Lush

Lush is like a Bath & Body works, but better!

They have quite the variety of beauty treatments,

and they are all handmade with fresh ingredients.

I was introduced to Lush but a couple of friends when we were in San Francisco,

they went on and on about how great it was, and I didn't understand the hype until I tried it for myself.

I was instantly hooked!

If you've never tried the fabulous products at Lush, I recommend you give it a try.

Oh and you don't have to plan a trip to San Fran to do so (although that would be fun!),

Lush recently opened a store in San Diego!!!

I've been using some of the hand and skin products for a few years now,

my favorites are the Ocean Salt, Lemony Flutter, and Handy Gurugu.

This lovely trio has become part of my Sunday routine to get ready for the week ahead.

I got my lover to start pampering his hands with me once a week,

and now our new roomies are hooked too  :)

Get some!

Baby Fever?

Seems to be going around like crazy these days!

It hasn't caught me yet,

but that doesn't mean I love the little nuggets any less.

My love and I just spent the last week in Florida visiting our adorable nephew (his parents too).

Let me tell you,

this little man had us wrapped around his finger in minutes!!!

Adorable, right?

I miss this little guy so much already!!!

Do you have the fever?

Spill...

Go Big or Go Home!

Sunday was the big day-

The San Diego Half Marathon!!!

After nearly 12 weeks of training

it was time to put my hard work to the test.

I was feeling the least bit confident about the race

but was still aiming to beat my last time and come in under 2:10.

Ready or not, here we come!

As I was running I continued pushing myself.

I passed the 2:20 pacing guide around mile two,

and after the 5K mark I was on a mission to find the 2:10 pacing guide.

I found him right around mile four,

passed him, and never saw him again!

Now it was a matter of keeping my pace so I could finish strong.

I kept running hard, with bursts of encouragement from the fans.

One sign in particular stuck out to me, it read,

" Do you ever ask yourself if you can give more?

The answer is usually YES.

So push harder and run faster!!!"

And that is exactly what I did!

Just finished!

 You can imagine my surprise when my best friend calls and says,

"Friend, you killed it, you broke the two hour mark!!!"

I was already on the verge of tears after crossing the finish line (I always am)

and this definitely made me choke up even more!

I did it!

My new personal record
1:59!!!

We did it!

She got her personal best too, way to go Ash- 2:16!!!

I've been on cloud nine all week,

literally smiling from ear to ear every time I think about it!

I'm linking up with Mrs. Stephanie T. this week for little bits of happiness, 

I've shared what's making me happy :-)

Now it's your turn!  

Road Trip: Vegas Baby!

My lover and a few of his guy friends left for Vegas bright and early yesterday morning.

I made them yummy egg muffins to go,

and they hit to road to cheer on SDSU in the Mountain West Conference tournament!

My Dad, cousin, and family friend went a day earlier

and had already called to tell them about the coaches and players they got to talk with.

The boys were so excited to get out the door that they forgot to say good bye to someone...

As soon as they walked out, she ran to the back door to watch.

kind of broke my heart a little ;(

So I opened the door to let her get a closer look of them packing up the car and driving away.



She misses her dad so much, but we'll enjoy our girl's weekend!

February Recap

My apologies for being M.I.A. last month :(

It wasn't until March practically smacked me in the face that I realized I only posted twice in February!!!

Sorry...

But for being a short month, February sure was busy. 

And with it being my birth month and all,

I'm guessing my schedule was packed tighter than most!

I kicked off the month attending the SoCal Blogger meet up.

This was a first for me and I must say I had a blast!

Great food, great location, great sponsors, and even better company!  



Me and my lovely friends who got me blogging!

The following weekend the birthday celebrations began
and they continued all month long!
Yep, that's right, ALL month.
It only comes once a year so better make the most of it!
Right?

It started with a shopping trip to Road Runner Sports for new running shoes.
If you're a runner, you know how exciting this is!



Thanks big bro!

 Followed by family dinner at my Grandparents house.
I requested chips and salsa as the appetizer, chicken and cheese enchiladas with rice and beans for dinner, and mudd pie for dessert!
Birthday dinners at grandma and grandpa's have been a family tradition for decades,
and grandma's home cooking NEVER disappoints!!!

On my actual birthday I came into work to this...

 and a delicious homemade cake, thoughtful card, and gift certificate to get a mani/pedi.

My co-workers sure do know me well!

