Author: itsotod

We’ve done it. The O’Donnell’s have done Dublin and are off to Donegal. It was awesome but like most things in life it came with a few more, “are you fucking kidding me” moments than we would have asked for. Let’s start with our first flight from LAX to Heathrow, London being an hour and a half late, yay. Hour and a half late to Heathrow means landing an hour late too, crap. I will say, that had we landed on time we still would have been in desperate shape considering that the Heathrow airport is the largest cluster fuck I’ve seen this side of Vegas. Trust me, it was an experience in itself, but the “I’m sorry” beer vouchers from the airline gave us a glimmer of hope. 

After re-booking our flight to Dublin, an hour and a half into our one hour layover, we went wheels up. I cant even tell you how deep of a breath we both took when we landed. MADE IT!! Until we remembered that they drive on the left in Ireland and we had to go pick up the car. So we get the car after figuring out how far the “just 200 meters” down the row of cars was, and I get in the drivers seat, I mean passenger. Can I just say, THANK GOD for my husband, because driving a stick-shift left handed on the left side of the road was made to look easy! 

Finally on our way to the AirB&B and naturally we got lost and circled around the building 3 times, but not before getting pulled over for not having any headlights on and apparently its a no, no to turn left on a red light. Who knew! Luckily the officers were incredibly nice, we all had a good giggle at our American expense and we were back on our way. Once we found it I swear we both did the Irish jig we were so happy. Sean grabs the key from under the mat, unlocks the door and…. the door is chained. At this point I think we both almost cried. Did I mention its cold at night here, yeah. So we sat on the porch freezing and pretty much assuming defeat. One of the neighbors came outside who happened to be the husband of our B&B host (angel of a man) and we ended up getting in. Our host basically broke into her own building, and we got to meet our housemate. 

After one of the deepest night sleeps I have had in weeks, and Sean’s 5 minute power nap, it was time to explore Dublin. 

Sean parallel parked the car like a stud, and we headed to brunch at, The Bakehouse. the cutest bakery and diner, just in front of the river. We ate breakfast and then cruised around the Temple Bar district. After walking around a bit we headed to the Jameson Irish Whiskey Distillery. The light in Sean’s eyes as we learned the history of Irish whiskey was something else. History and whiskey in Ireland, his ultimate trifecta! I got to look and learn and pretend to sip whiskey at the tasting, and then finally got my cocktail at the end! 

After whiskey we wandered to lunch. Fish and Chips and a Pint, yum! 

We headed back to the B&B for a nap and more deodorant. Seriously, BO is an issue people. I think smelling everyone else made us self-conscious and hyper aware to where we may be over deodorized that this point. So, I napped, Sean pretended to (no, he hasn’t slept a wink this whole time) and then we walked to a Pub. 

Murray’s Traditional Irish Pub. Live music and dancing, seafood chowder and 2 more rounds of Jameson and Ginger-ale. A perfect ending to the beginning of our adventure! 

All in all, Dublin is a pretty rad cross between LA and San Francisco with a cooler accent! It doesn’t get dark till 10:00pm, so much time for activities! We enjoyed our time in the city, but we are stoked and ready to hit the left side of the road and see the countryside! Tomorrow, it is off to, Donegal. 

Ill keep ya posted as we go, try to keep up! 

It’s here. Dirty feet, sweaty legs and sandy sheets.  I truly love all things that are summer.  Speaking of, really fast I want to talk about the gigantic mutated June bug resting outside my door.  I am all about the little orange dog treats but I kid you not, this one looks like something went wrong during hibernation and now it is here upon us to prove something.  But, any who.

My last final has been taken, my “desk” has moved from the couch to the patio and it is time for a climate change.  I’m not only talking about the weather, or politics for that matter (are we serious with that whole debacle?). Im talking about the awkward change in my minds climate.  I went from two weeks ago craving nothing more than to do nothing…”I wish I didn’t have homework to do so I could…(endless possibilities). Today I sat at home all day with not a damn thing in the world to do. Bored out of my flipping mind.  I can only wonder if this is a case of “careful what you wish for”, or go “get a life”.  There is one thing I did today.  I went to (not Nordstrom or the Nike store) but, Shoe City.  Of all places. I felt like I was back to school shopping for the 4th grade, looking for something to hold up on the playground.  Being married to the real life version of Phil Dunphy has (horrifyingly) begun to rub off on me and I bought a pair of so-called “sensible” walking shoes that wont give me blisters on our European walk-about this summer.  The less embarrassing version of this short story is, “I got a super cute pair of Nike’s today!”.  Lets just go with that and forget the rest.

