Oh, What a Fitmas!

When I was making my Christmas List, yes I still make one for my parents... I mean Santa, I noticed that most of the gifts I was asking for, were all fitness related. It made me laugh because each year I feel like I ask for products related to whatever I am currently obsessed with. I think I'm always going to be in love with fitness though. I mean Sal and I were even talking about having a gym in our basement or extra room, when we eventually move in together.

My mom always asks my brother and I for a list, but tells us to put one big thing at the top - something we really want above all else, and then add smaller gifts underneath. What I wanted more than anything this year was a Polar FT40F Heart Rate Monitor, and it's exactly what I received! I have tested it out for three weeks or so already, and I absolutely love it - it calculates my calories burned, heart rate - max and minimum, and the amount of time I spend burning fat v. fitness. I think my favorite part about the HRM is the fact that it stores my workouts from weeks prior, and I'm able to go back and check out how many calories I've burned each week, as well as how long I worked out each week total. The color white is perfect, and the chest strap that it comes with doesn't even bother me. I put it right under my sportsbra, and don't even notice that it's there. While I try and wear the HRM during every workout, I never bring it to Yoga, because I don't think that it's necessary to have it there - I'd rather not focus on calories burned, instead I focus on me, and breathing too!

While I didn't receive any workout clothes - because my mom didn't want to mess up any sizes and have a bunch of returns on her hands - I did receive a Gaiam Yoga Mat, as well as a Body Fit Foam roller - both in my favorite color, green! While I haven't used the foam roller yet, I have used the yoga mat for all of my workouts, including yoga at a fitness center. I absolutely love the color, as well as the durability of the mat. I have done everything from mountain climbers to tummy tucks, and many, many yoga positions on it, and it looks like I haven't even used it.

 I also got a Nike gym bag, which I carry all my essentials in while attending many different fitness classes, my favorite being cardio kickboxing, among others including yoga, which I'm really starting to love. While it's small, it's exactly the size I need because all I really need to carry is a water bottle, my kickboxing gloves and wraps, headbands and pony tails, and maybe a protein bar or two.

Even though I didn't ask for a scale, I got one, a Taylor Body Analysis Scale, and I love it [I only weigh myself every Monday, but I haven't even stepped on it in 2 weeks, not that I am not proud, but just because weight is only a number, I'm not trying to lose weight - I know I'm getting stronger and leaner]. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it seems accurate enough - it tells me everything from my weight, body fat %, total body water %, muscle mass, Kcal/BMR, and bone mass.

I also received TWO huge bags of Perfect Fit Protein - which if you know me, you know how much I love, and a new blender bottle! 

She also stuck gum, cinnamon roasted almonds, and vitamin C chews in my stocking - which is pretty much all gone already, and now I'm addicted to cinnamon roasted almonds, I mean that's better than satisfying my cinnamon craving by going to a Cinnabon and asking for the biggest cinnamon bun they have with loads of extra icing, right?!

What'd you receive for Christmas - anything fitness related?

Christmas Eve Passes Quickly

Every year my family has Christmas Eve at our house with family and friends. It's something to look forward to, especially when December 1st comes around. Instead of ordering from some big restaurant, my mom decided to order from someone she knew who cooked out of her home for just such occasions! I thought it was great that she was helping out a small business owner, as opposed to a bigger business. The food was even better than we expected too, from the sausage and peppers and chicken to the homemade cookies and fresh bread!

The whole day my father, brother, and I prepared for the night, while my mom was getting in her hours at work. We made sure the house was spotless, decorated perfectly, and laid out the tables and tables of food. That day I made a few desserts [snowman donuts, candy cane lane cupcakes, and gingerbread bundts], you can find the recipes on my baking blog - here. I got changed, but not before I saw what my brother was wearing - a green sweater, with a white button down shirt underneath and grey pants - so I decided that this Christmas, we should match. Yes, I realize I'm 23 and he's 20, but I still thought it'd be hysterical when I came out of my room and stood next to him. I didn't match exactly, instead I went with a red sweater, a white button down shirt underneath, and black pants. Even though my brother wanted me to change, begged me actually, it became a joke by the end of the night... maybe I was the only one laughing, but still.

