Lately.....

  Let's just quickly move past the fact that I've failed as a blogger by not posting in a gazillion years, and catch up with what's been going on lately.

  Let's see.....well a lot has been going on in my crazy, busy life. 

  Let's get the unhappy news out first. About five weeks ago T went to the gym on a Saturday morning and while on the way home was hit by another car who decided that they didn't really need to stop at a stop sign, even though T was turning right in front of them. Thankfully, T was not injured at all in the accident! He had driven my car that morning and the poor baby was just crushed. 

 

 

  Everything was settled and we were able to get another car within a few weeks. It's definitely a bigger and different type of vehicle, but we figured since we had to get another car we may as well get the "mommy car" now, rather than later. 

 

 

  On to happier and more exciting news........

  About 5 weeks ago I started taking and am now distributing a very awesome product. It's called Juice Plus. 

 

 

  It's been around for about 20 years and is backed up by over 30 published scientific research studies. It's basically a salad bar in a capsule. 

 

 

  The daily serving is equal to 17 servings of fruits and vegetables. Now, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but I know that most days I'm probably not getting the recommended 9-13 servings. Our bodies work best when they're fueled properly.  I'm already noticing positive results after only a few weeks and I'm excited to see what the future holds! If you'd like more info on Juice Plus please contact me under the "Contact Me" tab and I'll be happy to tell you more.

  Now, even more exciting news!

  Over Labor Day weekend T and I went on vacation! We hadn't been anywhere in a long time, so this trip was long overdue. 

  Before we met T took a solo vacation to Sedona, AZ and since the day we met he's been telling me about it and talking about how he wanted to take me there. We began searching for a vacation destination in July and I told him that we needed to make Sedona happen! 

 

 

 

  I completely loved our trip! Sedona and Arizona as a whole is amazing and beautiful. I'd always imagined Arizona to be sand, cactus and HOT! Now, we did experience that in Phoenix when we flew in, but those pre-conceived ideas quickly disappeared as we took the highway north. Arizona was mountains and rivers and gorgeous. 

 

 

 

  We spent the majority of our trip in Sedona, but did take one day to check out the Grand Canyon. We hiked.....A LOT! 11 miles in one day! We returned from our vacation tired, sore and so happy that we'd had the chance to visit Sedona! I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is looking for a beautiful place to visit.

Oh Snap!

  So, I know that I've talked about it before and I'm pretty sure that months ago I promised a post on the subject....and here it is....finally! My hubby is an amazing photographer. I know I'm biased because I kinda like the guy, but he really is awesome! He is completely self taught and I've loved watching his work get better and better over the years.

  I have always loved photography. When I was a little girl I considered looking at pictures to be one of my hobbies. Not sure if that really falls under the category of "Hobbies" but I was kinda a strange little kid. You could often times find me sitting on the living room floor, thumbing through our family photo albums. My Mom took a lot of pictures! I've always wanted to get into taking photos, but just never did....until now! I have no excuse or reason not to be able to pick up the hobby now. T and I have two fancy cameras, so now is the time.

  I've helped T photograph events in the past. He's done several weddings, and it really helps to have two photographers because there's so much going on. However, my photos are not always the best.

  I've really been trying to take a lot more pictures lately. There's no way to get better if I'm not practicing. For the past several posts I've only been using my DSLR versus my cell phone camera. I'm not sure if any of you have noticed a slight improvement in the quality of my pictures, but now I fully expect to receive millions of comments about my awesome skills. I kid, I kid....you don't have to say anything....until I get really good!

  Here's a few of the hubby's awesome pics. Y'all can comment on his skills......

  T recently formed a group here in San Antonio for people that are interested in photography and last week we had our first event. We just spent some time downtown, taking pics. Here's a few of mine....

  I only hope that one day I can be half as good as T, when it comes to my photography.

The secret to more money and less stress

   Today I want to share with you the secret to my millions. Ok, so maybe not millions, but this little trick has definitely helped our household budget. And not only that, it has majorly cut down on a daily stressor. Can I get an amen to that?!

  Meal planning people! That's where it's at! Several months ago T and I made a vow to start having a better plan when it came to our daily dinners. I had heard a little talk about meal planning and thought I'd give it a shot. It has been a lifesaver. I no longer walk into the house after a long day, exhausted, and tell T that we're on our own for dinner. This translates into, T is having eggs and I'm having a salad. 

  We also have dramatically cut back on our trips to the grocery store. Hallelujah! Sorry to sound so excited if battling hundreds of other shoppers on a Wednesday at 5pm, when you're tired and hungry, just happens to be your absolute favorite thing to do. 

  So, here's how it goes down. T and I have perfected the 2 week meal planning. Every other week, usually on a Friday, I sit down and make up our meal plans for the next 2 weeks. I have this cute little paper that I write everything on and then hang it on the fridge. 

 

 

  As I plan every meal I look through the pantry and deep freezer to figure out what ingredients I have and what needs to be purchased. I write out a very detailed shopping list, organized by the way my grocery store is laid out. It's a shining example of my OCD at it's best. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who does this.

  

  I'll never forget one time when T and I were at the store together and we went in the door opposite of the section where I usually start and he asked, "can't we just do the list backwards?" I then looked at him like he was completely nuts and he proceeded to push the empty shopping cart all the way across the store so that we could start everything in the proper order. 

  Ok....where was I? Oh yes, meal planning.....not talking about how crazy Ginger is. 

  I only add things to the list that we need, and we're usually pretty good about sticking to it. I would say we might buy one or two things that are not on the list. They are usually chocolate chip cookies. 

  I cannot say enough good things about meal planning. It cuts back on the daily question of, "what's for dinner?" We've also noticed that we're now eating better, healthier meals. Meal planning can really help eliminate your trips to the grocery store. Because let's be honest, how many times do you go in and just get that one ingredient that you're needing for dinner?! Since we've been meal planning we only go to the store twice a month, usually on Saturday mornings before it gets insane and I start threatening to hit people with my shopping cart because they've been staring at the 15 different types of tomato sauce for 3 minutes. I would highly recommend that you give meal planning a try. If there was a company that marketed meal planning I totally just rocked the selling of their product.

Kayaking the river

  Earlier this week I went kayaking for the first time, and absolutely loved it! One of my coworkers has 4 kayaks so she took a small group of us after work. Our office is actually right on the San Antonio Riverwalk, so that's where we went.

 

  Now I know when many of you image the Riverwalk you probably have an image like this......

 

 

  But, just a little further south of all this craziness there's a beautiful section that is lined with a few houses, tons of trees and quiet nature. It's really great, and I love to be able to enjoy it during my lunch break by taking a walk. 

  We put the kayaks in south of our office and then rowed about a mile north until we ran into a waterfall and had turn back. 

  Kayaking was a lot of fun and a great way to experience the Riverwalk.