motivated wednesday!

I didn't have a Motivated Monday post this week because I was too excited by the fact that I got to cross off my very first list item. So we're doing a midweek Motivated post, Motivated Wednesday!

motivating me to accomplish #1 on my list: visit santorini, greece with husband

(is there such thing as a greek cocktail? like, a cocktail that you just have to drink while you're in greece? for example...
 mexico: margarita, cuba: mojito, japan: sake, brazil: caipirinha, new orleans: hurricane, greece: ?)

motivating me to accomplish #6 on my list: give birth, and #25: start taking a monthly photo of my children for at least 10 years.

(i can't wait until the husband has his sleeves done and is holding our little tiny. am i the only one who swoons for tattooed men and babies?!)

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motivating me to accomplish all my travel goals. #1: santorini, #15, visit barcelona and madrid, spain, #19: visit maui for 5 year anniversary, #23: see northern lights, and #26: take a road trip.

(good lord, maybe i should tone down the travel goals? ha! nevermind.)

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motivating me to accomplish #9: plant a thriving vegetable garden

(the source link takes you to an article about the 21 best crops for your edible garden)

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motivating me to accomplish #18: ride in a hot air balloon

(even though i'm totally terrified a little tiny bit scared, i really want to!)

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motivating me to accomplish #28: learn to tango with my husband

(i know you may not think these shoes have anything to do with tango, but oh. they do. i will wear these while tango-ing to make it super authentic, sassy and latin)

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motivating me to accomplish #13: decorate our "forever" home to reflect both my husband and i perfectly.

(this might be a little more "me" than him. i absolutely love super simple, white rooms with pops of color, and grey + yellow is one of my all time favorite color combos. i would love, love to have this as a guest room.)

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(see my original 30before30 list here)

#3 go on a girl's weekend trip to a vineyard: DONE!

I am now officially able to cross off my very first 30before30 goal!

This past Saturday, I had a blast on a vineyard tour in the Texas Hill Country. The best part was that none of the people that came along had gone on a vineyard tour before, so we were all newbs. The day started off a little cloudy and chilly, but by the time we were halfway through our first tasting, the skies had cleared up and the sun was out - couldn't have asked for a better day. 

Before I decided to do the vineyard tour, I did a little bit of research because I didn't want a stuffy, boring tour where you know, you learn all about the wine and the process of making it. I know that's why most people do these things, but let's be honest: I mostly wanted one where we focused on drinking the wine and eating the cheeses & olives that come along with the wine! So naturally, when I found a TX Hill Country vineyard tour that drives you around in a 1970's VW bus, I booked it immediately. 

Along with the actual tour, Liz (our awesome, hilarious guide) provided a super cute picnic lunch at one of the vineyards that was playing live music. We got spoiled! Gourmet sandwiches, fruit, olives & feta, cookies, etc. Needless to say, we had a great day. 

Before I show you what my list now looks like (woohoo!), here are some pictures:

First, let me introduce you to the group of wine-o's.

Yours truly

Lesley

Paige (and tour guide Liz in the background)

Raquel

Frankie

We started our day at Lesley's. Being the amazing hostess that she is, we showed up to mimosas, blueberry muffins and mini goat cheese and spinach frittatas.

Lesley refused to be in this picture because it's pre-wine tastings. Which means that she hated the idea of taking pictures before the alcohol sunk in, but as you'll see in a few minutes of scrolling, she didn't mind by the end of the day.

This was our ride:

We met some cute mini horses along the way:

And here are some photos courtesy of our guide, Liz!

All in all, I can only speak for myself, but it was exactly what I had in mind when I put my list together!

Now here is what my list currently looks like. I know, I know. I still have a long way to go.

visit santorini, greece with husband - learn to speak Portuguese fluently - go on a girl's weekend trip to a vineyard - own an original art piece - learn how to bake my own sourdough bread - give birth - start a movie night tradition with husband and kids - participate in some sort of marathon or race - plant a thriving vegetable garden - have/start a camping tradition with my husband and kids - read at least a book a month for one year - master taking photos the way i picture them in my brain - decorate our "forever home" to reflect both my husband & i perfectly - start a sunday night supper tradition - visit barcelona and madrid, spain - see radiohead live again - become crafty - ride in a hot air balloon - visit maui for 5 year wedding anniversary - start teaching my children how to speak spanish fluently - start a regular yoga practice - sleep in a tree house - see northern lights - volunteer at a soup kitchen on thanksgiving day - start taking a monthly photo of my children for at least 10 years - take a road trip (more than like 24 hours of driving!) - save to send my children to whatever college they want (if that's what they want) - learn to tango with my husband - take my own (professional looking) newborn photos of my children - surprise my husband with the best birthday gift ever (still don't know what that is....)

e o jeitinho brasileiro.

Ok, so I lied to all of you.

Not only did I say I would be back on Tuesday or Wednesday of last week (in my last post), but I said that I'd be back to talk about either goal #3 or goal #13. Not only did I miss updating on Tuesday or Wednesday, but now that I'm back, I'm not going to talk about either of those goals! I probably could, but now I'm too excited about another item on my list, and I get distracted easily.

