A lost follower is like a gained pound

I've lost two followers in the past week, and it makes me feel like the last kid picked for the kickball team. Sniff. What a weird thing to be bummed out about. But I don't have eleventy billion followers like some of the cool kids, so I really cherish each and every follower, reader, and comment that I get. It makes me wonder what I did wrong. 

 

Anyway...

 

We're off this morning for Kah-Nee-Ta Resort & Spa in Warm Springs, Oregon. This place is going to be freaking amazing! We're staying in my parents motor home all week, but you can also reserve hotel rooms or rent little tee pees to stay in... so cute! We'll be spending most of our time at the double Olympic-sized hot springs mineral pool, but may also check out the restaurants and parks, mini golf, kayaking, horseback riding, biking, hiking, tennis, shopping, fishing, museum, and casino... did I say this place was awesome?

 

Can I also take a second to mention how excited I am that we're driving down in the motor home with my parents, instead of taking our own car? Open container laws do not apply when you're in the back of an RV... booyah!
 

 

I neglected to set up any guest bloggers for while we're on vacation, so it might be pretty quiet around here (free wifi, my iPad, and excessive sun and alcohol may make blog posts a last priority), but I'll be thinking of you!

 

Thanks for sticking around Life As Always, see you when we get back!

Real Life.

I hope everyone had a freaking fantabulous weekend!

Mine was nothing to brag about, but it was a much needed break from reality.

 

The last few days have been pretty uneventful, but I did manage to snap a few photos over the weekend (most of which were sent via text message to my mother) that I'll share here.

 

I know, you're on the seat of your pants excited, right?

 

 

Friday night I hit Aaron Brothers on my way home for their "buy one get one for a penny" sale, because I've been wanting to get a bunch of eclectic frames for our living room. Now I just need to fill them with photos. Black and white, or color...?

 

 

Then, before settling down in front of the television for the evening (yeah, I'm a party animal), I finished up some projects for my sister's graduation party the next day.

 

 

The next morning consisted of everyone's favorite chore: taking the cat to the vet. Half an hour,

several long scratches up my arm, and one spitting mad kitty later, we finally got her into the box.

Not a happy camper.

 

 

Why did we take Jasmine to the vet? Because once a week she's been taking a crap in the middle of the carpet in our upstairs TV room. Utter mortification.

I've had her for ten years and this has NEVER been a problem before. (No pee, just poo).

So we took her to the vet, thinking she might be sick. She's not.

So we bought a $50 plug in thing that's supposed to calm cats down and make them stop bad behavior. It didn't work.

So we resorted to locking Jasmine in the laundry room, indefinitely. I don't know what else do to... HELP!

 

 

My sister's grad party at my parent's house in Olympia was SO much fun! Unfortunately the only photo I took is of Stew cuddling with Roxy. We're not really cat people at the moment.  

 

 

And then Sunday was filled with chores and other oh-so-exciting activities like a trip to Costco that resulted in this mountain of liquids.

 

 

We are going camping in the middle of the desert Central Oregon later this week, and don't want to die of dehydration. Will 90 Coors Lights be enough??

 

 

Things that didn't make the photo stream:

The sectionals we bought for our media room at Macy's on Saturday morning! Football season prep!

Fun times at my sister's graduation party on Saturday. I sadly neglected to take any photos.

Cleaning our bathroom and vacuuming our blinds. I told you I was a party animal.

A close up photo of cat poop on our carpet (for the vet). You're welcome.

A ridiculous shopping spree at Target. We both made out like bandits.

Barbecue dinner on our patio last night. This was actually such a fun way to end the weekend.

 

 

 So yeah, nothing crazy going on with the Always recently, but hey, that's real life kids.

 

Tell me something about your amazing weekend, so I can live vicariously.

Oh hello Friday, I've missed you!

Ah yes, Friday. The golden child of the weekdays. The superhero of the workweek. The welcome wagon to the weekend. The famous F word that we thank the universe for every week. Oh, how I've missed you!

 

Vacation hangover notwithstanding, it's been a pretty good week.

 

Highlights

Breakfast Club at Trace with my favorite Bonaires

Fish taco dinner made by my bestie to break in our new kitchen

Last physical therapy session and my knee is officially (mostly) cured!

A chair massage at my office during the work day

 

Bummers

I am always, always late for Breakfast Club so embarrassing

A shattered wine glass and pinot all over my kitchen floor my fault

I'm cleared for jogging, so I no longer have an excuse to remain chubby I'll miss you, mac n cheese

Even after that amazing massage, my back still hurts really getting old

 

But hey, why sweat the small stuff, right? It's Friday!

