Dinners, Desserts, and Housegirlfriendery --Whats up with Shay

Hi boo's!  Its time for a new edition of "Whats up with Shay".  This has been my first full week in the country and so far I am loving it.  Here's what Ive been up to.

Cooking and overall Housegirlfriendery--
Ahhh the joys of the Kitchen.  I have really been having a great time coming up with healthy recipes and delectable treats for myself and the Honeypie.  I mean really loving it.  So far my days have been filled with cooking, exercise, Practicando Espanol, a movie or 2, reading, cleaning, and soon it will be filled with writing and trying to sell my work to magazines.  Now is the time to finally start doing all the things I used to say I didn't have time for; especially writing.  And yes, I'm lame.  I like getting up in the morning and making breakfast and lunch for the honey.  Thinking about what to make for dinner.  Not to mention, I now have a menu board!  AHHHHHHH lookey lookey!

Now YOUS GUYS can call me cheesy all you want but I love it (In my Italian accent)  That is the menu for tonight's dinner.  See the glory here lol.

In the oven right now yum

And if the honeypie remember the ice cream I will make another batch of those glorious Pizzookies:

Hell I might make them even without the Ice Cream.

Fitness---
It seems like the fitness goddess is having a momentary (lets just say what it really is; 2 - 3 weeks) lapse in fitness judgement and enjoying cooking and eating!!!

Don't worry your little head though - Soon I will be back to my food conscious over exercising self.
I mean, I was in a country where I could hardly EVER get what I want!  The options just weren't there.  But now, I can have whatever my heart desires and its been desiring quite a lot.  ESPECIALLY HUMUS.

Which brings me to our next topic.

This weekend--
I had such a great time this past weekend.  On Friday night we went into town and dined at the ZEN NOODLE BAR.  It was very nice.  Not quite upscale but definitely posh (like my UK lingo).  There, we had a kind of fusion Chinese dinner.  And we looked great!

THEMS SOME SEXY FOLKS

Ahhh I know...Sexy much!  Saturday we went to Cambridge and ventured to see "Bad Teacher".  It was hilarious.  We had dinner at a spot called Nandos where I started with... you guessed it... HUMUS!!!  We also played a heavy game of table hockey and it was ROUGH!  I pretty much kicked ass but Rob managed to talk his way into being the winner.  THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT!  My blog, my truths lol.  Sunday we went for a lovely drive and ended up doing a little shopping and having lunch before coming home and talking to Ashley for 127 hours and having some nice drinks.  My first weekend= Awesome.


So there it is... more specifics to come---

And dinner was awesome.

What's up with Shay

Welcome to my new Monday Ramblings!  Every "Day of the Mon" I am going to write a blog about what is going on with me in health, life, and cooking!  Soooo let's pretend that today is Monday shall we.  

Working out - While I did eat myself stupid  during my last week in Korea, I also tried to keep working out but here I dont have the luxury of having the bike and the treadmill in the next room. Lucky for me, The Honeypie bought me a Kettle bell and a yoga mat.  OMG...  Where has the Kettle bell been all my life.  Effed my muscles in the A.   Here is the workout I did today and plan on doing Thursday as well.  

Wide grip pushups 3/10
kettlebell swings (20 lb) 3/25
Squat press with kettle 3/12
One arm one leg DB row 3/10 each arm
lunges 3/10 each leg
100 reg crunches
heel touch obique crunches 3/10
v sit ups 3/10
throw downs with scissor kick 3/10
AND.....15 minutes of Hip Hop Abs

It whipped my booty.  My whole body is literally on fire but it was O so good.  Tomorrow I will probably do  Insanity or Taebo.  I also have some new recipes that I am going to try this week for healthyness, will post results later.  I figure since I will be home I can really go to town on these workouts and recipes. Speaking of staying at home...

