Confessions Much

I confess that I've been snacking a delightful mix of Carmel and Cheese popcorn every day on my lunch break.  Our office was gifted with one of those giant 3 way popcorn tins and we are all pretty much obsessed with it.

I confess that my husband sent me this comic and I hate to say it but at least in my case sometimes it's true!!  Obviously he thinks so too and that's why he sent it to me.

I confess that I just barely signed up for a Twitter account this week.  I'm a little late to the party and I still haven't quite figured it out but if anyone wants to follow me my links are up.  3 Tweets, 5 followers, holla!!!  I confess that I'm also also kinda new to Pinterest.  I've already started following some of you on both so follow back!!

I confess that losing and/or misplacing any thing, even the smallest little insignificant item unnerves me to no end.  A sock.  A claw clip.  An earring.  It doesn't matter what it is but to have lost something means that there was a lapse in execution of my perfectly organized life and it pisses me off.  I retrace my steps.  I rack my brain trying to figure out where it disappeared to and if I can't find it I'm upset and then my husband has to listen to me whine about it for a day or two...or three until I'm finally able to let it go.  This time around it was a flash drive so my annoyance is totally justified.  It disappeared on Tuesday morning, I haven't seen it since and I'm still trying to get over it.  Thank goodness I had my novel saved elsewhere also or else I'd be having a nervous breakdown right now.

Link up with Leslie on Friday's @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that I felt like quite the underachiever after reading a story in my Marie Claire magazine.  It was about a girl who grew up with mentally ill parents in a storage unit and taught herself to read in a public library because she wasn't allowed to go to school.  She's written a book and currently makes a six figure salary as a writer.  I grew up in a house with two loving parents.  I went to school.  College even.  What's my excuse?  If you want to check out the story you can find it here at MarieClaire.com.

I confess that a couple of times I was so tired that I did the Elliptical with my eyes closed.  I can still go full power without losing my balance.  I know I must have looked really bizarre but I could barely keep my eyes open and it was the only way I could get through the hour. It's the closest I'll ever come to burning 600 calories in my sleep.

Okay, so this one is not very lady like and may very well fall into the TMI category, but here goes.  I confess that in the last six months I got serious about upping my water intake every single day and as a result have gone from from lady like misting to sweating bullets during my hour long cardio sessions.  All this time I thought I was either in really good shape or just glandularly blessed but it turns out that I just had a case of long term chronic dehydration.

I confess that I had no idea it was Thanksgiving next week!  Wow.  It seriously snuck up on me.

Gone Bananas

Adrienne Vittadini Jalya printed leopard flats [Source:  DSW]

I did a little shopping over the weekend.  Ok, well let me backtrack.  I actually bought these adorable leopard flats before my vacation when I actually wasn't even supposed to be shopping.  But you know how sometimes these things happen?  They are super comfortable.  I have no regrets about it now.  They are perfect and they are mine.  What's done is done.

                                                                                         Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via CeCe on Pinterest

                                                                                      Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via CeCe on Pinterest

                                                                                      Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via CeCe on Pinterest

Mj heard from a friend that Banana Republic was offering 50% off of regular priced items to veterans in honor of Veteran's Day.  He knew he had better tell me because if I found out later that I could have saved 50% off at Banana and he didn't bother to let me know I would have been mad.  Not that I ever shop there.  I'm more of Old Navy then Banana.  It's way too pricey but for 50% off of course I had to check it out.  I got the Merino V neck sweater in a brighter Red.  It's so soft and it looks really cute layered over the plaid top.  The plaid top is part of their Soft Wash collection of shirts.  What is soft wash?  According to the website:  Our Soft-Wash shirts undergo a delicate wash cycle for 60 minutes followed by an enzyme wash, giving the shirt a softer and more lived-in finish.  That enzyme wash must do the trick because it really is soft.  It feels so good on.  It's loose and casual but it still has somewhat of a structured fit so it doesn't feel too boxy.  When I was in high school we used to just call them flannels.  They were all the rage back then and now they are back like so many other things.  The sweater was originally $64.50 and the button up was $59.50 but I ended up paying $62 for both with the discount.  I would have never paid those original prices.  They both feel very expensive (because they are) and I like it!!  The V neck top was on clearance for $19.97.

