Taking On 2014

2013 brought on a lot of many strange happenings and that's not even counting the many celebrity breakdown and the birth of the twerk nation we're living in right now. This year is going to be the best - not only because I get married this year - but because it just has to be. However, so many things are wrong right now including the fact that it's -10 degrees right now in Chicagoland....and I had to leave my warm bed to chisel the ice off of my car and not suffer from a bout of hypothermia all at once. I'm one of those that like to curse the fact that I have to suffer through this each year knowing full well that it's eventually going to happen since I, duh, live in the Midwest. I don't even know why meteorologists need to say the exact temperature once we're in the negative degrees zone. There's cold (slightly above freezing), fucking cold (below freezing), and really fucking cold (anywhere less than 0 degrees).

Coldness and winter storm weather aside, there are many things on the horizon that I look forward to including:

1. My wedding and honeymoon in Rihanna's homeland (can I get a hell yes?)
2. Maintaining my fitness routine and trying out some new health tips and tricks
3. Ditching carbs (I can pretend like this is going to happen)
4. Being less judgmental (lol I know that was funny too)
5. Saving more money and not succumb to every Nordstrom sale (okay seriously stop laughing)

The new year also started off with a bang, considering my boss got fired - I mean...quit or else be fired...for telling the president of the company to go fuck himself. If there was a list of things not to say within the workplace...I'd imagine that would be on the list....sober or shitfaced status aside (thank you Christmas holiday party). Considering we're only a few days into the new year, I don't have any doubt that 2014 will bring a year full of crazy news and events...hopefully more good than bad. It started off with a kiss from my hubby-to-be so I think the odds are in my favor. (Please ignore the Bears jammy pants and dragon T-shirt...)

 

 Next month is also my birthday...which means one year closer to 30...I'll try not to have a panic attack at the thought. I'll also try to ignore all of the pregnancy notifications on my Facebook feed as I'm now officially at the age where it's pretty much acceptable to have kids... unless all of the other areas in your life are messed up and unstable. However, that doesn't seem to be stopping anyone these days. Anyway you look at it though, I'll take each day going forward with my head high and great ambition....while holding a glass of wine of course.

Legends of Summer

So I've been very MIA lately (big surprise). My life has been tied up into huge knots due to wedding planning, my job, freelance work and other family affairs BUT this past week was spent on VACATION....as in...no work. Let me repeat, I did not do ANY work for a whole week. I can't tell you how weird it was for me to do absolutely nothing. Every summer it is tradition for Josh's family to rent out a bunch of cabins at Johnson's Resort in Hayward, Wisconsin. It takes some time for me to get over being so disconnected from the outside world (no cell reception) but I love it. I can leave my phone in the cabin and head out to get my tan on without worrying about how many calls I've missed or how many emails I need to check up on.

This was my view for the majority of vacation and it was glorious.

 

It was extremely hot and sunny there all week which made for great tanning/swimming weather. The only huge bummer this year was that the resort's pool was out of commission so if we wanted to swim, we would just need to jump off that dock and into the lake. No biggie...minus the thought of leeches latching onto your bod.

When Josh and I traveled into town this time I was on a mission to buy some Minnetonka moccasins and they were everything I hoped they would be. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes EVER and I'm making it a point to wear them as often as possible for the remainder of the summer.

We also made the mandatory trip into the candy store. Peanut brittle and caramel apple suckers? Yes please. It's vacation and that means splurging just a little and I brought some kettle bells along for some strength training so I was set! Bring on the Grahm Central Station ice cream! Indulging in a waffle cone of that while dominating in Word Dojo with Josh is something that is another part of the tradition. However this year, we had some pretty good competition but ended up on top still. Word Dojo champs!

The dart tournament also proved to be victorious with Josh's Dad bringing home yet another Guenther fam win this year. I'm absolutely awful at darts and don't want to make anyone else suffer at my lack of dart throwing skills so I cheer on everyone else and enjoy a drink or two or three. It was the best waking up and not having to do ANYTHING. Want to go swimming? Okay. Want to read a little bit and play a round of extreme badminton? Okay, sure! Relaxing days fishing and hanging out on the dock were plentiful!