Staying at home- Its only been a couple of days but I am really enjoying being at home and taking care of the house and The Honeypie.  I know it might seem ridiculous that EYE, Ms. Working since 15, could actually love the idea of domestication but tis so.  I've cleaned, done laundry, washed dishes, cooked, workout out, decorated, ect. and I love it. Me and The Honeypie are enjoying our new lives together very much.  Just call me Susie Homemaker and call him Ricky Ricardo... LUUUUUCYYYYY IM HOOOOME

After our first major shopping trip

I love this house- OMG its so cozy and already feels like its full of love and warmth.  The process of getting a home together is not an easy one.  Lots of time, Ideas, Money, and Work have to go into it, but this place just  felt like home so quickly.  I love it here, and I love the way England looks in general.  I definitely don't like the spiders though!  So whats up with shay...

Happiness...

The Honeypie Blushing at me taking pictures of us setting up! 

Kitchen table with the Korean place mats

The front of the house.  So pretty

My favorite thing... the view from the bedroom, so serene

"'Ello Poppet"-- ENGLAND!

'Ello Harry Potter!!!! (Don't judge my British accent- or lack thereof)  After a year of experiences -both good and bad- that I will never forget, it was finally time to head out of the country that had been my home for a year.  I was overwhelmed with emotion as that last week rolled around.  I spent it having a wonderful time with my friends and the people who I'd come to think of as family.  We went out every day that week for food and fun as the time wound down.  The best night was Thursday when we had Fry Pan, drinks at buzz, and dancing at the club before getting 4 hours of sleep and going to work feeling a little woozy!  Yes I will miss Korea, and even more so, the friends I made while I was there.  

BUT NOW I AM IN THE LAND OF THE QUEEN!!!  Let's talk about my trip.

After Chicken and pizza- the customary "goodbye meal" for teachers at CJEC- I said a heartfelt and teary eyed goodbye to my CJEC family and walked away while my boss probably mentally clicked her heels (INSERT MIDDLE FINGER HERE).

 I went back to globalville and packed the rest of my stuff, checked out and waited for the taxi for taking the bus to Incheon Airport.  After the 3 hour bus trip, I arrive at the Queen Hotel and proceed to order my last Korean Dominoes pizza lol.  I washed my hair and made my last phone calls before trying to stifle my excitement long enough to sleep.  Finally, ZZZZZ ..... RING RING 6am wake up call.  Between 6 and 7 I repack, clean the room, chat with rob so we can share our excitement, and run downstairs at 6:58 to get on the 7 am shuttle to the airport.

Enter Issue Number 1- Luggage size
As you know, I had one big a** suitcase and a carry on which carried everything I own.  Unimaginable right?  Well I did it.  When I put my luggage on the scale it said 28.3 kg and the limit is 20 with a 5 kg grace.  #FAIL.  So there, right in the middle of the airport, I have to open my suitcase and take out a EVEN MORE of my stuff.  My quite expensive body oil, my black soap, my shea butter, my jeans and worst of all, a great deal of my makeup.  #Tears #EFFYOUCHINAEASTERN.  But finally my suitcases were ready to go.  Issue one- SOLVED

So I board plane number one with a happy smile hoping that everything else goes as planned.  NOPE

Enter Issue Number 2 (and by far the worst)- China Sucks
So I arrive in China and make way way through immigration and yet ANOTHER security check (really stupid if you ask me) before having JUST enough time to get on the the next plane.  I board and think all is well.  Little did I know that the BS had just begun.  Come to find out, air traffic control has prohibited flights because of the weather.  We sat on that plane in the same damn spot for not 2, 3 or even 4 hours... BUT 5 DAMN HOURS and I had no way of reaching Rob to tell him.  I tried to talk to the flight attendants about getting in touch with him in some way since I had no cell phone.  They just brushed me off.  The didnt give a damn about my black ass.

Thinks--- *So these people think Ima have my man waiting at the air port for 5 hours huh... ok ... i see what I gotta do*

 I was the picture of irritation and everyone was going to know.  I proceed to hit the call button about 6 or 7 times to try to get these people to understand the detriment of which they were about to bring upon themselves.  Each time they came, and each time they gave me some bullshit response- none of which kept my man from waiting 5 hours at the airport.  Enter ANGRY BLACK WOMAN.

