Friday, December 23, 2011

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Merry Christmas!  My last post was months and months ago.  I started a new job which meant no posting and no photography.  Don't worry, I still had plenty of Packers Nation to enjoy and it was brilliant until they lost to Kansas City.  My birthday was last weekend and my beautiful parents gave me a Nikon SB-700 flash and a Gary Fong collapsible lightsphere so I can control the light in my photos.  I'm still trying to get the hang of my 50mm lens which is a manual focus, but I think these photos (with the help of Photoshop) turned out really well.  Wishing anyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brinkley

Chloe

Herc

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Marriage Test #2

My marriage was first tested back in 2009 when the Cardinals and the Packers played each other to get to the Super Bowl.  My team won and I had a very sad and grumpy husband.  Luckily we survived and now we just have stories to share about how I'm a traitor and cheered for my home team.  In any case, it was all in good fun and I tease about our marriage struggling.  I think back fondly to my memories of the three games we attended.  Unfortunately, I did cry for the pre-season game (left the tickets at home and we missed the first quarter).  Believe me, I don't think ANYONE will forget that day.  But the other two games were a lot of fun.  Packers won the pre-season game and the regular season game that didn't matter.  The Cardinals won the one game that did matter to get them to the Super Bowl.

Pre-season game.  Great photo... bad memories.

The Game that didn't matter.

The game that DID matter
We had seats with John and Jenn.  You can see the boys are green and gold... the ladies are sporting red.  The ladies win!
Why am I bringing up memories of rivalry?  Well.... post season baseball is about to start.  For anyone keeping up, both the Diamondbacks and the Brewers have clinched their divisions and are both vying for home field advantage.  If the Brewers win then they get home field advantage.  If the Diamondbacks win AND the Brewers lose then the DBacks get home field advantage.  There is also a chance that the Diamondbacks and the Brewers could play EACH OTHER!!!!  Oh man... my heart is racing just thinking about that.  If the St. Louis Cardinals can beat the Braves in the Wildcard standings then they're in and they will play Philly which means Brewers and Diamondbacks face off in round one.  Heart palpitations have already started.  Skipping out on boot camp tonight so we can watch both games together.  Wish us luck!

To top it all off, I start my new job on Friday.  I need my Hubby to be supportive... not yelling profanities at my baseball team!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

NFL Football is BACK baby!

If you didn't already know, football is back.  My fantasy football team has been chosen, and my husband has been counting down the months, days, hours, and minutes until the Packers kicked off on opening day.  I just wanted you all to get a true realization of what I live through almost every Sunday.  I knew that the first touchdown by the Packers was going to be a big one in my house.  I decided to capture it on videotape and it is posted below.  It got a little tricky in the 3rd and 4th quarter because the Saints were making a comeback, but luckily the Packers prevailed.  This will be my life through next February.  Wish me luck!

Monday, August 15, 2011

I Learned A LOT Just By Attending 2 Pool Parties

What a weekend.  This weekend I witnessed some horrible parenting, drunkiness, and overall merriment with good friends and family.  Thanks to the horrible parenting fiasco, I learned what kind of father my husband will be.  A GOOD ONE!  To make a long story short, I saw an acquaintence (not a friend.... not then and especially not now) teach his 3-year old daughter how to yell and scream at a 2-year old girl.  He had her yell things like "get away from me" and "no!  don't come closer".  When I say yell, I mean he shouted these things at his daughter and in turn his daughter was screaming, crying, and shouting at a 2-year old.  (By the way, the 2-year old was just trying to play with the 3-year old, but ended up bursting into tears.)  To make matters even worse, this "Dad" pushed the two-year old away.  He didn't push her so she fell over. He took his index and middle fingers and forced them into the 2-year olds chest until she was pushed back.  What the $%&! is up with that!?  At this point I overcame my shock of what I was seeing, and took the 2-year old to her Mother.  The next day my husband told me he was so mad at himself for not kicking this guy and his soon to be bitch of a daughter out of the party.  The good news is the "dad" his daughter, wife, and son didn't stay very long.  Probably because of the chatter and looks they were getting.  Horrible horrible horrible.  

