Rub my feet and I'll....

...turn to mush and love you forever! My Mom and I went to go get pedicures today and I must say it was NICE! THANKS MOM! All that cleaning, exfoliating, rubbing and polishing....awwww....life is good. I didn't even care that the man performing the service couldn't speak much English and was smiling after everything he said. LOL! Unfortunately my mom had a mishap on the way home, smudging her two big toes. Oh well, life is still good. The world is still turning and all is good in my world. I was feeling beachy amping up for vay-cay and opted for a coral orange color for my toes. I love it! Just wish it would warm up a little bit so I could show these piggies off! So for all of you taking notes....rub Dana's feet and you can get/have/do whatever you want.

I wish I could become a Vegetarian...

You all know that Blake and I are animal lovers and can't stand to see animals suffer but why is it so hard to become a vegetarian? Is it our primal instinct to eat meat, protein, etc? Could be that a beefy hamburger is enough to put me into a euphoric state or a great steak is better than most things in life. I can't stand the thought of what our animal friends go through to keep us American's satisfied at the dinner table but for some reason it's not enough to stop my insatiable appetite for MEAT! I crave it, I need it, I want it. Not to mention we both need to be eating more and more veggies and fruits on a daily basis but it seems to be getting harder when fast food is so easy to come by and pushed in our face by the media. UGH!!! Lord, give us strength to make better decisions and to not eat cute, fluffy, adorable, innocent animals. You can say that animals were put here on the Earth for us to eat all you want, but lets not forget the fact that we have a responsibility to treat them humanely and with respect.

Happy Birthday to Blake!!!

I don't have a picture of my hubby to post on here at this moment and don't have the time to blog a bunch about it but just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my one and only Blake. I love you honey and you make my life worth living. You're my everything!

Swimsuits Suck!

Okay, so do the companies want me to buy their swimsuits or not? Apparently not. My recent trip to Target led to a devastating adventure for a cute bikini for vacation. I apparently can no longer wear Target clothes. I tried on about 8 different swimsuits in varying sizes and NONE of them fit. ALL of them way too little. The cut on these tiny pieces of cloth were/are hideous! The bottoms were cut so low if I bend over well...the full moon will be out on the beach and so low in the front...well...we don't want to even go there. I concede that I'm not as small as I used to be but this is ridiculous! Muffin toppers unite! They were all so very cute on the hanger but unforgiving on me. After the last try-on I immediately ran out of the dressing room and zoomed past everyone at the fitting room desk. I was in tears. So Target, I ask you, is this how you want your customers to leave the store? I was literally in tears and will not be buying a new bathing suit this year. I can't stand to try them on in the first place, all the time it takes alone is frustrating and the feeling I get after doing so is not how I want to feel. I guess I will finally have to make the move up from juniors clothing to women's clothing. I no longer can pull off the cutesy little clothes of recent years. So this is a rant about swimsuit season and how I feel the need to lose weight even more so! I'm now officially depressed and wish I could be as happy sitting on the beach as the pinup girl in the pic. Looks like she's having tons of fun! I'll be on my knees on the beach alright...begging for a magic pill! Ladies you know what I'm talking about.

Dust is Devil's Snow

Seriously, come over and clean my house for me and I'll pay you. Anyone in need of some quick cash? Any takers? I thought not. I HATE CLEANING! I simply do not feel like cleaning anything in this house today but it's really overdue and should be done soon before we go on vacation. I just have no desire, no willpower, no nothing to get myself motivated to get off the couch and take care of all the devil's snow. UGH! I mean, I'm constantly cleaning SOMETHING in this house, whether it be the laundry, the dishes or even Blake (LOL!) so when it comes to deep cleaning EVERYTHING I just don't have the energy to do so. Okay, I do have the energy I just don't wanna. WAH! (crying like a baby over here). If anyone would like to join me for a cleaning party today I will feed you, pay you and love you forever. And it doesn't help that I have a sick husband laying around making me feel all icky and like I'm getting sick. I hope this all goes away before vay-cay. This really isn't the way I want to spend my one day off this weekend. Does anyone have a magic wand handy?

