Fail.

Tell me... I'm curious!

Now, what if I tell you that you need to go and attempt this "thing" you have been holding back? Would you be scared? Would you tell me I'm crazy?

Good. Go do it. And fail along the way. It will make you stronger.

No.Problems.

Well doesn't this just seem like a great way to spend a Sunday?!?!

Waves.

This hairstyle is soooo pretty! Long beautiful waves - I am in love!

Magic.Pill.

There is no other solution besides hard work! I'll give you one more tip - calories in vs. calories out. Make the calories out more than the calories in and you'll see results!

Worry.Free.

Making.Wishes.

You've gotta dream, you've gotta make wishes, but you've also gotta work your butt off to see those things come true. Keep going and don't stop for anything. Make your wishes and then go get them!

Gemelli.Salad.

I love Gemelli pasta. I don't know if it's the shape or what, but I think it's one of my favorites. This recipe for Gemelli Salad is complements of the May 2011 issue of Cooking Light. Enjoy! :)

Ingredients -

• 8 ounces uncooked gemelli (short twisted tube pasta)
• 1 cup (1 1/2-inch) cut haricots verts (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup chopped shelled pistachios
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ounce shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup)

Directions -
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add haricots verts during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse pasta mixture under cold water; drain well.

2. Place the pasta mixture, pistachios, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon lemon rind in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.

3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind, shallots, Champagne or white wine vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add salt and black pepper; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, and toss gently to coat. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

One.

Happy.Mother's.Day.

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mother.

You've been there for me every single moment of every single day and you've given me nothing but unconditional love. I feel so blessed to not only have you as my mother, but also as a true friend who I can turn to anytime and tell anything to. I truly cherish our relationship and feel so blessed.

I love you more than you can ever imagine and I hope your day is filled with everything you deserve!

XOXO

Stunning.

One word: Stunning.

Kate Middleton is absolutely stunning. She's so classy and elegant and I just love her. What a gorgeous color, a gorgeous gown, and a gorgeous woman.

Reformer.

I started my next round of Physical Therapy for my  knee this past week and I am loving my new therapist!

I worked out on the Pilates Reformer (which is one of my favorite things!) and today I also rode the recumbent bike. I am already starting to feel my leg regaining strength and the pain is really subsiding.

I will be enjoying a few sweat sessions this weekend now that I've been given the OK by my Ortho doc and my Physical Therapist and I can't even tell you how excited that makes me! I've missed my 6-days a week training sessions and am anxious to get back to where I was before my injury.

What are you doing to get your sweat on this weekend?

Cookie.Butter.

I'm not sure whether to say "Thank you" or "I hate you" to Trader Joe's for my newest addiction. Maybe both?! :)

O-M-G this is just to-die-for! I'm sure it would taste amazing on anything, seriously, but I just love it on a spoon straight outta the jar with a glass of milk.

Soooo delish!

Bacon.On.Demand.

If only Apple really did have an app or an idevice for this... iBacon perhaps?!

Skinny.Taco.Dip.

I love anything with the word "taco" in it. Cheese...olives...that was all I needed to see in this picture to be tempted to try it. Let's give it a go:

Ingredients -

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar mild salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 2.25 oz black olives

Directions -

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and taco seasoning and mix well with an electric mixer. Spread on the bottom of a large shallow glass dish. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and black olives. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

For more skinny recipes, check out http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/07/skinny-taco-dip.html

The.Voice.

I love Shel Silverstein's books. I have the whole collection.

This is a great reminder for us to be ourselves and follow our hearts. When you do right by you, that's what matters. If people judge your actions and decisions, let 'em. Just don't let them stop you from being you and doing what you do.

You, and only you, know what is right for you and when you listen to the voice inside of you, that's when you are being true.

Hey.There.Good.Lookin.

Allow me to give you a little ego boost!

Style.Collages.

I stumbled upon this outfit on Pinterest which I think is absolutely adorable. But what's better than this outfit? The site where you can put together your own style collage - www.polyvore.com Have fun! :)

Three.Little.Must.Dos.

This probably isn't something you haven't heard before. We all know there are so many positive benefits of eating right, exercising daily and getting our beauty sleep. So why don't we all do these three simple things? Because we let "life" take control and we allow ourselves to make excuses and poor decisions that affect our health in negative ways.

I'm just as guilty as anyone and know that I need to make changes.

When I eat right, I feel SOOO good. Fresh, healthy, organic food tastes so much better than the salty, fatty crap that is so easy to grab. And when you get in the habit of going to the grocery store every week and sticking to the outer perimeter of the store, you will make good decisions and buy what your body needs. Before long, you won't even crave the crap...the good food is what you'll crave.

Exercising is one of the easiest things to put off and it's also one of the easiest things to do. No one says you have to train daily like a body builder. Take your dog for a walk. Do a few sit ups and push ups during the commercial break of the TV show that you just can't miss. It's the little things that matter. The point is to just get up and do SOMETHING. Just MOVE and burn some calories! Now, if you want dramatic results, then you've gotta do more than the little things listed above but my point is, there is really NO reason you can't fit in some form of exercise on a daily basis.

Go to bed. My friends all make fun of me because by 10 pm, I'm done! I don't like going out very often because honestly, after 10pm I just turn into a pumpkin. I don't like being up til 2am and then wasting the whole next day sleeping to try to make up for it. I know my body and I don't do well without sleep. I need more than a couple hours to function. Not only do I feel fatigued if I don't go to bed at a decent hour, but then I'm more likely to want to eat crap and skip my exercise and then guess what...I usually end up getting sick! Not worth it to me...

So if these three little things can give us so many positive things in return, then why don't we do them every single day? I'm willing to make the change - are you with me?!

Expressing.Gratitude.

Words are just words. It's the actions that we do that speak louder than those words. Believe in what you say and do what you believe.

Believe.Obey.Endure.

Quinoa.Stuffed.Cucumber.

I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest and I think it sounds so great and really fun to make!

Ingredients -

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 zucchini, quartered
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), bite size
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup  (3.8 oz.) black (or green) olives, sliced
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt + pepper
• 1 Cucumber

Directions -

Following the directions, cook the quinoa accordingly. Transfer cooked quinoa to a large glass bowl.
Add cut, sliced and diced ingredients to the quinoa. Add olive oil, garlic powder, and salt + pepper. Mix together and set aside, allowing all the ingredients to soak up the flavor.

For the taste test – if it’s too dry, add more olive oil. If you’re like me & like salty things, you’ll want to add more salt.

Slice the cucumber in 1 inch slices. With a melon baller, carefully scoop out the insides. It will look like a cucumber bowl. Fill each cucumber with approx. 1-2 tablespoons of the quinoa salad.

Enjoy!