In addition to these shenanigans the Packers played their first pre-season game against the Cleveland Browns.  The first-string was in for almost the entire first quarter, so needless to say the game did not matter.  It didn't stop my hubby from recording it and then analyzing it.  Packers ended up losing but, again, I thank my lucky stars that the game didn't count and wasn't an example of things to come.

On to some good news.  Husband and I have been playing with my best friend's kids for the last week.  They're great practice for when we do decide that we want to have our own.  These two are the cutest and nicest kids ever.  The boy is 4 and the girl is 3.  The girl immediately attached herself to my husband.  They were having a blast in the pool.  They dove off the diving board together, made waves in the pool, were sharks and fish getting everyone else... it was adorable.  Husband has been pretty funny saying that he "doesn't know what to do with girls" and that "they scare" him.  I'm pretty sure he can't say those things anymore.  He was so great with her.  The 4-year old is incredible sweet and he was loving the pool.  Once he was brave enough to jump off the diving board there was no stopping him!  On Saturday I took a photography class with my girlfriend (she takes some amazing photos so make sure you check out her website - http://jenniferhalenphotography.blogspot.com/).  We learned how to use the light we have available to take photos.  I learned I need a flash, a cone to cover my flash, and a 50mm lens to really get my photography going.  I was just happy that with the equipment that I have I could take these photos:


Husband throwing the 3-year old into the air.  I think she's having fun!


No Photoshop work needed.  The water is blue and he looks spectacular!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Diamondbacks win series 4-3

A month ago the Diamondbacks were in Milwaukee and won the series 2-1.  The Milwaukee Brewers were in Phoenix for a four-game series and ended up tying 2-2.  Overall, the Diamondbacks are the big winners and the Brewers are the big losers.  Husband... do you hear me?  DIAMONDBACKS ROCK!


Waiting... I hate waiting....

So I applied for a position that I am DYING to get.  It is in my field of concentration... marketing... it is a company that does philanthropic work (not a must but a plus).... and it's a company where there is room for learning, growth and movement (a serious must).  But now, I wait.  I applied, I talked to a contact I have at the company... but I can't do anything else but wait.  Patiently.  Did I mention I'm not very patient?  If I can't be in some sort of control then I am not happy.  Right now.... not happy.  I'm doing everything I can to keep my mind off of it but it's really hard.  All I'm thinking about is this potential career move.  Sigh... so now I sit here and wait.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Love the one you're with

This past weekend my entire family went to Palo Alto, CA to visit my Grandmother.  She turned 89 in June and we went out to celebrate.  The thing I love about visiting my Grandmother is just being with her.  We go at least once a year to visit, but it never seems like enough.  She's definitely losing it, but she has many moments of clarity and brilliance.  I can't tell you how many times I heard her say "back in my day, you wouldn't catch nice young men visiting old bags in an old folks home.  But today they are so nice and they want to talk to you!"  My husband just laughed and kept explaining that he was happy to be there and hang out.  My Dad on the other hand wasn't always happy to be there.  He remembers Grandma in her prime where she would kick ass and take names.  I think he misses that women and hates having to be the one in charge.  But he's doing good at it and I hope he loves every minute he gets to spend with her.  Right now my Sister has my point-and-shoot camera which has photos with Grandma, but the ones I can post now are ones I took with my fancy camera.
At the Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos
My husband is pretending to mash grapes into wine.

A photo of my husband, sister, and the boyfriend in the airport before boarding.

A B&W version of the same photo.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Palo Alto is where my heart really belongs

The family is off to Palo Alto to visit my Grandmother.  My parents, my sister, sister's boyfriend, my husband, and I are all venturing to Palo Alto, CA to enjoy some cooler weather and to celebrate my Grandmother turning 89.  Should be a lot of fun.  Lots of photos to come.  Have a great weekend!  xoxo

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Diamondbacks 2 - Brewers 0... going for the sweep today

For anyone keeping score, the Diamondbacks have won the first two games of the three game series.  Going for the sweep today.  Luckily the Husband hasn't been upset with me.  He's mad at The Crew for a terrible lineup and some terrible ballplaying.  For me, I'm just happy I get to watch a Diamondbacks game and it's just a little bit sweeter that they won both games.  I explained to The Husband that I would most likely convert to being a Brewer fan (especially when we have kids... I know he'll brainwash them into all things Wisconsin) BUT, I'll cheer for the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, ASU, whoever, if they're playing a team from Wisconsin.  He agreed that that would be fine since I am from AZ and should probably have a little bit of home town pride.  I still can't buy myself a Brewer t-shirt... it just feels wrong.

