Today this grumpy, pouty, cutest little guy...

Graduated from Basic Obedience School!

After 8 weeks of training, frustration, and yes, some tears, little Buster graduated (top of his class) in basic obedience training. Derek and I have been working hard with him to help master the basics! Each night, we spend 15-20 minutes with him and work through the commands - our aim is to one day have him as calm as a therapy dog. But for now, he can sit, stay, retrieve, lay down, wait for treats, and walk calmly on a leash. 

I am so very, very proud of our little pup!

So, here's my question: How does one cover more than six months of changes in one blog entry?

You just do it! 

As bedtime fast approaches for me, I'm finishing up my evening with some banana bread, Netflix, and a blog update for everyone who's hung with me for the past few months. Life has, indeed, changed over the months... A lot has happened since I last checked in with my darling readers! 

So, I think I last left you right here:

Valentines Day, 2013.

Well, between then and now, I've finished one semester at USC and started another. It's been challenging to keep up with the curriculum now that I have an internship, too. Oh, did I tell you about that? No, I didn't. Oops. I work at an acute psychiatric and chemical dependency hospital called Riverside Center for Behavioral Medicine. It's amazing and I'm in love with every aspect of clinical work. I never get tired of the patients, the pace, or the staff, and every day I come home exhausted from all the running around I've done during the day... I don't even mind the fact that I usually don't even eat lunch until almost 3pm. I was made for social work, definitely. 

And here's another thing that's happened! 

We got a puppy! 

The day we brought him home from the pound!

His name is Buster, he's pretty awesome (even though he chews absolutely everything in sight), and he's going to be a big boy when he gets older. He's a Boxer mix that we adopted from the pound on April 1st. He was our little April Fool's baby, and we couldn't be happier. He's been such a wonderful addition to our little family. Currently, he's about eight months old, weighs about 50 pounds, loves to eat carrots, and enjoys the doggie park. I think I can speak for Derek and myself when I say that we definitely took for granted all the times our parents picked up the dog poop growing up, because now the responsibility falls on one of us (and I think we all know who that is). Needless to say, despite the challenges of having a puppy, it's really wonderful having a little bundle of love to greet you at the door at the end of a long day at work. Because I love our dog so much, I'm probably going to post much more about him than I need to, but I feel like you all need to love him by default now, right? 

I mean, really, how can you not love that little face of his?

The view from our room's balcony.
It was such a soothing way to wake up in the mornings.

 We also took a trip (read as: our long-overdue-much-needed-honeymoon) to St. Maarten, a tropical paradise located just southeast of Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Truly, it was a paradise. Derek and I were both sad to leave the island - we snorkeled, ate, sunbathed, ate, walked around, and ate. Did you get an idea of what we mostly did? The food isn't anything to shout about, but we also didn't venture too far away from our resort which was on the Dutch side, while all the good food was on the French side (a mistake we realized until after we came home). Alas, we've simply decided that a return visit is necessary since we basically missed out on half the island, and therefore half the fun. We really enjoyed our time in St. Maarten - it was a nice getaway for the both of us, which helped ease our stress levels for the coming months. Spending time together as a couple, simply being able to relish our time together was so special to me... We hadn't really been able to do that since before Derek deployed to Afghanistan (you know, with the move and school and everything), so it was nice to be able to enjoy each other's company without the worry of an imminent departure or another hectic schedule. I think we need to make it a priority to take a trip together once a year so that we can devote one, uninterrupted week, alone in a secluded place - then we can make more memories together doing things we love doing, rather than things we dread doing! Anyways, St. Maarten was amazing, incredible, awesome, and so much fun.

It was such a great trip!

Enjoying the sunshine along the St. Maarten promenade!

Derek and I at Maho Beach on one of the last days of our trip!

Maho Bay is famous for it's insanely low-flying airplanes, flying sand, warm water, great snorkeling, and exciting plane experiences. The island's airport is on the beach which makes it extremely difficult to land a jet on the runway... So right as a jet was flying over, I snapped this picture of Derek right before it flew over our heads. The sound was immense and the sand hurt when it was kicked up from the jet force, but the experience was once-in-a-lifetime!