When Sal arrived, he gave me a gift - not just any gift, but an Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas gift! This year, since all of those special occasions are within a week of each other, we decided to combine them and go on a trip, instead of giving each other presents. While I still insisted on buying Sal a gift - a much necessary winter jacket, I didn't mind not receiving anything. I've always loved giving more than receiving. It made me smile though when Sal walked in with one single rose, and a packet of paper. I quickly took the packet, but not before giving him a huge hug. He booked a trip for us to go to ...

NIAGARA FALLS! I couldn't believe it; we both had never been there before, nor had we ever gone to Canada, so we're both super excited about it! We leave this weekend for a three-day mini vacation.

Family and friends started to arrive soon after, and after eating all of the food, laughing at all of the jokes between cousins, and just soaking the night in, the night was over before I had even realized it. I'm grateful for nights that I get to spend with those I love, but they seem to go too fast. We always try and take as many pictures as we can in front of our Christmas tree, because some of the people we see on Christmas Eve, we barely see throughout the year, and it's nice to look back on those pictures. My mom got a little crazy this year with the camera though, and I feel like all we did was take pictures, but I know one day I'll cherish them and thank her for having captured those memories.

We went to bed, and eventually my brother and I woke up to the sounds of my mom screaming that Santa came... again we're 23 and 20 and yet we were still laughing at the way she woke us up, because who knows - next year we may not be there - I might be in a place of my own, and my brother might be away for college. Even though my brother and I complained about having to wake up early, I secretly didn't mind it. We let Maddie, our golden retriever, open her presents first. Every year I buy her presents, wrap them, and stick them in her stocking, and it never gets old watching her tear through the wrapping paper to the toys and treats. Then we open our gifts from Santa, and eventually my brother and I give our parents their presents. Time ticks by slowly in the morning, it's like Christmas Eve rushes by so we can enjoy the quite moments the following day - just spending time together as a family, opening gifts of love and eating our breakfast, which is always the same - eggs, bacon, toast... and I wouldn't trade that small amount of time for anything.

We eventually head to our Aunts, and the separate for the night, which is why I'm glad that we have the morning together - always.

Gingerbread Houses & Christmas Lights

Another yearly tradition that Sal and I have been doing these past five years is making gingerbread houses when Christmas approaches. While our houses had come out less than perfect in the past - okay they fell apart and were unworthy of any gingerbread house contest, this year, we tried making it differently. Instead of putting it together first and then decorating, we decorated first and then put the pieces together. Don't follow the directions on the box - it's like they want you to fail! We split the pieces up and worked on it together, asking each other how things looked and laughing when we couldn't get the chimney on. So while our house looked great, the chimney may have ended up halfway down the roof. I have to admit though, this has been our best house - so far!

We also love to grab a cup of hot chocolate and drive around looking at Christmas lights. The amount of lights we see, however, has drastically declined. I'm not sure if families are trying to save money by not putting Christmas lights up, or if they're just not in the spirit, but the towns that we thought for sure would have them up, were dark and deserted. Luckily enough for us I came up with an idea the week before - come up with a playlist of 10 songs that reminded us of one another. Sal thought it'd be perfect to share our playlists with each other during the ride, and that's exactly what we did. So instead of being annoyed at how many lights there weren't, we held hands and smiled at each other, while we listened to our playlists. It was fun trying to guess how many of the same songs we had on our playlists, and it was interesting to listen to the lyrics and really understand why we chose each song. Gingerbread houses, Christmas lights, and romantic playlists - Talk about a perfect night?!

Christmas Time in the City

Every year, Sal and I make our way to NYC to see the tree and to wander the streets of NY to enjoy the cold winter night. It's sort of like a tradition that we've started since before we started going out. This year my brother joined us, with his soon-to-be girlfriend, since he was home from college for the holidays. Sharing these special moments with my brother really means a lot to me. We made plans to go on a Sunday night, a rainy Sunday night I might add, and drove into the city. Once we found parking we began walking to the tree, and I swear, every year when I see it - it changes, and yet it stays the same. I know it's not the same tree, but it looks the same every year. I guess that's kind of like people ... as the days pass by you don't notice any change, but when you look back on pictures from year to year, you can see drastic changes.

We always try and take pictures by the tree each year, a couple on our own camera and then professional shots, which sometimes we order, and sometimes we don't. This year we took professional pictures twice and guess what? They both came out horrible. The first time because our jackets made us look rather large, and the pictures came out dark and blurry the second time. When we got home later that night to look at them, I was so upset that I might've cried... okay I did cry! We went all that way for nothing... until I realized the memories made were more important than the pictures we had taken.