Friday, July 1, 2011

TGIF Bitchez

Thank God it's Friday.  It's been another horrible week at work and all I want to do is lounge by the pool drinking beer.  I'm always up for a game of beer pong or pool pong... so consider that my exercise!

Please excuse the thumbprint in the top right hand corner.
My husband is still learning how to take photos and hold a beer!

Chloe loves the water.  She was exhausted after her 2 hour swim.

P.S. If you didn't notice already, I'm wearing a Diamondbacks hat in the pool.  Starting Monday the Diamondbacks play the Brewers.  It's gonna be an exhausting week.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Reason For My Blog Title

So I mentioned in my last blog that I am married to a crazy Packer fan.  Let's be honest... he is actually a crazy Wisconsin fan.  If the Packers, Brewers, or Badgers (football or basketball teams) are involved then he is watching.  Not only watching but he is interacting.  He will cheer, he will yell at the TV, he will scream what the players should be doing in addition to the player's names while the game is happening.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't realize that his lively emotional outbursts have ZERO effect on the game.  Jon Leuer cannot pick my husband out of a lineup.  Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Braun may be friends, but they don't know my husband.  My husband could walk up to both of them and say "Aaron, why didn't you throw it to James Jones rather than run it in... he was open!?" or "Ryan, your shirts are butt ugly but you have a great swing."  No matter how much I want Clay Matthews to know who I am, he won't know me because of my husband.  Growing up in a household where sports were not Gods, it was hard to adjust to this insanity.  But, to be honest, I like it.  I prefer the intensity when his teams are winning.  Then my house is really happy.  If his teams lose, well lets just say there is a mourning period where he won't speak to me. He sort of sulks around the house.  For example.... the Brewers are in NY right now playing the Yankees.  The Brew Crew had their asses handed to them one by one during the first two games.  My husband has been extremely cranky.  He isn't very chatty.... he's just moping around saying things like "why is Braun the only one who can hit?!"  All I want to do is get out of my house.  It's a miserable place to be when the Wisco teams lose.  This weekend we're mortal enemies.  The Diamondbacks are visiting the Cheese State this weekend for a 3 game series against the Brewers.  I am still a Diamondbacks fan.  I'm pretty sure my husband won't be speaking to me for 3 straight days.  Happy Fourth of July to me.

Some examples of the insanity:

Packers vs Cardinals at NFC Championship in AZ (please note I'm wearing red and not green.  He didn't talk to me the entire ride home).

My first game at Lambeau Field (Packers vs Bears in 2008)

Packers vs Bears 2008 (in November I might add)

This guy is at EVERY SINGLE PACKER GAME dressed just like this.

Coolest gnome ever.  It's in the basement of Packer Husband's best friend.

There is more than one crazy fan.  My husband is NOT wearing the overalls.

Obviously, this is the Super Bowl, and obviously, we needed our Aaron Rodgers WWE belts.

Packers were not playing well... Packer Husband is pacing.

Clay Matthews gets the Steelers to fumble the ball and the Packers have initially sealed the deal. Packers win in the end (Super Bowl Champs 2010)

My sister is a traitor (on right).  She jumped ship to join the Brew Crew when she saw how cute JJ Hardy was.  I wear Brewer stuff to Spring Training games (only).

Perk of living in AZ: spring training, perfect weather for a tube top, amazing bloody mary's, and husband gets to watch the Brewers live and in person.
I am sure I have more insane photos of my husband at sporting events, but I think you get the clue.  The only things he wears are blue and yellow, green and gold, or red.  If he's not wearing something in these colors then he must be at a wedding.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that I am wearing a Packers shirt WHILE I WRITE THIS BLOG ARTICLE!  He is starting to have an affect on me.... dammit.

Changing it up...

