Blog Elevated '14 - Galveston Island

has it really been a year!? catch up on my BE '13 experience there.

Galveston, we have arrived!

my girl Ogechi and i road tripped (if you can even call it that) from Houston to G-town this past weekend for the 2nd annual Blog Elevated Conference held at Moody Gardens. i live less than an hour from Galveston, i'm 32 years old, and this was my very first time at MG.

Ogechi went first and checked in right away.  i walked up to the registration table and the volunteers could not find my name. 'fitfoodiele?  hmmmm...' who forgot to register for the conference online before attending?? *raises hand* WHO does that?! i registered right there on the spot on my phone and was able to confirm i was supposed to be there.  one day i will get my life together.

i would just like to sincerely thank the founder of the BE, Lisa Stauber, for being so generous to Ogechi and i.

i was not leaving the conference without hugging and thanking her a billion times.  i had no trouble finding her though because she was extremely involved in the conference happenings, workshops, etc., and always easily accessible and approachable.  the number one thing that stands out about her to me is that she is REAL. a real life, hard-working mother of 10. TEN. no twins, triplets, multiples... all singles. her youngest is like 10 months old! hello? and she is running around handling business and operating her own conference?! she takes that 'no excuse' motto to a whole nother level.  she is MY motivation to be the business woman and mother i desire to be.  Lisa, you are one incredibly inspirational mama and i highly respect and appreciate you.

we got our swag bags and headed to mix and mingle with the other bloggers.

 

we participated in the Imperial Sugar sweet scrub booths right away and made some all natural body and lip scrubs! they were super simple to create and made with all natural ingredients you can pick up at your grocery store. try it at home yourself:

then try not to eat it all off.  impossible.

we made two others; orange dreamsicle body scrub, and i did a lavender, rosemary, lemon combo scrub as well.

here ya go:

ready to give my elbows and knees some love :D

fooooood! so lately i can't go to Sprouts without getting a handful of plantain chips #slightlyobessed so when i saw that basket full of them fireworks went off in my head.  we snacked on the chips with mango salsa, fresh fruit with yogurt dip, pineapple and chicken skewers, mini quiches, prosciutto wrapped melon, and...

smores for dessert!  we roasted our own marshmallows in that fire pit behind us first. such a fun idea!

after meeting, snapping pics, and hanging out with more blogger friends for a bit (hey @superradchristianwriterchick and @mysocalledglamorouslife!) we hit the road home since we had to be back early again the next day.

what's up day 2!? we checked into MG and dropped off our stuff in our room.  nursing babies were welcome so i brought one with me. Dego had plenty of company; there were a good handful of babies present this year.

my badge was waiting for me after last night's registration snafu so i excitedly threw it on!

 anxious and ready to learn but had to get a pic in front of the BE backdrop first.

another great turn out this year!  i was up and walking around with Dego for a bit while listening to the Brands and Bloggers PR panel answer our questions.

Dego had his own agenda, and it was definitely lunch time.

soon as the ballroom was open for lunch we went right on in and got a great spot in front of the big screen.  this is one place i didn't feel like i was being watched while taking pics of my food- everybody else was aiming and snapping away too. lol.

i was looking at last years BE post and noticed that nothing has changed as far as me and Ogechi's eating habits cause we are all about that fit life!  small, balanced meals every 3 hours or so works best for our energy levels and attitudes. lol.  when i'm working towards a specific goal with my body like our 6 Pack USA clients, i stick to my meal plan and do not budge no matter what.  yes, even while traveling. especially while traveling!! that's when i and most people stall the progress and fall off track..  however you can always stick to your guns though.  preparation goes a long way, especially with your nutrition.  however, i didn't bring any food food again this year,  just snacks like nectarines, quest bars, Ogechi's almonds, and water.  i'm pretty good at eyeballing my portion sizes for each meal according to my macros, so i did just that and did not stress.

back to it! after a hilarious yet informative lesson on creating charming & cheeky social media content from Marie Bonaccorse from Charmin, we took down several pages of notes from Matt Cherry's 30 Easy Changes to Make for Giant Growth seminar.

 after getting home so late thursday night, i skipped my early friday gym date (more like missed purposely) and planned on working out later that day sometime.  i attempted to take advantage of the 3 hour break we were given while Ogechi napped, but nope, Dego needed me more. after, oh idk, 10 min or so on the elliptical, Ogechi called me back to the room to tend to Dego's cries screams! so, no workout that day.

