I'd like to thank....

And the loser of 10.6lbs. is........Jackie!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd like to thank the Friday 12:15pm Weight Watchers meeting for supporting me, JJ for suggesting Weight Watchers in the first place, Marvin for putting up with my incessant point counting, my mom for all the cards and encouraging words, my dad for the cutest pink food scale, amazon.com for all the great used cookbooks, Western Bagel Co. for their awesome 1 point bagels, Laughing Cow of course, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (2 points) and Skinny Dippers (1 point), the genius who invented 100 calorie packs, the 35 extra points you get each week that allows me to have a drink at my favorite wine bar in Bozeman, treadmills with tvs attached that allow me to workout while watching the food network, and last but certainly not least, the motivation to fit into killer expensive jeans when I take Marvin on his super secret birthday adventure.

I still have 4 more lbs. until my 10% mark but I am more motivated than ever to kick ass and lose it. Keep me in your thoughts.

Laughing Cow how I love you so...

For those of you that have never had the distinct pleasure of unwrapping these little wedges of heaven let me tell you how much they rock.
For 1 point (on Weight Watchers Flex Plan) you can have a creamy (sorry Grace) wedge of mild Swiss cheese which makes you feel like you are sneaking something deliciously wicked. I pair mine up with brown rice crackers and a snack star is born.
For those of you that have witnessed this taste sensation, you can buy 4 wheels at Costco and it will save you a bundle of cash.
My stomach is growling...gotta go.

Thank You

photo courtesy of amazon.com

I received this cookbook in the mail yesterday from a mysterious giver. I thought maybe I had signed up for something and forgot but nope...it was a gift. Unfortunately there was no name attached so I don't know who to thank. And since this is my most public forum I thought here would be the best way to thank them!
Oddly, I had just ordered and received 5 WW cookbooks. And guess what? I did not have this one!
So thank you fairy godmother or godfather for the gift. I will certainly be trying it out as soon as possible.

Confession...I killed 20 bess

Oh I know they look harmless, and they are quickly dying off (I do love honey), but they have no place in my apartment. Today I came home and there were 20 bees hovering inside my sliding glass door. (I know that I do tend to exaggerate a bit (keep your mouth shut Grace!) but I physically counted 20 bees) I was like WTF! I had contacted my landlord and told him I was noticing some bees inside and it had been pretty cool here in Montana so I did not have any windows open. But there they were, mysteriously appearing and freaking me out.
So what is a girl to do...call her mom. Those back in Ohio are well aware of the September bee infestation. Trying to find a home for the winter and all. She tells me put some pop out in a bottle or can and they will fly in there and not be able to get out. (It works at picnics you know...as soon as you set your drink down the bees are all over it!) I take that into consideration as I speed down my mountain to the local hardware store to find the most deadly spray known to man to take the suckers out. I leave with Raid Flying Insect spray. The guy at the store said it kills on contact and has a fresh outdoor poison scent.
Well I put two diet cokes out and no luck. (It was a good idea mom. I guess the bees in Montana would have rather had a micro-brewed beer) I shuffled the blinds around and opened the door hoping to wake them up and shoo them out into nature...their home! Again no love.
So it was time. I had the "you are an adult, you can kill the bees" talk with myself. I found some rubber gloves under the sink and pulled the blinds apart. Half a can of spray later, a graveyard of bees and about 2inches of leftover poison sat at the bottom of my sliding glass door.
The whole living room reeks of "outdoor scent" and I washed my hair twice and I swear it still smells like Raid. The maintenance guys are coming tomorrow so hopefully when I come home tomorrow night there will not be an angry mob of bees waiting to take their revenge.

*WARNING* The following video is not for young viewers

Here is a side of the Republican vice presidential candidate the campaign has not touched on.
It is disturbing and in my humble opinion inhumane. I have been supporting Defenders of the Wildlife for years and they are one of the most respected wildlife non-profits. Please heed the video's message.

NEWSFLASH FOR ALL HELENA REALTORS

When you come through my condo either to view and take pictures or show it to your clients, do NOT let me repeat that...do NOT touch my shit.
If you open blinds, windows, cupboards, etc...close them!
Is this so difficult to understand...don't you all take an oath or something.
I do not want to come home from a brutal two days in the car to open blinds.
So here me now:
I am being extremely cooperative since the landlord sprung the "we are going to sell the condo" bombshell. But I will not hesitate to use all of my legal rights to kick your asses if I feel at all unsafe or if you go through my stuff.

