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We finally arrived back in Vegas yesterday after a long day of flying, and only 3 hours of sleep, but we made it!  I was terribly sad to leave my family & I had a mini meltdown the night before, hence the lack of sleep.  We had such a wonderful trip and I cherish every moment we had there 🙂

As soon as I got home I don’t know what it was but I immediately started cleaning out the fridge and organizing the pantry even before unpacking my suitcase.  Sometimes I’ll just go into crazy cleaning mode to take my mind off things.  It feels nice to have a clean fridge to start anew!  I also bought this handy dandy spice organizer that you hang over the door.  It helped to free up some space and works well.  We just have to be careful not to open the door too quickly or the spices go flyin’ 🙂

Chris and I weren’t able to exchange gifts before we left for our trip since his wasn’t ready for pick-up, so we were able to have a little more Christmas fun when we got back.  Chris got me a Nike + iPod sensor that you can put in your shoe and track all kinds of running stats!  It looks really cool!  I’m trying to keep on the path of running, although it’s been lagging this past month.  I’m just not sure if it’s compatible with the older iPhone 3G.  Anyone have one?  Can’t wait to try it out!

Chris got a new bike trainer!!  Even though it doesn’t get too cold here in Vegas, sometimes it does get pretty chilly and it’s hard to fit a workout in with working and going to school.  Plus, we can both use it *wink wink*  I think he liked it!

I just love getting and giving ‘active’ gifts!!!

I also wanted to mention my 2010 goals, looking ahead . . . I believe it’s important to have aspirations and set goals for yourself.  It’s also important to make sure that these goals are reasonable, won’t compromise your well-being, and can be achieved.  Small steps is the best way, and even though all of mine may not get fully accomplished this coming year, it’s still important to have something to look forward to and strive for to be the best person you can be!

Well, here goes . . .

• Train for a sprint tri . . . there are tri swim lessons at a local gym on Tues/Thurs at 5:30am.  Chris and I are going to go at least 2x per month starting out and see if we can afford more in the future.  I also need to peruse the triathlons coming up and sign up for one, but I’m hoping sometime in the spring.  I think this also means I have to get a bathing suit, yikes!
• Budget . . . and stick with it!  I’m usually pretty good about keeping up with spending, but lately with the holiday spirit, that’s gone by the way side.  I need to make saving at least $200 every month a priority.  This is especially important since I want to reduce my work hours to have time for my thesis.  Speaking of which . . .
• Make gains on my thesis . . . to move closer to an MS in exercise physiology!!  I just need to stick with it and hunker down to the finish.  I know I can do it.  Three. More. Semesters.
• Gain more experience . . . in the sports nutrition field.  I feel I have the knowledge and the passion, but I need the confidence in my abilities to take it to the next level.  Experience will do this for me.
• Devise an internship . . . for my independent study class working with athletes on campus or a local corporate wellness program to gain that experience.
• Explore career options . . . to prepare myself once I have my degree to do something I truly enjoy every day.  While I can’t discuss it on the blog, I think you can catch my drift = /
• Positive thoughts . . . I can’t let the stress of work, finding a career and school get in the way of enjoying life to the fullest and being with Chris fully and unconditionally.  Sometimes I can let my mind/anxiety get the best of me and I need to work on changing that.
• Explore photography further . . . I am enjoying photography so much lately and find it fascinating, but there is so much more to learn and buy (big yikes!) I’d like to save up and invest in a tripod, lighting kit and a macro lens, as well as read up on it and see other photographer’s work to expand my knowledge.  I’d love to take a class, but I don’t think I will have enough time and budget for it right now.
• Improve the blog . . . with a new, fresh look.  I know I’ve been talking about this forever and a day, but I’m still trying to figure it out on my own (and a little help from Chris).  I’m the biggest retard when it comes to that kind of stuff, but I have a template and am doing my best to find time to figure it out!
• Culinary School . . . okay this is a bit of a stretch hehe  While I may not get to it this year, or even the next, it is still a dream that can become a reality in the future.
• And of course I hope to dish up many more yummy recipes here at eatingRD!!  That’s the fun part!

Speaking of making some great recipes, I’ve taken on the Eat In Month Challenge hosted by Diana.  This is such a great idea!  Not only will this help in the budget department because we will be eating in for the entire month of January, it can also help the waistline from all that holiday indulgence 🙂

I have to admit we had to use our one cheat pass for the challenge on January 2nd since we were at the airport flying back home.  Technically we hadn’t joined yet, but still 🙂  After getting up at 3:30am to make a flight to Atlanta, Chris and I shared a nice scramble thingie at TGIFridays during our 3 hour layover.  I also had a NF eggnog latte mmm I think these are my favorite!!!  Although even the NF and no whip version yields a whopping 350 kcals, I drank about 300 and that was enough.  It was delicious!

When we got home and the fridge was cleaned out and bare thanks to my crazy cleaning, there weren’t too many options for dinner . . . we did have some eggs though!  Instead of going out to grab some food we made simple omelets with leftover turkey sausage from the freezer, cheese and a micro’ed sweet tater on the side.  That’ll work!

Join me as I take on the challenge with some awesome, home cooked goodness, or better yet join the band wagon and try it out for yourself!  You can even join for a few days or weeks if that works out better for you.

For the challenge I’m looking forward to using this new crock-pot that Chris’ parents got us.  It even has a probe for temperature monitoring!  Basset not included hehe

I also had a coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond and picked up this beauty.  It’s a mondo sized pan/deep skillet!  I’ve been eyeing this for awhile.  Can’t wait to use it too 🙂

I’m currently obsessed with this bread from TJ’s.  It’s a nice, tangy sourdough with a chewy crust and doughy center, perfect for a panini sammie lunch!

I’m also happy to report I finally got a good bike ride in today with Chris!  yay!  It think it was about 25 miles or so?  It felt good to get back on the bike, but I could tell I need to get back in shape!  My lungs and legs weren’t really liking me.  While I didn’t get one heart pumping workout in on our entire trip, not even one, I think it was actually good for me.  It taught me a lot of things about myself actually.  It taught me to relax and take a moment to recognize and truly enjoy all the wonderful things and family around me.  It also taught me to signal in to my hunger and satiety cues, and I think I actually ate less and felt more satisfied.  Yes, I did indulge, but I didn’t go overboard and felt much better because of it.  Plus I think my body just need a good ol’ break!

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2010!!

What are you looking forward to most?