I blame....

Okay, so I've been getting a lot of slack on why I have been absent lately and there is only one logical person to blame in this situation....Parker.

*a little backstory. My business partner, Summer, gave birth to her first baby last Wednesday. She is a beautiful little girl. So innocent. So sweet. So perfect. Her name is Parker.*

As of last Tuesday, contractions started to take place and therefore "Operation Parker" took hold and the rest of the instructors went to work like busy little bees. We were making phone calls, sending texts, double checking schedules to make sure that all of our ducks were in a row where client-coverage was concerned and the LAST thing that I was thinking of was my blog. When Summer and I opened up our studio, we split all of the responsibilites right down the middle. I never really questioned the things that she was in charge of and visa versa. Let me just say that as embarrassed as I am to admit this, I think I kind of took Summer for granted. Holy Jeez is it tough stuff running a biz solo. I am so thankful to have someone to share in not only the more challenging vices that come along with owning and successfully running a Pilates studio, but celebrating in the successes as well. I heart Summer. I wouldn't do this with anyone else. I digress. Since last Wednesday, I have been on a mission. No spare time. It's work...gym....dogs....DZ....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. That's it. Period. So as much as I am so excited to have Parker now a physical part of our lives (we've been talking to her in utero for what feels like years), I am totally blaming her for not having the time to talk to my blog peeps.

Now I realize that I might've just hit a new low. I mean, blaming a 6-day old little baby girl for not being able to blog? Really, Katie?!? Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! ha!

So, what's happened since we last chatted? Let's see......

DZ and I went to go see "The Switch" with Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman. Nothing says "romantic date night" like a movie about artifical insemmination (sp?). haha. It was cute, but totally predicitable which I love. The thing I hate the most is when a movie throws a curveball atcha right when things are going just as planned. Grrr. Fortunately, this movie went just as I hoped it would. I left happy. We then took dinner over to Summer and Brian's to congratulate and "oooh" and "aaaah" over baby Parker. She is presh. More than that, though, I was so PROUD watching Summer. She has taken to mommyhood as if she were born for this role. I hope that I am like Summer when I grow up....she is true, genuine, nurturing and glows with that "baby love". :) I am so happy for them.

As much as I was hoping for the incessant rain to come to a hault so that DZ and I could continue our Beach Sunday traidion, that did not happen. Outlet malls, anyone?!? Yup...did that. Along with every. one. else. I guess we didn't take in to consideration that school started up this week so all the kiddos were shopping for new shoes, shorts of the appropriate length and the trendiest of tops. It was kind of nostalgic to watch the junior high girls giggle over the cute boys that would walk by. Oh how I remember those days. Oh wait, I still giggle when a cute boys walks by, what am I talking about!! I guess some things never change!!

So this week has been a blur and I cannot believe it's only Wednesday. I feel like its groundhog's day. Looking forward to this weekend as we are going to hang out with Any and Gina. They have a sitter for the twins and as much as I love hanging out with the boys, it will be a real treat for it just to be the four of us. I am most certain that some serious storytelling will take up most of the evening.

That's all I got. My brain is mush and my boys are giving me the "evil eye". I have not spent more than two seconds with them this week and they are laying the guilt trip on me bigtime. I'm a sucker for those big, sad, droopy eyes. Time for some puppy lovin'.

Carpe Diem!
xoxo

Child Please!

Are you wondering where the title of this post came from. None other than, Chad Ochocinco Johnson. That, along with "kiss the baby" which we overuse in the Z household as well. DZ and I have a completely unhealthy addiction to "Chad Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch". We cannot even help ourselves. It's our guilty pleasure and one of the very few shows that we both enjoy??! Don't knock it 'till you try it!

So yesterday was a ridiculously fantastic day. Any day that starts off at church is a good day. Good music. Good people. Good sermon. It's all good.

We then took advantage of the GORGEOUS day and continued our tradition of spending Sundays at the beach. We try to mix it up and rotate the places that we visit, but we inevitably end up towards the Sarasota area. Anna Maria Island was the paradise-of-choice and it did NOT disappoint! B-E-A-utiful!!

We have to remind ourselves that we actually LIVE here....we are truly blessed!

This is my "Anxiety? What anxiety?!?" face!! Being at the beach is pretty much my therapy!

For those of you who are not familiar with my little-to-be-desired work schedule, I am revising it. No more traveling back and forth, but rather getting there early, working my tail off and leaving early. Welcome to owning your own business, Katie. It's about time you start enjoying the fruits of your labor. Who knows, perhaps this will give me more time to, oh I don't know, BLOG PERHAPS?? You could only be so lucky!