So, between Derek's recruiting job and my insane school schedule, the dog, and life in general, things have been crazy busy. Life has been an adventure for the last few months so we're loving every minute of it, learning more and more about each other along the way. I've begun a new workout routine, incorporated healthy eating into my meal planning, and am working on staying true to a tighter budget. Derek, meanwhile, has been preparing for the promotion boards, working on keeping his "video game time" down, and helping a lot around the house with Buster and the dishes (which makes this grad student VERY happy, indeed). We're very much an old, married couple, fighting over who's got to do laundry this week, laughing over funny commercials on TV, cooking together in the kitchen, listening to the other rant about work. We love taking Buster to the park and we spend our Saturday afternoons washing the cars together, dancing and singing to our favorite songs on the radio. We're weird but we love to love each other, which is pretty darn great. And thus, life moves forward, and so do we.

Things are good, folks. 

Things are so, very, very good.

My poor blog, I have neglected thee!

It's been nearly four months since I've last updated everything (and everyone)! How could I abandon you like that? I must remember not to do that again. So, quickly, here's a run-down of what's been happening with us:

• Derek got recruiting orders for Chino, California, and was sent to South Carolina for training - so we spent our first Thanksgiving together as a family in South Carolina! 

• We spent an amazing Christmas in California with our families, and then went back to Colorado to finish up packing our house and say goodbye to our friends! 

• We moved to Chino, California and have settled in quite nicely so far (and have established our favorite Mexican and sushi restaurants).

So, now where are we? Well, Derek works a pretty hectic schedule and I'm back to school (kicking butt, might I add), and we're both settling into a good routine. Lately I've started working on our diets, and I say "our" because I've started slipping healthy stuff into Derek's food while he's not looking - now that we've established ourselves here I think it will be worth it to really start paying attention to the unhealthier parts of our lifestyle.

I've been experimenting with healthy alternatives and have found that the simplest changes can make the biggest difference. I've started running a few miles every few days (10 minute mile, right here), joined a Cross Fit gym (I go every day, five days a week), and enjoy lifting light weights now and then (5 pounders only). I also started making better food choices in the kitchen, without letting it cut into how delicious the food tastes... Let me tell you what I mean: non-fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream, Stevia instead of sugar, cut out soda and substituted water, whole grains instead of processed grains, almond milk instead of dairy milk, and I count calories.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. "She counts calories? That's nuts!" Well, yes, it is, but I don't count calories to restrict myself! I count them so that I have an idea of what I'm ingesting versus what I'm burning off. You know what I mean? Of course you do. I just wanted to keep myself accountable (see, count is even in that word, too) for what I'm eating - it's so hard at the end of the day to think, "Well, I think I ate well" and not have any evidence that you actually did. My answer has been an app called "My Fitness Pal", and it's literally changed the way I eat.

Now, no matter where I am, I can add all my foods and exercise into this little calorie counter and it will  calculate what I've eaten, in addition to how many calories I've burned, and then project what my weight will be in five weeks. Obviously it's not going to be 100% accurate, but it's made me realize exactly how different my diet (and lifestyle) needed to be in order to get myself to a healthy weight... And maintain it! The "app way" is not for everyone, but it's definitely for me! Also, here's a picture of some great gluten free brownies made with black beans that I made for myself today: 

And yes, you read that right: BLACK BEAN BROWNIES.

Here's the recipe and the link to try them for yourself:

No-Flour Black Bean Brownies

(gluten-free)

• 1 1/2 cups black beans (1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed very well) (250g after draining)
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder- dutch or regular (10g) (add a little extra if desired)
• 1/2 cup quick oats (40g) (See nutrition facts link below for all substitution notes.)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave (Honey will work, but not for strict vegans.) (75g)
• 2 nunaturals stevia packs or 2 tbsp sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil (40g) (See “nutrition facts” link for all substitution notes.)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips (115-140g) (Not optional. Omit at your own risk.)
• optional: more chips, for presentation

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except chips in a good food processor, and blend until completely smooth. Really blend well. (A blender can work if you absolutely must, but the texture—and even the taste—will be much better in a food processor.) Stir in the chips, then pour into a greased 8×8 pan. Optional: sprinkle extra chocolate chips over the top. Cook 15-18 minutes, then let cool at least 10 minutes before trying to cut. Makes 9-12 brownies.

They are DEE-LISH!

So, that's my update! That's where Derek and I stand as of now... I'm sure there will be more developments in our lives as time goes on, but I promise you, I will remember to keep you updated this time! Cheers, everyone.