 

So once again I'm backin' that azz up with Whitney.

 

That's the first thing that came on Pandora this morning (of course one of my faves) so enjoy!
 

Stew is at work tonight so I've planned a secret love affair with my couch and DVR unless someone contacts me with something fabulous to do. Then tomorrow we're headed to Olympia for my sister's grad party, which I've been prepping for all week. What are you up to?
 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

A nasty case of vacation hangover...

When a great vacation or big event comes to an end, I often find myself feeling sad, clinging to the memories, and wishing I could go back.

 

During our six-hour drive home on Sunday afternoon, I started to feel increasingly overwhelmed and depressed with each passing mile of the interstate. Behind me was an amazing holiday weekend filled with family, friends, laughter, hot sun, cool water, and icy cold drinks. My skin still smelled like sunscreen and my hair like fire pit smoke. But in the backseat, bags filled with dirty laundry and an empty cooler sloshing sadly with melted ice reminded me that it was, unfortunately, time to return to reality.

 

Ugh, I hate vacation hangover.

 

I desperately wanted to re-wind the clock, instead of begin my to-do list for the coming week. But as the tragedy of looming responsibilities and the real world threatened to suck me into bummer-ville, I realized that I needed a serious shift in perspective.

 

Stew and I were heading toward or gorgeous new home, friends that we cherish, and amazing family members who love and support us. We both get to work fantastic jobs with awesome people, and we've got another fabulous vacation planned in just a few weeks.

 

So cheer up, buttercup!

 

I think it's natural to feel a bit of a lull after a great high, but harping on the past just diminishes the potential greatness of the present moment. That being said, let's take one final look back at our absolutely fantastic Fourth of July trip to Priest Lake, Idaho.

 

 

I didn't really do a particularly amazing job of capturing the weekend in photos (and I think there might be some better more embarrassing ones floating around out there on other cameras), but let's just say I had a few adult beverages and leave it at that. Sometimes living life is more fun than photographing it.

 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July... and happy birthday, 'Merica!

Year Two

It's Our Blogiversary!

I know, I can't quite belive it either, but this blog has been around for two whole years now!

Last year I did a little recap of some of our favorite memories, so I thought I'd do it again. 

I'm a creature of habit, in case you didn't already know... 

Here we go...

A year in the life of the Always! 

•  I shot a gun for the first time. You know you're a redneck when...
• We boated and wake surfed, a lot. Duh.
• I thought about becoming a vegetarian. Epic fail.
• We attended the Alway Family Reunion at Priest Lake. What happens at the lake stays at the lake.
• We thought about moving to the suburbs... and then we actually did it! Sorry, not sorry.
• We watched Félix Hernández pitch a friggin' perfect game for the M's. Once in a lifetime, people... 
• We participated in the Inaugural Summer Old Man Games. Damn straight we came away with a medal.
• One day we drank a lot of beer and did a ropes course... not in that order.
• We went to Mexico and I forgot that I don't drink tequila anymore. Mistake.
• Our neighbor hit my car and then tried to deny it. Moron.
• We watched avoided Ugly Naked Guy's daily performances for a while. Ew.
• I almost died over Thanksgiving. Okay fine it was just the stomach flu.
• I turned 31. I'm so old.
• We rounded out the year with a LOT of Seahawks football. We were robbed.
• I almost died again. Fine, it was a kidney stone, but I think giving birth would have been less painful.
• We went snowboarding at Mount Baker and I sprained my knee. Stupid, frail human body.
• We celebrated our first wedding anniversary by running the St. Patrick's Day Dash. Yes, Stew pushed my crippled ass through in a stroller, thankyouverymuch.
• I freaked out about furnishing our new house. Spoiled brat First world problems.
• I saw my girl crush idol Jillian Michaels speak... Anticlimactic.
• Stewart turned 32... Gawd he's OLD.
• I blogged for every single day in May! I know, I can't believe it either.
• We went to Las Vegas for the eleventy billionth time. Does that place ever get old?
• We almost had to kill our attention whore of a cat. Not really...
• I won a Liebster Award! Is it pathetic that I'm excited about this?
• I threw a pretty awesome baby shower for my bff, if I do say so myself. Shameless bragging.
• I did the Advocare 10-day Cleanse and lost seven pounds. Boo-yah!
• And of course in the meantime I also read tons of books. Because I'm a nerd like that.

Talk about luck and love... the past year has been overflowing with both and we can't wait to see what the next year has in store. Thanks for following along with us on our crazy adventures. Who knows what will happen next!

You Go, 'Merica!