Me encanta la comida mexicana.

Oh yes, I said it...I love to eat Mexican food! OLE'!!!!!! You can't deny that as you look at this picture you are thinking the exact same thing. What is it about Spanish/Mexican food that makes me weak in the knees and unable to control myself every time it's mentioned or suggested as a stop for dinner? Is it the spicy goodness of it's salsas and sauces? Is it the huge amounts of cheese used to garnish EVERYTHING? Or the lovely libation called a Margarita that keeps me coming back for more? ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! Amanda and I will be visiting a local authentic restaurant today for some yummy goodness. And it's pretty sad how excited I am about this. I simply can't wait for the work day to be over so I can go fill my belly to it's limits and then feel miserable the rest of the day. Of course I will order a bowl of the cheese dip...that white cheese that melts in your mouth and quite frankly so good you could drink it. I could live off of that stuff. It's so good if someone told me it was made out of worms and dirty socks I would still eat it. Then onto a Maragarita...or two...or three and then probably an Enchilada (with that oh so good red sauce) or a Chimichanga smothered in the cheese dip. Tacos are okay but I'm sorry they are like the outcast of the family when it comes to the rest of the menu. Afterwards, of course I'll be complaining about how much I ate and how I ate too fast...blah blah blah...but you know it's always worth it. And I'm not talking about these fake restaurants like Qdoba and Tumbleweed. That is NOT real Mexican food and I laugh when people say, "Let's go get Mexican! " and then they stop at one of the aforementioned places. Now I will say that I like both of those places but it's NOTHING like the real thing...servers who can barely speak English and laugh and smile at whatever you say. GRACIAS!

TGIF!

THANK GOODNESS IT'S FRIDAY!!!! This has been the longest week and I can't wait for the weekend. Anyone else feel the same way!?!? I think it's the upcoming vacation that's making days seem longer and longer and the weeks feeling like months. SHEESH! Too bad I have to work on Saturday, kind of ruins the weekend but gotta do what an esthetician's gotta do. Maybe it will snow 2 feet and I won't have to go in! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend whatever you get into. I'm going to try and get the house cleaned up. EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you interested the new song playing on the blog is one of my new favorite songs. It's by U2 and called The City of Blinding Lights. They played this song at Obama's inauguration. LOVE IT!

Feeling Sentimental

For whatever reason, I had been remembering our wedding day like crazy yesterday! I miss it so much and wish we could go back and live that day all over again. It was the happiest day of my life and the most fun that I have ever had. It was absolutely perfect. Big thanks to Mom and Dad for letting it be everything that I wanted it to be and another thanks to all of our family and friends who attended the wedding and joined us in our joy. It turned out to be such a beautiful day after a slightly gloomy morning the sun shined bright! Also, a shout out to Liz from Lizimages who took the wonderful wedding and engagement pics. Pictured is one of the actual layouts from our wedding album. Here is a link to our entire album which reads like a storybook if anyone is interested! http://www.lizimages.com/2008/june07/ I love you all and thanks again for making it a day we will NEVER forget!

A Day Off

I really enjoy having a day off during the week when I have to work on Saturday. I can get so much stuff done! For instance, today I'm going to my 6 month teeth cleaning, then off to get my hair done, then to the grocery and hopefully to hot yoga. We'll see how much I can accomplish today. THANK GOD my hairstylist Tracy is back from maternity leave. I haven't seen her since she left and my hair is in need of pampering. I'm going to get a trim and I think I'm going to do something different with the color. I'm going to talk to her about it but I want to get rid of the highlights and maybe just go to one color all over. I'm ready for a small change. I'll keep you guys posted as I know you are on the edge of your seat to see what I get done. LOL!!!! I honestly love the hairstyle in the pic, oh to have lived back then. I would have rocked it!

