12 Week Plan….A New Me! (Hopefully)

Happy New Year to you all! Did any of you make any resolutions?  I typically try not to make resolutions because I know that I will never keep them.  Any sort of plans that I make for myself which involve some sort of restriction…are really hard for me to follow.  The reason for that is because I will be able to justify  withholding certain items from myself for a short amount of time, but eventually I will decide that the justification is stupid and that I should be allowed to do what I want.  So…I don’t want to look at what Im doing now as restrictive or as a New Year’s Resolution…I’d prefer to see it as a Jump Start!

I began a 12 week workout/eating better plan that I hope to stick with through the 12 weeks (Ive already made it through 3 weeks).  My biggest problem with going to the gym is that I eventually get bored and lose my motivation.  There is nothing really that keeps me tied to going to the gym, which leads to my giving up and moving on to something else.  This time, however, things are different.  As you can see I created vision board (pictured above) to keep me on track and to hold myself accountable.  I see this vision board when I wake up and when I go to sleep, which keeps me aware of what I’m doing and keeps my eye on the prize.  I know I am super early in this challenge, but so far so good.  I have also joined a gym that is completely personalized to me…and the best part is that is across the street from my house.  What is a personalized gym?  Well this is a gym that is very small, but with all of the right equipment.  The gym has a personal trainer on duty at all times and those trainers guide your workouts.  They keep track of your weight and measurements and make sure your workouts are super effective.  The gym is a whole new world for me now because I leave the gym feeling as though Ive done something great! I don’t ever get bored during my sessions because I am always moving and most importantly, I have someone in my face….holding me accountable.  Last, I have adjusted my diet a bit to invite healthier habits in order to ensure my success.  I am eating small meals every 2-3 hours to speed my metabolism up and I am making better food choices.  Will I allow myself unhealthy options from time to time? ABSOLUTELY!!! I just shouldn’t do that all of the time…which I have tendency to do from time to time.

So why am I calling it a Jump Start?! Because I am jump starting my year in the right way.  I am hoping to create better habits and learn how to workout effectively so that I can always enjoy the gym and make it an integral part of my week.  I am officially a ’30 something’ so I cannot expect my body to be fabulous just because I have good genes.  Those days are gone! I must work for my fabulousness and that is what I intend to do!! So wish me luck and I will keep you posted about halfway through…and let you know if I stuck with it.  Hopefully this goes better than my first try at Fantasy Football. lol

Buenos Aires, Argentina…! Such a Pleasant Surprise!!

What is the first that you think of when you think of Buenos Aires? Tango? Europe? South America? Soccer?  All of these things would be correct and all of them were the first thing that came to mind when first I contemplated the idea of going there.  I must say that upon arrival I was pleasantly surprised.  Surprised that it cost me $160 just to enter the country….and very surprised at how beautiful everything was when I left the airport.  The highways are very modern and I actually felt like I was on the highway from RDU heading home to Greensboro….it was an amazing feeling. It has been so long since I’ve been remotely close to feeling like I was at home, but Buenos Aires continually did this for me.  This trip was fabulous and I have got to say that I highly recommend putting Buenos Aires on your list of places that you should visit.

I have never visited Europe before, but I immediately felt like I was there when I was in Buenos Aires.  I was lucky enough to stay in a neighborhood called Palermo Hollywood…in a very fabulous apartment.  Felt like a mix between Europe and New York City and let me tell you this change was greatly appreciated.  Upon arrival to Argentina I walked around the streets of Palermo Hollywood, sipping a bottle of wine…and enjoying the sights and sounds of the bustling city.  I arrived pretty late so I soon went to sleep to rest up for the next day of sightseeing and relaxation.  The next day I woke up in time for lunch and went to this wonderful little restaurant called Montego Bay that specialized in the juicy steaks (that Argentina is known for) as well as a fusion of Caribbean cuisine.  OMG…the food was AMAZING!