"So you people think you just gon ignore what the hell Im saying?  You wont let me off this damn plane.  You wont let me get in contact with my boyfriend.  You just aint got no damn solutions huh?  Whats your damn Purpose?  Fuck China.  Fuck this airplane. and Fuck---"

Before I could tell them to each fuck their very own selves, a phone was produced for my usage.  Damn right.  I called Robert and all was well...except that I still have a 13 hours flight after 5 hours sitting on a plane.  #Killme.

DING "Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to England.  Local time 10:40 pm"  Finally.  Only one more thing to do before I can exhale and kiss the love of my life.

Enter Issue Number 3- Immigration
I had a one way ticket to England and was worried that they would send my happy ass right back where I came from.  That they would somehow know my true plan and in the Santa Voice from A CHRISTMAS STORY yell "HO HO HO" and shove me away.  I walked to the counter with my heart pounding and when he ask the purpose of my visit I merely said "To visit my boyfriend" and I kept the detailed story for if he had follow up questions.  But he didnt.  *STAMP STAMP*.  I was was through!  YAY!!!

Picked up my bags, and walked out and 10 minutes later I was in my honeys arms and on my way to my new casa.  ME LIKEY...Actually me LOVEY!  I'm finally here and relaxing and all is well with the world.  I guess I can finally....


*Exhales*

Pictures coming soon!

Mind Over Food

I don't know what I'm doing right now, but whatever it is, its working!  Two weeks ago I wrote an entry in my journal about my optimal focus- Self Control.  The plan was to focus only on what was in front of me at the moment.  Forget about the scale (but get on it everyday).  Forget about the Slow Carb Diet (but try not to have any carbs and sugar anyway).  Forget about obsessing.

Self Control.

So I stuck to the water drinking, lots of beans, breakfast, and exercise.  I went out everyday this week and hung out with friends and when I felt those o so familiar urges I would just mentally repeat "self control" and pop an image of something I wanted in my mind.  A few of my thin-spirations.

Shoes- shoe game is the most important

Eva- she is always fly

Dresses- love the skin tight dress look

And of course the 2 piece

So after popping those images in my head in some kind of weird "be skinny" montage I have actually been able to control everything I put into my mouth.  Who knew?  It also helps with the guilt.  When I make conscious decisions to eat whatever it is, I don't feel guilty after.  "I am going to eat two of these oreos and thats it".  I eat them and feel like a million bucks.  So I truly think its the mantra that has continued the decrease in poundage.  

However, it could also be the fact that I'm leaving in like 12 days and I wanna be uber fly.  Maybe a combination of both.  But I figured out some things as well. 

Last night I went to girls night at Caelyns house and we had Shrimp fried rice, fried chicken, lasagna, wine, and I baked Pizzookies (recipe to come later) with ice cream.  Lord it was great.  When I weighed myself this morning there was only a small increase.  NICEEEEEEEE.  So here is what I figured out.

• I can't get drunk- alcohol, me, and the scale do not get along at all.  So no more drunken nights.  Leaving Korea will make that much easier for me as well.
• I can't do the obsessive calories- So most of the no carb no sugar diets have a massive increase in calories from other places-especially protein.  While I can up the amount of protein in my diet, I can't eat the recommended amount because it just sits in my tummy.  No thanks.  To each her own.  
• Cheat days in moderation- Definitely don't think I need a cheat day every week and even when I do it will only be small cheats.  No outlandish eating or cheating at every meal. At least not until I can eat like a real human (goal weight)
• You are not as hungry as you think- People survive off little to nothing in some places and most of us westerners just over kill.  Gotta base my food intake on my activities for the day.

"SELF CONTROL " "REMEMBER" "WHAT THE HELL"-- things I say to myself.  Give it a shot.