I am changing my blog up a bit.  I was originally using this blog to mark my amazing feat at running 4.2 miles in the Pat Tillman run.  Since then, I've been trying to figure out what to write about since the race ended two stinkin months ago.  I have good friends from high school who now blog and have inspired me to write up things that happen in my life...online.  Like a diary for the world to read.  Guess I won't be describing my sex life in detail... or will I?  :-)  (If you're interested in the two blogs I read they are (in no particular order) http://domesticmanifesto.blogspot.com/ and http://becomingjuliegriffin.blogspot.com/.)  I'm sure no one cares about my little blog... but someone might (Mom?  Dad?  Anyone?  Bueller?), and so I write.  Hopefully something makes you giggle or at least think about your own life.

About me:

  1. I am 27 years old... I'll be 28 in December.
  2. I am born and raised in Arizona.
  3. I have been married to a crazy Packer fan for almost 1.5 years (let's call him Packer Husband)
  4. I have three lovely and psychotic dogs named Brinkley, Chloe, and Herc.
  5. I attempted to be a CAbi sales rep... let's just say it didn't work out (but their clothes are fabulous if you are a lover of fashion).
  6. I love taking photographs but haven't done much with it in the last few moths.
  7. I play piano... or I used to play piano.  I got a gorgeous upright piano for Christmas which I have barely played.  I need to make it a priority.
  8. I live in Gilbert, AZ.  Packer Husband wants to move back to Wisconsin as soon as possible.
  9. I have baby fever and my girlfriends who either have beautiful children or are about to have beautiful children are not helping with my fever.
  10. I am in boot camp.  Been doing it for about 2 months now.  I have lost 12 pounds because of it and hope to continue getting my butt kicked.
Enough about me.  Let's read something fun.  My Dad who is pro not having children (what does that say about me!?) and pro saving money sent me this article the other day about the price of attending a wedding.  I wish I could say the article surprised me, but it did catch  me off guard once I started adding up how much I have spent on friends' weddings.  Thank the wedding gods that I'm almost done attending weddings (that I know of).  I have two friends getting married in 2011 and a brother-in-law getting married next year.  Anyone else who wants to get married... just elope.  Save me the money... I'll send you a nice gift I promise.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Less than 24 hours until the run

Tomorrow at 7am PT I will be running in Pat's Run.  Husband and I are in corral group #15.  There are 13 of us running together (two ladies backed out for various reasons) or as close together as possible.  To keep us all motivated we are meeting for post run drinks and breakfast.  Yesterday we met as a team for happy hour and tonight we're meeting for a carb night dinner.  I'm not sure anyone really feels prepared.  I feel as prepared as I'm ever going to be.  I can't believe I've been practicing since October 2010 to get ready for this event.  I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be.  Wish me luck!!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

11 days left...

My Dad cracks me up.  Yesterday he and I were discussing my current eating habits and he said that what I was doing to my body was ridiculous because I am running 40 miles this weekend.  I was immediately confused and said "what?!  40 miles this weekend?" And he said, "isn't your race this weekend?"  I laughed and said "no, it's next weekend, April 16th."  He said ok but it didn't really matter because it was still 40 miles.  I asked him why he thought that and I said it's only "four point two miles."  Turns out every time I said "four point two miles" he thought I was saying "forty-two miles."  Good stuff.... he's clear now and thinks that the diet I'm doing is still crazy but acceptable.

On Friday I weighed myself and discovered I was at 160!  That is 7 pounds less than I was at my heaviest point.    This diet has been hard at times... but overall it wasn't painful.  It just took the right recipes and mindset to get me really into it.  Now I'm loving it.  I hope I don't fall back into old habits because I am full of energy (without caffeine!).

The run is in 11 days.  Yesterday I ran my fastest mile EVER... in my entire life.  I ran one mile in 9 minutes and 22 seconds.  I-N-S-A-N-E.  I was dying at the end but not nearly as bad as last week.  Allergy season has officially kicked in and it's kicking my ass.  Tonight we run 4.2 miles.  We're going to wait for the sun to go down so it won't be as hot.  I just need to figure out what we're doing for dinner.  I'm thinking roasted veggies brown rice, and beans.  Mmmmm... more beans.  But tomorrow... tomorrow is a big day.  WE GET TO EAT MEAT!!!  3-4 ounces of chicken, ground turkey, shrimp, fish... and preferably no red meat (but I'm sure we will this week).  We also get cheese, cereal, and DIET COKE.  Tomorrow is going to be a glorious day.  We just need to watch our portions and remember that if we're hungry we MUST EAT FRUITS AND VEGGIES.  No more snacking on crackers or Girl Scout Cookies.  Focus... I must focus.

