She’s gone country

The drive to Indiana started out ok.

I got my traditional breakfast of Dunkin Donuts egg white turkey sausage flatbread along with a cup of joe (but with an extra shot of espresso)

And I gotta say, not a fan of their flatbread they’ve been using recently. I noticed they changed it in the past year. The bread now seems tougher and lacks the flavor of the previously one used. Thank God, Lincoln was the only one in the car with me while eating this because it was one of the unsexiest things I’ve devoured. I was practically gnawing at the sandwich just trying to get one bite. I must write DD soon and voice my opinion because unsexy flatbreads aren’t good for anyone.

Homeboy looks confused why I am trying so hard for a little bite of food.

So, I drove. The drive heading west into Tennessee moved very slow due to the rain in the mountains but once we went across the TN border, it turned into a gorgeous and peaceful  day.

Until I turned on the radio.

All country, all the time. Ok, I lie, all country and Christian rock music. These Christian rock folk are sneaky too. I would be jammin to the song then all of a sudden I listen to the lyrics and hearing about sacrificing, loving Jesus, etc. I am all for the J man but not with music. Especially when I was listening to Nine Inch Nails “Closer” a half hour before. So the country came on and  I listened Mostly because I was too lazy to grab a cd or turn on Pandora. I like torturing myself like that. Then “Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter came on. I haven’t heard that song in ages and wore out the cd “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” when I was in high school. I actually still use that saying whenever I have a bad date. I’m not a country music gal at all but I did go through a small stage in high school and time after college where it’s all I listened to. I blame this on working at Roadhouse Grill as a hostess and dating a guy from Texas, respectively. I listened to the country station after that and heard a song and thought it was cute. I was thinking to myself “Please don’t be Taylor Swift, please don’t be Taylor Swift” and yeah, it turned out to be “Mean” by the Swift bunny. Grrr. I don’t like that girl. I don’t know if it’s because she is so tall, lanky, looks like an evil bunny rabbit (I affectionately call her Donnie Darko), that we share the same birthday or that she does the love sign with her hands all the time when I was doing it way before her but I just don’t like her. Yet, I was jammin to her song and contemplated downloading the song.

Maybe I can get on board with country music?

Not only was the music a let down, the snack department was disappointing. I grabbed this Oikos greek yogurt from the fridge since I  could always use a container of protein loving

I think I’ve been spoiled by Chobani because no other greek yogurt comes even close to theirs. Like the Yoplait yogurt I tried a few weeks ago, I wasn’t a fan of the Oikos.

I brought a coconut water with me

Nasty as well. I struggled just to choke down 1/3 of this and poured the remainder out at a rest stop. It wasn’t overly sweet or tart, it was just nasty and not like other coconut water I’ve tried. I will be staying away from the passion fruit flavor in the future.

In true Frugal Friday fashion, lunch was free! When in Kentucky, I stopped for gas and when I went in to go pay for a Diet Coke, I saw this sign

Oh, it was on. Gas station pizza may not be the best option for lunch but I’m not one to turn down pizza.

Look at those mini puddles of grease sitting on the pepperoni, yum.After a few blots of a napkin, Lincoln and I shared the piece then went on our way through Kentucky.

The drivers in Kentucky were crazy—the speed limit was 70 mph and I was going 80 mph but I felt like everyone else was going at least 90mph. I kept getting over in the right hand lane to let people pass and I’m not going to go off on a rant but some people out there really need to learn that the left lane is passing lane. You don’t just sit there and hang out. If someone is behind you, move over and let them go. I cannot stand the coasters.

I was getting a bit worried because I had a coupon for Chick Fil A that I wanted to use for a free dinner but didn’t see any in the state.

I kept thinking to myself “What is Kentuckys beef with Chick Fil A?” and then bam-I saw a billboard for it. And the angels were watching over me because I saw there was a Starbucks at the same exit and believe I raised my hands in the air while exiting saying “Praise Jesus” which I never say. I blame this on Melissa from Real Housewives of New Jersey and her Jesus talk. I got my salad to go, along with a cup of ice to keep it cold since I wouldn’t be eating it until later then got some caffeination.

For those of you who want to see what Louisville looks like, here you go:

 

 

That cup of ice that I got at Chick Fil A came in handy big time. When I was an hour south of Indianapolis, traffic came to a dead stop and went to one lane then slowly started to move again and went back to two lanes. Why not do construction on a major road leading to Indianapolis on not only Memorial Day Wknd but Race Wknd as well (Indy 500 is on Sunday) So, we were back at two lanes but 20 minutes went by and we didn’t move at all. I start to get a little agitated with this, not only do I have to pee, my butt was asleep and there was a creepy trucker next to me waiving at me. I looked up traffic online and turns out that there was a big rig carrying hazardous materials heading south on I-65 that overturned and went into the northbound lane, so northbound was completely shut down. We sat there for another hour before traffic returned to normal and I could do the minimum speed again. All I could do was stare at Lincoln and wish that I could have someone driving me around (and that I had a furry bed like his)

I got to my sisters house and took a bubble then enjoyed my salad.

 

I was disappointed with the salad. The lettuce didn’t taste fresh and it was meh at best. And don’t think just because I was on the road I didn’t score some condiment loving

 

 

 

I leave you with two items that I can’t wait to try:

 

Do you like country music?

What do you do to pass time when you’re stuck in traffic?

Gonna Make You Sweat

So….I believe it’s day 14 of the ridiculously hot weather (or sultry as the weatherman would say) we’ve been having here. This needs to stop, like now. I am sweating wherever I go, whether it be walking to get my mail or waiting for the bus…..at 7A or 11P. Gross. It’s only June too so I dread to see what the next few months are gonna look like. And it’s day 14 of having “Gonna Make You Sweat” by C&C Music Factory in my head and it’s getting a tad annoying. Whatever happened to them?