I came back from vacation refreshed and with a clear head which felt AMAZING. I've been so busy at work it was crazy! Although now, I faced the dreaded Super Spartan Race.

This was the first obstacle race I've ever done...8 miles and 26+ obstacles. It was a 95-degree day, went to a wedding the night before and I ended up getting heat stroke and having a hypoglycemic episode. I totally thought my body was shutting down. I went through horrid mud pits, climbed up walls and ropes, climbed up crazy hills and swam across muddy water while running in between and all of a sudden...my body just gave out on me.

 I started throwing up over and over again and was removed from the course by a medic. I was freaking out since they were insisting on taking me away in an ambulance and all I wanted them to do was find Josh ASAP. Once they found Josh (which seemed like an eternity) my blood sugar was back up from 40 to more of a stable level and they were working on getting fluids in me. I eventually was able to keep water down and went to immediate care with Josh. The two-hour car ride was the absolute worst and I couldn't tell what was worse, the bruises I saw forming on my body from all of the obstacles or my bruised ego from not finishing the race. Although I did finish more than half of the race and this was my first obstacle course ever, I eventually understood that I should be proud of what I did finish...but... it still really sucked not making it to the finish line after training so hard for it. Oh well, at least I didn't break anything like some people did or contracted this weird and unknown rash that started to appear all over people after the race! This race was INTENSE.

However the following day was the best pick-me-up. Ladies and gents...I give you Justin Timberlake and Jay Z's Summer Legends Tour at Soldier Field. I luckily made a speedy recovery from the previous day's events and was able to rock it out to the best show of the summer with my sister. The last time I saw JT was in his N'SYNC days with my sister. Apparently the whole city of Chicago was also planning on going to the show as well since it took a million years to get there, but oh my was it worth it. Can anyone think of anything better than hearing JT singing Sexy Back in person? No I didn't think so. I actually even knew every Jay Z song that was played as well. It was great how they collaborated at times and then switched off.

My inner pre-teen was thrilled. Can you tell?

Rocking out to JT and Jay Z with my sis was the best ever and definitely healed any ego-bruising  that happened the day before. We brought sexy back. Yes I said it.

It was like seeing two shows at once and it was totally worth being wallet-raped by Soldier Field. $40 T-shirt? Macklemore would not be proud.

Keep Calm and Family On

This weekend definitely did not start out too swimmingly. I've been battling some kind of sickness so my mornings haven't been that great to deal with let alone finding enough energy to get up and get my workout on. However, when I woke up this morning...I woke up only to realize I was lying in what could be a Law & Order SVU crime scene, had a huge migraine, back cramps, stomach convulsions and stumbled into the bathroom to ever-so-politely toss up my romantic dinner I had with Josh last night. Pardon me while I enter the seventh circle of hell. After I cleaned everything up (all hunched over) I crawled back into bed giving the finger to my motivational workout Pinterest board.

Three hours later, I decided I need to get out of bed to run an errand that didn't require me to get out of my car...SO yes, I snagged my running pants, hoodie sans bra, put my hair up, put on my shades and I actually walked out of the house just like that. I ran my errand, got my sugar-free/skinny vanilla chai latte and booked it back home to watch episodes of The Mindy Project on On Demand.Thank goodness, I started to nurse my way back to health as I laughed myself senseless to Mindy's antics and my Starbucks yummies (good thing too since we'd be having a family event in just a few hours).

Since I haven't seen my cousin in YEARS! I was ecstatic to see him and was so happy that by the time everyone arrived, I was feeling almost 100%. We celebrated my cousin Forrest's 21st birthday (I can't believe he's fricken 21 now) and had loads of fun catching up. Everyone tells me how tall I am, yeah I have nothing on this kid. He makes me feel like a shorty. (He's the one on the far left and my Uncle is on the far right)

He's doing so well in school, has a great girlfriend, and has so many goals he's ready to achieve. He's come so far and I'm SO proud of him. We even shared our first beer together as he rings in his 21st and I don't even drink beer haha.

