt before and have no desire to go back there again. I need to be careful with my money which is a hard thing because I am so impulsive. But I am working on it...

One thing I have always spent a decent amount of money on is my health. In the past that consisted of processed foods, Costco trips, multiple doctors visits every month, medications, and buying bigger & bigger clothes. Now, I still spend quite a lot of money on my health but it's certainly more of a positive trend!

Here's what I know I spend each month on my health. For this most part these are rough estimates but I feel that it's important to keep it real! I'm referring back to before the surgery and what it will be now that I am on the path to healing. Surgery was an oddity, that's for sure.

Massage, Chiropractic & Acupuncture - $125 or so.
New Clothes - $100 or so
barre3 - $130 or so
Groceries {out of the joint account} - at least $400 a month

In my life massage, chiropractic adjustments, and acupuncture treatments have definitely been a huge part of my success. I have been with my massage therapist since 2010 when I first injured my back. My chiropractor really helps keep everything in line. Acupuncture it took me a little while to "believe in" but now I am a convert. But more than just receiving services from these people...they are my community, my supports, and I know they care for me. The energy I get from them is amazing. My goal now is to go to each of them once a month which will cut my cost by $50 a month.

Buying new clothes is fun but SPENDY!! One way I have buffered the cost is consigning a lot of my plus size clothes at a store called Spankys. It seems to be that I haven't been as lucky as others at finding clothes at Spanky's to buy but I have been able to get a few checks from them to go buy things elsewhere. Just last week I got a $62 check from just about 3 months of clothes. It seems to have helped that the clothes I bought were of good quality! This year I will spend way more on clothes than I will next year. I tend to wear my clothes for a long time, I've had the same undies, PJs, and socks for YEARS! I'm not about fashion - I'm about comfort!

barre3. It wouldn't be a post on this blog without barre3!! In all seriousness, I know barre3 is spendy but to me it is worth every penny. For the last year plus I was buying class packages which at the Vancouver studio is about $170 for 10 classes. Problem was, I was going more than 10 times per month. My plan going forward is to sign up for the 3 months at a time pre-paid plan which is $130 per month. I know...expensive to some!! Also, watch out for internet deals on places like Groupon & Living Social. There is also the barre3 online option which is only $15 a month...if you are able to make yourself workout at home!
I also have a gym membership that I rarely use but it is there. My parents got us the 24 hour Costco 2 year membership for Christmas last year and something tells me that might be our Christmas present again in 2 years. My hubby uses his almost daily so it's nice that I have it so I can go.

Groceries. I mean, we have to eat! I am trying to be better about planning meals with like ingredients, making some previously processed foods at home, and watching for sales. I admit, I'm not that much of a planner. Or at least, haven't started to enjoy planning on that level. One day!

Here is how I justify what I spend my money on...

* I don't dye my hair and I only cut it every few months.
* I don't get my nails or toes done - ever. Well, maybe once or twice a year when my Mom invites me!
* I have one purse that I use every single day of the year. And it was a $70.
* I have less than 15 pairs of shoes. No joke. And they all have a purpose and I wear at least once a month. Many of them are years old!

A few other tips...

* I use the library for quick read that I won't read again. Books that I want for my betterment (PCOS books, health books) that I will refer to again I buy.
* I don't get magazine subscriptions. Can you say Pinterest?!?!
* I use coupons. I'm shameless about them. But I'm not a crazy coupon lady, I promise.
* I use reward cards. Pita pit, best buy, you name it - I have a rewards card for it. A lot of rewards cards give you free things in your birthday month so watch out for those too!

my purse, key rewards, coupon organizer and rewards cards/gift cards.

I keep all of these in my purse at all times that way I am always ready!

All in all, there are ways you can make what you want, work! For me, I want (really, need) to workout at barre3 and so I make it work. I need new clothes so I watch for sales and use coupons. I ask for very specific things for birthdays and holidays like dutch ovens, food scales, purses, and store specific gift cards. I don't feel bad about sending people links (or to my Amazon Wish List) to what I truly want and will use because getting something that I won't use isn't fun either! I am also very fortunate that we have family who are willing and able to get us nice gifts. I also like to spend my money on experiences (games, trips) or crafts instead of stuff that will sit on a shelf or closet.