Weekends Rock

After kicking off the weekend with a massage from the best massage therapist in the world, Cara at Massage Envy, I've been absolutely worthless. LOL! Blake and I have really been taking it easy and enjoying the time off. We did go and see the movie "Taken" yesterday (which I highly recommend) apparently along with all the rest of Louisville. I swear I have never seen the movie theater so packed! We had to park like 3 miles away and hike uphill in the cold just to make it to the front doors. Okay, of course I'm exaggerating here but it was ridiculous! Note to self, never go to a movie on Valentine's Day when it falls on a Saturday. Kids running wild everywhere, couples hugging and kissing and holding hands blocking my walking path (annoying) and LONG lines no matter if you're getting tickets, ordering food or using the bathroom. SHEESH! We hope you all have enjoyed your Valentine's Day and are still enjoying what's left of your weekend! Do nothing and have a blast!

How Appropriate...

On Valentine's day you are invited to participate in the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius on Feb 14 2009 When the Moon actually is in the seventh house, And Jupiter aligns with Mars. Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars. the planetary alignment is real! Around dawn on Feb the 14th,the day traditionally reserved for LOVE, Valentine’s Day, the Cosmos actually embodies the perfect alignment of planets as presciently envisioned 40years ago, to support our collective manifestation of love and peace and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Remember the Song? It was a hit in 1969 for ..the 5th Dimension. At 7.25am on the 14th of February – and for the 18 minutes of the alignment, you are invited, in the universal heart, to add your own intention for love and peace and to co-create the dawning of the Age of Aquarius to that of the Cosmos. How appropriate that peace and love in the universe is happening on Valentine's Day! I love you all! Happy Valentine's Day!

Hot Yoga is.....HOT!!!!

So I finally took the plunge and have been attending one hot yoga class each day this week. After being invited to these classes multiple times by some of my favorite clients I decided that it was time to try it out. Not to mention the whole weight issue and the upcoming vay-cay. What an unbelievable workout!!! The classes last 1hr 15 minutes to 1hr 30 minutes and of course it's insanely hot! About 95 degrees in 93 percent humidity. I told you it was INSANE! But, it's amazing how the human body can adapt to it's surroundings, the first class wasn't as bad as I thought it was going be. I had this horrible fear of passing out in front of everyone in the class and having to be wheeled out on a stretcher. I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes it was hot and yes it was hard but it was invigorating, relaxing and made me feel stronger. And it's so amazing how your body quickly acclimates the more you go! I'm totally addicted to this and welcome any and all of you to join me if you can. They have classes all day long from early morning to late evening. All the instructors are nice and very understanding to beginners. If you can't do something, you just don't do it. No pressure. Oh, and did I mention you burn about 850 calories each session? WOOHOO!! So I get to workout, stretch, burn calories, build muscle, relax, release toxins and have fun? SIGN ME UP! I've been attending Betsy's Hot Yoga (pictured above) on Shelbyville Road...go to www.hotyogalouisville.com for more info. I want a hot yoga body!

I want to also tell you about another yoga treat here in Louisville and it can be done right where I work, in Physician's Center for Beauty! Right now classes are Winter Yoga and Astrolo-Chi and they are WONDERFUL! After as session with Daniel (pictured to the left) I always feel like a new person. Come back to your center, relax and stretch to nice music and even learn more about yourself as your perform the poses! This is for all levels of yoga expertise and I promise you, you will not be disappointed. I invite everyone to stop by and take a class and see how good you can feel. :) For more info you can go to http://www.earthrhythms.biz/. Daniel offers many different services...I'm a fan of Acupressure! YOGA ROCKS!

It's slow in the Esthetics world!

WOW! Either we are really feeling the economy at work or people aren't pampering themselves like they used to. I guess it's a combo of both. I've been rather slow at work lately and just needed to rant I guess. THANK GOODNESS the doc has had stuff on the schedule because I can assist him and accumulate some hours! WOOHOO! If anyone needs a facial, microdermabrasion, chemical peel, silk peel, eyelash/eyebrow tint, etc. I'm here for you guys! Blake's been extremely busy lately, I guess the call for Coca-Cola will never wain no matter how bad the economy gets. I'm also in the process of learning laser hair removal so I will be able to perform this very soon. We have some of the best pricing in Louisville with the BEST laser in Louisville!!! Come see me guys!! Doesn't she look exceptionally peaceful in the pic? You too can feel this way. ;)

The scale said what!?!?!