Sean has made it very clear that it needs to be (at least attempted) to only pack one carry on bag each.  5 Countries. 23-days. In Europe. In the summer. 8-hour wine tasting tour in Tuscany, Italy included and this guy wants me to bring one bag.  Lord help me its a damn good thing he is hot! Fret not, I’m already plotting to pull a Joey Tribbiai in (The one where no one’s ready) and wear everything I own on the plane, so I don’t have to actually pack it.  I’ll keep you posted on any other pacing hacks I acquire.

Speaking of that climate change, I’m not going to lie the marine layer and June gloom we’ve had lingering on around here will not be missed when we’re sunning on the sail boat in Barcelona, or wine tasting in sunny Tuscany.  Sorry, Im not meaning to sound show-offy.  But then again, maybe I am. I’ve had a bad case of the womanhood blues this week and maybe I just need to feel superior.  I had a bit of a Jan Brady day (Marsha, Marsha, Marsha).  So there. Im going to Europe, with my sexy husband this summer, and you can’t come. Go ahead, be Jealous.

My glass is empty and I need to let Netflix know that “yes, I’m still watching”.  I hope you miss me, I’ll be back next week to brag about my fabulous shopping party at VICI Collection, stay tuned.

Good news, I found my rainbow sandal and both grandpa’s are fighting harder than ever and spit firing feisty comebacks like its nothin’.

Speaking of heart issues, ill save the bleeding love story for later, but lets talk about the actual beat of my heart.  Gramma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad and even some of my friends have heart issues.  Again, I’m pretty much pre-disposed to be diagnosed as a walking time bomb, which is why I’m taking charge now.

I told you before that I watched a documentary that told me how products that don’t meet the standards of FDA in China (things like Baby shampoo), for having too many dangerous chemicals are shipped to America to be sold on the shelves as “Approved”.  WTF!? So that’s partially where my, no more lotion, coconut oil slathering, essential oil covered, aluminum free deodorant-self is coming from there. But I want to chat about steps I’ve been taking to better myself on the inside. And I’m not talking about emotionally, that’s a whole other doctor’s appointment.

One of my best Gal’s introduced me to this (I don’t wanna call it a diet) way of eating that made absolutely zero sense to me at first. The Ketogenic Diet.  I will admit that at first the fact that she adopted these eating habits to better her health, but she shed pounds like melting butter, was the most appealing.  So that is honestly why I wanted to try it.

Welcome to the world of Keto.  When your friend tells you that you can lose weight while eating bacon with cheese and sour cream on top as much as you want, you tend to listen.  After she explained the basics to me it started to make sense.

As I understood Keto (At first, I have since done lots of research and understand in much more depth now) is that when you deprive your body of simple-carbohydrates (Bread, pasta, pizza, everything wonderful in life) and Sugar, that your body then has nothing left to burn but fat, hence the weight loss.

The example I like to use is this.  Think of it this way, you make a huge breakfast.  Pancakes, eggs, bacon, the works.  When you fry the bacon, afterwords the grease in the bacon pan is going to sit there and harden and I’m sure you’ve been told “That is what it’s doing in your arteries”. Which is correct. The reason this is what is happening in your arteries is because by the time your body has a chance to even think about digesting that pancake, the bacon has already paid first and last months rent and has settled in for the long haul.  When you eat the pancake, its gong to take your body an extreme amount of effort to turn that pancake (simple-Carb, and I won’t even get into the fact that the flour you used to make that pancake has BLEACH in it!) into glucose and then for your body to start using it as energy. This is why some athletes will “Carb Load” the night before an event.  Eat a ton of carbs, sleep on it, then burn it all of the next morning.  Well, for those of you who aren’t Michael Phelps, I can guarantee you that you aren’t burning off that entire pancake by the time lunch rolls around and you eat a sandwich on a french roll and start this process over again.  Lets say that you skip the pancake and simply just have the bacon.  Your body is going to burn that bacon fat off (instead of the sugar in the pancake) while it’s still hot and liquid, leaving no time or room for it to sit and harden in your arteries.  Moral of this long-winded example, if you cut the carbs, your body is going to burn fat instead and not only will you not be clogging your arteries, you’ll be shedding the extra bloat, water retention and painful belly aches after every meal.