I'm hoping that this week gives us some more sunny weather. I might have to make a solo beach trip during the week for some R&R. Also looking forward to hitting up Grassroots at some point, the outlet mall, and Eat, Pray, Love. Busy, busy week.

I haven't been taking too many food pics lately and for good reason. First of all, they really haven't been anything to write home about and secondly...I'm kind of playing around with my diet. Figuring out some intolerances that I am having and hoping that a few tweaks here and there will do the trick.

I hope that everyone has a great week....I am hoping to be back on tomorrow. No promises. If the sun is out, lying poolside trumps blogging ANYDAY. What can I say, I'm a water baby!

Carpe Diem!

xo

a flower a day.....

or is it an apple a day?? Po-tay-toe....Po-tah-toe.

I love flowers. They make me happy. Like, REALLY happy. I love all kind of flowers. I love that they come in all shapes, sizes and colors....all equally beautiful....all equally ALIVE!

A while back I decided that each week I would buy a fresh bouquet of flowers from the little market across the street from my studio to put in our house. There's something about coming home to a fragrant, gorgeous arrangement smiling back at me. Yes, I believe flowers can (and do) smile!

My most favorite flower of ALL time would have to be a hot pink gerber daisy. Fugeddaboutit. I die. (any Friends or Rachel Zoe fans out there?? Holla!).

And to be sent flowers from someone.....you have my heart forever. (hint hint).

Since we do live in the Sunshine State and have the perfect climate for growing beautiful buds all year round, DZ and I take pride in our assortment.

Enjoy!

Okay, so it's a mushroom, but it's in the shape of a flower. Cute, huh? (Nevermind the fact that DZ and I are officially growing 'shrooms in our backyard. Darn rain!)

I found this the week that we bought our house & I was SO proud. I mean, how fitting?!? We call him "Tiny Tucker" (it was a pre-Ziggy purchase. Sorry Little Boy!) and he is a bobblehead Harlequin Great Dane. Welcome Home!! :)

DZ and I are headed to a comedy club tonight with some friends....a guaranteed great time. I think I might've even wet myself a little last time we went. Uh oh, TMI? hehe.

Tomorrow is Sunday, which means one thing and one thing only......BEACH!! I think we might head down to Anna Maria. Haven't soaked our toes in those waters in a while. Hope everyone has a fabulous and safe weekend.

Carpe Diem!

xoxo

I'm Okay!

So my "catchup Monday" was capped off with "The Ultimate Catch" with Chad Ochocinco. Night complete. Kiss the baby! Lol!

Today was a productive day...and as happy as that should make me feel (I heart productivity!), I must admit that I had a bit of a sad moment. Stepped on the scale while I was at the gym and (gasp!), I HATED the number that was staring back at me. This is a neverending battle. One that I wish with every ounce of my being that I could conquer and come out on the other end victorious! Unfortunately, I am human and a girl and face all of the insecurites (and more) that most of us deal with on a daily basis. I am hoping to use this blog as a window into my most inner thoughts, be it good, bad and/or ugly. One day, not too far from now, I will explain my past and the darkness that I experienced, but as for the time being I am going to focus on overcoming my demons. I am 28 and feel like I have the confidence of a 7th grade girl (yeah, remember that awful time in your life when you're taller than all the boys, your hair is a hot mess, you haven't figured out how to wear make-up and aren't at the age where shaving is "appropriate". haha). Everyday I wake up and have to rev up my inner voice to communicate positivity. A lot harder than one might expect. I love my life. I love everything about it. My husband. My dogs. My family. My friends. My job. I feel so lucky to have so much and at such a young age. Truly blessed. Why then, do I find it so hard to truly be happy with ME? I am my worst enemy. With every glance in the mirror (which I try to avoid at all cost), I find something to critique. "Katie, suck in that tummy". "You really shouldn't have eaten so much yesterday, you're totally bloated". "Eat cleaner". "Don't wear such tight clothes, you can totally see your muffin top". One thing after another, I tear myself apart, only to feel shamed and sad about who I am. As much as I don't believe that I deserve this type of behavior from myself, and if any one of my clients were to tell me that they feel this way about themselves, I would be so sad for them. But for me, it's a necessary part of everyday life. I am not revealing this information to fish for pity or compliments. I want neither. Rather, I feel that once these feelings, as embarrassing as it is to say it out loud, are in black and white, it is then and only then that I can deal with them. I tend to give myself goals....you might have even picked up on this is my previous posts....so my new "goal" if you will is to STOP giving myself goals. I want to enjoy life and if I overindulge (which I most certainly will quite often, I'm sure) it's going to be okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. This is my mantra!!!! Thanks for allowing me an outlet to communicate my feelings. It really is my therapy!

