Comedian Ralphie May

Last year for my sister’s birthday we went to see comedian Ralphie May at The Improv in Brea, CA. I don’t necessarily like stand up comedy, but it sounded like it would be a fun night. It was first come first serve with the seating so we showed up about an hour early. We got there early enough so we ended up in the first row. There were a row of chairs in the very front and then little tables behind them and then a row of benches. It was set up really cute. There was a menu out so you could order appetizers and drinks. The great part was there were waiters and waitresses that came around throughout the whole show, so we just kept the drinks coming. The show was probably about 2 hours or more. It was a great show and a really fun night. I would definitely go back to the Improv to see another comedian.

Weight Watchers Day 2 & 3

Yesterday I went above my 23 points, but I made up for it today.
2/24/09
Breakfast: ww english muffin w/ cream cheese and cottage cheese - 3 pts
Snacks: ww pumpkin muffin, 2 servings of cottage cheese - 5 pts
Lunch: ww smart ones fettucini alfredo w/ broccoli - 6 pts
Dinner: ww philly cheese steaks - 8 pts
Drink: bloody mary - 4 pts
Total: 28

Today I did much better because I knew I had to make up the 5 pts from yesterday.
2/25/09
Breakfast: ww english muffin w/ cream cheese and cottage cheese - 3pts
Snacks: ww pumpkin muffin, caramel rice cakes - 4 pts
Lunch: fresco style steak burrito (taco bell) - 6pts
Dinner: cottage cheese - 1pt
Drink: Champagne - 2 pts
Total: 16pts

In the last 3 days I was allowed to eat a total of 69 pts and I ended up eating 61 pts. The great thing with weight watchers is you don't have to eat exactly your pts every day, you can actually eat less one day and save them up for the next day if you know you are going out to eat or you just feel like splurging a little. So I am only a couple days into it, but I am doing good. I'll post again after my weigh in.

Bungee Jumping

The funnest and most amazing thing I have ever done is gone bungee jumping. I actually didn't plan to go. Last year for my sister's birthday she invited a few friends to go bungee jumping with a company called Bungee America. Only one of her friends were actually going to jump and the rest of us were just going to watch. The trail leading out to the bridge where you jump is about 4 miles long. The trail winds through and around a mountain and rivers in Angeles National Forest. It was not an easy hike, but it was well worth it for the experience that I had. It turned out that one of my sister's friends who had already paid for the jumps (3 jumps) did not show up. The company said that since it was already paid for any of us could use her jumps. I quickly volunteered without even really thinking about what I was getting myself into. Normally for 3 jumps it is about $125. Anyways, after the long hike and after watching a few people jump, they called my name. I was really excited and I didn't get nervous until I had to climb over the bridge onto a little platform that just barely fit both of my feet. That is when my whole body started to shake and I couldn't move. They have the whole crowd countdown from 3 and then you are supposed to jump. Well, I think they kind of pushed me on my first jump because I couldn't move, but once I was in the air I was screaming and smiling and just felt really alive. The other 2 jumps were easier because I knew what to expect, but each time I jumped it felt like the first time. It was incredible and I could not stop smiling for the whole day! I don't really consider myself a daredevil or someone who takes risks, but man am I glad I took that risk!

Temecula Wineries

My husband and I recently went to Temecula for Valentines Day and we went to 6 of the wineries there. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which was the only hotel available because I booked the reservations too late. The name Holiday Inn does not make me think luxury and when you add Express to it that makes it even sound worse. We were pleasantly surprised to find that it was a pretty nice hotel. The room had nice amenities like new dark cherry furniture and a large LG flat screen TV. Everything was clean and updated. In the morning there was a nice continental breakfast with the normal bagels, muffins, cereal, etc., but it also included eggs with cheese, sausage, biscuits and gravy and hash browns. They had milk, a juice bar, and several types of coffee. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

I will list a few of the wineries we went to and what we found good about them. The first winery we went to around 10 AM in the morning was called Mount Palomar. We were only the second couple there. It was very cute on the inside with a rustic feel to it. The outside was beautiful with good music and great scenery. For $5 we got 6 wines of our choice. By the end of the day we decided that this first winery was our favorite as far as the wines went and the quaint feel and good tasting price was very inviting.

Around lunchtime we made our way to a winery called Bailey. We stopped in there because it looked very medieval and beautiful on the outside. The 6 tastes were again only $5 and they ended up giving us a 7th taste for free. The staff was very nice there, but unfortunately we were not impressed with the wines. After our wine tasting we ate at their restaurant that was recommended by another winery. We sat outside and overlooked their vineyard. The food was delicious and the view was gorgeous. I would go back to Bailey just for the restaurant.

Another place we went to was a champagne bar. You could order a variety of 4 wines or 4 champagnes. Depending on which selection you made, they would first bring you out a paper with the wines or champagnes you chose listed on the paper in the order you should taste them. It went from left to right, from dry to sweet. This place was great because you get a table outside and they bring your selection out to you all at once. You could also order some appetizers if your hungry. I love champagne and was most excited about a tour they have of their champagne cave. Unfortunately we were there at the wrong time and they were not doing the tour. I will be making my way back to Temecula and make a special stop back to this champagne bar so I can do the tour!

Day 1 of my weight watchers journey

2/23/09
Today started my journey of using weight watchers to lose 35 lbs. I have been off and on diets lately, but today is the day that I commit to doing this 100%. I will not be going to weight watchers meetings, but I will be weighing myself every Wednesday morning. I have a points calculator and a great website that I use that gives all of the points values of foods at restaurants and fast food places. My goal is to lose 1-3 lbs a week. I have calculated my points and I should be eating 23 points a day. I also get the 35 extra points to use anytime I want. I probably will try and eat 18-20 points a day, and save up my unused points for the weekend. Weekends are definitely my downfall so I need to save as many points as I can for them. I will be documenting what I eat everyday and the point value of the foods.

Today:
Breakfast 7:15AM – weight watchers English muffin – 1pt
weight watchers cream cheese – 1 pt
low fat cottage cheese – 1 pt
Snack 10:30AM – pumpkin muffin – 3 pts (This is a weight watchers recipes that I made Sunday night)
Snack 12:30PM – low fat cottage cheese – 1 pt
Lunch 2:15PM – ww smart ones macaroni and cheese-frozen dinner – 6pts
Snack 4:00PM – popcorn (100 calories pack) – 1 pt
Dinner 6:00PM - taco chicken soup - 4 pts
Workout – 30 minutes of weight training – minus 1 pt
Total points = 17

Today was a good first day. It is always hard to change your diet, but it feels good to commit to something. I will be back with an update soon. If anyone has any tips, recipes, or comments, please feel free to post a comment or if any of the recipes that I eat sound good, feel free to ask me to post them.