Afterwards, we walked to Bryant Park, one of my favorite spots in NYC during the holidays. We took a few pictures in front of the tree, walked around the ice skating rink, and into and out of the little shops that were set up, even though some of them were closing.

We were going to grab dinner in the city as well, but decided to head back home and stop at a diner to warm up and fill up! I tried to go with healthier dish, and one of my favorites at the diner - chicken caesar wrap with a side of chips and salsa. I don't know how they do it, but it's one of the best I've ever had. Then we headed to grab some hot chocolate to warm up even more! You won't believe how cold the city can be in the winter when it's raining!

TIU Secret Santa

I signed up for Tone It Up Secret Santa last month, and I was fortunate enough to be paired with two people from the U.S (one that would send me something, and one that I would send something to). It was fun being able to connect with even more Tone It Up girls, and to surprise them with a little gift during the holidays. The website the individual used to start TIU Secret Santa is Elfster, and it was great because you were able to communicate with the person you were paired with anonymously, and get to know more about them and what they like.

I was paired with Julia and I was able to find out that she loves trying new things, traveling, crafting, and accessories! So in the end I bought her a Smash journal with tons of extras to help her create a TIU memory book, a race book, a recipe book, a travel book - anything she wanted! I also was able to find a few beauty products that I thought she might like to try including nail polish, a [green] workout headband, chap stick, and of course, a makeup travel bag, which I thought might just be the cutest accessory! She told me she loved everything, once she had finally gotten it, after Christmas, from the mail room in her apartment building!

The person who had me was Amy! She didn't even need to ask me any questions, she knew exactly what I wanted and needed just by following my wish list on Elfster, and by seeing plenty of my posts on Instagram and Twitter! It's great knowing my Tone It Up sisters are reading what I post. I feel like some of these ladies know me better than some of my friends!

She gave me a copy of the latest Self magazine, The Happiness Project (which I had been wanting to read!), Tone It Up's first DVD - One Day Fat Blast (also something I had been wanting!), lotion, a Luna bar, and tea! Not only did she get me these amazing gifts for Christmas, but she also threw in a little something for my birthday (December 22nd), but I was told that I couldn't open it until that day - I loved that! So it sat on my desk for a couple of days, until I woke up that morning, and tore threw the pretty wrapping paper! It was a Starbucks giftcard to treat myself! How thoughtful, seriously Amy, I can't thank you enough! I love everything and am so grateful to be a part of this amazing team. 

Have you ever participated in an online Secret Santa? Did you happen to participate in TIU Secret Santa? What was your favorite present that you received?

Hung for the Holidays: Ornament Swap!

I've never been involved in an ornament swap before, not with friends and definitely not with bloggers, so when I came upon Carlyn's ornament exchange blog post @ Just Keep Sweating, I just knew I had to sign up immediately. Carlyn @ Just Keep Sweating, Jenn @ Fit Appetit, and Gina @ Burning Babi Fat teamed up for a fun holiday ornament swap for bloggers and those on other social media outlets!

After signing up, we received an email with our partners. If we wanted to, we could email our partners and get to know a little more about them, which was great because I was able to 'meet' two new individuals!

Megan, @ Run Megan Run, was my partner, and even though we talked and she told me a little more about herself (like how she loves to travel - originally from California and going to Texas, San Diego, and Arizona, before settling in Georgia - how awesome is that?! I'm kind of jealous!), I knew immediately the kind of ornament I wanted to get her after checking out her blog! I logged on to Etsy and began browsing all of the handmade shops, and fell in love with a running ornament, which was the perfect ornament for Megan, in my opinion, because this year she was a running fiend, and I hope it only continues into the years to come! I was able to draw in on some of the energy and motivation that her blog was able to provide, especially before my first 5K on Thanksgiving Day! I could only hope to compete in as many races as her one day, and in all 50 states, how amazing would that be?!