Now, off to some lighter topics. FOOD!

Breakfast. My shake is baaaaaack! I got a new protein powder and I don't think it's as filling as my other one. I was STARVING by lunch and therefore ate my weight in "snacks". Felt gross.

Shake Domination!!

Had a Larabar about 3 hours after my shake because my stomach was eating my intestines. I have to say, not a huge fan. Too sweet. I know, I cannot believe those words just came out of my mouth. But I feel like it threw me off for the rest of the day. I was CRAVING sweets from then on.....

An insight to my lunchtime hunger madness (not picured): cottage cheese (finished it off. done and done.), sami's pita chips w/ hummus, Honey Bunches of Oats with almond milk. Nothing healthy which only lead to self-loathing and some inner abuse. Sad afternoon!

I love my boys. They love me no matter what the scale says!

Dinner was broccoli/cauliflower salad (compliments of mom-in-law. Thanks, Terry!) with leftover tofu. Note to self: must eat tofu as soon as it is cooked. Really chewy if left to eat at a later date. I've also included some pics of things that I cannot live without!!

You know the deal, DZ. I cook...you clean. Good luck with that.

(notice my Mexican dog in the background. DZ painted that himself while on vacay in Mexico. So cute and sweet. Looooooove.)

Thank you all for bearing with me through today's posts. I appreciate you listening to me as I work through what I hope to be a successful recovery story someday.

Carpe Diem!

xoxo

What are some things that you are working on? I am working on JUST BEING NICE to me!

What are some food items that are vital to everyday life for you? Nooch. Edamame. Annie's Goddess Dressing. My beloved protein shake!

Playing Ketchup (er, Catch Up!)

Happy Monday to all.

So today was a pretty low-key kind of day. I started out with a few clients and then went to my acupuncturist....she is such a blessing in my life. We have a "protocol" that we are starting and I am exciting to see where it takes me. We also agreed to start a detox-type diet consisting of clean, clean, CLEAN eating. I've been doing well anyway since the first of the month....as I mentioned, my 10-year reunion is rapidly approaching and seeing as how I was deemed "Most Likely To Succeed", I do NOT want to disappoint when I return home. It's been about 9 days of me being super in tuned to what is going into my body and I must say, I am feeling better and better with each clean meal. Now that I am detoxing....I have to cut out all processed foods. I'm sticking with the basics. Fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, DONE!

My mom and little cousin were in town all last week. SO. MUCH. FUN!! Nai'a is six and is truly the FUNNIEST person I know. Ever! It was a week jam-packed with crazy fun-ness (is that a word?!?) and therefore my trash tv had to wait. Until today, that is. I have never watched so much juicy drama in one day before. From The Real Housewives of NJ to The Rachel Zoe Project to The T.O. Show (haha....this one might be my FAV!), it was an afternoon of train-wreck goodness.

I ran out of my protein powder this weekend so my breakfast consisted of overnight oats. Wish I could take credit for this bad boy, but I totally stole it.

*1/2 cup of rolled oats.

*2 tbsp of chia seeds.

*1 cup of water

stir all these ingredients together and let them sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add the following:

*cinnamon

*almond butter

*protein powder

ENJOY!!

Lunch was a protein shake (yay for getting more protein powder today) with lots of snackage on veggie chips with hummus, cottage cheese (HAVE to stop this pronto!!) and blueberries. Sorry, no photos. Too busy shoveling food.

Since I didn't have to go back to work tonight, I played housewife and cooked dinner for DZ and myself.

I had a bowl full of sauteed goodess: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes and dried edamame topped with Annie's Goddess Dressing and Nooch. Mmmmm!!

DZ had some marinated pork chops, baked potatoe and corn on the cob. With a side of Tucker....never more than an arm's length away.

Where's Ziggy you ask??

Passed out. It was a CBW (camp bow wow) Monday. He is dunzo!

Hope ya'll have a great night. I'm gonna watch some Rays ball then crash.

Some things that my bad a** acupuncturist and I talked about today. My name is Katie and I am a perfectionist!! I am trying to define what "perfect" means to me. What does it mean to YOU?? What is something that you are striving to work on?

Carpe Diem! xo

My FAVORITE things...

I have spent the last week playing hostess to my fam and as crazy as it has been, I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It's Sunday, my FAVORITE day of the week and it is storming like crazy. Thunderstorms are another fav of mine, which is why I felt like it would be fun to create a blog to let you know some of my most favorite things in the world!