As if all of that wasn't enough to make me feel loved,

my wonderful husband took me to dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Sardinas

and dessert at Cafe Zucchero- the cannoli's are delicious! 

on our way out!

Next on the celebration list was dinner at my parents.

I got to pick the meal again,
we had angel hair pasta with garlic, sundried tomatoes, and proscuitto, ceasar salad, asparagas, and garlic bread.
Oh and I can't forget the delicous (heart shaped) cake my younger brother baked!

To wrap up the birthday festivities some of my closest girl friends and I went out for Sunday brunch at Karl Strauss.
Their brunch is one of my favorites,
with plenty to choose from and endless mimosas!
What more can a girl ask for?

Love these girls!

As if all the birthday festivities weren't enough to keep me busy last month...
My nephew was born!

so precious <3

There was also Valentine's day (which is the day after my birthday),
I picked up my favorite friend from the train station and grabbed starbucks on our way to work.
Then I spent the evening lounging with the hubby and enjoying a night in together.

February was also my last month of hard training to prepare for the San Diego half marathon.

With my motivation lacking

and my running buddies dropping like flies (I hope they heal quickly!),

it was difficult to stick to my training schedule...

but I did it!

Thanks to my college roomie ;-)

We took turns driving to eachother to complete our long runs,

it's so much easier when you have someone to do it with!

Race day is this Sunday, wish us luck!

The hubs and I also started our search for a new place to live.

Our lease was ending and they were raising the rent (sigh),

so it was time to move on.

Long story short-

After searching craigslist and exploring our various options

we decided to move in with two of our best friends! 

(And Lilah's best doggie friend, Jack.)  

And finally,

somehow in between all the craziness that was February,

I managed to start reading the Hunger Games!

Can't stop reading...

and can't wait for the movie to come out!

Lilah likes it too!

Homemade Egg Muffins

When you hear egg Mcmuffin you probably think of McDonald's.

I know I did...until now!

McD's breakfast sandwiches were the best on road trips,

but after finding out how many ingredients were in these tasty sandwiches,

I won't eat them anymore! 

I'm guessing some of you will give them up too (and not just for lent),

but it doesn't have to be a sad thing.

I've got the perfect recipe for you that will allow you to continue enjoying a warm egg muffin :)

and you'll be able to rest easy knowing all the ingredients you're ingesting! 

Homemade Egg Muffins

You'll need: 

1 muffin tin

eggs

english muffins (bagels or buscuits will work too)

bacon

cheese

salt & pepper

butter (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. Spray tin with non-stick spray, place bacon in tin (long ways or in a circle), crack egg over bacon, salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake 15-20 minutes (if you like your egg a bit runny, you'll want to bake a shorter amount of time). Just before the eggs are done toast your muffins (or bread of choice) and smear with butter if you're using it. I use a toaster oven for this step and put shredded cheese on my muffin to melt it. 

 Once eggs and muffins are done, remove egg from tin and assemble on muffin.

Feel free to be creative and add any ingredients you like!  

I added Chalula to mine and ate it open faced this time :)

As you can see, these are quick and easy to make! 

You can even make them in advance and re-heat them as you wish.

To do this you'll want to follow the instructions above, wait for things to cool, and then wrap them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. If you'll eat them over the next few days you can store them in the fridge, otherwise you can put them in a freezer bag and keep them that way too!

 

 

For the LOVE of Food: just keep trying!

I've written about my love for food and my picky palette before, 

and I’m excited to give you an update!

(Those who know me well might be a little shocked)

While I admit that I'm picky (I'm not proud of it),

I do make an effort to try new things. 

And I don't mean I try them once and make up my mind,

I realize some things are an acquired taste (like red wine)
which is why I try them several times in hopes that one day I will like them. 

Okay, I'll stop rambling and get to the (juicy) meat of this!

Actually, I should say the fish...

well, sushi!

Yep, ladies and gents,

I now like sushi!

Real sushi, not the veggie rolls I've been ordering for years.

We had been out for sushi with friends and I ordered my usual veggie roll

but decided it was time to try a real roll again.

I tried my friends' Vegas roll and it tasted okay.

The next time we went for sushi (a few days later)

I decided I was going to order a Vegas roll (I needed more than one piece to make up my mind).

I ate the whole thing, and even tried other new ones that I liked too!

Vegas Roll

Fantasy Roll

What's your favorite sushi roll? Have you discovered any new foods that you like?
Do tell!!!