Hey there, 'Merica, land of the free and home of the brave...
Thanks for giving us a reason to celebrate today! 

 

Although your declaration of independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain forever shattered my chances at becoming a real life princess (gawd I love the British Monarchy), I will forgive you. Mostly because today, on one of my favorite holidays, is filled with so many fantastic celebrations! Fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies... you know, all that fun stuff.

 

We're in Idaho at the lakehouse with the fam right now, sincerely appreciating our freedom to drink Silver Bullets and take red, white and blue jello shots while on the dock with our toes in the lake, soaking up the sunshine and fresh air. Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.  

Advocare Cleanse Results

Can I interest you in a muffin? Oh I'm sorry, we only have mini muffins... because that's about all I have left of my muffin top since completing the Advocare Cleanse with Raven!
 

Maybe you don't entirely agree with my reasons for doing this cleanse, but regardless, after seeing my results you'll have to at least admit that if done properly, it works.

I am a scaredy cat and didn't take any "before" photos of myself, which I know is kind of a cop out. But I did have Stewart take all my measurements the night before the cleanse, and here are my final numbers after ten days of strict cleansing:

So seven pounds and 3.25 inches lost, total. In ten days.
I'd call that a success!

And here are my thoughts... Did I lose weight because I bought and took supplements from a highly profitable, extensively marketed nutrition company? It's possible. Or did I lose weight because I ate only fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low glycemic index carbs, and healthy fats combined with a gallon of water per day? Far more likely.

The main things for me (actions that have always resulted in weight loss in the past) were the elimination of processed foods and carbohydrates, along with not eating anything after about six each evening. I also didn't cheat. Not even once. Except for accidentally eating grapes, pineapple and carrots on the first day, which I hardly think counts.

It was a pretty strict program, and it involved a lot of planning, but by the end of the ten days I was really used to the pattern and routine of it: Eating five small meals per day, taking fiber and vitamins, drinking lots of water, and only eating foods off the approved list. I also learned how to use my food scale and now I know exactly what three ounces of lean protein looks like, so I've gotten way better about my portions. Conclusion?

This isn't so bad... maybe I should keep doing it.

Of course with a few exceptions... adult beverages and ranch dressing will definitely be making a reappearance!
I wonder how vodka would taste mixed with Spark? Hmmm...

I've been off the official cleanse now for 12 days, and I'll admit I've fallen off the wagon a couple times (the baby shower, the birthday party, a to-die-for Italian dinner). And these little cheats do add up... I've gained back a pound so far. Damn.

But on the bright side, my physical therapist said that in another week I can start interval jogging again, so hopefully soon my cardio endurance will be back up to where it once was. Then I just need to add in some strength training (I've been slackin') and I should be back on track!

Would I recommend the Advocare 10-day Cleanse?

If you're going to follow the program religiously without cheating... Absolutely. It's a great kick in the ass, learning experience, and a fantastic system detox (I still haven't wanted or needed coffee). But if you honestly can't lay of the alcohol, sugar, and processed garbage for a week-and-a-half, don't waste your money. This isn't a miracle pill. You have to work really hard and you're going to suffer, but if you can push through, I promise it will be worth it!

Please feel free to share your own experiences in the comments!

My, how fast a year goes by...

I don't even know how it happened, but Aubrey is a year old!

Well actually her birthday is on Tuesday, but her big party was Saturday afternoon and it was so much fun! I just love going down south to spend time with my nieces. Here's a nice selfie of me with the birthday girl...

My sister loves a theme party just as much as I do, and this time she planned a lovely "watermelon" themed backyard birthday party, complete with wading pools for the kiddos. Unfortunately, just as the party was starting the entire backyard was overtaken by a swarm of bees, which took up residence in one of their pear trees in a clump literally as big as my head... I've never seen anything like it in my life!

Hence, the party was moved to the front yard... 

white trash loud and proud! 

Aubrey's cousin Mattison was my buddy for the day.

Love my siblings.

Grandma with the Girls.

Happy birthday, darling Aubrey, we love you so much!

On our way home from Portland we decided to stop at the McMenamins at old Kennedy School... have you guys ever been here? It was so freaking cool! All the old classrooms have been converted into hotel rooms, and there are little bars all over the place (like in the old detention room and teacher's lounge), and there is a full theater in the auditorium plus a restaurant in the old cafeteria. Oh, and also a brewery... love! Everything is restored with super funky charm and it was so fun just to wander around and look at everything. I would seriously plan another trip down just to go here again.

Anyway those are pretty much the highlights of my weekend. How was yours?

A Little '90s Friday Fun

Oh my word... I thought I would never recover from last weekend, and yet here we are...
It's Friday again, yay!

