The Fit Bride...

 

 

 

Let me be honest here... I do care about what I look like in a really expensive dress, for a day that will be remembered for the rest of my life and pictures to be taken. So since that magical moment when my then boyfriend asked me to be his bride, that ring has sparked back my love of fitness, healthy eating & love of nike shorts. I had already determined that 2012 resolutions would include getting in shape, didn't realize that goal would include the "wedding shape". Over the course of the past few months, I have been obsessed with the following foods:

Smoothies
Chobani Greek Yogurt ( I sneak it into everything!)
Almond everything ( Almond milk, almonds and almond butter)

Seriously I have been beyond obsessed with smoothie breakfasts. Green smoothies filled with tons of spinach, kale, berries, pineapple, pears & carrots were the gateway smoothie to this obsession. Now, I am obsessed with getting protein intake higher. So greek yogurt is my latest staple. Chobani

This amazing week's concoction is:
.5 cup Plain Chobani Yogurt, .75 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, 1 cup Frozen Cherries & Berries & 3 TBSP of Ovaltine Mix.

At first you'd be like...Ovaltine for breakfast?? The sugar is actually not as high as some flavored yogurts & this has helped me with getting some key minerals like IRON. I have always struggled to eat enough protein and get enough iron because I am a pseudo former Vegetarian (I eat Turkey, Chicken & Bacon--don't ask why bacon is ok). So I'll take the 7g of sugar for the pay off of chocolate shake for breakfast and higher iron.

Speaking of iron, I've been pumping it! The one thing I did do as soon as I got engaged, get a 24hr fitness membership for me and the Mr. At first I was all about not doing classes, just sticking to a great regime I used in college that was good enough. Then, I started getting bored (mostly because I kept going over my data usage by streaming Netflix to my phone! Unlimited only means you get unlimited at high speed up to 3GB, after that...its slowed down to dial up speed). So I started taking these classes. First was S.E.T (Strength, Endurance Training), which is amazing cardio, step, and weights... Next, was TurboKick, cardio kickboxing and the zumba for the non-dancers. Last, PiYO- Pilates/Yoga at a faster pace and not boring.

With that, 5 months into the year I am back at my pre-tex mex jean size & I have lost 15lbs. Soo... I'd say its worth it!!

Engaged

This year I had the divine privilege of becoming James Joseph Cardoza's fiance. You would think that me being a photographer/creative/designer that I would have this grand vision in my head weeks and weeks out. Quite the opposite- I did not have anything in my mind until the night before. I partially was dreading being in front of the camera and partially having the worst time coming up with the style I wanted for me and the Mr. Finally, mr man got this fabulous shirt from Fossil, which reminded me MY love for that store, which lead me to go the night before to get the dress. Back the story up a bit more, you'll soon realize I am busy (designer) and my man (musician) is busy. So the only time we could get our pictures done was before work one unusually chilly Texas morning. 6:20am to be exact. The only vision I had was jokingly said on a drive up to Dallas one early morning. "Babe lets take pix in a field early in the morning with the fog rising all around us. That would be epic, right?"

Thank you to my good friend Corey Robinson for getting up at the most unrealistic time and taking these pictures. He shot the pictures, I edited/post produced them. I love editing photos, almost as much as I love taking them. It was awesome to really try to find what was natural for us as a couple during this session.

Insta-2012 Recap

Fell in love with this guy.

Said yes, absolutley! 

Started to like cooking more & food photography. 

Saw these gems in springfield performing! 

Sat courtside at a Rockets Game. 

First Engagement present! 

Saw Sucre (Stacy King) in concert

Still obsessing over my ring + mint + lace

Went wedding dress shopping.

 

Had an incredibly busy season at work. 

Shot Skeet for the first time! 

Saw these dudes in concert

Visited some dear friends up in Dallas. 

Fitness goals met! Down 12lbs so far!

Baked my first ombre cake for a gender reveal party for the bestie!

Insta-Happiness

I found some SWEET 1950's Combat boots in my grandpa's workshop when I went home over the summer. So I've been trying to rock them as much as my feet can handle. They need a bit of work to keep in the shape I found them, but Free is Free.  

On your left, is a sweet little girl (3/3) that I've watched a bit over the year. Impromptu style shoot was just what was needed to kill some time while her older sisters were on playdates. I think my babysitting income (even in my 20s) helps support my clothing addiction and love of expensive food! On the right is an aerial view of NYC, my favorite city, my second home. This was from a trip back home in October. I say NYC is like home, but realistically I am from Connecticut -- so the train ride is all that stands between me and my "backyard" 

My 2011 find was this guy. Meet Jimmy. He's  an amazing electric guitar player, beard grower and note writer. What an artisan of words and music. 

No post would be complete without showcasing how freaking cool my dad is. I found these personality capturing moments of my father back when he was my age. My dad was such an original hipster. 

Some of these are my instagrams from throughout 2011.  

Houston Family : Christmas Mini's

obsessed/pixel

I don't have kids, but I have this little bundle of cuddles named Pixel. You might see more of her and hear me go on about how much Pixel is awesome. She's my high class rescue maltese/poodle/bijon mutt. LOVE HER. And if you look below, you'll see why she's sweet pixel.