                                       

                                                                                                                                               

                                                             Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via CeCe on Pinterest

I really wanted this denim chambray shirt as well but they didn't have it in my size.  I hate it when that happens.  I'm hoping Santa will bring it to me for Christmas.  If he happens to be reading this; XS please.   

Friday Confessions

I confess that I didn't write a single page of my novel last month.  I kind of figured that would happen because I didn't get back from vacation until the 11th and I was physically back but my brain stayed in Europe for the rest of the month.  But that's okay.  I've written 6 pages so far this month and I WILL write more.

I confess that even though my modeling days are over I still get a kick out of it when my pics are spotted by friends and family.  Mj stumbled upon this one last week in google images while searching for something for work.  Random!!

She looks way too happy to be in the hospital!

I confess that I'm not sad that it took so long for Fall to finally hit Southern California.  It's been mostly in the 80's since July and it finally dipped into the 60's yesterday.  I love sunshine and warmth and that's just one reason I love it here, so even though it takes much longer for me to get into my boots around these parts I'm not complaining.

I confess that I'm really glad I wrote my vacation recaps but I'm also glad to be finished.  Ten posts!  It was very time consuming and by the time I got to Amsterdam I'm pretty sure I bored most of my readers to tears but it was worth it to preserve that amazing experience forever right here on my blog. 

I confess that I just barely figured out that all those cute little outfit boards I see all over the blogosphere come from Polyvore.  I love 'em.  Now I wonder how long it'll take me to get around to making one of my own.

I confess that I'm super excited that I got a new follower this week.  It's been a while since that happened and each one is precious.  Thank you Tammy! 

Link up with Leslie on Friday's @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that I left the refrigerator open all day long Monday while we were at work.  Oops.  The incessant beeping that is triggered when the door is left open is supposed to make it dummy proof but when you grab something out of the refrigerator, rush out the door and no one is home to hear it then it doesn't work.  It was still beeping when Mj got home and discovered my mistake.

I confess that I ate a warm homemade cinnamon roll with just a dab of reduced fat vanilla ice cream on the side for dinner Wednesday night.  Yes, the husband made them AGAIN.  I didn't get home until close to 7pm after a long day of work and Pilates reformer torture class.  That's what I wanted so that's what I ate.

I confess that aside from when I had my girls get together in September Tuesday was the first time I cooked anything in about 4 months...probably longer!  Mj left for Europe mid August, I joined him at the end of September but the main reason is that I just totally lost my cooking mojo.  What little I had.  When my mom wants to organize Thanksgiving dinner she texts him not me.  Yes, I'm still married.  Which brings me to my next confession.

I confess that sometimes I seriously can't believe that I have such an awesome husband.  I'm just not that girl that usually gets what she wants but when it came to him I hit the jackpot.  I have beautiful, great, successful friends who are either in not so good relationships or single and looking.  Why me and not them?  Sometimes I still can't figure out how I got so lucky.

And those are my confessions for today folks.  This was a looooong tiring week for me.  I'm so glad it's Friday.  I really need this three day weekend.  Happy Friday everyone!

 

Halloween Hootchie Mama

Saturday night we met a couple downtown for drinks and then lined up with a bunch of high schoolers to go to a Haunted Mansion.  This one is pretty good.  Last year we went to an outdoor one which sucked but we went to this same one two years ago and I forgot how much fun it is.  It's in a basement so it's very dark and we were funneled through different rooms in small groups.  In one room there is a bloody scene of a cannibalistic family at a dinner table and in the next it's a looney bin with some crazy person hobbling towards you.  I squeezed the life out of Mj's hand.  I was hanging on his arm and screamed my way through the entire thing.  I was in the front and I'd already be screaming in anticipation even before we entered the next room.  It's so weird because I'm a big chicken but I love watching scary movies and I love being scared.  Mj if you are reading this I DO NOT love it when you scare me on purpose so please don't take this as permission scare the crap out of me again.

