Our New Year’s Eve was filled with

family

friends

(of the human and fur variety)

food

and fireworks.

Ball so hard.

Fireworks were illegal here for a long as I can remember, and just a few years ago, they changed that.

Needless to say, my brothers and husband were very excited…

We ended up coming home shortly before midnight, and slept in until 11. A lovely holiday indeed

This morning, the Pilot is cooking pancakes and eggs on the new griddle

and then we’re off for a family hike.

Hope your year is off to an amazing start!

See ya later today with a New Year’s Ab burner <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to think:

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” 

Oprah Winfrey

New Year’s Eveeeee?”

If you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s super cute.

They just belong together.

Something to look forward to in the New Year?

More INDIAN FOOD

As you guys know, my beloved cuisine has taken a backseat to Thai since we haven’t really found an Indian restaurant in Tucson that we’re crazy about. A couple are very good, but not anything we crave on a regular basis.

We finally found a place:

Saffron serves modern twists on Indian favorites and the atmosphere is super casual and laid-back. The food was all beautifully plated and perfectly spiced.

The ultimate test of whether or not I like an Indian restaurant? Ordering the Baigan Bhartha (eggplant) to see how it compares.

It was everything I could wish for. It wasn’t greasy at all, and I had asked for it spicy–  to my surprise, it actually had a kick to it. This means a lot to a girl who eats whole jalapanos.

I also had a couple of bites of the Pilot’s chicken tikka masala, which was very mild but flavorful

he enjoyed some fluffy naan

and we shared saffron basmati rice.

An amazing Indian meal <3

This morning I went into work to cover for a friend for a few hours, and we’re going to take Bell on an adventure before heading to a New Year’s Eve party. No clubbing for us this year, and I might end up watching the ball drop on DVR tomorrow, but it should still be a lot of fun

Have a wonderful night and I’ll see ya next year!

xoxo

Gina

What are you doing New Year’s Eve? Remember to be safe tonight and if you find yourself in a situation where you’re unable to drive, call AAA- many locations will give you a ride home and tow your car for free, whether you’re a member or not: 1-800-222-4357. For other options to get home safely, check out this article.

To cap off an incredible weekend of festivities,

-Christmas Eve dinner at my dadoo’s house

-Christmas brunch at our house

we all took naps and relaxed yesterday afternoon –I watched Christmas Story twice. Once with my eyes open, and once with them closed- and then went over to my mom’s house for Christmas dinner and gifts.

Per usual, dinner at my madre’s was a comfort food extravaganza- she and my nana are amazing cooks. Lasagna, stuffed baked potatoes, green bean casserole, chicken meatballs, brown rice pasta, tilapia with marinara, appetizers and treats galore.

My plate:

(She even saved a little green bean casserole in a dish without the crunchies on top)

+ copious amounts of trail mix and chocolate-covered almonds

We listened to Mexican music, played with my bro’s Xbox Kinect –the Pilot IS the fruit ninja- and little Bella happily hopped from lap to lap. She was very confused when we got home after midnight, as she usually puts herself to bed around 10pm, and instantly crashed out. It was a very full and happy weekend <3

Now that we’re all slowing getting back in the swing of things, I thought it would be a good time to put the call out for inspiration boards. As you guys know, every year I make an inspiration board to hang in my closet, which serves as a visual reminder of what I’d like to accomplish in the new year. Pinterest is awesome and everything, but there’s something to be said about physically making the board and having it in a place where you’ll see it every day. I truly believe that if we’re constantly reminded of our goals, we’ll be more mindful to make little steps along the way to accomplish them.

I always love posting your inspiration boards, too, so if you’d like a little arts and crafts project this week, please send me a photo of your completed inspiration board by this Saturday, December 31 (fitnessista at gmail dot com, subject: inspiration board).

I’m off to Zumba –my arms are a little sore from Fruit Ninja, haha- and then to see which day-after-Christmas sales haven’t been too horribly picked over

Have a wonderful day!

See ya later with a Family post <3

xoxo

Gina

Inspiration for the inspiration board: Here’s last year’s, two years ago, and 15 health tips for the new year

Have you ever made an inspiration board? If not, give it a try! I can’t wait to see the ones you send in <3

No matter where you are, or what you’re up to today

I hope it’s a day filled with health, happiness and the gift of spending it with those you love <3

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Gina, The Pilot, Baby and Bella

Quite a beautiful and festive evening over here <3

After Zumba, I came home to make the cinnamon roll dough

(which I just discovered was exploding out of the mixing bowl- a few TurboFire punches took care of that)

and we got ready to head to my dadoo’s house for Christmas Eve dinner.