Going forward it is my goal to think about everything I buy. What purpose does it serve? How often will I use it? Can I get it at a different price elsewhere? Do I need it at this moment in time or can it wait until a holiday?

Fingers crossed {that I can change my spending habits & save some money towards my dream}...

the next steps...

While 2012 will always be the year that started this journey for me...I'm hoping 2013 will be the year the pieces really begin come together! There's more to life than the list below but this is where I'll be focusing a portion of my energy.

Here's a few ways I'm planning on making this happen!

Naturopathy

I have my first appointment for the end of February. I'm actually kind of happy that it's that far out. It will allow me to go to my 1 year Endocrinology checkup January 22nd and process some of the information I recieve there. It's my plan to go off the Metformin sometime in the next year. It may be February, it may not, but I'm okay with either way. I know there are a few insulin-inhibitors out there, I just need to educate myself about them. My naturopath will also help me with this. I found a nathuropath who isn't totally opposed to "western medicine" so I am happy with that. More updates next year as I begin treatment with her! The above picture was actually from a handout she had in her office...pretty much sums me up! I'm excited to learn more about PCOS this year and what it means for my future.

Healthy Eating Choices/Routine {this is NOT a diet}

I plan on this being the year I start to understand food more. Part of this will be through the naturopath, part through the barre3 challenge I'm doing, part towards what I've read in the last year, and part in ways I cannot yet imagine. I have it on my "to do list" to watch/read Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and Forks Over Knives. While both of these programs seems pretty extreme I know there are pieces I can take and put into my life. I need to start planning and implementing a menu/rotation and also setting aside a time one or two days a week to cut veggies and foods so I'm not doing it every.single.night because that can get tiring! I am ready to take the next step in food. It's been over half a year since we've had crackers or candy in the house. {I'm not counting the ONE candy cane Santa brought me}.

Exercise

This is actually becoming the easiest part of my routine. I am in love with barre3 - which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog! And while I've always wanted to become a runner I just don't know if it is in the cards for me. I'd need a dozen rolls of duct tape (to tape my boobs down) and a few dozen inhalers (to keep my asthma in check). Oh, and a new lower back! Arthritis and running don't seem to go well together. Last year my goal was to workout 4 days per week. And while I don't think I hit that, I bet I came close! I bet I did 3 times a year. This year I KNOW I can do 3 times a week. I'm going to try to figure out a real & easy way for me to track all of this...you know how I like my data!

Personal Balance

This is a tough one for me. It's tough for me to deal with and tough for me to blog about, partly because I don't know who is reading this blog. I haven't made the blog private yet...because I want to inspire people, not hide from them. But because of that, there are just some things I won't talk about. I recently watched The Secret. I was very intrigued by it. I think I actually used to have the book but I never read it and it is no longer on the shelf so I must have dontaed it. It just wasn't the time for me to hear the message. I'm not even sure this is the time but when I was listening to it I knew I wanted to watch it again, with my husband. Maybe there is something to it...

Personal Relationships & Technology

I want to unplug and reconnect with those around me, especially my husband. We both definitely need time to unwind and veg in the evenings but it is getting old being on the computer or iPad's all evening. I know that my husband's job requires him to work 24/7 and while I don't like it, the fact that he has to do it isn't going to change. We've starting by sitting back at the dinner table instead of infront of the TV. And even though it is only 10 minutes or so...it's 10 minutes that I now look forward to after only 1 week of implementation.

 

I also have some friendships I need to continue to workout. Some that I need to not work as hard at. And a few I'd like to try to progress from the "a few times a year friend" to something more. I want to try to find new ways to connect with my friends. Birthday cards? FaceTime? Writing a letter? If anyone has any other ideas...feel free to leave them as a comment!

 

 

 

Fingers crossed {that this is the best year ever}...