Tonight I will be focusing on 4.2 miles.  It will be amazing and it will be easy.  (Or so I will tell myself at the 2 mile marker).

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A New Day and A New Outlook

I woke up this morning ready to conquer the world.  I had a great dinner last night (brown rice, black beans, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, and 1 tablespoon of salsa) and got about 7 hours of sleep.  Boot camp kicked  my butt so my muscles are sore but happy.  This morning I got a load of laundry done, cut up some cantaloupe, and boiled some sweet potatoes for dinner.  I have this feeling today is going to be a good day.  Dinner tonight sounds great.  We're having Fall Vegetable Curry, a recipe from Cooking Light.  I am modifying it a bit.  I didn't want to stir fry the sweet potatoes in oil, so I boiled them and will heat them on the stove top.  I need something that is filling, has taste, and still meets the requirements of Phase 1 for Fat Smash Diet.  Hopefully this one rocks!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I miss my carbs

Today, I am sad to admit, there were tears.  I made dinner last night and it turned out not to be great.  I mean, it's a good side dish, but not a main course.  I just couldn't handle it.  My stomach has hurt for almost 24 hours now since I made dinner last night.  Not sure why, all I know is I wish that I could have a piece of bread.  One piece of delicious whole wheat bread to calm my tummy.  But NO.... I must be strong.  This is day 3 of my 9 day punishment.  In the end I will be happy.  In the end...

I found two new recipes that might prove to be better than the two I have made so far.  Option 1 is a Moroccan Sweet Potato Casserole.  It might make a nice lunch.  Option 2 is a pizza-like dish.  There are recipes in the book... but to be honest they don't sound great.  However, Ian K. Smith, MD includes things like "olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and Dijon mustard" in his recipes... so maybe we should try them out rather than killing ourselves.  I might make that pizza tomorrow.  Fingers crossed it doesn't suck.

Last night we ran 4.3 miles.  It was a new path that we jogged and 2.2 miles of it was boring as hell.  Nothing to look at except dirt.  BOOOORRRRIINNNGG.  However, I didn't complain and made it the entire way (although I felt dead afterwards).  Tonight is boot camp and leftovers.  So not looking forward to either.

6 more days..... 6 more days.... 6 more days.....

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Day 2 of Smashing the fat diet... so far so good

Day 1 of diet was a success.  Plain oatmeal with fresh apples and cinnamon just doesn't get rid of the bland oatmeal taste.  Hoping that once our bananas ripen they will make plain boring oatmeal taste better.  Dinner last night was actually tasty.  Husband would have preferred hot sauce in it so "it tasted like something", but he added pepper and was as happy as he could be.  We ran at lunch which was awesome, however, Husband made me run the fastest I've ever run before.  We did one mile in 9 minutes and 47 seconds.  I almost vomited at the end.  My lungs hurt for 3 hours after our run.  After work we went to the gym and did some chest and shoulder exercises.  I felt great last night and we even got 8 hours of solid sleep!

Todays meals have been ok.  Breakfast was another round of boring oatmeal.  My snack was delicious... vanilla flavored light yogurt with fresh mango and oranges.  Probably the best thing I've eaten in 36 hours.  Our late lunch included salad with lots of yummy veggies but no dressing so it wasn't the best meal.  Tonights dinner sounds very good.  We might even have a side of sweet potatoes just because!  Dinner tonight is White Bean Salad with Asparagus and Artichokes, a recipe also from Cooking Light. I might even try to make enough for lunch tomorrow!  At lunchtime today we took one of our dogs for a walk.  It is getting hot outside in Arizona, so I doubt we'll be able to continue walking during out lunch break.  We're going to keep doing it until it's just too hot.  We're supposed to run 4.2 miles this afternoon.  I'm trying to get myself excited for it, but I just can't.  Hopefully once we start I will be happy about it.  The big race is in 18 days, so I need to keep practicing!