[via: RunMeganRun; purchased from: TreasureCast]

Penny, who doesn't have a blog, had me as her partner, and so I let her know a little bit more about me and told her that I had just graduated from college and am pursuing a job as a Child Life Specialist, I'm a fitness fanatic and obsessed with kickboxing, I love to write and bake, and my favorite animal is a penguin. I hoped that was enough for her to work with, and after receiving my ornaments (yes, two of them!) she definitely is a great listener! I loved them so much that I even decided to send her a Christmas card to say thank you in a more personal way! Thank you Penny for the ornaments; I will cherish them for years to come!

How adorable are these!? 

"I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!"

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

If you ever have the chance to participate in an Ornament Swap, I say go for it! 

The Eve of Christmas & the Morning that Followed

This year on Christmas Eve, as usual, we had family at our house. However, this year I felt like we didn't have as many people there as years prior. Maybe people are celebrating with new family, mourning the loss of their loved ones, or have started new traditions; whatever it is, we didn't have as many individuals walk through our doors.

It was still a memorable holiday, maybe even more than in the past because we were allowed to talk and get a chance to catch up with everyone... floating from room to room, floor to floor, we enjoyed the company and had PLENTY of leftovers, maybe even too many [we ended up throwing way too much spoiled food out].

I made desserts once again, Snowman Cupcakes & PB Cups and the recipes are on my baking blog - Kay's Sweet Obsessions

I have to say they definitely tasted good, but not many people tried them - which made me a little upset - but there were more for us to go around when everyone left! I would definitely make the PB cups again, because they're so tiny and people can just grab one and pop it in their mouth! 

We decorated the house the week of Christmas Eve; my brother and I even picked out a tree for the family - to surprise my mom who had been working hard and hadn't had time to get a tree. The guy that cut our tree down thought we were getting our first tree... as a couple. We quickly turned that idea down saying, "don't we look alike!?"

While we helped decorate the rest of the house, my mom definitely did most of the work!

We did a shot of Sambuca for my poppy, because this was the first Christmas that we cannot call him in Florida and wish him a Merry Christmas. It was sad to think about, and we even skyped my Uncle, who lives in Florida, and we all ended up crying, but it was a nice to be able to cry in front of family, over the same thing. I felt that we had grown closer because of it, and had a bond - though we would much rather have our Poppy here with us, we know if he was there that night he would've been hitting us all and telling us to stop our crying! [he was a sarcastic old man, who couldn't express his love in words most of the time - but that's what made us love him more]. I miss my poppy and think about him almost every day. I hope he's up there looking down on us - watching over us - sending us love.

 The night passed rather quickly, and before we knew it we were saying goodbye, and snapping pictures by the tree before they left. 

[Cousins]

[Cousin]

[Sal & Mom]

There were many more pictures taken, and many more laughs had. We went to bed with smiles on our faces, and woke up to a tree that had several presents underneath. I received plenty of craft supplies, as well as books that will keep me busy for at least a couple of months. My parents loved their gifts from my brother and I, and my brother loved his gifts as well. 

I think my favorite part about Christmas day, aside from the pigging out on leftovers and visiting Sal's family, was receiving a personal gift from my dad. He always just tags his name along on the gifts that my mom gives us, but this year he actually picked out a gift for each of us, by himself. A necklace for my mom, an emblem for my brother's car, and a gift certificate to get 5 car washes for me! This is a joke between the family because I think in the 5 or 6 years that I have had my truck, I have washed it a total of maybe 5 times. Pathetic I know, but I don't see the point in paying someone to wash the truck, doesn't the rain do that? [haha]

Anyways, this year was memorable for all of us, and a tradition I hope the family will keep, even if it's moved to my own house eventually... in a few years that is.

Remember it's not about what's under the tree, rather who is surrounding the tree. 

Secret Santa

In my one class, my group decided to do a Secret Santa, along with an end of the year party - filled with cupcakes, brownies, and cookies! I made homemade funfetti cupcakes, holiday style [check them out on my baking blog].

We sat around the table in the classroom and talked about the semester, gave each other advice about any problems that had come up over the semester, and just chatted about the news. It was great to relax and enjoy each other's company before finals start to kick in.

After we ate, we traded our gifts. I had the only guy in the group and ended up getting him Christmas candy & an Aluminum Yankees water bottle. My best friend ended up getting me. It was quite hysterical because she was able to hide it until the night before class - I kind of ruined it myself... but I still loved the presents that she got me.

[A scarf, cupcake bath products, and the Love Actually DVD - all in a cute penguin bag, it's like she knew I love penguins !]

