The weekend recap of a lot of fun and my best friend!

Man, I am tired!

It was a really fun weekend. Friday I got my booty up early for 30 minutes of cardio before work with Kelly. After, it was a great day at work and I rocked a head braid. I am finally getting better at doing those. I had my doctor's appointment at 1 PM to get my vitamin B12 and weigh. I lost 2.1 pounds last week. My total down since November 25th, 2013 is 28.1 pounds. It got even better when my doctor told me that last week alone I actually lost 3 pounds of solid fat. He said that is almost unheard of so he was really surprised. The scale showed only a 2.1 pound weight loss because I am adding muscle. Which we all know weighs more than fat, but is much more dense. 

After work, I hit the gym again. I did 30 more minutes of cardio and an upper body weight circuit. By the time I finished, one of my best friend's Jennifer, was pulling up at my apartment to spend the weekend with me. Shortly after she arrived, we took off to Zappata's, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants for dinner and a well deserved blackberry Margarita!

After dinner and a lot of talking, we went to WalMart so I could get groceries and we could get some things for her, so she did not starve to death. Ha. She is not a fan of all of the "weird" things I eat. So funny. After groceries, we both really tired from the long day. The rest of the night involved getting her addicted to "Party Down South", my new reality TV addiction. It hits home to me because Myrtle Beach is my second home!

Saturday morning, we slept in. I made coconut flour biscuits from scratch and Jen was not a fan! Ha. She then opted for eggs. At least I had some for her!

After breakfast we were dressed and out of the door. I took her to my work to show her the office then we did some shopping. Of course Ulta was one of our stops! After shopping, I devoured a Quest Bar then walked to the gym for cardio and an upper body weight circuit. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

After a solid workout at the gym, it was time to shower and get glamorous (duh) to go out for a little fun. 

We went to uptown Charlotte to go out for dinner at "Whisky River". I live in south Charlotte, about 15 minutes away from uptown, so I don't go there a lot. It was fun to try something new with Jen! But I am not of fan of driving through. $15 parking and a lot of one way streets? No thanks. I would like to live there one day, but I would live at a place where I could walk most places.

I was a lot of fun! Whisky River is in the Epicenter, which is awesome. The atmosphere was great, the setup was great, and the food was REALLY great. I had the unhealthiest quesadilla of my life. It was spinach and mushroom. That doesn't sound bad, right? It was loaded with cheese and fried. Naughty, naughty, but at least it was delicious. I can't wait to go there again.

After dinner, we came back to my part of Charlotte so we could go to the movies. I finally, finally, finally got to see "Wolf of Wall Street". I have been dying to see it. It was SO. damn. awesome. It has to be one of the best movies made. I have never laughed so much in my life. The acting was out of this world. Jonah Hill and Leonardo together is the best. I thought Leo could not get better from "The Great Gatsby" but I was so wrong. His acting amazes me. I can't for the movie to come on DVD so I can buy it. Lots of drug use, sex, hot women, and crude comedy - my kind of movie right there!

I could not believe how long the movie was though. It was midnight by the time we left so we went back to my apartment to go to sleep. We slept in until 10 this morning and it was glorious. Jennifer left shortly after because her daughter was getting sick.

I dove right into my Sunday routine. I went to run some errands then came back to clean up some and prep my food for the week. I was getting really tired. I'm sore for a lot of hard cardio and two days in a row weights. But I knew I needed to push through and go to the gym for legs. My legs are the strongest part of my body and I love to work them because I push so hard. I was not feeling it today. However, I made myself go because I know tomorrow is my rest day from the gym. And I am so glad I did. I had a killer workout and the soreness is already creeping in - my favorite.

Nothing better after a long, hard leg workout then some deep stretching. And with that, I have finished my week of training and can't wait to relish in my day off tomorrow so Tuesday I can get back to kicking ass.

I'm pooped now though. I'm off to finish laundry, take a bubble bath, make dinner, and watch an explosive episode of the Atlanta Housewives. Seriously, those women are crazy. I can't wait to see what happens this week!

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A wonderful weekend recap with a progress picture!

Oh, baby! There is not much better than a 3-day weekend. Especially when it is filled with friends and family. I have been thoroughly enjoying myself!