So now that I’ve got you thinking about bacon, ill let you know about my journey this far.  At the beginning of the year I stepped on the scale and nearly had a heart attack (probably because I had pancakes the day before).  The number on the scale was so incredibly high that I was in true denial.  I am not one to weigh myself a whole lot but after seeing countless photos of myself where my reaction was “Omg, Ew” I thought I should maybe check-in.  I have a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, which pretty much means that I paid thousands of dollars for people to teach me about the human body and how to keep it upright and moving. I know what to do, I just needed a jumpstart and some motivation.  Something needed to change. My friend recommended that I try out her gym, OrangeTheory, and I have been obsessed ever since.  I started going just once a week and made it my Friday morning ritual.  A few months later Keto came into my life and I have since upped my OrangeTheory workouts to three times a week.  In a matter of months, I have lost 13lbs and finally feel so much better about myself and just better in general.

I told you this was going to be a story all about how my life got flipped…. sorry, I got caught up.  But seriously, this is about how Keto is going to help you live a longer life and not become a victim of heart attack.  Since you have been brain washed into believing that you should eat whole grain pasta instead of a juicy steak for dinner, I highly suggest your read this article, written by a heart surgeon who admittedly states, he was WRONG! Even if you don’t want to eat Keto, a doctor admitting to being wrong, that’s enticing enough in itself.  So don’t take my word for it, go on, read it.

Lets chat later over sourcream and sharp chedder.

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? Where ever she is, I’m probably with her.  Sorry for the drop off.  You know when your driving and your like, shit where the hell am I going.. that’s kinda how I’ve been navigating life.  Compartmentalizing has been failing me, probably because all of my compartments are full.  Not one, but Both Grandpa’s health is on the fritz, my own uterus is trying to sabotage me and I’m not sure where my other rainbow sandal is.  The sandal may seem minuscule but it seems to be the most concrete issue, for today.

I’ll elaborate a bit on my uterus problems (choose to skip ahead if you wish).  It’s no secret that “I get it from my mama”,  but there are (more than) a few things I’m hoping I got from my dad.   My tterus and my boobs, mostly.  Tam had breast cancer, twice (She is a stud).  As of late my uterus has been trying to pry itself out of me with a crow bar, and my boobs are pretty much on the same page (glad someone is).  So I go to see the Gyno (yay)..Sean came and held my hand…He even left work to be there with me (KING!) and long story short, I leave with a referral for a mammogram, an ultrasound (not the baby kind) and an appointment with her boss for further discussion.

Let me ask you, If someone could tell you if you were (possibly) going to get cancer, would you want to know? Your immediate answer was probably, “Duh!”.  Well leave it to me to say “Fuck That”.  Since I got my first training bra, I have had it rightfully drilled into me that regular breast exams and knowing your body is at the top of the to do list.  I get it, my risk of cancer is like 100. But with this knowledge, I am already so vigilant about it, why do I want one more “gene” test telling me what I already know.  Which brings me to my “Brca-Brca-1-9” question.  Do I or don’t I.  I have always thought, why get tested, I’m already aware it’s possible, why (possibly) have one more reason to sit around and wait for cancer to show up.  Well, Im going to get the damn test.  It was really important to my husband to have the information and I know (whatever the results may be) it will only help me stay on top of my check ups.  When it comes to catching cancer, trust me I’ll have reflexes like a cat.  On the uterus side of things, I am in so much pain I am sure this is some sort of karma I’m paying for.  Whatever It was that I did, seriously, I’m sorry, just make it stop.  Although you cannot have a for sure diagnosis of endometriosis without having surgery, all signs are pointing, blinking, neon glowing, and shouting YES!  The pain I have been in is debilitating.  Let me put it this way, I was walking Gypsy the other day, and basically crawled home and almost puked in my neighbor’s front yard because I was in so much pain.  It’s just not right.

So, I’m sorry for probably telling you way too much about my lady bits, but that’s why I’ve been MIA.  Im trying to manage pain, cancer (not me), kidney failure (not me), a weak heart (also not me), a puppy, and not knowing what time it is.  I promise to stay close, you don’t know it yet, but you really are helping. Sometimes It helps just to type it.  Thanks for being here for me.

Before I go, Have you ever smoked a cigarette? I have.  (less than 5 times in my life, relax).  It’s the grossest, most disgusting thing possible, and yet sometimes people crave them.  And ya know what, it might just help.  I wouldn’t recommend this on the daily, but today I had a craving.  A craving for a Frappachino.  A Mocha Frappachino.  I haven’t had a frappachino (or a cigarette) in years.  And I did it.  I ordered a mocha frappachino (with whip) and I enjoyed the hell out of it.  So like I said, I don’t agree with it on the regular but don’t forget, sometimes ya just have to unplug your iPhone charger and use the cigarette lighter for its intended purpose because you’re stressed out God, dammit!