So, let's focus now on #2 - learn to speak Portuguese fluently.

Now, those of you that know me probably know that I'm 1/2 Brazilian. Those of you that don't know me: I'm 1/2 Brazilian. Now that that's cleared up...

My mom is very Brazilian. And I say very, because she fits all of those stereotypes out there. What, you didn't know there were Brazilian stereotypes? Well, there are. And had you grown up in my household, you'd know them too. For those of you who don't want to click on the link, here are a couple of my faves (that are totally true). You know you're Brazilian when:

-You like Guarana better than Coke

-You know who Xuxa and Pele are

-You are the loudest person in the room

-You take soccer too seriously

-Everyone thinks you're everything but Brazilian

And my personal favorite:

-Your breakfasts consist of milk & coffee, bread with butter, and a piece of cake.

That last one is my favorite because, good lord, it caused me a lot of grief as a kid. Most of my friends had, you know, normal families. So I'd wake up at their house after sleepovers to a breakfast of eggs and bacon or maybe waffles or pancakes. At my house, though? No ma'am. My friends woke up to coffee and fresh bread with butter. Sarah - do you remember that? Good times. But hey, those are still my most favorite breakfasts, so I'm not complaining here!

ANYWAY. Let me get back to the topic at hand: learning Portuguese.

I speak Spanish fluently, but that's never been enough. I've always secretly held a grudge against my mom for not teaching us (my brother & I) Portuguese when our young, nimble minds could handle it. We know a lot of stuff, the important stuff, but I want to know the little things.

What language have you always wanted to learn?

I've sent a couple of e-mails to Portuguese teachers I've found here in Austin and am very, very excited to see where this goes. I've considered Rosetta Stone, too, but it's pretty pricey. I'll keep you guys updated on this adventure!

Boa sorte to me! (That means good luck!)
Oh and PS. The title of this post means: it's the Brasilian way.

(original 30before30 list here)

sick day/currently coveting

Hi, everybody. I'm sickly today and I'm super bummed about it.

Luckily, I was able to enjoy a great, great SXSW weekend before I felt this sick, though. Saw lots of fun faces, ate free food (Japanese hamburgers? yes, please), drank a lot of free alcoholic beverages, walked a lot, but most importantly - we saw a lot of really good bands. My favorite performance by far was Of Monsters and Men, from Iceland. If you haven't heard them, check them out immediately! We were so glad we got to see the show.

Back to my pity party: yes, I'm sick. And I have a doctor's appointment today that I've been dreading for some time, so I'm feeling a little down in the dumps today. So it might not be the best time for a Motivated Monday post. Instead, since it's a pity party, I'm going to link you to a bunch of things I'm currently coveting. That's the opposite of being motivating, right?

Here's a long list of things I want! But I don't want to work for them! I just want them! Whatever, when you're sick you get to do what you want. So here it is, friends.

This pretty & dainty engraved triangle bangle set:

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This pink pastel foldover clutch. Look at the zipper!

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This modular planter. I love the look, and maybe my cat wouldn't eat succulents? He eats all kinds of other plants, so here's to hoping.

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This beautiful barn door as a bathroom door. I mean...really?

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This Wilma Bench! Isn't it perfect?

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These LuluLemon running shorts. Super comfy.

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That's all I've got for now. This is the end of my pity party for myself! The husband is taking me to my doctor's appointment today and has promised to take care of me when we get home afterward.

I hope everyone else is happy & healthy today!

I'll be back on Tuesday or Wednesday with an update on:

-goal #3: go on a girl's weekend trip to a vineyard

&

-goal #13: decorate our "forever home" to reflect both my husband & I perfectly

(see my original 30before30 list here)

attempt at releasing my inner bookworm

Since January 1st of this year I've been working on goal #11 on my 30before30 list - read at least a book a month for one year. So far, so good...it's mid-March and I've finished 3 (and a half) books. For the most part, I read books on my Kindle which means that I don't have the physical reminders of what I've read. I realize that I could keep the titles on my Kindle and compile them at the end of the year, but I hate the look of the messy screen with tons of titles on it, so I delete them after I'm done.

Anyway!

I'm going to use this post and continually update it with the books that I've read each month. I also want to keep a list of books I'd like to read this year, because I always find some that catch my eye and I'm intrigued by but forget the titles a few days later.

So, here are the books I'd like to read this year, and the ones I've read so far.(Click on each title if you're interested in reading a little more about the book) 

1. Not That Kind of Girl: A Memoir - Carlene Bauer

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

3. The Same Kind of Different As Me - Ron Hall

4. The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
5. Wild - Cheryl Strayed

6. Arcadia - Lauren Groft

7. Unorthodox - Deborah Feldman

8. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday

9. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson

10.

11.

12.

That's all I've got for now.

Do you have any recommendations for my last 3 books?

