happy things

I'm copying fellow bloggers and making a happy list today, since I haven't posted in an entire week. Even though the bloggers that I'm copying from are ridiculously well known and keep their blogs updated daily, I'm still lumping myself in their same category, so what?

10 Things That Are Currently Making Me The Happiest Ale Ever

1. I finally got to put on a sweater this morning. I may be hot by 2:00, but I don't give a damn.

2. Being super duper smitten over my husband & talking about our 1 yr anniversary trip to New Orleans (& everything we're going to eat! & all the pictures I'm going to take!).

3. Food truck festival this weekend. I'm going to eat like a madman, then work out extra on Sunday!

4. Canceling my gym membership. This may not seem like a good thing, but I'm working out more than ever without it! This will force me to keep up my running training.

5. Being less than 2 months away from introducing Tucker to my favorite city to visit: Guadalajara.

6. Seeing picture updates of my niece & nephew. I just want to squeeze them all the time.

7. Getting Christmas present ideas! Not for me, but for others. I love, love, love buying presents. But even moreso, I love, love, love buying presents without lists so that people are surprised!

8. My Nescafe that I'm drinking right this instant. Don't judge: instant coffee (especially Mexican instant coffee) is where it's AT.

9. Lusting over a Michael Kors watch. This probably shouldn't be on my "happy" list, but when I eventually buy myself that damn watch, I WILL BE SO HAPPY.

10. Reaching my yoga goal on my 30before30 list. Since I posted the list, I've done yoga twice a week, which to me sounds pretty "regular". But I'm not counting it as achieved until I've done it for a couple of months. I'm getting close, I think!

Feel free to post YOUR happy list! It's fall, everyone has a reason to be happy.

this doesn't really count as an update

Unfortunately I don't have time for a real "update" right now, but I refuse to let a whole week go by without at least something on here. So I'll leave you with a few pictures from my "30before30" board on Pinterest. These are pictures that I've come across that all have to do with things I want to cross off my list. They're really motivational because most of them are really beautiful and make me jealous. That's always a good sign.

Oh, and if anyone can find me an outfit like this for Oliver, I'll be forever indebted to you.

Quick book update: I'm 68% done with book #1, Not That Kind of Girl...I'll finish it by Saturday and am still accepting recommendations on book #2! YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO SUGGEST!

#12: read at least 2 books a month for one year

When I was a kid, probably up until I was about 20 actually, I read about 20 or so books a year. The last full book I read was in Spanish (and if we're being honest, I had read the book in English already so I could have possibly skimmed), and before that I read a book called Straight Up and Dirty. Yeah, that's right. This highschool newspaper editor (nerd) stooped low enough to read a memoir that might as well have been based off Sex & The City. Not one of my proudest literary moments. Hence, goal #12. I know it doesn't say that it has to be an "intellectual" book per se, but that's what I had in mind when I wrote it down on my list. I'm not saying it has to only include words I have to look up in every paragraph, but something that actually makes me think. This goal also came up because of my semi addiction to TV...I need to get the hell over that. I would much rather revert back to the Ale that could not name all of the Housewives (except the ones in New Jersey, I'll keep them....), so hopefully this goal will get me back there.
The book I started reading tonight is called Not That Kind of Girl, by Carlene Bauer - a memoir that follows a girl as she's growing up in evangelical churches, and finally decides to explore her religion and even create one that she can call her own. Intellectual enough, I suppose.
Suggestions for my next book (that I have to start in 2 weeks!) are more than welcome.
For now, I leave you with this:

Amen, John Waters. Amen.


(click here to see full 30before30 list)

Yozoe pt. 1

So....maybe our first at-home yoga class wasn't quite the success we were hoping for. But pretty soon, I'm going to be able to look juuust like the girl pictured above - I'm sure of it.
This Tuesday is Yozoe part 2, and we're determined to make it through the entire video without: 1) making fun of the instructor's fake smile, 2) getting creeped out by her inverted limbs, and 3) drinking a beer. I think those are some solid first steps.

Before Tucker and I went to Maui for our wedding, we worked out for about 4 months straight, 4 days a week (at least)...needless to say, I was in the best shape I had been in. And then, of course, we get back to Austin and all of the gym visits stopped. So I've been trying to get back in the game, somewhat successfully, but my eating habits have reverted back to when I was a 17 year old stoner for some reason. So in an effort to get back to feeling great, I've spent looots (too much) time looking up healthy recipes that don't sound terrible and boring and flavorless. My first attempt was smoothies...really healthy, GREEN smoothies. Green makes everything healthier, right? This whole health kick was nowhere to be found on my 30before30 list, but...oh well. I'm still posting it because this is all about re-reading it and motivating myself to actually make a change and not just talk about it. So, this will secretly be number 31 on my list. Note to self:

(click here to see full 30before30 list)