Here is the deal, there are 168 hours in a week and about 300 of those hours are spent working or at school between Sean and I both.  You are here reading this, so you know how obsessed we are with each other, and how incredibly indecent it is that there isn’t a designated day of the week just for your lover.  So, in order to reconnect, I bit the bullet and scheduled a day at the spa because lets face it, we don’t really have time to go anywhere far (this week anyway).  In our very own backyard, let me tell you about the not so hidden gem that is the Aarna Spa at Pasea Hotel, in Huntington Beach.

I’ll begin this lesson with telling you that I don’t love massages. Plain and simple, if it isn’t Sean, I don’t want to be touched, just no.  Sean on the other hand, loves them, go figure.  I figured that If I scheduled us a couples massage, at least I’d get to lay next to him and pretend.  Hear me when I say, this was the best massage I have ever had.  The yummy essential oil blends tailed to our likings were like icing on the cake of this full body rub down and every second was heaven.

After 50 minutes of bliss we headed outside to my personal new favorite spot.  The tucked away garden is complete with a gorgeously subtle water feature and fire pits, nestled between the comfy, cozy lounges where we laid hand in hand for a solid hour.  I’m pretty much as California as they come, and let me tell you, no one craves sunshine quite like I do. I laid, with the sun in my face, holding my husband’s hand, for an hour.  Try to tell me I’m not annoyingly spoiled.  I realize I’m over loading you with my casual bragging, but ill continue.

After we ramped up our vitamin D intake for the day, we headed to our separate, secluded spa’s where we relaxed with champagne in the jacoozies, followed by an amazing steam where I’m convinced I sweated out a years worth of alcohol and finished off in the most incredibly jetted, rain shower I’ve ever seen.

As I exited the shower I was informed that my handsome husband was waiting for me at their treehouse bar of Tanner’s restaurant where I met him after I got completely ready with all the house products provided by Aarna.

I know your are ready to book you spa day, and please do, here is the link, Click Me! … But as you do, remember why we did it.  If Sean and I didn’t take advantage of days like this, we’re bound to slide off the door and sink to the bottom with the rest of the wreckage.  Take time to enjoy each other.  We are only in our first year of marriage and we have already been thrown 10th anniversary tests and trials.  “Change the weather, still together when it ends.” There isn’t anything that is ever going to separate me from my man, because we made a vow in front of our families and God, that when we start to slide off the door, were going to reward ourselves with 7 minutes of uninterrupted eye contact.  I know I just threw a lot of strategic movie plots at you but bottom line, love eachother first, stress out later.

One of my dearest called the other day after I didn’t respond to like 5 of her texts.  She was worried I was floating somewhere in the Pacific.  Nope, I’m here.  I’d love to tell you I was on another vacation, but that isn’t until next week, and Im not even sure I have time for it.  None the less, I am as alive as ever and handling the rapid fire from the life firing squad like a boss. Life is like that. It likes to give you reminders that your mom wasnt making shit up when she told you not to stick your finger in the hole in your sweater, because it would get bigger, or not to pick your scab because it would scar.  I sit here and say this with a hole in my leggings and giant scar on my knee from 6th grade. I wont tell you that I don’t have moments when driving home from one thing or another and think about pulling into the cliffs parking lot to watch people surf, and forget who I am, but I havent gotten to that level of cray yet.  I miss things like Parker snuggles, and lunch dates but I know they will come back, just as soon as I take over the world.

I am currently running on like 5 minutes (over the last week) of sleep and only one cup of coffee, and it was from a Kurig, so technically it only counts as like 1/4 of a real cup.  Seriously what is it with these machines, fill the damn cup! Moving on, I think the saying is, “spreading myself too thin” but I refuse to accept that as actuality.  I am up to 2 days a week in classes, 4 hours a week at fieldwork, 2 days watching the kiddos and 2 day at the hospital, and like maybe 20 minutes a week of hubby time, oh and Orangetheory butt kickin’ 3 days a week. I’d like to sleep now, but I guess ill do it later.  In the last 3 weeks Gypsy has been to the vet no less than 27 times and she still wears a plastic crown that is less than sparkly.  Call me gun-shy but I’m not thinking out next pet will be getting “fixed” because this time around they seemed to have broken her.  Everytime I tun around someone else I love has cancer and I getting pretty tired of that too.  If I go miss again, call Olivia Pope, Sean and I are probably in the sun with her and Jake, living under an alias.