With the looming vacation I have decided to finally do something about the weight situation in the McGowan household. Blake and I are going on a diet! Now I know we won't be able to lose that much weight in just a month but maybe it we can get into a good groove and feel at least halfway decent for the beach. We are both the biggest that we have ever been and it's time to do something about it. Working out and eating right are in our future...I just hope that we can stick with it. We usually go a good 2 weeks and then something comes up and we get out of the routine and fall off the wagon. So the WiiFit is going to get a workout itself along with the elliptical machine and the free weights. I know how much better I'll feel once I start doing this again but why is the first step always the hardest? UGH! And why can't yucky food just taste good! UGH again! I hope I can look like the cute pinup girl in the pic after all of this is said and done. I know I can, I know I can, I know can....SIGH.

Who Let The Dogs Out?!?!

We just did! Mom and Pop (our friends) Ashley and Jay are out of town so we are watching their roost and their babies while they are away. Meet Chloe a super adorable and lovable Shih Tzu and Dyoji a ridiculously funny boxer. Not pictured is the cool cat Meow Meow. Dyoji and I went for a run and a walk while Blake and Chloe hung out at the house. I must say that it was exhilirating going out with him for the run...we had a great time! I applied a couple of Dog Whisperer techniques and I must say IT WORKS! Awww...this makes me want a dog so bad! Maybe in the future if Mimi will allow it. ;)

BIRTHDAY!!!

I never thought turning another year older (UGH!) could be so much fun! I had quite the birthday this year. It all started Feb. 3rd at work where Dr. Maguire gave me an early birthday gift!!! YAY! Then on Feb. 4th, my actual birthday, I go into work and there is a lovely vase of lillies with my name written all over them. And of course they are from my special friend Renee who somehow always knows how to brighten my day!! Then Jay and Ashley stop by the house with a huge cookie cake and my cute hubby gives me two pairs of shoes that don't fit. (It's okay, he means well and it's the thought that counts) I love that man. On Friday night we went to Jarfi's and enjoyed some scrumptious dinner topped off with some libations of choice and then on to the Improv at 4th Street Live and watched some killer stand up comedy. This was my first live comedy experience and I must say that it is something I will do more of in the future. My face literally hurt from laughing so darn hard! Daniel Tosh was the headliner and if you are not familiar with him, google him or watch him on youtube. He's hilarious and sure to offend everyone in some way. LOL! Saturday we were off to my parent's house to celebrate where my mom (of course) had all the Mexican food you could think of neatly and beautifully displayed on the counter. It always looks like a 5 star restaurant when we go over there to eat. I strive to be more like her. :) After tons of spice and cheese topped off with some cake from The Pie Kitchen and some ice cream I was more than ready for a nap. It's always great to see family such as my Mamaw (pictured) and spend time with loved ones. Notice my adorable hubby Blake in the background. AWWWW. So a big THANK YOU out there to everyone for the presents, the events, etc. This birthday has been amazing!!!! I love you all so very much.

My first ever blog post!

How exciting!!! Well not really, but hey it's been fun setting up this blog. If no one has ever had the experience of making a blog or just blogging in general...it's completely addictive! So much fun and yes, TIME CONSUMING. I'm inviting everyone to stop by daily or weekly and check in on what's going on at the McGowan household. I'll be updating this as much as I can and filling you guys in on the latest and greatest. I hope you all enjoy it! Please note that one of my favorite bands of all time is playing as you enter the site. HEART!! They rock! Also note that there is a daily random knowledge gadget at the bottom of the blog for all of you brainiacs and a daily Salvadore Dali painting. This is Blake's favorite painter so we had to give him a space on here. :) I'll be changing up the layout of things and adding some things as we go just to keep things interesting. The latest layout of course has a Valentine's theme paying homage to the upcoming lovey dovey holiday. Very appropriate I think. That's it for now, I welcome all of you and your comments. Love you all!