I absolutely loved everything, and can't wait to watch the movie, because I have never seen it! 

I haven't done a Secret Santa since high school, and it's definitely something I'd do again! It's great for coworkers, students, and even family members! 

Christmas of 2010

Every year, since my aunt passed away, my family has hosted Christmas Eve at my house. This year my brother and I went to Target and purchased a bunch of things to decorate the house in order to surprise our mom and dad. Since I was baking the desserts, I decided to decorate the dessert table, while my brother decorated the fireplace and living room.

A bowl with ornaments, NOEL sign, two snowflake bowls with candy canes & hershey kisses, a candle [or two], a cheers plate, a snowman plate, and a cupcake tree holder; as well as a festive tablecloth. 

Desserts too!

Holly Cupcakes - Recipe on my Baking Blog 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling  

- Recipe on my Baking Blog

Grandma's Cookies - Secret Recipe

Pumpkin Roll

I have to say, I loved decorating my table, as well as baking most of what was on it. It was great to hear what people had to say about what I baked, mostly good things. However, I think the next time I make the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, I'm not going to use cocoa powder. I've been told it was just too much chocolate. 

I feel like the morning dragged on, but once everyone got to my house, the night flew by. Everyone arrived by 6:00 P.M and were gone by 10:30/11:00 P.M. 

There were a few that stayed until about 1:00 A.M, and we were busy having a great time to even notice how late it was getting. 

Santa would be stopping by with presents soon, and my brother and I [still little kids at heart] wanted to get to bed and wake up and jump on our parents bed. 

I really rather just give presents to my parents and brother, instead of receiving any. However, I did receive gifts that can help me re-decorate my room, and I'm rather excited about that. My parents best present from my brother and I was a collage of professional pictures we had done of the both of us. They loved it so much they ended up crying!

Santa left Sal cowboy boots. He absolutely loved them, and put them on the minute he got them. Sal gave me a beautiful Skeleton Key necklace from ETSY and a Television, which was a huge upgrade from my older television.

I'd say this Christmas was rather successful, and memorable to say the least. 

Even my dog had a great christmas! ;]

A House Fit For Us

12.17.07. It honestly seems like just yesterday that Sal asked me to go out with him, while we were ice skating on a frozen baseball/soccer field. And yet, three years has passed already. Yesterday was our three year anniversary [wow]. We joke around saying that we're surprised we haven't killed each other yet; because we're honestly a lot to handle, and together we're even worse [haha]. We joke around way too much, and we're both stubborn as anything. So it's quite interesting to be around us. 

So, unlike our past anniversaries, which Sal has gone all out on each and every time, we decided to have a relaxing quiet night. I had work until 6 and Sal didn't get out of work until about 8ish. We went to Target with my brother and his girlfriend, who are home from college [ yippe!!!] and bought gingerbread houses to make. We wanted to have a contest to see who could make the better gingerbread house. I knew the night was going to be great, as soon as people started staring at us laughing so hard in Target.  It started off quite funny, and it only got funnier...

Considering there were two different houses in the box, I chose the one above.

While Sal chose the bigger one, with the broken tree.

Sal's gingerbread house still looks descent, but when he got out the whipped cream, I knew we were in for a good laugh. 

The whipped cream didn't just end up of the gingerbread house, but also on...

my brother...

his girlfriend & ....

Sal

I was actually the first one with whipped cream on the face, but since I had the camera, no pictures were taken. 

Yesterday wasn't about how much money was spent, or where we went, or even what clothes we were wearing, it was about being together, and bonding as individuals. Over these past three years, I've learned that you can't stop someone from being who he/she is, especially when those characteristics you were trying to stop, were the ones you fell in love with in the first place. Not only that but when you let loose a little, and not try to be so perfect all the time or have everything go your way, it night ends up exactly how you pictured it anyways, just with a lot less stress. 

I can't really explain to anyone how much this boy really means to me. Sure we fight, but what healthy couple doesn't? He's seriously my best friend, and I would have no idea who to tell all of my stories to. He's always there for me with open ears, whenever I need to talk, which could be for hours. I am so thankful I have him in my life. These past three years would not have been as joyous, fun, or exciting without him. 

I love you Sal.

Even if you can't make a gingerbread house... there's always room at mine :]