 

I've been sick all week with a nasty sore throat / congestion / sneezing / fever thing, but I'm finally starting to feel better just in time for the weekend, woo hoo! I think I'll go home from work, put on my hot pink shorts and tank with my blue socks, and do this...

But first, let's get this party started and back that azz up with Whitney.

 

Now tell me that song doesn't bring you back...

 

Stew is headed to Chelan this weekend for a bachelor party, and I'm going south to Portland for our niece Aubrey's first birthday party... and this time I'm a guest, not the host, woot woot!
 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Bloglovin'

Everyone is freaking out about Google Reader ending soon (frankly I never even used the thing), but I guess I'm supposed to tell you to follow my blog with Bloglovin... so there you have it. My task for the day is done.

 

Carry on.

Charlie Bug is One!

So yeah... I remember a few months back when I thought it would be easy-peasy to throw two parties at our brand new house in one weekend.

Can someone please go back in time and shoot me knock some sense into me?

Stew and I ran around like crazy people for weeks prior to these parties trying to get our downstairs pulled together. Furniture pick ups and deliveries, curtain hanging marathons, area rug disasters, custom framing adventures... it was all fairly stressful, but with a ton of help from my extremely supportive husband, best friend, and incredibly helpful mother, we finally finished everything up by about 11 p.m. the night before the first party.

And I'm not gonna lie, I was feeling pretty good about life at that point.

Crystal's baby shower on Saturday was so much fun I really didn't want it to end... and a few of our friends did stick around for a little backyard day drinking until later that evening. Is there anything better than day drinking? It was at that point that fatigue really started to kick in, but there was no time to bother with things like sleep... I had to rapid clean the house and re-set for the next day's party.

A first birthday celebration for Charlie!

What you can't see in these photos is the fact that there were practically 40 adults and 15 children in my house for almost three hours. Yeah...

When we agreed to host this party for our dear friends Cailin and Clint (they recently relocated from Boston and are living in temp housing until their house is built) we had no idea what the scale would be... but of course we were happy to do a favor for our friends and didn't think twice about it. Perhaps we should have.

Everything turned out wonderfully, and darling Charlie had a fabulous time and got tons of lovely gifts. But poor Stew and I were about to collapse from severe anxiety attacks the whole time. And I don't think he's ever, EVER going to let me have a baby after this. And frankly, I'm not sure if I want to anymore.

Children running around screaming, clutching chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes in their grubby little hands, reaching for my new white couches. A toddler who smacked his face on my new coffee table (minimal blood), and a boy who walked around kicking our door stoppers as hard as he could (moderate paint scuffs). The wall kicker's brother, who climbed up our hillside and proceeded to kick up the bark and throw rocks down at younger party guests. A little girl who screamed bloody murder while Charlie opened her gifts (because they weren't hers) and then attempted to hide and steal one later. And the parents who didn't even notice (or care).

Don't get me wrong... Charlie is a well-behaved little love bug with attentive, adoring parents. It was all those other little assholes who made my ovaries shrivel up like prunes in a single afternoon. Thank gawd it's over.

It was an absolutely privilege to host Charlie's first birthday party, and we were so happy to play such a monumental role in her special day. She is growing up into such a lovely sweet girl already and I can't wait to see her in the years to come. But I think next time I'll pass on all her little "friends."

Happy birthday darling Charlie!

A Shower for Crys & Baby Olive!

Dang, I should just go ahead and open up my own Etsy shop, the way I've been craftin' it up lately!

 

I'm actually not totally helpless when it comes to DIY projects (remember when I made the table numbers for our wedding?) I just don't really prefer to make something when it can be purchased at a store... which is usually easier and often cheaper (when you consider the materials and time that goes into craft projects).

 

But of course for my bff, special exceptions had to be made, and I crafted my little heart out making invitations, banners, favors, thank you notes, and designing custom olive cake pops for the baby shower I hosted at my house last Saturday. I hope I don't have to smell rubber cement again for a really long time.

 

The shower went off without a hitch and I think Crystal had a really good time. Now I can't wait to meet Olive Anne! Oh, did I mention the baby's name is Olive? Hence, the theme...

 

 

I apologize for the quality of some of those photos, but they're the best I could get with a camera phone and some crazy back lighting.

 

As you can see the weather cooperated and it was absolutely lovely outside... yay! And let me tell you, after the stressful week I had, sipping mimosas on my back patio with some fabulous ladies was exactly how I wanted to spend the afternoon.

 

Now the countdown is on for Baby Olive's arrival, 

and I can't wait to meet that little love bug!