I talked to my Grandmother last night who just didn't understand why I was running for fun.  She made me laugh.  I wish it was fun!  Right now it's just hard work and at this point I'm not really enjoying it.  My husband loves running... I need to get in his mindset.  He strongly believes that running is hard but it's totally worth it and satisfying.  Maybe if there was someone holding a glass of red wine and chocolate covered strawberries for me at the end of my 4.2 miles I'd love running, too!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Smash Fat Diet -- lose weight, feel great, and run harder!

Today is Day #1 of the Smash Fat Diet.  My husband and I decided that we needed to jump kick our metabolism and start losing weight.  Since our first date, we have gained 10 pounds each.  We're not looking to be Brooklyn Decker or any of those actors from Spartacus, we're just looking forward to feeling good in our swimsuits (and in Arizona the swimsuit is my everyday outfit!).  My actual goal is go lose 15 pounds.  Right now I weigh in at 165 and I'd like to be 145-150 pounds.  In college I was 155, so if I could weigh 5-10 pounds less that would be fantastic!  Husband has loftier goals, he wants to lose 20 pounds.

The first 9 days of the Smash Fat Diet is a detox.  No meat, no junk food, no diet coke, no nothing fun.  Only fruits, vegetables, beans, tofu, and brown rice.  How much fun is that?  So far breakfast included egg whites, asparagus, tomatoes, and onions.  It was very tasty but was missing cheese... I love cheese.  Our mid-morning snack will include fruits and vegetables (we can have as much as we want and any type of fruit or vegetable except for white potatoes and avocado).  Our lunch at 2pm will be oatmeal with cinnamon and fresh apples.  Dinner should be rather tasty because we are having White Beans with Roasted Red Pepper and Pesto but without the pesto.  I think we'll have either brown rice or sweet potatoes with it.  Finally, if we're still hungry at 9pm we can have a snack of fruits.

Every Saturday we pick up a fruit and veggie basket from bountifulbaskets.org.  It's an amazing deal.  For $16.50 (includes the convenience fee) you get a basket of vegetables and a basket of fruit.  You never know what you're going to get, but 99% of the time it's always good.  This is what we're going to use as our snacks for the week.  We have apples, mango, cantaloupe, bananas, grapefruit, and other stuff I can't even remember off the top of my head.

In addition to making sure we're eating properly, we're going to continue running.  Since we no longer have a 12pm lunch time, we'll be running 1 mile.  That is already 5 miles per week.  Plus we're still training for the Pat Tillman race so we'll still do 4.2 miles in the afternoon after work (only 1-2x per week... I'm not crazy enough to do it everyday!).  If we keep up this new way of eating AND working out... I hope we can lose this excess weight in no time.

Monday March 18th weigh-in:
Ashley - 162
Husband -190

Monday, March 21, 2011

Morning Wood - We Run Hard

Ok, I am a slacker.  Not in the running department, but in the blogging department.  Husband and I have been logging many miles on our Nike bands.  I have run the 4.2 necessary miles 1x per week for the last month or so. We have 15 people on our Pat's Run team.  We're called Morning Wood because ...we run hard.  Gotta love it.  Today's Facebook post said :  Are you trying to get motivated to workout? Join team Morning Wood on our journey to run 4.2 miles for Pat's Run. Not only will you get to exercise but we'll get to drink as a team. Teams who drink and run together stay out of gangs. It's a proven fact.   I like to think it's true.  If you have friends who motivate you to stay in shape and hang out together, then the potential of joining a gang is down.  Ok, now we're all 25-35 years old, so the chance of one of us joining a gang is slim.  But still... the threat is still there.

Plan for Morning Wood the week of the race:

Wednesday - I pick up our running packets
Thursday - Happy Hour as a team so I can pass out our running packets of fun
Friday - CARB NIGHT as a team
Saturday - we run at 7am and then go our for breakfast and bloody mary's
Sunday - recover

If that's not your idea of a perfect 5-days then you can't join our team!