we attended the Beauty, Bubbles, and Bites Cocktail party that evening hosted by Kroger and did the mingle thang!

 and snacking thang. lol. if there's a chocolate fondu fountain in our vicinity, we'll find it.

 we were on our own for dinner, so we stayed on location and ate at the MG restaurant, Cafe in the Park.  i had a turkey-veggie burger with fries, plenty of water, and two dinner salads.

it was off to bed after i researched and connected via social media with some of the bloggers i had met earlier that day.  Dego was patiently waiting on his nightcap, haha.

early the next morning, this definitely happened! i couldn't wait to hit it hard.  i see you, Cintia! she was up early too and getting her run on, love it.  O took the first shift around 4-5am, and i went second while Dego snoozed.  the hotel didn't have a stair master, but i found the real thing and got in some lower body work outside.  it totally pumped me up to attack BE day 3! after breakfast of course.

back to Cafe in the Park we went.  i ordered some coffee, and an egg white veggie omelette with a little cheese. if that's a little cheese...... :/ but i was too hungry to wait for another (and we needed to get going)!  so i peeled it off myself and made it work.

we attended more workshops and seminars all afternoon until lunch time. the Representing Brands with Style workshop by Frederick Goodall was actually after lunch, but i didn't get any pics in them! nevertheless, @MochaDad did an amazing job.

lunch time again.

boxed lunches were provided by BE, so we took ours to the room so we could also get our stuff together to check out of the hotel.

after listening to Kristen Welch discuss how her non-profit org Mercy House was birthed, she wrapped up the conference, we said our goodbyes, and headed home to our hubbies.

but not before giving this guy a fresh diaper!

a few fitfoodiele takeaways:

•  trial and error. every speaker covered different topics and what worked for them of course, but they all had one common piece of advice-- get out there and try it and if it doesn't work, take note and try something else!  you'll never, ever know if you don't TRY.

•  i WILL conquer YouTube after Audra Kurtz' workshop! she inspired me so dang much. currently at #lostpuppystatus but i'm excited to use a different media other than photos.  maybe it will work out; maybe it won't. but i'm no longer afraid to try.

• focus on what you are good at. your niche. we ALL have one, but YOURS should be your focus. doesn't matter if there are multiple people doing what you're doing... you can't do it like THEM and they can't do it like YOU.

• STOP COMPARING. everything.

•  it will take hard work, blood, sweat, tears, late nights, and possibly YEARS for your blog to reach its potential.  accept that and continue to be consistent, be yourself, and post quality content about what you are most passionate about.

until next year, BE!

le

baby mama

happy hump day! i'd love to shine the spotlight on someone vital to my motherhood journeys as well as my Christian walk. remember my confession post, In Love With Lean, from about 6 months ago? weeeeeell,

this pretty young thang is one of the good friends i was referring to... my BM, Marguerite!

(i.e., Baby Mama, as we affectionately call each other.)

 through my infertility struggles with both pregnancies, Marguerite helped me cope with having to 'sit down somewhere' from all the excessive exercising i was doing in the most loving way possible. lol. she has a masters in counseling because it's clearly what she was born to do!  we met at UH, were even roommies for a semester, and continued to keep in touch after graduation.  she prayed and fasted with and for me during those times, and i received her advice and words wholeheartedly because i knew they were from the Lord. fasting solo (and usually for your own personal issues) is physically and mentally difficult enough.   but to care for another friend so much (i'm not talking about your spouse, mom, dad, siblings, etc.) that you sacrifice yourself and go to the Lord on their behalf... i am utterly thankful God put her in my life.  i'm also grateful she was willing to let Him use her in the first place!  being obedient to God's commands and tasks can be uncomfortable and downright hard.  it can often make relationships difficult, very awkward...or even eventually non-existent. but you must do what He tells you to do... His way.  it's about His glory, never us.

we were preggo together for both of our children, however, she is chunking me the deuce for babies #3 and 4, hahaha! i'm on my own now, but i know she'll be with me in spirit.

i was almost 9 months along and she was about 6 when we met up for our BM prenatal massages and lunch back in 2011. we worked out (walked on the treadmills), hung out and talked about baby stuff, and ate good of course. boobs and bellies everywhere!