Prom picture:

It’s the first time the Pilot has been able to spend Christmas with my fam, and it was the usual Christmas Eve festivities.

Everyone was over there,

my stepmom had all of their gorgeous holiday decor out

Mexican feast

(tamales, enchiladas, chile rellenos, beans, rice, salsa, guacamole, mini chimichangas)

Appetizers

Desserts

White dogs running around in their holiday best

(Sammi!)

and the cousins Christmas costumes. These, by far, were the most hilarious ones yet.

We always show up in something ridiculous for Christmas- two years ago it was the shirts that look like tuxedos (I wasn’t home for that one), last year we all put on bibs to eat dinner since my cousin Tucker had just been born, and this year it was the Forever Lazy adult footed jammies….

aka the goofiest things ever.

The funny thing is that I think the Pilot really likes his. He said it was warm and comfy, and kind of reminded him of his flight suit.

The best part of the night was getting to spend time with the family, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company- puppy snuggles and gifts were just a bonus <3

Hope everyone is having a wonderful night!

Hot chocolate almond milk and bedtime over here…

xoxo

Gina

Happy Saturday, and a very Merry Christmas Eve to those of you who are celebrating <3

(My very favorite Christmas ornament from the “meeting place” )

Lots of moving and shaking over here…

after breakfast,

we finally finished putting together the master bedroom

(So much better than it was, and Bella gave it the seal of approval)

and I spent the morning wrapping gifts, which is one of my favorite holiday to-dos.

Whenever I wrap gifts, two things happen:

1) I can’t help but think of the scene in Love Actually where Mr. Bean takes 8 years to wrap the necklace and adds the sprig of holly, candies, and other random stuff (“this isn’t a bag, sir, this is so much more than a bag”)

and

2) I’m grateful that there isn’t an anxious customer watching me the entire time

Josh Groban Holiday on Pandora is awesome gift-wrapping music, by the way.

I’m really excited because Christmas brunch is over here tomorrow morning. Everyone is coming over early to feast, drink coffee, and open gifts. We’re inviting some of the single guys over from the squadron too- it would be terrible to spend a holiday away from family alone. There will be plenty of shenanigans and food over here.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

-Fruit plate with pears, apples, and clementines (LOVE the cuties so much!)

-Spinach, mushroom and cheese quiches (one sans cheese and onions, since my bro is lactose intolerant and my Tata hates onions)

-Cinnamon rolls with orange cream cheese icing

-Nana is bringing a ham over, and madre is making her famous coffee cake

I’m off to take a Zumba class –the one I usually teach- and then back home to make cinnamon roll dough and get ready to head to my dadoo’s house. We always have Christmas Eve over there, and I can’t wait to see everyone <3

Be back later tonight with lots of pics

Have a wonderful, happy, relaxing day!

xoxo

Gina

Last night, 14 of us met up at Winterhaven to check out the holiday lights.

Winterhaven in a housing development here, and is known for their elaborate holiday light displays- I think it’s part of the Homeowner’s Association requirements. There are designated nights to walk or drive through, as well as horse-drawn carriages and trolleys.

We took the trolley tour, which had flip-down sides and bonus: it was heated.

The driver was awesome and told us interesting facts about the neighborhood and different houses. It was built in 1949 and the guy who designed it wanted it to make it unique to Tucson by planting an abundance of pine trees. When he planted the trees, electrical outlets were built into the base of the tree, so they’d be easier to decorate without needing extension cords. Every year Tucson Electric Power decorates the enormous trees with holiday lights, while the homeowner’s go all out in their yards with decorations.

It took a while to figure out my camera on the “holiday light” setting (actually I still don’t really know how to use it), so some pics were a blurry disaster, and others came out kind of artsy.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

We drank hot cocoa, ate kettlecorn, waved to the people walking, and chanted random things- a wild group

Some of the houses:

A HUGE dragon and castle:

and the “Bellagio of Winterhaven”- lights and a fountain that moved to the music. It was seriously amazing.

Before you knew it, I was crying into my kettlecorn when the trolley made a “Kyle stop” at one of the houses,

and my little bro got out and asked Megan to marry him.

I’ve always considered her my little sis –she and Kyle have been dating almost as long as the Pilot and I have known each other- but it’s so exciting that it’s official. So very happy for them <3

This morning we’re all off to a legendary brunch at my nana’s house, and then getting in some active recovery cardio at the Street Fair.