I keep getting told to slow down, but its turning into the same as getting told to behave.  (Talk about a trigger word) Don’t tell me what to do.  I am stupid busy, but I’m thriving.  Why should I slow down? So I can sit on the couch and watch SVU?  Yes, I do love those days but you give me shit for that too so, I’m taking the win and not going to let you be the boss of me.  Im Bossy and I like it.  Why can’t I have 3 totally different dreams from 5 different ends of one spectrum? My wedding was a cake mix why can’t my life be?  Keep on, keepin’ on.  I may or may not know what day it is, but my grades are good, I am really good at my jobs, im killin’ it at life and I must say, I am a stellar wife.  I was always “Team Kristin” in high school and I’ve gotta give it to her, she balances in heels like a champ, so i’m trying to walk down the aisle in her shoes.  (literally and figuratively, have you seen her new chinese Laundry line? Amaze)

Lately life has been one big box of chocolates, that I can’t eat.  I started down the keto rabbit home and ive gotten lost somewhere between the almond butter aisle and where they keep the coconut oil.  It has been really hard breaking off my love affair with pizza, but ive dropped 6 lbs and don’t mind getting to gorge on cheese and filet as much as I want.   I know, you’re going to tell me that keto isnt long-term and the minute I eat a cookie im going to gain back double what I lose.  Again, dont tell me what to do. Go ahead and enjoy your pizza when I post a photo in a thong this summer, somewhere on a beach in the south of France.  I’ll give you all the advice you want, but apply it to your own life.  It’s the only way we are going to make it. Like I tell Rae at the dinner table, worry about yourself and your own plate, I can see Bri too.  I got this.  I promise I’m not yelling at you, but some times we all need a little tough love.  Just “be yourseeeeeeelf, be your seeeeeeelf”, and dont worry about the girl in the car next to you.

I’ve got to go, there is a toddler crying, a timer going off, an assignement due, a patient who needs help up and Sean is calling.  Chat soon.

Fountain Valley Fire Department has put together a team of heros to fight 69 flights of stairs in 80lbs of equipment and gear to raise money for those fighting Leukemia and Lymphoma. Help us by supporting our men in the 26th annual Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, in Seattle, Washington.  Every little bit helps. What a small feat, compared to what the fighters of theses killers battle. 

Donate now
Xoxo

Ok, Last time we talked I told you all about Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products. Although I do in fact really like her products, Mrs Meyer’s day isn’t as “clean” as I thought.  Apparently, these products have added fragrances, which depending on which review you read, may as well be listed as chemical X.  So, I apologize for steering you wrong, but I will say, it’s probably better than what you were using before…baby steps.  Naturally, I went gung-ho and bought all kinds of refills for the bottles I already had, so I will be using such products for at least another month or two. Whoops!

There are a few things that I changed and are actually making me feel cleaner already.  After downloading the app Think Dirty (shop clean) and coming to the conclusion that I was washing and rubbing myself head to toe in 10/10 ranked cancer and infertility, I wanted to give my shower a makeover.  The app will give you a ranking on the products you already use from 0-10 on a toxicity scale and let you know which ingredients are the most horrible for you.  Someone asked me, “well, how accurate is it?”  Honestly, I don’t know, but its a good place to start. The app will give you alternative suggestions to try, so even if it isn’t totally accurate, its something to go by and somewhere to start.  While I am still on the hunt for a clean facial cleanser, I have successfully switched my shampoo and conditioner as well as body wash over to The Seaweed Bath Co products and so far, so good! I will of course keep you in the loop as I find new treasures.

On a totally unrelated topic, Sean left for Breckinridge, Colorado on a boy’s trip last Thursday and let me tell you, boy’s trips are for the birds! Maybe it was because I had a sinus infection, or because I was PMS-ing, or maybe because our puppy seems to turn into a monster when he isn’t home, or because I couldn’t breath, or because I was jealous that he was on vacation and I wasn’t but let me tell you, those were 6 days I don’t want to re-live.  Anyone in for a Girls trip? While he was gone; I managed to wake up two nights in a row in an absolute panic because I couldn’t breath (enter sinus infection), Our dog literally had a mental breakdown and barked at me for 4 straight days, I bloated to the size of a Macy*s day parade float, we had the worst storm on the century, our house nearly floated away (I’m not even being dramatic) and the dryer broke.  Sean comes home, (bearded and sexy) literally stares at the dryer and its fixed, Gypsy is back to a sleepy, sweet puppy girl and he bought me a new Michael Kors wallet, passport case and luggage tag.  If you didn’t believe me when I told you he was a glitter spraying unicorn before, I’m sure you do now.  Robot, I married a robot.

Now you know…Mrs. Meyer’s is a dirty girl, Sean is home, the sun is out, and my shower is clean (at least the products in it are). All is well again. Let’s talk soon.