And let’s talk movies! I’m happy to know I’m not the only one out there who hasn’t seen some popular flicks and looks like most of you love the Princess Bride (b/c how can you not??) and never seen either Lord of The Rings and Star Wars. I really have no desire to see Sean Astin as a dward/wizard/elf whatever they are. He will always be Rudy to me.  So yay for others out there! I had a green purple monster for a morning pick me up with baby spinach, Chobani 0% Greek Yogurt, Flax Seed and Blueberries.

As big as a fan I am on these drinks, I am sad to say that I was not a fan. It lacked flavor and of course, the seeds were an issue. But then again, at 6A in the morning I really can’t be held accountable for good decision-making. Especially on a Friday! For the obvious reasons, I love Friday. But then again, Friday is usually busy for me at work….even though it seems like everyone is out of the office so who is sending me work and why are there always so many issues?? Hmmmm….

My co-worker had a scrambled egg and sausage wrap from Just Fresh yesterday and didn’t finish it off and handed it to me. Seeing I will eat anything that’s in front of me (and free!) I gladly accepted! I cut up a granny smith apple to wake me up. I remember hearing somewhere they are a great food to help you wake up. Anyone else know about this?

So I totally forgot that it is quarter end which means no work will be coming my way until next week. I had nothing to do—so fabulous! It’s pay-day as well so I got to do a little budgeting around my trip to NYC, pay bills, etc and it was nice to not have to worry about deadlines and a ridiculous volume.

Lunch was purchased at Reid’s @ their deli yesterday–chicken tenders and greek pasta salad.

Hello lovely plate of comfort. And hello artichokes! This was about 3/4 of the container, I made myself throw out the rest because I would have been licking the container clean!

I still had half of cupcake from yesterday but I couldn’t bring myself to throw that away. That would be wrong, right??

And then after pigging out, three words hit me—New York City—in one week! No one was at the office so I was doing my happy dance, jumping up and down, shaking my booty and shrieking. I think a large part of this was due to the sugar in the cupcake and excitement about my trip. Then this song came on Pandora—very freaky!

I’m so pumped up for this trip but I really think I am going to be depressed when I get back. I always get sad when I get back from vaca’s because I have to come back to real life and usually go to more exciting places than where I live and it’s just a bummer.  NYC has three of my favorite things in life—food, hot men and shopping. Why would I want to come back here?

I caught the early bus home and greeted by Lincoln in no time. I love how excited he is when I get home but then my mind get to thinking, he would love a little brother. They could have so much fun during the day and play but I think that would break his heart. And let’s not talk about the money factor as well! This is why I can’t go to Petsmart or any of those places on the wknd….I’m afraid I’m going to come back with a little brother for Lincoln (I’ve never had a girl and don’t like the attention stolen from me)

Dinner was shrimp sautéed in butter, lemon juice, paprika and pepper with a side of baked okra and onions with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pepper. Guess I was wanting my breath to reek huh?

I can’t remember the last time I made shrimp b/c it’s so expensive but I caught a great deal (get it…..caught….seafood?? I crack myself up) at Reid’s since their fresh seafood and meat were also 40% off.  It was so easy to make and just a few ingredients, can’t beat that it.

I was really wanting a nap afterwards but put on my workout clothes right before cooking so I would have no excuse not to work out. Plus, I kinda ate a lot today……and not much healthy stuff either. I had an awesome sweat session though and rocked it out!

Kettlebell-20 lbs

Side Bends (20 reps, 2 sets)

Halos (13 reps, 2 sets)

Step Ups (25 reps, 2 set each leg)

Dumbbell-15 lbs

Close Grip Dumbbell Bench Press (13 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell Bench Press  (13 reps, 2 sets)

Dumbbell 10 lbs

Tricep Dumbbell Kickbacks  (13 reps, 3 sets)

Zottman Curls (13 reps, 2 sets)

Reverse Fly (12 reps, 2 sets)

Front Lateral Raise (13 reps, 2 sets)

Misc.

Squats (15 reps, 4 sets)

Tricep dips (12 reps, 2 sets)

I did 25 to 50 jumping jacks in between some sets and that really got my heart rate up there. I was sweating my booty off and so happy I wasn’t going to be seeing anyone soon. I so need a Bondi Band b/c my bandana is just not cutting it…..as cute as it is. It’s black and grey with dog bones and “Woof” on it. I originally bought it for Lincoln but I think it may be bigger than him!

Not too shabby at all.  Some people go out on Friday nights—I cook, workout and hang with my dog. Oh the exciting life of a simple girl!

Green monster part deux was next, I used Vita Coco Coconut Water since it’s been sitting in my fridge for months. I have no clue why I never opened it up. Love coconut. Love beverages. Am a risk taker. Still can’t figure it out but it turned out to be a nice addition and full of flavor! Also made with baby spinach, Chobani 2% Plain Greek Yogurt and a banana

Other than that, I think it’s going to be a pretty boring weekend. I am trying to save as much as possible for my big trip next week  and am dog sitting until Thursday so there will be two crazy pups here (and yes, there will be pictures). Pool time will definitely be fit in and I may hit up a Good Will or two. One of my co-workers with a truck agreed to go with me to Ikea on Sunday night to help with stuff. I had an SUV but did the whole Cash for Clunkers thing last summer and got a smaller, more gas efficient car, which I love but not a lot of room. I saved up a bunch of money this past year for newer stuff and think I am going to pick up some rugs because new place is hard wood floors and Lincoln doesn’t really dig that. But I pay the rent so he will have to suck it up! lol Besides that, a bed frame, bed storage and a kitchen cart are on the list.

Hope everyone is having a happy and not so hot Friday!