See ya later with a Family post!

xoxo

Gina

Any other brides-to-be out there? Check out the Bridal Bootcamp workouts on the Fitness page if you’d like some new moves before the big day <3

I think I finally mastered the art of Black Friday shopping.

There was no way I was going to go out and fight that diehards at midnight last night, so I woke up early this morning and hit up my favorite stores. They were surprisingly calm and weren’t too picked over. The only one that gave me anxiety was Bed, Bath and Beyond, so I grabbed my $8 pack of ornaments and peaced out.

Thanksgiving was everything I’d been dreaming about.

We had a beautiful brunch at my madres, followed by relaxing and sales flier browsing,

and then got ready for lunch/dinner at my aunt and uncle’s. We have Thanksgiving at their house every year, and like I mentioned before, it was the Pilot’s first Thanksgiving with my familia.

Our contribution to the feast:

Marbled pumpkin cheesecake bars

and a quinoa, cranberry and goat cheese salad.

-quinoa

-orange dried cranberries

-pecans

-goat cheese

-juice and zest from an orange, sea salt, garlic, pepper, splash of balsamic, olive oil

-parsley

As always, there was a feast:

golf

(the girls went for a walk around the neighborhood while the boys played)

cute dogs

poker

[big winner: the Pilot!]

legendary desserts

and quality time with the fam. We left with full bellies and happy hearts <3

Early this morning, I grabbed my tea, apple and coupons,

and got ready to fight some crazy shoppers. Not crazy in the least.. and everyone was in a good mood! I love it.

Time to Christmas-ify our house and get a workout in.

See ya later today!

xoxo

Gina

Thankful:

1.) For my husband, who makes me swoon and feel so very lucky every single day,

2.) the sweet baby growing in my belly,

3.) my family,

4.) my Bella and

5.) for friends. The ones who live all over the world, and still manage to make me feel like they’re close by, and the Tucson friends I’ve been reunited with.

6.) For being in Tucson again. Being surrounded by mountains is so comforting, and surrounded by family and friends is even better.

7.) For the ability to do what I love: writing this little blog and teaching fitness. I’m always mindful of how blessed I am to have a work in general, let alone jobs that don’t feel like jobs because I enjoy them so much. I’m very fortunate to use my passions and interact with incredible people on a daily basis <3

8.) To live in a free country, with brave men and women all over the world fighting to protect that freedom. Sending love and prayers to those who are separated from loved ones on this holiday due to deployments or other circumstances.

9.) For the comforts in life that can be easily overlooked: a fridge full of food, financial stability, a sturdy house, safety and health. Thinking about these things, even on the worst day, quickly puts it all into perspective.

10.) For Zumba. Of all the cardio in the land, you will always be my #1.

11.) For goat cheese.

12.) For Sabino Canyon: it’s picturesque views, serenity (“serenity now!”) and memories of picnics with my nana when I was little.

13.) For yoga. Nothing has challenged me, physically and mentally, in the way yoga has. It taught me how to de-stress and live in the moment, and also helped decrease anxiety in my life.

14.) For Viesa’s new family. They take such wonderful care of her, spoil her, love her like crazy, and it makes my heart so happy to see her with them. Bonus: we still get to see her and kiss her furry face often.

15.) For the Michael Buble Christmas CD. ‘Tis the season for holiday crooners… his voice is like buttah.

16.) For Black Friday.

17.) For the ability to connect with friends and family through social media – it’s been especially helpful since we move so often.

18.) For the midwives who have taken care of the baby and me for the past 34 weeks. They’re so patient and knowledgeable, and I’m very grateful to be blessed with their care.

19.) For my amazing coworkers. They teach me so much, and I always go home feeling like I learned something new. They really are the best instructors in the world and I’m honored to be a part of their team.

20.) For Sunday mornings.

21.) My Snoogle pillow. The Pilot calls it “The Barrier.” I call it a freaking lifesaver.

22.) For the Farmer’s Market. I look forward to it every week, even if it’s just a quick stop to buy eggs.

23.) For our big comfy bed.

24.) For Tarte eyeliner. I look dead without it.

And last, but certainly not least

25.) for the blog community and all of you. Thank you so much for hanging out with me over here <3 I’ve met so many amazing people through this little blog, and I look forward to writing it every day.

Hope everyone who is celebrating today enjoys a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Gina