Sightseeing.  After getting full enough to feel as though I needed a nap…I went and did a double decker bus tour.  It was really enjoyable until we hit the rush hour traffic and had to sit on the bus for a few hours longer than I thought was necessary.  Though it wasn’t a super productive tour due to the time that I chose to get on the bus…it was great to be able to see the entire city and learn some of its history.  The ticket actually lasted for 24 hours, but I didn’t make it back the next day to finish riding on the bus.  I had other things planned so I had to visit the other points of interest on my own….which is what happened below.

Wine Tasting, Boca & Caminito.  The next day…though I wanted to…I didn’t wake up early, but I did attend an amazing wine tasting….with gourmet freshly made food pairings.  During the tasting I was able to learn about Argentine wines and some of the history of those wines.  The food was delicious and went very well with each wine that was tasted.  Though the wine tasting was very expensive…I definitely enjoyed it.  After the wine tasting, I decided to go see the historic and very famous soccer arena of Boca.  Though I am not a soccer fan and didn’t have any idea who they were…I knew that it was something that I needed to experience while in Buenos Aires.  Inside the stadium was a museum and a very expensive gift shop.  Outside of the stadium the streets are lined with stores selling the same keepsake items and at much lower prices.  And to my surprise, right around the block was the historic area of Caminito.  Caminito is a place that I’ve seen in travel books and in pictures of Argentina.  It can be characterized as an area with brightly colored houses and restaurants.  It was a very cool experience….and there was a huge Artisan market in the area…so to say I lost my mind buying earrings and bracelets is an understatement.  I was in heaven!!

Tigre Delta Tour.  This tour was somewhat of a last minute decision, but I was so glad that I decided to participant in it.  The Tigre Delta is not something that I was ever familiar with, but it was a tour that popped up in my research and it was totally worth the visit.  So here is a little blurb on the town of Tigre, which sits on the Paraná Delta. (this is from wikipedia)

Tigre is also the starting point for a visit to the Paraná Delta. For locals and tourists alike, vintage mahogany commuterlaunches andmotorboats are the favourite way to travel through its web of inter-connecting rivers and streams. English-style rowing clubs, countless marinas, humble dwellings and elegant mansions from the “Belle Époque”, such as the Tigre Club,^[1] are to be seen, as well as small pensions and upscale lodges, restaurants, teahouses and simple picnic sites.

 

 

As mentioned above, this was a tour that took place on a commuter boat through the delta.  As you ride down the delta, you will notice houses on its banks and that everyone uses the waterways as if they were roadways.  It is basically a little town on water and made up of little islands. I was able to see gas stations (which service boats), taxi boats, supermarket boats, police boats, ambulance boats, ice cream boats (kind of like the ice cream truck)…..it was so cool!  Basically the people that live on these islands have all of these services as their disposal via the waterway.  If I remember correctly houses on these islands begin at around $60,000 so it is definitely something to consider if you want to get a beautiful vacation home on a unique waterway.  Below is are pictures of a gas station, a supermarket boat and a house on the waterway:

La Recoleta Cemetery.  After visiting the delta, I went to do more shopping at an AMAZING artisan market and again lost my mind.  I purchased so many great jewelry items and then had a palm reading from a psychic who claims that my first child will be a girl….lol. Stay tuned on that one .  Then I went to La Recoleta Cemetery, which is probably one of the most famous in the world.  Here is a little tidbit from Wikipedia:

La Recoleta Cemetery (Spanish: Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoletaneighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, the founder of the Argentine Navyand a granddaughter of Napoleon.

 

 

I was lucky enough to see the grave of the Duarte family, which belongs to Eva Perón.  I tried not to stay in the cemetery too long because it was creeping me out, but super glad that I went.

So there is a quick recap of my time in Argentina.  Overall it was action packed and honestly one of the best trips I’ve taken in a while.  For all of the Buenos Aires pictures, click here.

Thunderbird Ranked No 1….AGAIN! →

I am blessed to see another year and I am blessed for everything that God has in store for me.  Good, bad, wanted or unwanted…everything has a lesson and a purpose in your life.  I am very thankful for mine!

Every man should be born again on the first day of January.  Start with a fresh page.  Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Don’t look back….look at who you will be!!!