Lots of people dress up and go bar hopping downtown so we saw plenty of scandalous costumes.  I get it that as an adult if you dress up for Halloween you might not want to be wearing the same witch or princess costume that you did when you were 10 years old.  Halloween isn't just for trick or treating and it's not just for kids so as an adult you vamp it up to make your costume more exciting and glamorous.  My thing is that if you are going to dress like a hootchie mama in the name of Halloween we should at least be able to tell what your costume is.  I saw a group of girls wearing 1/2 shirts and leggings.  I had no idea what they were dressed as.  I saw a girl in a satin bustier, fishnets and garters.  What was she dressed as?  A Victoria's Secret model?  And even if I can tell what you are...uh did you really have to go there? 

Just the right amount of hootchie [Photo Source]

I haven't played too much Halloween dress up since I stopped trick or treating but I do believe that there is a Halloween hootchie mama inside of me just waiting to come out.  If I had a party to go to you bet I'm going to be a sexy something but a leotard and garter belts alone will not my costume make.  I would love to dress up as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.  It would be my one chance to wear even a replica of that adorable/sexy uniform.  I don't think DCC are hootchies but the tiny outfit is on the risque side; especially if you aren't you know actually a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.  And anyways, I don't see anything wrong with owning it and being confident enough to show some skin if you want to.  But not too much skin!! Leave SOMETHING to the imagination. 

Too much hootchie mama for me [Photo Source]

In my office no one dressed up and there was not a single candy bowl or Halloween decorated cup cake to be found.  Every other day there's junk all over the place but not today for some reason.  I had a hair appointment after work so I didn't get home until 7:30pm.  I missed most of the kids but there was plenty of left over candy.  I'm too old for trick or treating but I love candy even more now then when I was a kid.  Halloween is my excuse to eat excessive amounts of it just because.  It works out because I heard on the news the other day (while I was at the gym) that horror movies offer the highest calorie burn then any other genre.  Did you know that you could burn 113 calories watching a 90 minute horror film?  That's the same amount of calories that you might burn on a 30 minute walk.  Incidentally, The Shining is ranked as the #1 calorie burning movie.  Ha!!  How do they test this stuff out anyways?  I have two horror movies lined up for this weekend so I should be in good shape candy eating and all.  

Day 14-15 :: Red Lights in Amsterdam

Thalys high speed trains in the background

I was getting kind of sad that our trip was almost coming to an end but really excited to see Amsterdam. We were off dragging our luggage through the city streets again but our hotel was fairly close to the metro so it wasn't that bad AND thankfully there was no rain.  We boarded a 12:20 pm Thalys high speed train for a 3 hour train ride from Paris Nord to Amsterdam Central station.  We booked this in advance because it was very essential to our trip itinerary and on these high speed trains you actually buy tickets AND reservations where seats are pre assigned.  Mj booked us in 1st class Comfort.  It was a little more expensive but  it might be my only chance to ride in 1st class anything so that was cool.  Train rides are so much simpler then airplane travel.  You just get on and it's a smooth ride.  The seats were wide and roomy with a really nice recline.  In 1st class you get WI-Fi, food AND free wine.  The meal was a little strange because it was all cold.  It was Chicken Pate, Salad, Grapes, Potatoes and Cous Cous and carrot salad and bread.  They came around again a couple stops later and offered us another snack which I happily accepted. 