we were gettin' our Red Lobster on for lunch in this throwback pic,

and a few months ago we met up for brunch at Le Peep before heading to get our massages. i was 8 months along and she was right behind me again at almost 6!  because my birthday had recently passed, she told me my massage was on her.  what a sweet, sweet surprise and a testament to her character.

aaand of course we attended each other's baby showers!

i've had so much fun sharing blessings and making memories with this girl.

she came to spend some quality time with Odego and i at the hospital back in June, and i was recently blessed to return the favor because her sweet baby girl, Callie Marie, is already HERE! today is actually Callie's due date and i am elated she is safely in her mama's arms and in the comfort of their own home.

she's perfect. and PINK:) i'm looking forward to all the girlie advice Marguerite will pass my way because i'll need it :) .

i just want to give a sincere congrats to the blessed Hairstons who are now a family of four!  thank you, BM, for simply being the sister you were called to be. i appreciate you. <3

le

in love with lean

the wait. that dreaded wait.  we all wait for something at some point in our lives.  His timing is..... impeccable though. perfect. every time.  but while you're waiting, you don't want to hear that.  and i wanted another baby. and when a woman wants a baby,  she wants one when she wants one.

Sonny and i prayed and believed consistently for another Egwuatu kiddo. we knew Chiso was only the beginning. however, after stepping off the stage last year i was head over heels for my 'new', lean body.  you might say, 'but you were already lean.' there's a huge visual and physical difference between 21% body fat and 10%.   i was thrilled at seeing 130- anything on the scale.  i had not seen the 130's in this decade.  'long & lean' was something i had always wanted to accomplish with my body.  so once I got there, according to my standards anyway,

i wanted to stay there. here we go again...but on a much deeper level this round.

<<rewind<<

my menstrual cycle has always been flaky. it has always done its own thing since it finally popped up at age 16. late bloomer right here. from then on, Irregular City...which was prolly due to my active sports life.

i discovered my passion for group fitness and became an instructor for a few local gyms a few years after college graduation and marriage to Sonny.  i was extremely nervous just thinking about getting in front of a crowd, but the support and encouragement from friends, Sonny, and my family pushed me to just go for it.  i started with a BANG teaching 7-9 classes per week (before and after work) and local boot-camps on my own in addition to my full-time job.  then things got a little crazy with my body. i went from monstrous PMS symptoms including heavy cramping & bleeding, bloating, mood swings, swelling & breast tenderness every one or two days a month to absolutely no period and zero symptoms. nothing. when i first met Sonny in college and had an 'episode', he actually called 911, bless his heart.

 it was just something i lived with, and something my family (mom, dad & brother when i lived at home) adjusted to. on the first day of every cycle, life stopped.  4 aleeve, vicodin, hot water bottles,  massive overnight - diaper sized pads, and my bed was my life for 24-48 hrs. so, this exercise thing was quite alright in my eyes. it was my saving grace.  can i tell you how happy a camper i was?  to not have to deal with any of that mess anymore was..... LIBERATING. living like a boy was fun. no tampons, pads, PMS, none of that. this went on for months.... maybe over 8 or so...unfortunately i lost count.  i later researched this to be deemed athletic amenorrhea, but back then i just referred to it as AWESOME.  when the time came for Sonny and i to really get serious about bringing some kiddos into this world, well i was not exactly in the best position to house a child.  i have never been on birth control. so after being a married woman and doing married woman things for over a year and never being  'surprised' (which was fine by me) i had to really wonder what was up with me.  ...or Sonny. which one of us needed to be 'fixed'?

i learned along the way that you don't even need to actually bleed to get pregnant...just ovulate. but bleeding helps you pinpoit when to expect to ovulate.  and hello, it just comes with the territory of being a woman!  without a cycle, i'd have to take an ovulation test, well, every single day. that got old and discouraging real fast. and obviously, not bleeding on my own meant that things just weren't right.  Sonny wanted to expand our family from the jump, but his concern grew as time went by without a positive result.

at some point along the way Sonny did wonder what happened to my angry woman PMS symptoms and asked about them.  i explained how they simply vanished completely after i started exercising a lot...along with my period.  he stayed on me about going to the Dr., and i did. eventually.  he naturally felt irritated and annoyed with me for not taking our health seriously and waiting months to see my OB.  i put it on the back burner countless times and kept reassuring him it would come back on its own if i just exercised less and rested more.  gym members were excited about my classes and attending consistently!  slow down? i can't now! i'm in demand!  i made so many new connections and met so many new fit friends during that time. i was simply enjoying the instructor experience and wanted nothing more than to keep it rolling.  but i also knew i wanted a baby...sooner or later.