Friday, I was really, really tired. It was freezing in Charlotte, too. My body is not made for this cold weather we have been having lately. I worked all day, and on my lunch hour went to my doctor to get my weekly vitamin B12 injection. As always, I has them weigh me. I lost 2 pounds last week! I am now down 25 pounds since November 25th. Only 15 more pounds until I am back to my normal weight before all of the medical issues I endured last year. But I am not stopping there. When I think about it, it really sucks that I have been working so damn hard over the past 8 weeks and that I am trying to get back to where I was a year ago. It depresses me, but bad things are going to happen in life and we just have to keep going.

Thankfully after work, it was my rest day from the gym. I could barely keep my eyes open so I was looking forward to going home. However, I went to Target and Harris Teeter to get groceries first. While in the store, I had the funnest recipe pop into my head to make for dinner! I have decided to name it "Fit Spinach Lasagna Rolls". They are absolutely delicious. I will have the recipe up soon. I need to ensure the nutritional information and write the recipe out. I was kind of winging it Friday night!

I paired it with a glass of "Roscato" (Thanks Meredith!) and dinner was delicious. I also watched "The Butler" - which by the way was a great movie!

I ended up falling asleep at 10:30 and got a solid 9 hours of sleep. It was glorious! I woke up ready to go Saturday morning at 7:30. I was productive, too! I did a load of laundry and packed for my grandparent's. I went to the gym around 10. All I can say is, holy shit what a work out! It was such a good training session. A good carbohydrate load the night before, a solid night of sleep, and a rest day from the gym made for the best work out. I did 30 minutes on the Ellitpical, a 12 minute inclined walk - on the highest level, and then did an upper body weight circuit. I was soaked when I left. 

It was then time to go back to the apartment and get ready so I could drive to Greensboro for the night!

Ready!

I drove 2 and half hours north of Charlotte to stay with my grandparents for the night. I did not see them over Christmas, so we needed to catch up. I am insanely close with them; they are like another set of parents to me. 

Oh, and how beautiful is their home? 

(^ My bedroom)

I had the best time, I always do. My grandmother is my best friend. We can talk for hours and it feels like 5 minutes. For dinner, my Papa grilled porkchops and my grandmother prepared salad's. They would not let me help so I enjoyed myself reading my Kindle by the fire in the sunroom. It was so cozy, especially with it not only being so cold, but windy.

Papa loves to talk and tell me old stories about when he was growing up. They are hilarious. He told me literally about how he had to walk to school in the snow when he lived in New York. True story - hilarious.

Finally, dinner was ready. Every time I stay with my grandparents, papa grills me porkchops. I normally never eat them, but his have the key to my heart. They are spicy, tasty, and most of all; tender.

After dinner I was in a food coma. My grandmother and I talked more, then I settled in upstairs to read and relax. Unfortunately, I slept like crap. I fell asleep around 11 PM, but kept waking up every single hour. I finally gave up on sleep at 7:30 AM. I have been paying for it today. I have been SO, so tired. I had breakfast with my grandmother then took off back to Charlotte shortly after.

When I got back to the apartment I cleaned up some then it the gym. Only 40 minutes of cardio on the Elliptical today. That was all I had in me. Tomorrow since I am off of work, I am going early in the afternoon when the gym is most empty and killing my legs I can't. After the gym, I food prepped.

Whoo, I am glad that is done. Lastly, I wanted to share a progress picture! I am down 25 pounds total, but the below picture is a 12 pound difference. It feels great to see results. I am just going to keep pushing!

I am officially toast, so tired. I am settled in to watch the Grammy's. I can't wait to see Beyonce open the show. How was your weekend?

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Weekend Shannies with Mom!

Well ladies, the holidays are over. Tomorrow it is back to a 5-day work week with no holidays off until Memorial Day. No more family gatherings, yummy food, Christmas decorations, carols... anything. What a bummer.

Now it's time for all of us to hit the weights hard - keep it dirty in the gym and clean in the kitchen. I lost 5 pounds the week of Christmas; 20.6 pounds since November 25th. I will go to the doctor on Thursday for my B12 shot and have them weigh me to see what I lost last week. I am not looking forward to that. I have been fighting off a cold and my mom stayed all week with me. I definitely ate more than usual. Ugh...

