motivated wednesday

I'm going to just stop lying to myself and others and pretend that Motivated Mondays will continue on through these 2 new hire classes I have going on at work. It just won't happen. So from now on, or at least through the summer, you'll be seeing Motivated Wednesday posts instead. It's just as good!

PS. Before I forget, the Diva Dash is this Saturday so I can at least promise one more post this week with pictures of that! Don't laugh if my face is super red, k? Thanks.

motivating me to accomplish #14: start a sunday night supper tradition

raspberry & white cherry yogurt pops...wouldn't these be the perfect treats to have at a dinner party in the middle of a texas summer?

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or what about chocolate chip zucchini brownies?

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OR...banana bread? but wait for it, it's not just any banana bread. it has chunks of chocolate in it...and bourbon. yes, that's right. i feel like that's very appropriate for a sunday night supper in which we'll be focused more on what kind of delicious cocktails are available, right?

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motivating me to accomplish #17: become crafty

i love the idea of having a frame wall in our next house, and i think this would fit in perfectly! i'll be honest, i don't normally like anything having to do with the heart shape, at all. but these make sense! luckily, between the husband and i, we have several maps to put in here. maybe beaumont (where he's from), dallas (where i'm from), austin (where we met), hawaii (where we got married), greece (where we'll be going! it's #1 on my list, afterall) and probably vegas as that was our first trip together, and where we got engaged.

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motivating me to accomplish #23: sleep in a tree house

why are there no cool treehouse hotels in the states? this seems highly unfair, but for now i'll be satisfied looking at this amazing, peaceful treehouse hotel in sweden.

can you even imagine staying here? i'd drink tea and coffee all day, reading books and taking pictures.

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motivating me to accomplish #15: visit barcelona and madrid, spain.

this one ties directly in with #12: master taking photos the way i picture them in my brain. i've always thought of barcelona and madrid as places that i could perfect taking pictures because they're full of exactly what i love to photograph: amazing architecture, old mixed with new.

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and motivating me to finish the whole list:

(see my full 30before30 list here)

update on goal #11

Update! On goal #11 - read at least one book a month for a year.

I just finished reading Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. You guys. It was so good. I started it on Sunday and finished it last night (Thursday) because I couldn't put it down. I think the reason I love memoirs and/or autobiographies so much is because normally, the lives these people have led are so, SO different from mine and I'm unbelievably intrigued by that. And I'm always a little bit sad at the end of a book that I couldn't put down - I never really want it to be over. But I'm really excited to move on to the next book, because this is one of the funnest goals I have on my list! 

My bookshelf has always been a prized possession - 

from when I was a little kid and filled it with Bernstein Bear books, through high school when it was filled with Ray Bradbury and F. Scott Fitzgerald,  to living in my first apartment and filling it with Kerouac, to now...filling it with Palahniuk, more Kerouac, Murakami and as many memoirs as I can get my hands on.

(source is me - this is currently my bookshelf)

Here's what my list looks like so far (click the titles to link to descriptions):

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.

I'm getting started on Unorthodox tomorrow and am pretty excited about that.

Still undecided on the last 3 books, but I got some good suggestions and will be deciding soon! Also, the list will most likely change, let's be honest. 

I'm happy that it's April 13th and I finished my book "for the month", so I'm not only on track, but I'm ahead! 

(see my full 30before30 list here)

motivation

Hi, I'm Ale and I'm the world's worst blogger. It has been a week and a half since my last post.

I'm telling you guys, this 1:00-10:00 shift at work really messes with me sometimes! The days that I DO work that shift, I get a ton of stuff done in the mornings (long runs, grocery store runs, ab workouts, taking care of the yard, reading), but I can't justify typing up a blog because I still feel rushed. So, here I am finally. This week I only worked until 10pm on Monday and Tuesday, so I have these next 3 days with a normal schedule, followed by the weekend. YEP. SO EXCITED.

Anyway, back to me sucking as a blogger.

I couldn't even label my post Motivated Wednesday because I've done that recently and it just makes me feel worse, so let's just go with a simple "motivation", yes?

The Diva Dash that I mentioned in a previous post is next Saturday...yay! And in preparation for the Dash, I've been running 3-4 times a week. Now, let me tell you a little bit about that. I'm an absolutely terrible runner. Terrible. My face resembles a very ripe tomato within minutes of starting my run, and I don't have good form. Lately, my calves have been sore every day, my ass is sore, my iPhone arm band is completely drenched on a regular basis and my pedicures don't last long. AND IT'S AWESOME. I feel really good, full of energy and honestly, pretty proud of myself for keeping it up.
So, let's celebrate me feeling awesome by looking at spring & summer clothes that are motivating me to keep up this thing called healthy living, yes?
Yes.


There are few items of clothing that I love more than racerback tanks. I've got a bunch of them - they make your back look so pretty and I love a shirt that helps me show off my husband-dedicated tattoo that runs across my shoulders!

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Springy dress + belted cardigan. Gimme.

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Must. Find. More. Colored. Denim.

Also, must find out how to make it look cute when my shirt is slightly tucked in like that. I always look ridiculous.

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I want this black top in my life. I also want the $198 that it would cost to buy this top.

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There are some seriously nice legs needed to wear this little dress.

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I want you guys to know that I couldn't even get myself to take a shower after my run because I was too tired to stand up in the shower. So I'm typing up this post in some nice, sweaty running gear with a bright red face, while still panting heavily and craving a huge bowl of pasta.

Enjoy that vision.

(see my full 30before30 list here)

motivated monday: backyard edition

It's Monday! Not only is it Monday, but it's Monday, April 2nd. That probably doesn't mean much to most of you, but to me, that means that I start training a 1:00-10:00pm class at work. I've mentioned before that I really, really love my job and that I feel really lucky to have it. That being said!!! It's hard to work a 1:00-10:00 shift for 8 weeks at a time. SO, I'll be wanting to put together my Motivated Monday posts more than ever.

My awesome in-laws were here this weekend and as a belated birthday gift to my husband, they helped us fix up the backyard. In previous posts, I've mentioned that we've added a patio (with a partial awning/pergola), and we had bought our furniture for the patio several months ago. Now all we needed was an expert gardener (mother-in-law) to help our gardening-challenged selves going. The only pictures I have for right now are mostly of the patio itself. 

How is this motivating? Since these are pictures of something I've already gotten accomplished?

WELL, I'm glad you asked!

I'm determined to spend time out here. Here being the backyard, of course. I'm determined to host those Sunday night suppers in the backyard. I'm determined to water the grass as much as I'm supposed to! I'm determined to keep my OCD husband happy and sweep the stained concrete every now and then! I'm determined to make this our favorite place to hang out in our house.

So seeing these pictures literally right after it's all been done will hopefully help me do all of those things.

And it's also part of a goal on my list: #13 - decorate our "forever" home to reflect both my husband & I perfectly. We both think we've accomplished this with the backyard so far. 

(PS. Later, I'll post pictures of the new flower bed we have in the front yard thanks to my mother-in-law's help and guidance!)

Where is your favorite place to hang out in your house? 

(see my full 30before30 list here)

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)