so i prayed. then i dropped a class. and cried. and waited. and dropped another class. and cried. and waited. and dropped another class. and cried. and waited... for negative result after negative result, and no period.  after several months of this draining cycle, my OB referred me to a fertility specialist.  he prescribed me Provera which brought my cycle back the following month.

just. like. that.

i felt tons better and like a normal woman again. our strength and outlook on the whole baby-making process was renewed and TTC (fyi, that stands for trying to conceive from all the mommy-hood message boards i scoured at the time lol) became fun again, not a timed task.  but after a few more months of ovulation tests and scheduled intercourse, that stick just wouldn't yield a positive result.  so, i had multiple tests run.  an HSG test was done to ensure my fallopian tubes weren't blocked. what an uncomfortable day that was.  turns out they weren't blocked though.  Sonny, on the other hand, passed all his tests with flying colors so he was eradicated immediately.  hopes were high again for the next month. negative.  i've never been a fan of roller coasters and wanted off this stupid ride. then the guilt set in.  i was extremely close to accepting that my negligence damaged me to the point of never being able to conceive a child.  around that time, God made two extremely special friends of mine even more prevalent in my life, just when i needed them.  they prayed for me, over me, and agreed in prayer with me that God would bless Sonny and i with a child in His time...... and under certain conditions.  i had to chill with the exercise.  i had to sacrifice the very thing i could not imagine going a day without.  i kept teaching my classes (i believe i was only doing 3 a week by that point) and did no other form of exercise outside of them except, walk. walk, walk, walk. nothing else.  this was because i would use my class as my warm up, then go do my own intense workout afterwards, every time.  even on the days i didn't teach class, you knew where to find me.  after almost 2 months of sticking to the script, spending more time with the Lord (poof, i had a lot more spare time suddenly) exercising less, and giving my body the break it deserved, i had several friends including Sonny's mom tell me about Clomid. i brought it up to my Specialist at my next visit.

after the very first round of Clomid (+ the self-administered Ovidrel shot, :shock: yikes), boom. our Chiso was on the way.

just. like. that.

please read about my 1st fit preggo journey here!

>>fast forward>>

i was eager to return to my regularly scheduled workout program after giving birth..... i could not wait.  i was completely recovered (natural birth + episiotomy) after about 2.5 weeks total.

so, i loaded lil' Chiso up into our new jogging stroller and hit the bricks! just to the mailbox and around the neighborhood though.  i was a good girl and waited the full 6 weeks to hit the gym again.  trust...Sonny made sure of it :roll:

>>fast forward>>

around Memorial day of 2012  (Chiso was almost 1-year-old), some friends of ours competed in a body building competition which intrigued me tremendously.  i've always wanted to be a bodybuilder!!!! always.  this only fueled my fire since it was so close to home.  Sonny has always wanted to compete, but only without the use of supplements.  more importantly to him were the new sleep apnea and blood pressure issues he faced for the 1st time in his life from the added 50lbs he put on after his college track days.  the dr. visit scare reminded him of his late father’s symptoms who passed away when he was 19,  just 1 year before we met.  not wanting to contribute to the possibility of leaving Chiso and I behind too soon, he instantly put his health in the forefront again.  anyway, i would always get crazy looks, comments, blank stares, and 'are you serious?' faces from friends and family about bodybuilding so i never took it seriously either.  not this time- Sonny and i agreed to train for our 1st competition together that would take place 4 months later on our 5th wedding anniversary, September 15th.  i still didn't have a period at this point because i was breastfeeding Chiso regularly.

so we were off!  we committed wholeheartedly to our competition journey and started going hard with the weight training, sticking to our nutrition plans to the T, dropping body fat like crazy, and just training everyday with no breaks or rest days.  the ironic part? after somehow surviving that daily, strenuous, gym, work, home, gym again,  schedule, i was still lactating like crazy.  that was largely due to my diet, no doubt.  no processed or fried foods, only a combo of oatmeal (a big milk production booster), brown rice, sweet potatoes, egg whites, spinach, asparagus, apples, bananas, blueberries, chicken breast, lean beef, tilapia, almonds, and avocado, 5 - 6 times per day. no supplements, shakes, pills, powders were used or wanted because i didn't want to pass any foreign ingredients to Chiso.

read about our 14 week transformations here.

the end result? well, we made it! we even ended up bringing home some hardware! (hardware = trophies).  what a weekend and what a ride.

afterwards..... i was in love. i was super proud of my body and the new level of leanness i was able to achieve with the help of my former trainer.  i was fitter and smaller than before i got preggo with Chiso!  teaching my classes minimized my recovery time and got me back to my pre-preggo size quickly, but at the time i was convinced that was the best my body could do.  my clothes fit way different or just didn't fit anymore at all, and i was slipping into things i hadn't worn in years  that had been pushed to the back of my closet. my pride wouldn't let me throw or give anything away.