* DZ. We will celebrate our 5th anniversary this October....I wouldn't trade one day!
* Tucker and Ziggy. My heart hurts when I look at them. Lame, I know!
* Sundays. What's not to love about a no-obligation-kind-of-day??
* Thunderstorms. The bigger and scarier...the better!!
* Two Words. Ice. Cream.
* Working Out. Endorphins are God's gift. Gotta love 'em.
* Birthdays. Not just mine (although March 16th should be a national holiday).
* Healthy Foods. I get giddy when I can find healthy food that tastes great!
* Coffee. Not all the time. But when I'm in the mood, mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
* The beach. The smell. The sounds. The feel of the sand. All of it!
* A good book. The kind that you become addicted to.
* Family. Crazy, but amzaing!
* Friends. We can go ages without talking to each other and it's like we haven't missed a beat!
* Country music. It just makes me happy.
* My studio. I love everything about what I do. Pilates. My clients. The girls.
* Church. I wish I could feel that sense of inspiration 24/7.

That's all I've got for now. Believe me, there's more where that came from but I really want to get back to wasting away the rest of this rainy day! :)

Talk to y'all tomorrow.
Carpe Diem!
xoxo

...on the road again...

...I just can't wait to get on the road again!! :) Lame, I know, but it's a song that my family ALWAYS sang whenever we would get in the car to start a road trip!!

I am writing this post from the car as we are heading down (or up and over, rather) to Jacksonville for the weekend. Seeing as how we have a good two hours left in this little “roadie”, I might be a little long-winded today.

I apologize for being so absent this week. There are lots of things that I could blame, but the truth is I was having a somewhat down-and-out week and just really didn’t feel like “talking” to anybody. I am pretty sure that each and every one of y’all have been there and therefore completely understand where I am coming from.

Where do I begin: so much has happened in the last 5 days. I will start from the beginning…..

Monday NO-NO!! My days at work are all pretty much the same where awesomeness is concerned. What can I say, I am truly “living the dream” when it comes to careers. I cannot complain (and if you ever hear me saying anything negative about what I do, I hereby give you permission to give me a swift kick in the a**). However, this particular evening, I was given great tickets to the Tampa vs. Detroit baseball game and since DZ is a former Tiger himself, we decided it would be fun to go and watch some cute boys swing some bats. (Okay, so I added “cute”…what can I say, I’m a sucker for those uniforms!!). Turned out the starting pitcher, Matt Garza, through a no-hitter. The FIRST in Rays history. Ridonculous!!

Tuesday/Wednesday Two more glorious work days. Aside from kickin’ some major tail when it comes to working (I believe both days I had at least 9 hours…whew!), nothing super fabulous seemed to occur. Sometimes “boring” is nice!

Thursday “Welcome to the dark side”. I was victorious in taking with me two girlfriends to Grassroots, my most favorite little raw/vegan café. We had a spectacular lunch and I feel proud of both of them for trusting me and stepping (or eating) outside the box. It was a huge success and I believe that one of them even went back for dinner. You’re welcome for my referrals, Grassroots!!

Friday One word: OHMYGOSHIAMSOHAPPYITSFRIDAY!!! Okay, so that’s about 19 million words, but since its Friday, I can totally get away with cramming them all together in sheer excitement!! Anything goes on a Friday! Right?????

Now that we’re all caught up with activities that have taken place this week, lets move on to the juicy goodness….FOOD! I have been fairly proud of my pickings the last few days and am sadly realizing with each passing day that dairy and I just don’t get along. Tear. Goodbye cottage cheese…..I will miss our time together. It definitely leaves me with a bloated feeling and worse than that, I actually get a knot (I swear it feels like it’s the size of a basketball) at the top of my stomach anytime I consume dairy. Sniff Sniff.

I would like to end this post with a proposition. I am almost exactly (give or take a few days) three months away from my 10-year high school reunion. Yowsa!! This excites and terrifies me at the same time. I had the most amazing high school experience that any girl could ask for and I am giddy thinking about reuniting with some peeps that I haven’t seen in ages. Terrifying b/c you set all these expectations for yourself that you would to accomplish by the time that the ripe age of 28 comes around. Hehe. I really want to challenge myself, and anyone else whom would like to join me in this escapade, to not only eat super clean, but also work on some inner confidence that I feel I might lack. I want to be able to walk into the room and smile knowing that I look and feel better than I did 10 years ago. I am going to work on the “specifics” and get back to you. I’m a “planner”, so I will have it all written out for anyone who might want to follow along with me. I would LOVE some company.

Adios mis amigos!!
…and remember: CARPE DIEM!
xoxo

ps. My goal for the weekend is to take pictures.....AND LOTS OF 'EM for your viewing pleasure!