This weekend was a lot of fun, but way more relaxing than what I usually have. And I loved it. My mom came down on Tuesday; New Years Eve and left this morning. I normally cry like a baby when she leaves, but I kept myself busy so for once I didn't. Yep, I am 24 and still cry. What can I say? I am a total "mama's girl".

Friday, my mom came up to my office so she could meet my boss; the President of my company. We then went out to lunch. I wanted to try a new place so what better time than with my mom? The place was called "Terrace Cafe" and it was amazing. We had our favorite appetizer that we get anywhere we go; "Tomato and Mozzarella". 

I then went back to work and she went to her favorite boutique called "The Cubby Hole". Any time she comes to stay with me, she has to go there. It is a cute place. Once I got off of work, I hit the gym for cardio and weights. I had lunch to work out and it was an awesome work out.

When I got back to my apartment, mom had a gift for me on the counter!

How cute right? 

She picked up a purse for me while she was at "The Cubby Hole". Thanks Mom!

We then took off to pick up a salad for me and McAlisters (I am addicted to the Savannah chopped salad) then picked up Chinese for her and Marquis. I wanted Chinese as well, but I resisted. It was not easy though. Since Marquis has been sick with the flu, we took him dinner and hung out for a while.

Yesterday mom woke up not feeling well. She has MS and it was taking over. She did great all week; we were really busy and on the go. But Saturday it was time for her to just rest. We had plans to go out to dinner and see a movie, but it was time to improvise.I went to the grocery store and bought all kinds of fun stuff to make finger foods for her. I then invited my girlfriend Crystal to come eat with us too. I absolutely love cooking but this took all day! It was well worth it though.

I made bacon wrapped water chestnuts, Parmesan and rosemary whole wheat bread bites, a whole wheat pepperoni and cheese pizza, and chocolate covered fruit! 

Since Crystal was coming over, I had all of my candles and lights going. I love candles and fun lights, and I do not turn them on unless I have company. 

This is my favorite section, it's my small bookcase. I of course filled it Marilyn and zebra print, duh!

This was my set up for dinner, I loved it!

We had a great time eating and talking.

Crystal left around 10, then I got busy on Mario Cart. When my mom came down on Tuesday, she brought me my brother's Wii. And I have been addicted ever since. I get my family's used electronics and I am so grateful I do!

And I am so proud to announce that I unlocked the Star and Leaf Cup's on there! Anyone have any advice or codes to get more things? I still have two more cups to unlock. 

This morning mom and I woke up around 9:30 and she left half an hour later. I knew I needed to be out and about after she left, especially because it is so rainy, gloomy, and cold today. So I met Marquis at a delicious Mexican restaurant called "Cantina 1511" and we had an early lunch. Afterwards we saw "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones". It was so freaking good! I am a horror junkie, and this movie did not disappoint. It was hilarious and really scary and the ending was super cool. Now I am excited for "Devils Due" in a few weeks!

The best part - I received a free popcorn since I gained enough points on my Regal card. I love having that card. 

Now I am back home and I am going to make the best of this gloomy Sunday. Tomorrow it's back on the grind. I am going to beat more levels on Mario Cart (hopefully) and play with my new Kindle. My mom gave me her Kindle Fire!

I think I am going to buy "Divergent". It looks really cool.

And if you are addicted to Revenge like I am, it comes back on at 9 PM tonight! I can't wait to see what is going on with Emily!

PS: My blog hop starts back this WEDNESDAY! Do not forget. Come add your link (no specific entry is required) so you can advertise your blog and network with other Blogger's. I have to tell you, I have some of the best Blogging friends around. Co-hosting opportunities are here. 

See ya then!

*Lots of great Monday link-up's going on! Check them out here!

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Weekend Recap: My 50 y/o Mother's 1st Tattoo & Cucumber Vodka

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was great, but definitely did not go as planned. Initially I had a couple of friends coming down from New England to stay the weekend with me. But thanks to the north getting a freaking snow storm, that was cancelled. It completely sucked, but oh well. Next, my good friend and co-worker Karen made plans for a girl's day with me Saturday then a movie Sunday. However, her son ended up getting in big trouble at school. In her words "he is grounded for life" thus she has so stay home with him all weekend to "supervise". Another bummer, but I made the best of it!