Sonny and i headed to Jamaica to celebrate our wedding anni the sunday after our show and had a blast.  when we got back, i wasn't necessarily interested in doing another show right away because, well, i told myself after i was done i would chill out and prepare my body for baby #2.  that was the plan...that fell through immediately.  from October 12 - June 13 i was living and training like i was about to compete in another show.  i'd wake up claiming that day as a rest day and found myself outside running or at the gym anyway raking up cals on my Polar HR watch.  now, being active is important to me.  i recommend daily movement to everybody.  but unless i burned a certain number of cals or was drenched in sweat, i wouldn't leave the gym.  obsessed & unbalanced.  i was being stubborn and counter productive to my ultimate goal. again.

 let's be real. we all want to look good, all the time.  for some competitors that desire is even more so magnified once we step off that stage.  when we start to look 'normal' again and go off our competition diet in the slightest bit, we feel fluffy, unfocused, and as if we've let ourselves go completely.  so, we flip the competition prep switch on.  in my case, i had no scheduled shows coming up.  since my body was on a way fitter level than before my 1st pregnancy, it was twice, no, quadruple times harder to let go of the exercise reigns.

the journey to baby #2 went in a somewhat similar fashion. this time though, increasing my body fat along with decreasing my workout intensity and activity level was number one on my to-do list. first, Provera brought my period back (after i stopped breastfeeding around 19 months it needed another jump-start i guess), then a round of Clomid.  and another round of Clomid. and another, followed by my very first IUI.  i remember speaking with my good friend by phone and expressing my frustrations as Sonny and i were on the rocky TTC road again.  she felt in her spirit that there was one constant clearly hindering the process. again.  and she was right.  of course she was right!  God was speaking through her because i wasn't listening to Him.  then she politely reminded me about our agreement from my 1st pregnancy when she prolly should have screamed it into the phone instead.  we made the very same commitment with the Lord together in prayer and from that point on i only walked outside of teaching my 2 classes per week.  committing to do nothing but walk... don't even get me started!  one of the toughest mental battles, ever.  i'd glance in the mirror every so often and see more jiggle here, a new softness there, and it would just make me want to say screw it and go sprint outside in the street!!!!  i could not disregard my promise or my priorities, and worrying so much about every little change in this temporary, earthly body of mine was ruining me.   this process reinforced spiritual discipline, submission, and obedience to God.  patience. faith.. the list goes on.  so while enduring the ongoing, daily spiritual growth (which is most important), there is something greater developing beyond my simple sacrifice:

our 2nd blessing,

*****

i have stopped asking myself  'why did i wait until 30 years old to finally do a bikini competition?' and accept that the 'delay' was all apart of His plan for my life.  He knows me better than i ever will. He created me.   fitness will forever be my passion. i was born to do this! no doubt in my mind.  but abusing my gift and living an unbalanced, unhealthy lifestyle was never apart of the deal.  if balance is not present in anything we do, the snowball effect takes place.  you may think you can handle it and that things are under control for a few weeks....months....even years... but eventually the scales tip and fall over.  i highly doubt i would have been able to handle sacrificing my body for even one child had i dabbled in the sport of bodybuilding at a much younger age.  i've learned that menstrual cycle issues are such touchy and taboo subjects for women competitors, and some would simply rather not discuss it.  apparently some women never lose their cycle, and some cycles come right on back once that competitor's body fat level rises to a normal range. does that happen for the majority of women competitors? good question. i don't know. i do know that the road to conception is different for every woman...just like the pregnancy itself, labor, and delivery.  every woman's got her story whether she chooses to share it or not.

