All The Pretty Things

So…healthy living, huh? Let me give you a little...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:54:30 -0500

So…healthy living, huh? Let me give you a little background on my struggles…

I was born in Boston, MA, 26 years ago to a 16-year-old mother. As can be expected with teenagers, she likely didn’t take great care of herself during the pregnancy, because I have ADD, hypothyroidism, and (most likely) PCOS, all of which can be directly linked to poor prenatal care, and none of which were diagnosed until I was in my low twenties.

I was adopted when I was 5.5 months old, and was raised in NH as an only child. Around the time I was adopted, my dad had taken over a burgeoning company, and was often away on business. My mom hated (hates) cooking, so most of my dinners consisted of cheerios, soups, pizza, and subs. All of this was well and good until I hit puberty, and my perfect storm of health conditions kicked in.

I don’t know how much you know about any of these conditions, but ADD makes you unmotivated, hypothyroidism means that your metabolism is basically broken, and PCOS makes it super easy to put on weight and nearly impossible to take it off. Awesome.

Thanks to a combination of laziness, love of cookies and pizza, and undiagnosed medical problems, my weight continued to creep up and up and up until it finally plateaued during the past few years. Unfortunately, it’s begun creeping up again recently, and this time I am DONE.

Realization hit me last week when I couldn’t fit into my snowpants, that I need to make a few life changes in order to get fit and be able to live the life I want. It’s going to be a really tough road considering the biology that I’m fighting against, but I think that slowly but surely, I will get there.

So on that note, here are my health and wellness goals for 2012:

- Do SOMETHING active at least five days a week. This can mean a long walk, a trip to the gym, or a workout DVD. The trick is to get moving more often.

- Watch portion sizes. Just because my boyfriend eats two fajitas at dinner doesn’t mean that I should too.

- Incorporate veggies into as many meals and snacks as possible. We’re already pretty good at doing this, but we could amp up the veggie intake from 3 a day to 5+ a day.

- Take vitamins everyday. Self-explanatory.

- GET SOME SLEEP. The bf and I have very different schedules, and I have to stop letting myself get sucked into late night tv and need to be IN BED, ready to sleep, by 11 each night.

Is there anything you think I should add? Feel free to let me know what you think: eugoogs at gmail dot com.

XOXO - Christine

I apologize for the obnoxious photo that accompanies this post,...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:27:34 -0500

I apologize for the obnoxious photo that accompanies this post, but I’m still debating whether or not I want to include the bf’s name and face in my posts. He’s currently in law school and will need to get a job someday, so we’ll see what happens. For now, I’ll refer to him by his nickname, Captain Bobo, which comes from the episode of “How I Met Your Mother” in which Marshall may or may not have been mugged by a monkey of the same name.

Moving right along…as I said in the last post, I would like to use this platform to do some good for my fellow ladies and, to me, that means giving out some semi-harsh advice. In order for you to agree that my advice is worthwhile, I feel that you should know a bit about the struggles I went through and the dbags I’ve dated. In that spirit, I will post stories every few days detailing the time from my high school boyfriend to the present. Believe me, some of them are too juicy for words, while others are sadly too boring to waste time on.

If you ever have a question, concern, or are in need of advice, don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you right away. You can also email me at eugoogs at gmail dot com. Not sure why tumblr makes me write it out like that, but there you go.

XOXO - Christine

Next up: Struggles with healthy living.

Well hello there, welcome to the about-to-be much improved...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:12:00 -0500

Well hello there, welcome to the about-to-be much improved version of my blog! As we enter the new year, I’ve made several resolutions, one of which is to blog on a regular basis. I’ve made this goal in part because I like to share what’s happening in my life with whomever cares to listen, and also in part because I think it will help with my overarching mission to work on my self-discipline in general, which will in turn aid me in accomplishing many of my other life goals for 2012.

Going forward, I would like to continue the blog in the same sort of direction - sharing things with you that interest me, inspire me, and make me laugh. In addition, I’d like to add two new topics of discussion - love and health. I’m by no means an expert on either, but I think I’ve figured out some things about love and life in the past few years, and if sharing that knowledge helps even one of you, then it’s worth it.

I struggled for a long time in my quest for love and dated every kind of douchebag under the sun until I met my truly fantastic boyfriend, so I feel that I might have a little authority in the dating department - not because I found love, but because I went through the same things that you may be going through now, and came out on the other side a little wiser for the wear. I apologize in advance if I ever seem a bit lecture-y, but it’s so easy to give hard and fast advice when you’re not the one invested in the situation.

In terms of health, fitness, eating right, etc., this is an area where I know plenty, but do very little of it. There will be a separate post about my struggles with all of these things, but suffice it to say that I’m ready to begin what is bound to be a long and strenuous journey to get to where I want to be.

Thanks to those of you who still check in every so often to see if I’ve posted, and welcome to those of you who are just joining in!

Best wishes to all of us in the new year…

XOXO - Christine

The food of summer. Mmmmmmm.

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:12:00 -0400

Most amazing coconut shrimp ever!

Shrimp salad.

Mmmmm...meat.

So. many. berries.

Homemade pork fried rice!

The food of summer. Mmmmmmm.

A few of my friends and I will be heading down the Cape next...

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:00:00 -0400

Gorgeous. Love the Cape.

Julie, opening presents!

Party trolley!

Lobsters...in love.

Margarita machine - aaaamazing

Cupcakes were flown in from DC!

A few of my friends and I will be heading down the Cape next week for our good friend, Julie’s, wedding. Here are some photos from her adorable bridal shower and super chill bachelorette we attended back in July! Missing that summer sun already…

WANT.

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:53:26 -0400

WANT.

Tweeted about this series of videos the other day, but never got...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:11:52 -0400

Tweeted about this series of videos the other day, but never got around to posting them here. These guys are amazing and the concept is awesome.