We also ordered Lou Malnati's and chowed down on that and some delicious cupcakes from a local bakery shop. Skipping my intense workout will NOT be an option tomorrow. If anything cures the sickness out of you, it's the love and laughter that is shared amongst family. Forrest and I walked along the lake to help settle the pizza in our stomachs and soaked up some sun on the dock while we caught up some more. Quite insane how my hellish morning turned into sunshine and awesomeness. Winning.

Live, Laugh, Love

So throughout the whole last week I was obsessing over taking my engagement photos...yes finally! I've been engaged for over a year now so saying that we're taking engagement photos NOW is kind of funny. I suppose it all goes along with having a long engagement though. We were supposed to have our photo a couple weekends ago, but the weather took a nasty turn for the worst (of course) so we needed to postpone. So early Saturday (the new scheduled photo date) my sister and maid of honor came over to help ease my nerves. I'm definitely a Type A personality so this was stressing me out. We went for a much-needed mani/pedi and spent the whole day relaxing and shopping for a bit.

Since my toe incident and my toe nail subsequently falling off, this was my first pedi in MONTHS. Being a runner, I cherish my pedis more than anything. They feel SO good after a long run, especially when I'm training for a race.

Nothing feels better than engaging in some R&R with the big sis. It was one of her "I feel awesome" days too so I couldn't have been happier. 

It was perfect outside and hours before I had to get ready for the engagement photo session so we walked on in to Bossy Boots, an adorable place where I snagged this maxi dress. It's seriously the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. It's actually long enough on me too! Total win. The bottom part of the dress is a sheer black material too that dresses it up a bit. I'm a maxi dress whore that's for sure. They're effortless, chic and feel like pajamas. Need I say more?

Time flew by and before I even knew it, it was time to prep to take some awesome photos. I swear if I'm THIS worked up over taking the engagement photos, I'm going to need a prescription for Xanex when the big day rolls around. I am so anxious to see how they turned out, but here is a teaser shot the photographer posted!

Sweet Home Chicago

After what started out as a rough  week, it seemed to improve drastically mid-week and definitely looked forward to Saturday. I bought him a Groupon for a Chicago architecture tour for his birthday back in April and we finally found the time to cash in on it and make some reservations. Although we're locals, it's fun to do the touristy stuff and actually educate yourself about your own city. The tour was hosted by Seadog Cruises located right off of Navy Pier. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and I looked forward to treating my dad out for a good time.

We got there ahead of schedule so we walked up and down the pier until boarding time taking in all of the great scenery and enjoyed people watching. I personally found it very hard not to follow my nose to the nearest vendor selling funnel cakes and/or ice cream wonderfulness. Those items are not exactly on my "lose 10 more pounds" list. I managed to snag a random person to snap a decent photo of me and my daddy-io. I love him so much, especially for wearing that hat. I don't know what I'd do or who I would be without him.

After playing tourist and taking a million photos of pretty yachts and sailboats, we headed back to snag our tickets for the architecture tour. By that time the sun was out full force and blaring down on us at approximately 94 degrees give or take. We waited in line waiting for the people as they prepped the speed boat for us to board.

Our tour guide - Grant - although very knowledgeable of the city, couldn't have tried harder to be funny as he attempted to plug in some jokes while educating everyone about the windy city's great architecture. He was great though. I personally could never have a job like that rambling off and remembering so many factoids. Something I didn't know was that the largest piece of real estate here in Chicago at a whopping $34 million is a pent house at Trump Tower. Yikes. After the tour, we picked up some speed on the boat and rode around the lake and caught some amazing views of the Chicago skyline.