this post was months in the making.  part of me wanted it to come out perfectly, and the other half just wanted it to come OUT already.  i'm no longer ashamed or so secretive of the fertility drug discussions or questions.   7.3 million active and inactive women face infertility, yet it's still such a taboo subject, especially in the bodybuilding and athletic arena.  the sense of feeling like less of a woman for being unable to conceive naturally can be overwhelming and lead to a loss of self-worth.  unfortunately, the same can be said depending on the way a woman delivers her baby!  there is nothing wrong with 'help'. pain meds, epidurals, c-sections, etc.,--  they all go under the same umbrella in my eyes.  infertility is a medical condition, not a measure of who you are as a person.  breaking my silence has been incredibly empowering and played a crazy huge role in eliminating the 'broken' feelings i used to have about my body.  this ongoing journey has reinforced how living as a positive, balanced, realistic picture of health to my family and everyone i reach via social media, my blog, and on the street is such a vital part of my purpose.

transparency is not easy. i feel the reader isn't affected nearly as much as the writer spilling their beans and putting themselves out there.  regardless, it sure does feel good to share.

as always, thanks for reading.

le

holy forehead acne + gender reveal

my close friends are like 'girl SHUT UP about this forehead acne already. please.' and i will. when it goes away :shock: .   forreal though, it's the only symptom that is different from my 1st pregnancy. so 2% of me believed a mini fit foodie le was on the way.

 welp, yesterday was the day we got to confirm those (un)educated guesses.  i have been saying i don't care about the sex... i meant that.  i still don't care. i just can't believe i said i would wait until i was in the delivery room to find out....HA. yeah, not doing that. this round anyway!  i commend women/couples who actually go through with it though, seriously.

i wake up wanting real cheese, eggs, and toast. every morning. most days this is dinner too.  so after a filling breakfast and some 19 week selfies,

i was so excited i threw on some heels and we hit the road to meet Sonny.  i asked Chi for the last time that morning,' so, sister or a brother? '  he responded with 'no thank you mama.  i don't want a sister.' aaaaallrightythen.

 i couldn't help but think, 'i was just here with Chiso.' 3 years really did pass by that fast. funny how my entire visit happened just like last time too.  Sonny came to meet me (well us, this time) from work, and i even used the same changing room. on purpose.   i remember having to chug 20 oz or more of water just before the procedure. and i barely made it to the bathroom afterwards. like last time.

heading down the long hallway to the US room.

it was even the same nurse - i recognized her right away and the way she began: 'ok please let me find what i need to find first and then we'll eventually get to the gender, your questions, and then i'll show you your baby in detail.' aaaaallrightlythen. #doyourthing.  she reminded me that the procedure usually lasts an hour, but that's cause sometimes the babies don't cooperate or face in the best direction.  luckily our little one gave us a clear shot of the goods ;)  . i think it's hilarious to watch the baby's mouth opening and closing on the screen- i'm like what the heck are you even saying :lol: !?  it's also cool to see all the punching and kicking and feel it happening in your belly simultaneously.   just in complete awe of God, again.

he'll fully understand soon enough.

and we're done here! all cheeses after 'meeting' the 4th member of the Egwuatu family.  so.....

this was the very first pic the nurse printed out for us.... POW. i knew instantly but Sonny still had the 'wait, what is that?' look on his face for the longest.

well, what is it?! 

(view is from the top looking down)

le

weekend eats

so i used to REALLY let loose and eat whatever and however much i wanted on the weekends.  but i always despised how i felt on mondays... especially during my workout.  i felt greasy.. heavy.. and kinda sick to my stomach.  i don't like that feeling.  and it's not like i didn't work out on the weekends either!  clearly it was what and how much junk i was putting into my body that made me feel that way.

saturday morning started off like it normally does- at the gym.  shoulders, cardio, abs and stretching.  i've been making it a point to stretch after my workouts and now i feel incomplete if i don't do it!  that's how it should be.  i'm the same way with water.  when i force myself to down a bottle with every meal, i start craving it over time.  that's also when i start collecting empty bottles from EVERYWHERE!!!  every cup holder in the cars, piled up on my end table, and all over the house.

i got in and out super early cause i had a baby shower to attend for a friend of mine.