I think this was my favorite hotel room

We arrived at Amsterdam Central and it was only about  a 5 minute walk to Westcord City Centre Hotel.  The cobblestones were outta control even more so then any other city so it was a little bit harder to wheel our luggage but we made it just fine.  We checked into our 4th hotel of the trip and once again I was very pleased.  Clean, modern and a great location.  It even had a fully enclosed shower!!! Then we set out to explore another new city.  Mj was feeling congested so we stopped at a Pharmacy and he was able to buy stuff that would normally require a prescription right over the counter pretty cheaply so that was good.  And yes, we did smell the odor of marijuana throughout the city now and then.

Anne Frank House the next day; long line

We'd heard that the line for the Anne Frank house gets really long so we went over there to see if we could go in that night or buy advance tickets for the next day.  They didn't close until 7pm so had time to go in right then and there was no line.  Tickets were 9 € Euro each.  They didn't allow cameras.  It was pretty cool to see the actual area where they were all hiding out.  All the original furniture was removed but they had replicas set up of how it looked.   There were pictures, videos and her actual diary was there.  It's a good thing we got in there because the next day there was a long line.

Top left:  Windows where they ladies wait for business.  Right in the heart of the district at night

The Red light District is actually Post Card Pretty

I have to admit I was pretty interested in seeing what the Red Light district was like.  I'd heard about women in shop windows basically for sale and that's exactly what it was like.  And the "red light" part of the name is for real.  There is a red light above each window and throughout the area there are red lights on short posts.  The women are inside wearing lingerie and waiting for business.  Some were on their cell phones and others are standing inside the window looking out.  I tried not to stare too hard.  There is a no camera symbol on the window but it would have been rude to take unsolicited pictures of women in underwear anyways.  I took the pictures of the windows they stand in above the next day.  The area didn't feel as scary and seedy as I thought it would.  Maybe because everything in Amsterdam is so darn cute.  There are a lot more small, dark and dank looking pubs and bars in that area and it's where the strip clubs are but for the most part it looked just like any other part of the city.

Out to dinner

After that we headed out of the red light district to find a place to eat.  There are a lot of Argentinean restaurants in Amsterdam (and Chinese massage Parlors too for that matter) and Mj picked one called Le Pot Au Fe for us to eat because he was in the mood for Steak.  I wasn't that thrilled with the menu so I ordered steak fries and garlic bread and it was really good.

on the canal :: there are bikes everywhere you look in Amsterdam

Dutch Pancakes for breakfast

The next morning we took our time getting up and stayed in our hotel pretty much right up until check out. We left our baggage at the hotel and went for Breakfast.  Mj wanted Dutch Pancakes.  He found this adorable tiny little restaurant for us to eat at.  Dutch pancakes are thinner, bigger and crispier then American Pancakes.  They were so good.  I ordered dutch style with Bacon baked in and Mj ordered one with Lemon and Powdered Sugar on top.  His didn't even need Syrup it had so much flavor.

Enjoying Vondel Park

Exploring Vondel Park

Amsterdam is so quaint and so beautiful!  there are people on bikes everywhere.  It's the #1 mode of transportation there.  People cart their kids, dogs and everything else along with them on their bikes so we saw all kinds of extra seating and giant baskets and boxes attached to bikes.  After that we spent hours walking around Vondel Park.  This park is beautiful and huge.  The sun was shining although it did dip behind the clouds as the day wore on but I think we really caught a break that we didn't get rain.

In the Sex Museum

Homes on the canal

After that we went to the Sex Museum.  This was Mj's pick!  What can I say?  It was only 4 € and we were in Amsterdam so what the hell.  It was pretty interesting.  It was my turn to pick a restaurant which took forever because I'm really bad at that.  I can never decide.  I found us a very Dutch restaurant called De Vergulde Lantaarn and like everything else we'd eaten in Europe it was really good.   I got a Ham Tosti which is basically like a ham and cheese grilled panini and Mj got Schnitzel.  We split another bottle of wine.  In case you lost count that's SIX bottles of wine not counting the one we had on ship!  We were only in Amsterdam for 1 night but we got there early and left late so it was plenty of time. 