 After we docked at Navy Pier, we set out for some foodstuffs at Harry Caray's Tavern. We dined outside since it cooled off and kicked back while I assessed the sun damage wreaking havoc on my skin. I may or may not have applied enough SPF. Burn baby burn. My dad feasted on a huge Tavern burger while I was semi-good and got a grilled chicken wrap. I caved though when I saw this delicious concoction that was a frozen lemonade spiked with cherry vodka. It was a little slice of heaven.

As for yesterday, I had to make up for missing my long distance running day so I stick with my training schedule....yeah running 8 miles after a long day at work is just what I need...especially when it's hotter than hell out. BUT I rocked it out in record time thanks to my iPod that kept me going. I'm also back to being extremely strict with myself concerning any empty calories (i.e. wine, lattes, margaritas etc..) For the next 30 days I'm going hardcore with my diet to lose these last 10lbs that are hanging on for dear life. It's go time.

Blast From The Past

So this weekend was the premiere  of the annual Renaissance Faire in Bristol, Wisconsin (a.k.a in the middle of fricken nowhere). Josh and I usually go every year since it's nothing short of entertaining and umm well where else can you compete against one another throwing axes and daggers at targets? The faire starts now and goes on until September so we may go back again. Once you enter the gates you travel back to the 1500s complete with jousting matches, games, performances, sword fighters, arts, crafts and food.

Not only do the people who are working the faire dress up, but people who visit go all out as well from giant barbarians to fairies frolicking around the village. The women were also spilling out of their corsets too. Yikes. I don't see how it's comfortable. Josh's friend tagged along as well as the rest of Josh's fam.

Josh and his friend made it a point to play several games including this one where you had to sit on a log and engage in a pillow fight...I was the prize in the end so I'm sure Josh was very motivated...he's crazy competitive to begin with. (Josh ended up winning).

It's not everyday you come across some dude walking around in leather carrying a giant axe. He looked like a descendant of Iron Man.

They threw daggers, knives, attempted to climb Jacob's Ladder and ever threw giant axes. I actually participated in that one. Never mess with a blonde with a giant axe. If you go to the faire though, you cannot go without feasting on one of their famous, giant turkey legs that are as big as your face.

They have the best shops there too full of hand-crafted jewelry, weaponry, apparel of the times and more. I got this handmade, leather journal that is absolutely beautiful. Being a writer, I'm a journal junky...so I HAD to have one. My other half also got be this amazing scented, amethyst rose made out of steel.

A parade also takes place around the village where the Queen and royals make their rounds. My favorite part every year though is visiting this guy who throws the biggest insults at you while you try to nail him in the face with tomatoes. Some people don't even come close but Josh got him right in the face! It's definitely not for the light of heart. He's one mean dude...but so hilarious.

There are few places you feel like an outsider wearing jeans and carrying a designer handbag. I entered a time WAY before Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors...oh well, needless to say I don't have a wench outfit in my closet. I never got tired of snapping photos of random people in their garb.

After doing some archery, throwing some daggers and people watching it was time to head out and get Josh's new car! Yes, it was a full day. He ended up getting the hamster car! A 2013 KIA Soul in "Alien" green. There's nothing better than seeing him so happy. At first I was definitely not a fan of the color but it's grown on me. It's a great car with a ton of room. And, it'll be a great family car. Ahem..ahem... hehe. Everyday I'm shufflin'!!

Endless Summer

This weekend was definitely needed after such a busy week at work. I didn't get to sleep in, but I got to indulge in crazy amounts of great food, family and friends. It all started Friday night when I had a hot date with not the future hubs but one of my fav friends and also bridesmaid-to-be.

We started off with our newfound sushi restaurant, Kaminari, that has become our go-to girly date night place. For some reason it slipped my mind to remind our waitress that I am highly allergic to avocados so to take extra caution when preparing my food. Lets rewind a little to my wonderful food allergy involving avocados. If I ingest avocado in any way, shape or form...my body will destroy me and I will be making a trip to the ER. SO when our waitress brought our cucumber rolls to us to start with....just seeing the avocado slices made my stomach turn inside out momentarily. I apologized for not mentioning it sooner, she took it back, remade it and all was well.