Lululemon is a beast with the slimming effect, seriously!!!! she'll also slim the heck outta your wallet though, my goodness.

first things first, lol! kidding.  really though, this cake gave my cake lady a SPRINT for her money.  it was from Ooh La La Sweets. do you see how ginormous that cake is?  that's only half a sheet :shock:

we were all watching Emily open her gifts (Chiso tried to help) and even after all that cuteness, the thought of having a girl still scares me!!  i know she'll come at the most perfect time..... but i could totally do a few more boys.

nevertheless, we cannot wait to meet baby Audrey:) a HUGE congrats to Mike and Emily on their precious blessing and addition to their family.  our little boys are close in age and i remember us both taking fitness classes and bouncing around the workout room, big bellies and all!

the lovely hostess on the left is my girl, Anna.  she's an instructor too, can't you tell!? she's also a huge part of my inspiration for becoming an instructor in the first place.  i'm so grateful for her friendship.

 'we don't even have to try, it's always a good time!!' :)

ok back to this cake though!! the icing was subtly sweet. i LOVE that.  it's like they got the recipe just right.  it's not the  heavy, super-sugary icing, and not the fluffy non-dairy whipped topping either.  it's... perfect.  the right consistency, texture, everything.

white french vanilla cake iced  with vanilla buttercreme and filled with chocolate mousse w/ chocolate chips. YES. what a combo. definitely something i'd put together myself.  and pink sprinkles!

next, we went to meet my bro for lunch and also to attend a kiddie Halloween event in the same area.

Matt chose Ruggles Green and we scored some awesome seats facing the courtyard where all the action was.

kids in costumes everywhere!

 the view + the  awesome fall weather +  family = my heart overflowing with joy.

#thelittlethings

Matt ordered his usual-  bison (or turkey) burger with sweet potato fries.

is this rude?

i ordered a side of their famous organic butternut squash and split it with Chiso.  i was still full from the shower.

i get this whether Chiso is present or not though!  i Googled the recipe immediately while we were sitting there.

duplication recipe WILL be happening.

i'm glad he enjoyed it so much- he's been turning away vegetables left and right.  i'm sure that graham cracker crust had something to do with it.

oh and we had more cake. Anna cut us a huuuuuuge chunk lol! my mind screamed 'nooooooo', but my taste buds said 'heck yes', 'why not?', and 'burn it off tomorrow'.

 the event was over and they were cleaning up by the time we finished.  we let Chiso run around and expend some energy for a little bit though.

when we got home, it was time for me to eat again, so i cut up a sweet potato and made some chips in the oven.

i also put a chunk of baked salmon, fresh steamed spinach, a fried egg, some reduced sugar ketchup, and spicy mustard on an Ezekiel sprouted grain wrap.

early service on sunday was fantastic.  it never fails- i always want to go OUT to breakfast after church!  apparently Sonny felt the same way cause he starting driving the opposite direction of home without saying a word.

we ended up at The Egg & I.  that was Chiso's cheat meal!

at first i ordered their 'Granny Smith Chicken Salad' and silly me neglected to ask how it was prepared.  it was chicken salad on top of actual salad.  you know, that mayo-laden, creamy stuff that is usually full of fat.  i despise having to return my food or ask my waiter/waitress for anything extra (i've always been that way) but this time...i couldn't do it.  i had it replaced with their citrus chicken salad and double checked that the meat was grilled.  it was topped with raw red pepper, red onions, candied walnuts, and cilantro.

i also ordered some pecan coffee, but these were my only sweetener options, booooooo.  artificial everything...not good.

i 

so i reached in my purse and pulled out one of my 'stevia in the raw' packets.  always be prepared.  ladies, stash a few in each of your bags so if you happen to switch it up real quick before heading out, you'll be covered.

'the best paaaart of wakin' up, is stevia in your cup.'

Sonny had a 6 ounce steak and a few cups of steamed spinach.  he's competing soon, so he's staying on track with his clean diet.

 however,  he  did help me ensure Chiso's waffles were OK for consumption :lol:

afterwards? grocery shopping!!! i KNOW!  i can't believe Sonny went WITH ME again either! twice in one month!  or maybe it's cause i told him fresh salmon was on sale and that's all he's eating for his last week of competition prep. hmmmmm

we took advantage and got a couple lbs.  i seasoned these puppies as soon as we got home.  mc cormick bbq and dried parsley on one slab,

12 min. in a 450 degree oven.

and then i did a lemon pepper/dried parsley slab as well.

and then i hit the gym and put in some work on these legs.

i did the same leg circuit from last week.

we ended our evening and weekend with a walk down the block.

the big day is tomorrow- remember, MODERATION!!! have fun and be super safe.

i'm gonna give out candy + a  piece of fruit.  i'm so serious.

le