First off, how amazing is this month's Ipsy bag? I received mine Thursday night. It has to be my favorite yet! I love everything in it. If you don't know about it, it is a monthly makeup bag that you receive via mail for only $10 a month. You get a makeup bag each month along with 4-5 beauty products. It is amazing. If you want to join, please use my link; just click here!

Friday morning when I was getting ready for work, I could not wait to try my new products. I used the grey eye shadow from Pop Beauty and the lipstick from NYX. I am beyond in love with the color of this lipstick! It is a cross between brown and purple and it is absolutely beautiful. I am about to use the polish now to do my nails. 

Friday I worked all day as usual then when 5 o'clock finally came, I hit the gym with my best friend Kelly. We did 45 minutes of cardio and our ab routine. By the time we finished, I felt pretty tired. I usually am on Friday's after the week. I bought "Revenge" season 2 DVD (My favorite show ever) at Target on my lunch hour so I decided to watch that while I did things around my apartment. My washer and dryer were finally installed Friday afternoon as well. I had TONS of laundry to do - three loads to be exact, ugh!

Meanwhile, my freaking 50 year old mother and new grandmother was out getting her first tattoo! I could not believe it! Here I am "being a good girl" on a Friday night and my MOTHER is out getting a tattoo!

I still do not know how I feel about this. I mean, it's weird. I have tattoo but I was 18 when I got it and it is easily covered and hardly ever seen. Her's is on her forearm. I find it hilarious, but weird nonetheless. She is already talking about another one and I told her absolutely no way. She has to listen to me, too. Now that I am older, our roles have reversed quite a bit, ha.

The tattoo is in honor of her battle with MS.

Saturday morning looked a little bit like this:

It was so rainy and so gloomy so I decided to fold the mountain of laundry and run my Saturday errands. Groceries, Target, GNC, and Ulta. Except I forgot my Ulta coupons so I had to go today. Target has the cutest sweaters on sale for $15 bucks too! Later that afternoon I pushed myself at the gym. It was a hard work out. The weather was awful and I just wanted to stay cuddled at home. But I didn't! I did 40 minutes of cardio and an upper body weight circuit.

Then it was time to get ready for a night out!

My friend Alexis and I started out at this new spot in my neighborhood of Charlotte called "Bradshaw's Social House". We had dinner and cocktails and enjoyed life music. After we were there a while a few of my friends decided to join us!

I sipped on a on a drink called the "Caroleena". It is SkinnyGirl Cucumber Vodka and tonic water. I know it sounds kind of weird, but it was surprisingly delicious and light.

After Bradshaw's we went to my favorite place to dance; Cosmos. It is in the same strip as Bradshaw's so that was convenient. I even ran into the girls who work at the office of my apartment complex and danced with them! It was so random, but so fun.

This morning I slept in until 10:30. Ugh! I never sleep that late. But I did not go to sleep until after 3 AM so I needed it. When I woke up, I hit the ground running. I cleaned my apartment top to bottom then went out to run errands.

I was on a mission to find the perfect centerpieces to dress up my dining room table. My chairs were supposed to arrive Friday, but in true Liz fashion they're late. Since I am a "diva on a budget" I hit up Ross and Dollar tree to complete the look for dining room table.

I am super happy with how it turned out. Everything on my table, combined, was $35!

All of the candle holders in the center, plates, napkins, and napkin holders are from Ross and the tea candles and place mats are from Dollar Tree!

After spending over an hour of hunting, comparing, and figuring out what I wanted, I was finally finished. I went to the gym after. I am so thankful tomorrow is my rest day because my body is so tired. I only did 40 minutes of cardio today. It was supposed to be leg day, but my body is too sore.

I refueled with my favorite salad ever after the gym. It's the "steak and bleu cheese" salad from Panera. Yum!

The rest of my evening has been spent prepping food and getting things organized for the week that is about to ensure. I will say though, this upcoming week is the last 5 day work week for 2 weeks. That is something to be celebrate!

Who else is SO excited for the "Revenge" mid-season finale tonight?! I cannot wait to see how this wedding goes down!

I hope you guys had a great weekend!

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