Back to the train station to wait for our night train to Stuttgart

CNL Night Train ::  Bunks on the left sink on the right

After that we were on the move again for our final long train ride.  The City Night Line sleeper train left out of Amsterdam Central at 8:30pm and we'd arrive in Stuttgart at 4:17am.  The train pulled up, we showed the conductor our tickets and went inside.  It's so tiny!!  Tinier then I even expected but it's functional if you want to rest while traveling unlike on an airplane.  We prepared by having our toiletries and clothes for the next day near the top of our luggage because we knew we wouldn't have much space to work with.  It took some organizing but we finally got our luggage wedged up onto the top bunk and I went to take a shower down at the end of the hall.  It's a public shower and it's kind of like taking a shower in an airplane bathroom.   I'm very finicky about these things so I wore flip flops and that worked out fine.  It was even harder taking a shower on the train then on a ship.  I got bumped into the wall several times.  In retrospect we probably should have opened up the 3rd bunk up top and put our luggage there so Mj and I could each have our own bunk.  We were literally sleeping on top of each other.  We managed, but we probably would have been more comfortable in our own.  I had to wake up once in the middle of the night to use the bathroom which is no easy feat.  It's pitch black and I had to climb over Mj.  The train ride went really quick. We got our wake up call and then got up to get dressed.  The train guy gave us take away boxes for breakfast and coffee for me.  For our own car it was 269 € which is $299 USD....ugh everything just sounds so much better in Euro's doesn't it?  We had to fly out of Stuttgart because that's where Mj originated from on his Military orders making Amsterdam quite a bit out of our way so traveling overnight was the best way to fit it into our trip and make an early morning flight out.  It was worth it though and I'm glad we did.  We got off the train and then went to wait for the metro that would take us to the Stuttgart Airport.  We were both out of Euros so Mj went to the ATM and bought our tickets which were only 3,50 € each.

We were so early to the airport that United hadn't even set up their ticket area yet so we couldn't even find the area to check in.  We were told where they would be and about an hour later they started setting up their signs and ticket counter.  Our flight left at 9:30am.  It would be a long 9 hours.  I watched 3 movies and Mj watched 5!  We had a hot meal of beef and potatoes not too long after boarding and then we were offered a hot sandwich for a snack a couple hours before we landed.  We had a layover in Newark and then it was 5 hours 45 minutes until we got home.  Our plane left at 9:30am Europe time on Thursday and we got home at about 5:30pm Pacific time the same day.  You technically gain time coming back from Europe but in real hours the travel time by plane with layovers was 24 actual hours.  If you count the 8 hour train ride overnight that was a total of 32 hours of traveling by the time we got home!!!

Even though we did so much on this trip I didn't feel as worn out as I thought I would when we got back.  10 cities in 15 days (13 if you count the tiny port towns that we just caught trains out of) is a lot!  When I look back I still can't believe how much we did.  It's fast paced.  You really have to be willing and ready to go, go, go and we both were.  I don't know when we'll be back so it made sense to me that if we are going to go to Europe we should fit in as much as we could.  We got back on Thursday, had a nice break and then went back to work on Monday.  I swear; I seriously couldn't believe that I had a job.  It was like, what?  I have to work?  That's what traipsing around and eating your way through Europe for two weeks can do to you.  What an awesome, amazing, fun, exciting, exhausting, relaxing whirlwind of a vacation!  I loved experiencing so many new adventures with Mj.  We were together every single minute of every single day and it was great.  It was worth every single penny.  I will never ever forget how much fun we had together and all the amazing things we got to see and do.  I definitely have wanderlust now.  Right now I feel like traveling anywhere else is going to feel like a let down but I'm sure that will fade.  I don't know when we'll go back but I am certain that we will.  Too bad I can't wait!!

Day 1-3 ::  Off to Europe