Looking over my list, I realized that I've got a lot of non-fiction on there. I'm a sucker for autobiographies and memoirs. But that doesn't mean those are the only suggestions I'll take! I don't have a certain style that I like to read...I just don't like romantic, girly books. But hey, I'm willing to give everything a try. Unless it's a Nicholas Sparks book. I will not give that a try.

(see my original 30before30 list here)

motivated monday: sunday night supper edition

It's SXSW week here in Austin which is my favorite week of the year here! Even though it gets overcrowded and traffic is even worse than normal, there's something about great bands, free alcohol, free food and great street style that just makes most of us forget about the hoards of people that come along with it. And luckily, the weather has decided to go from 40 degrees with downpours to 70 degrees with perfectly sunny skies just in time! In honor of SXSW and this glorious weather that it's brought along with it, I'm doing a sort of spring edition today for my Motivated Monday post. We're about 2 weeks away from being done with the backyard re-do which means:

backyard parties!

As I've mentioned before, I have a goal of starting a Sunday night supper tradition. I'm not one for stuffy dinner parties, so now that the husband got his birthday present (a big duo grill), these Sunday night suppers will be full of good food and strong drinks on hot nights!

So I'll take my inspiration from there.

Make your own flavored lemonades. Of course in the Norris house, this means that these will also have vodka in them. But aren't they pretty?! I'm all about that green one - cucumber mint limeade. Follow the source link for recipes.

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This is what my hair looks like during the summer/springtime. It gets too damn hot in Texas to pretend that I can wear my hair down every day. And I'm super happy that the super tightly pulled back bun is gone, I'll be hosting parties with this look:

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I'm a sucker for bold type. Aren't these decanters the best?? I'd love to have these set out for a bbq. But knowing me, I'd accidentally mix them up when pouring the alcohol in, and people would get a rum sunrise instead.

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Supposedly the "best pasta sauce I'll ever have"! I'm down for it. I'm also down for a simple recipe that can feed lots of people.

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I'm determined to get some big slabs of chalkboard or something I can paint with chalkboard paint for occasions like this:

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Gasp! Don't these caprese tarts look amazing?? They might take some practice to perfect before I host the first dinner party, which means that I get to practice eating them too.

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And lastly, for me:

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PS. I'm getting really close to being able to cross off #3 on my list: go on a girl's trip to a vineyard!

(see my original 30before30 list here)

the hiatus has come to an end.

I'm back!

Back from New Orleans and back from Cleveland, and I am so happy to be able to say that. I had a really great time in New Orleans celebrating our anniversary and eating too much salty, delicious food. And I learned a lot and gained a lot from my work trip to Cleveland, so I'm back feeling refreshed and ready to go. More than anything, I'm extremely ready to get back on track and focused on some goals of mine, now that the out-of-town things are over with.

#8 on my 30before30 list is to participate in some sort of marathon or race. Now, I didn't originally  make this one of my 2012 goals, but luckily it's just one more thing that I'll have the satisfaction of crossing off this year. On April 21 I'll be participating in the Diva Dash here in Austin. It's a 5k which is a great starting point for me since I've never done any sort of race at all. It does have obstacles at every 1/2 mile though - think rope climbing, tire jumping, etc. The last "race" I can say I did was in high school, running track. Pretty sure I fell at some point. Or multiple points. So this will be interesting to say the least. I know it may not sound like it, but I am so excited! This is the perfect motivation for me to get all prepped and ready for my Bahamas birthday trip and an opportunity to shorten my list. Not to mention the ladies that I'm running with will make it a lot of fun. So here's where I'm staring with this goal...3 basic rules I'm following:

1. Healthy Eating. I'm not "dieting"...I think everybody hates that word. I would say that I generally am pretty conscious of what I eat, but I'll be a little bit more conscious for the next few months. I'll focus on eating a protein-rich breakfast every morning, drinking tons of water (although I drink a ton now. I might turn in to a water balloon), & filling my body with things like these vitamin boosters.

2. Healthy Living. This goal of mine could not have popped up at a better time. The husband is currently competing with 2 friends to see who can lose the most weight in a 2 1/2 month time frame. If there's one thing that man has, it's dedication. He leaves for the gym before I even consider waking up in the morning and pulls 2-a-days like nobody's business. So this keeps me very motivated to make sure I'm busting my ass just as much as he is! I don't have a specific regimen I'm following (for now), but I'll keep up a mixture of yoga, cardio and weights to keep it all interesting.

3. Healthy Mindset. Even with good willpower, it's hard to have a healthy lifestyle if you're surrounded by people who live an opposite lifestyle. If you constantly are around people who are happy eating fast food and snack machine treats all day, your healthy  mindset starts to slip. Or at least mine does. In a previous post, I mentioned that I've recently been able to avoid that negative energy that's been haunting me for a few months (I won't say fully avoid, that's pretty impossible in this situation), but this fits right in to that.  I'll be constantly reminding myself of my goals and how good I can look in a bathing suit in a few months!

Do you have any fitness goals you want to accomplish in the next few months? In the next few years?

(see my original 30before30 list here)