 We never shortchange ourselves when it comes to sushi at this place so we placed three orders of rolls each. I got the shrimp tempura, spicy salmon roll and spicy scallop roll. We got our rolls...and...there was fricken avocado in one of my rolls. Now, I had to remind the woman yet again of my allergy for the SECOND time. She ended up lecturing me that I should have told her to begin with since they use avocado in many of their dishes. Apparently I needed to explain my food allergy more than once for it to sink in for this woman. Consider your tip to be slashed in half, lady. Once I got my rolls thereby avoiding death by avocado, we devoured our food and split a bottle of wine. No hot date is complete without one obviously...

After we filled up on sushi and wine we headed out to foam at the mouth over Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman. We had some time to kill so my date treated me to Starbucks. It was such a sweet gesture.

After becoming sufficiently caffeinated, we smuggled in the remains of our Starbucks and settled in to see Kristen Stewart's horrid performance and Charlize Theron totally kick ass. Seeing her kick Stewart's ass at the end even momentarily...was worth seeing the movie. Overall, it could have been better but Theron was definitely one badass, evil queen. I also felt sorry for Hemsworth...he had to taint those pretty lips with kissing Stewart. I was personally outraged. Overall it was a decent movie but I really do hope that they release the DVD with an alternative ending that reveals a more likely scenario with Theron totally owning Stewart ending in her untimely death.

The following day I had to drag my ass out of bed bright and early to get Luigi's stitches out and for a post operation check-up. My kitty has a little infection around the incision site so he now has to wear the cone of shame permanently for the next few days. I know how much he hates it so I was too lenient with it before. Ka-ching once more for an antibiotic. He likes to saunter over to me and look at me like I'm practicing some type of new method of torture on him.

After the vet visit Josh picked me up to go to TWO graduation parties for cousins on both sides of the family. This is where my food baby started to rapidly develop. Beer brats, wine, shrimp pasta spread stuff, potato salad, cake, ice cream, Starbucks frap, italian beef, etc....we started at his mom's side where things tend to be more subdued. It was hot as hell outside and definitely not comfortable enough to utilize the volleyball net that was set up unfortunately. The humidity was disgusting. I engaged in some conversation with Josh's step grandmother shall I say? Josh and I are on equal ground when it comes to how awkward and random conversations can become with her. Prime example, she told me how every time I see her I've lost weight and look great....then she says, "oh my sister-in-law is anorexic but I think that's just because her ex-husband was very controlling." Hmmmm ooookay then. See? Very awkward. Very random. After we mingled a bit over there we went over to Josh's dad's side of the fam to celebrate his cousin Eric graduating 8th grade. This side is where the wine flows like water. My place to be. Not to mention that Josh made me my first smore of the summer. A summer staple. Look at that gooey marshmallow and chocolate....next stop, my thighs.

The following day I once again had to skip the whole sleeping in thing and get up ungodly early so my dad could wake up to breakfast amazingness. I made apple cinnamon muffins, pancakes, sausage and eggs. He loved it and the smile on his face said it all. :) He's definitely one of my role models in life.

I gorged myself on pancakes and eggs myself before I just HAD to finally work some of that off with a long run before continuing with the Father's Day festivities. Once my sister came over we got what we needed to make my dad's special dinner and then we were off to see Prometheus since he's been itching to see it since opening night.

After a successful movie date with the fam, we headed home so my sister and I could start making dinner. She made her famous salmon pasta dish that is to die for and I made a yummy salad complete with fresh cut green and red peppers and cucumbers. I also cracked open a bottle of wine a little early while prepping for this awesome dinner. Yum. Nothing better than some candy wine.

Overall, my dad had a great day. Mission accomplished. My mission of being on track to lose my last 10lbs before the summer is over...yeah that one is still pending. I pretty much consumed more calories this weekend than I did during the whole week. At least I kicked ass during my morning runs. I don't need to gain another one...my sister's dog also made an appearance at the house this weekend. I can never get enough of that little pup. He has little nubs for limbs. Irresistible.