This summer I took a two week trip to Europe and had an amazing...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:20:00 -0400

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bobsledding in Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck, Austria

Eating pork knuckle in Munich, Germany

Lake Como, Italy

From the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Lock bridge in Venice, Italy

Mount Stanserhorn, Switzerland

Trafalgar Square, London

This summer I took a two week trip to Europe and had an amazing time seeing new places and revisiting some of my favorite cities. Here are a few of the best photos from my travels through England, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France, enjoy!

Took a relaxing walk through Boston Common awhile ago, but...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:57:00 -0400

Took a relaxing walk through Boston Common awhile ago, but forgot to post the pics. It was a gorgeous afternoon and I was loving all of the musicians playing in the park.

Oh hey surprise hurricane.

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:14:40 -0400

Oh hey surprise hurricane.

My Brilliant Friends

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:57:24 -0400

My Brilliant Friends:

Check out this awesome idea from one of my besties, the totally enlightened Anna. I have stacks of magazines around my condo that could definitely use this kind of treatment. So glad she’s back on the blogging bandwagon to bring us awesome ideas like this one!

Love me some peonies! Bought these beauties at Trader...

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:39:00 -0400

Love me some peonies! Bought these beauties at Trader Joe’s and arranged them in my mom’s vintage pewter pitcher. Peonies are by far my favorite flower since they’re so large, vibrant, and bloom overnight; too bad they’re only really in season for May and June.

Had this delicious meal with my mom earlier in the week -...

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:37:09 -0400

Had this delicious meal with my mom earlier in the week - broiled haddock with grilled zucchinni and summer squash, along with a yummy side salad. Now that it’s summertime, I’m trying to focus way more on eating fresh, healthy foods, and swapping fries for these veggies didn’t taste like a trade-off at all!

Today I went to my favorite salon to get a much needed haircut...

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:35:15 -0400

Before haircut...

after haircut!

Today I went to my favorite salon to get a much needed haircut after accidentally giving myself blunt bangs last month. I think it came out fab!

Please consider this my own personal 127 Hours.

Thu, 26 May 2011 23:24:38 -0400

Please consider this my own personal 127 Hours.

Thanks to Michelle at une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com/ for this fab...

Wed, 11 May 2011 21:00:00 -0400

Thanks to Michelle at une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com/ for this fab recipe that reminds me of the yummy zucchini fries I used to eat with my family when I was a kid!

Baked Zucchini Fries with Marinara

Yields: 3 servings

Original recipe here.

For the zucchini:

3 medium zucchini, sliced into sticks

1 large egg white

1/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

2 tbsn. grated Pecorino Romano cheesecooking spray

1/4 tsp. garlic powdersalt

fresh pepper

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place the breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese; shake well. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

Unbelievable. I had to watch this three or four times to...

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:40:00 -0400

Unbelievable. I had to watch this three or four times to completely take in the magic of the night sky and the clouds that perfectly mimicked the movement of the ocean. Definitely deserving of full screen mode.

Throwback to 1997...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:57:00 -0400

Saw this on a website and figured it might be entertaining to fill out! Reminds me of AIM profiles from back in the day.

TEN ARE YOU’s
► Are you single ➔ Yup.
► Are you happy ➔ Yes.
► Are you bored ➔ Too busy to be bored.
► Are you sad ➔ Not too often.
► Are you Italian ➔ No.
► Are you German ➔ Nien.
► Are you Asian ➔ Nope.
► Are you angry ➔ Haha, not so much.
► Are you Irish ➔ Yes indeed!
► Are your parents still married ➔ Yes - 37 years and counting.

FIVE FACTS
► Birth Place ➔ Boston, MA.
► Hair Color ➔ Natural blonde baby!
► Eye color ➔ Green
► Lefty or Righty ➔ Righty.
► Summer or Winter ➔ Spring AND summer.

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE
► Are you in love ➔ Nope.
► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔ Lust, yes; love, no.
► Who ended your first relationship ➔ I did.
► Have you ever been hurt ➔ Yup.
► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Yessiree Bob.
► Are you friends with your exes➔ Some of them.
► Are you afraid of commitment ➔ Nope.
► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Yes.
► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ Does a 12-year old count?
► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ Probably.

SEVEN HAVE YOU EVER’s
► Fallen up the stairs ➔ Who hasn’t?
► White water rafted ➔ YES! Almost a dozen times and counting.
► Finished an entire jawbreaker ➔ Yes.
► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ YES, dear lord.
► Prank called a store ➔ No.
► Skipped School ➔ Nope.
► Wanted to disappear ➔ Not really.

NINE PREFERENCES
► Smile or Eyes ➔ Both.
► Light or Dark Hair ➔ Both.
► Fat or Skinny ➔ A little chubs please!
► Shorter or Taller ➔ Definitely taller than I am.
► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ Intelligence IS attractive.
► Jock or Nerd ➔ Sporty nerd?
► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ Relationship.
► Funny and poor OR Rich and serious ➔ Funny enough to get rich…?
► Play the guitar or into sports ➔ Sports.

Love this Chester French/Rick Ross collaboration!

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:06:02 -0400

Love this Chester French/Rick Ross collaboration!

This video is pretty rad; I can’t even imagine how much...

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:37:00 -0400

This video is pretty rad; I can’t even imagine how much time it took to make it. One of my cousins is an awesome stop-motion animator (he’s worked on such hits as MTV’s “Celebrity Deathmatch”) and he spends hours and hours putting together even the quickest clips since they have to move pieces in between each and every shot, which is kind of insane when you think about it. Luckily, that’s the great thing about art, it doesn’t matter how much time you put into it as long as you’re creating something new and unique, even if it’s only novel to you.