Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This past weekend, after many months of anticipation, I took a trip with my girlfriends to Las Vegas. I will say that this was not my first choice of location, simply because... well, I go to Vegas a lot. And I've been craving new places. But it was really the easiest vacation to plan and we could drive there. So Vegas won.

And as much as I resisted enjoying Las Vegas for the ???th time, I couldn't help but have fun. Typically, I go to Vegas with my husband. As much fun as I have with him, I usually gamble for about 1/2 an hour and then I'm ready to go home. With my girlfriends, there was a whole different vibe. We ate at fancy restaurants, stayed in a beautiful resort, got waited on by the pool, took in a spa day... It was a truly a vacation. And I enjoyed every minute.

Room with a View

All dolled up for a night out at Thunder From Down Under & Club AriaLemonade in a PINEAPPLE? Yes, please!

Fancy dinner and dessert at BouchonRed Rock Hike
Weirdly awesome Fremont StreetSerendipity 3Our last night... we took naps and then played Would You Rather at the hotel bar.

I think it was determined that we need to do stuff like this a lot more often...

Month #4

Well the last month has had its up and its downs. Its been busy and its been boring. I went for about a week where I lost my will to live, but I'm back to regular ol' me. (Don't quite know where that came from but we all have our moments.)

April in a nutshell:

* Had a (very) mini High School reunion. Not many people were there, but a few of my favorites showed up. It was really fun to get reacquainted and reminisce about the old days.

* Poker night with our buddies.
* Booked a couple of photography jobs, so I'm very happy (and relieved).

* Went to a good friend's wedding. As usual, I basically attended the wedding alone because my husband is so popular, he gets asked to be in the wedding party EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

* Took some cat naps with my fat cat.

* Worked from home editing photos for the reality show that my husband is working on.

* Had a shopping day with my gal pals to prepare for our upcoming Vegas trip! Just a few days 'til we are outta here!

* Attended a couple photography workshops that taught me a lot.

* Had weekend workouts with my girlfriends to prepare for bathing suit season. Although it didn't prepare me enough. I need to buy one for this weekend and I DON'T WANNA!

* Went to a Jimmy Kimmel Live taping.

* Hit the 6-mile mark in my 10K training! I still can't believe it myself. Although, since I've almost accomplished my goal, I have been losing some of my motivation to keep going. I haven't lost any weight, which is just annoying. The weather has been getting hot so that makes it really uncomfortable. Besides, running is just so dang hard... But I must keep plugging along. Hopefully it will get easier one of these days.

* Watched a lot of TV. Mostly the reruns they play on TBS.

* My brother, sister & nephew came for another visit. It was really fun. We ate a LOT. We went to a Dodger game. We went to the Natural History Museum. We watched a bunch of movies. We drove up the coast in a convertible. I loved it and really didn't want them to leave.

Month #4 ain't over yet!

Kick-Ass

Dude.

This movie was NOT what I expected. At ALL. Based on the cast and the one commercial I saw, I figured it was going to be a comedy. And I guess in away it was. Like maybe a dark comedy? But it had a lot of swearing, a lot of blood and a lot of action. And it was pretty awesome. The only way to describe it is actually "Kick-Ass". So it lives up to its title. A little long for my taste, but it was a fun ride. And it was a crowd-pleaser for sure. Geeks and action junkies alike will enjoy it.

Even though I despise Nic Cage in 90% of his movies, I loved his character in this.

My Food Rules

1. Broken potato chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag do not count toward your daily calorie intake. Especially if they are baked chips. (This also goes for bonus french fries at the bottom of the bag.)

2. Key Lime Pie Cheesecake is healthier than regular cheesecake because it's light and fruity.

3. Vegetables are super healthy. Regardless of what they are dipped in.

4. Creamy peanut butter on a spoon is a delicious snack packed with protein. Helps kill cravings and get you from lunch to dinner with no regrets.

5. When you are on vacation, calories don't count at all. Take advantage of this. Eat dessert with every meal and drink whatever you want.

6. Bananas are gross. Stay away from bananas.

7. Microwave popcorn is the perfect snack. Sure it has enough sodium to challenge a glass of ocean water, but its low in calories! So go ahead and finish a whole bag!

8. A protein style In-N-Out cheeseburger has about the same amount of calories as a Lean Cuisine microwave meal. And they are about the same price (if not a little cheaper).

SCREW LEAN CUISINES!!!

9. I don't care what anyone says, McDonald's french fries are practically perfect in every way. Like Mary Poppins.

10. Soft baked cookies will always cheer you up. At least temporarily.

11. Question: How can you eat 6 servings of rice/grains/pasta, 5 servings of fruits/veggies, 3 servings of meat/poultry/fish, and 3 servings of dairy while staying under 1500 calories every day? Answer: You can't. It's impossible. Food pyramids are bogus.

12. When you are eating out with friends, try to laugh a lot. They will probably be flattered that you think they are so funny, plus you are burning off extra calories.

13. Beef Jerky makes your breath stink, but it is a good protein snack. I eat mine right before bed. My husband loves that.

14. Hummus.

15. If you are depressed about being fat, eat ice cream straight out of the container. It's surprisingly comforting. Although you'll probably hate yourself in the morning.

16. If you order the Mocha LITE Frappuccino from Starbuckers, then you can get one of those yummy lemon loafs too. They cancel each other out.

17. One of my girlfriends told me that Extra sugar-free gum is a great way to kill cravings for sweets. I haven't tried it yet because I was busy eating this chocolate, but I'm sure it works great.

18. Salads have more calories than you think. Beware!

19. Food in general is pretty much the best thing ever.

20. Everything in moderation.