Beef and broccoli with mushrooms:

What you need:

1 tablespoon Minced Garlic

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Cubed Steak (the kind you use for stew)

Sliced Mushrooms

Fresh Broccoli

How you make it:

In a deep sauce pan, add the garlic and the balsamic vinegar together, and cook on medium low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the beef and veggies and stir to coat evenly, then sprinkle spices over the top and stir again. Cook for approximately 10-13 minutes, or until the beef is done to your liking. Serve hot, and enjoy!

(PS: if you have extra, this makes a GREAT “day after” addition to a salad!)

Ebates.com

While I was on Pinterest this morning, I ran across a site that boasted: "Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month". So, I investigated (obviously), since Derek and I are constantly looking for ways to save our money - while sleuthing around, I found the website Ebates.com and was immediately impressed. Usually sites like these only have limited offers, small selections of vendors, and the cash back percentages are "eh"... But this site? Not the case. They've got tons of categories and they offer incredible savings (and Tell-A-Friend bonuses), all of which are great since shopping for the holidays can be pricey (not to mention stressful).

Now, normally, I really don't like posting stuff like this on networking sites because I always feel like I'm trying to "sell" you on it, but this site is GREAT for money saving (especially with the holidays coming up)! Here you can find coupon codes and earn cash back on every purchase, which is AWESOME for those of us trying to keep our wallets thick this holiday season! 

 Check it out and start shopping!

Bullies.

We all know them. We’ve all been one at some time or another. We’ve heard them talk about other people. We might have been the one who stepped back and did nothing. We might’ve been the person who told them to stop. We grow up around bullies and, sometimes, we tend to be one ourselves.

It’s impossible to sit here and say I’ve never been a bully. Because I have. I’ve said nasty things about people I didn’t like - things about their hair, or their weight, or how ugly their boyfriend was, things that (really) didn’t define who they were as a person. I’ve said mean things to people when I was angry with them, saying things that I didn’t mean, trying to hurt them where I knew it would hurt them the most… And, if I’m being really honest, I still do those things. Not as much as I used to, but I’ll still sling mud around if I’m feeling particularly horrible on that day.

I try not to, though, because I don’t want to be that person anymore.

I don’t want anyone hurt by something I said about them, whether I know them or not.

What good does it do to be like that?

So, when I see people on tumblr (and other social networking sites) badgering and bullying people that they don’t even know, it kills me. A lot of people call it “being strong” or “outspoken”, but there’s a fine line between being outspoken and plain ol’ rude. Sitting behind a computer screen and tearing someone apart doesn’t make you “cool” or “feared” or even “funny”; really, it just makes you a coward of epic proportions. If someone has a different opinion than you then leave them to it - how are your nasty words going to affect how they think? The only thing it will do is make them feel awful about themselves.

Treating someone inhumanely by calling them names or pointing out their flaws only emphasize yours. What happened if the bullies started getting bullied? They’d probably hide behind their so-called “strength” and retort back, but eventually, after enough time, they’d understand.

Maybe.

It doesn’t matter if you truly, truly, truly dislike someone, it’s never okay to sit there and treat them like they’re not your equal. Go ahead and have those mean thoughts about them, but don’t verbalize them to that person. Don’t make them feel as ugly as your soul is, they haven’t done anything to deserve it. You’re not invincible when you sit behind a computer and you’re certainly not gaining anything from it - if you really feel the need to sit in your computer and be a bully, then you need to seriously reconsider your priorities.

Don’t be the bully.

At least, try not to be.

We’re all adults and it’s time to start acting like it.

Hair tips from my husband. Yup, you read that right.

Today, for the first time in my life, I died my hair from a box. And I’m disappointed because it really doesn’t look that different… But, this was funny: my husband was helping me blow-dry my hair afterwards, and as he was *fabulously* combing it, he announced, “Yeah, you need a hair cut. This is outrageous.”

I nearly fell over.

My husband? Making beauty recommendations to me?

Oh, dear, that must really mean I need a hair cut.

He went on to say, “Why don’t you make an appointment this weekend or next week? But I want you to go to the best place - find something in Denver. I don’t mind shelling out extra money because I want you to look amazing.”

Which means, I’m gonna be having myself a little spa day next week.

WIN.