You dig?????

Why are there no good movies?

Ok. So tonight Marvin and I went to the movies. We have been wanting to go for a few weeks now and the chilly, rainy weather made it the perfect date option tonight. But alas, when we brought up the movie showtimes we were sorely disappointed in the selection. After much debate and trailer watching we chose Bangkok Dangerous with Nicholas Cage because it seemed like the least likely to make me want to poke my eyes out. Without telling you the story line (what little there was) or the ending (which actually made me say "are you freakin' kidding me?") I can say without a doubt that I wasted an hour and forty minutes of my life. The only good part was being with Marvin and splurging some points on some popcorn. It was so bad that we actually stayed and watched another film so that I wouldn't go home angry. Babylon A.D. was the flick. It's shining light was Vin Diesel and the fact that I left the theater less unhappy than before. Not a horrible movie, but definitely a renter.
Where have all the good movies gone? I remember a time when I could go to the theater on a Saturday and there were three good movies I could see in a row and then go back on Sunday and see three more. Now I'm lucky to see a preview that even slightly tantalizes my movie senses. As you can tell this upsets me. So if anyone out there has an in in Hollywood please send them a message for me, "Start making decent movies with endings that make sense!". Seriously. There are endings, like in Primal Fear, where you sit dumbfounded but get why it had to be that way. Then there are endings like in No Country for Old Men, where you throw crap at the TV because it is so ridiculous and there is no rhyme or reason to the senseless killing. (Now don't go getting upset with me about knocking the movie around. I know it was a Cohen brothers flick and they had a thousand little nuances and points. I just wanted a decent ending!!!!!!!!)
Ok enough of the complaining. So everyone out there in blog land please pray to the little movie Buddhas that they get there act together in the bizarre movie world.

Privacy

Ok. So one last post before I climb under my alternative down comforter. Yes folks that is right...it is September 3rd and it is cold enough to warrant the comforter.
But onto the reason for this last minute addition.
I started the blog thinking that in order to protect the innocent and shield the guilty (past and present) from themselves, I would use people's initials. Well it is grating on my nerves. I know, small thing but it is. So from now on I will be using folks real first names. Don't worry I won't be posting last names, SSN, email addresses, shoe sizes etc...
If you decide that you do not want your name to be published on Kung Fu Girl let me know and I will revert to using your initials. I am fairly reasonable but you might catch some flack for it:)
Well friends, family and foes...I hope that the next set of posts is not so few and far between.
Till then....

Miami In July

So as you know I headed with MS to South Florida to meet the family and spend some time in South Beach. The trip was excellent minus the blistering heat and humidity. The family was amazing. So welcoming and friendly. I am a lucky girl to have found not only an awesome guy, but one who has a fantastic family that he loves dearly. So here is a brief pictorial run down of the trip with some commentary along the way.

At Vita's (MS's aunt) and his nephew Sebastian's birthday bash. The family is Cuban so it seems that all their parties have music. So here is some guitar-playing, singing in Spanish fun.

Sebastian getting down at the party. (That is MS's sister right behind him)

Uncle Marvin

Us on the patio at his aunt's condo in South Beach that we stayed at. It was awesome, right across from the beach. The beach we went to for a few hours and fried ourselves to death. However, MS did get me to go in the ocean past my ankles. We used noodles and all. For those who don't know, I have quite a fear of the ocean having almost drowned many years ago in a riptide. But I think I made great progress that day in South Beach.

A gorgeous and tasty plate at Nobu. If you get to South Beach go to Nobu. We of course went during the week and during the off season so we got in with no problem (they don't take reservations). The service was awesome (which it sounds like is an anomaly in South Beach). The food was spectacular. I don't care for sushi on a normal basis, but I ate my fair share that night. Cheap? Not on your life! But well worth the price and the experience. I hear that it is also the place to see stars although none showed their faces that night.

Outside of Nobu and Ago is this great bar called SkyBar. Here is me trying to climb onto the canopy bed, that was to be our "table" at SkyBar, in a very short dress that I had to buy in FL because nothing I own is trendy enough to wear out in South Beach. Talk about freakin' cool! We had great drinks and even though I got eaten alive by mosquitoes, it was totally worth it!

Marvin smoking a cigar at the SkyBar embracing his Cuban roots.

The Miami skyline from the water on the Star's Island cruise we took.

The Star's Island cruise is just that, a cruise around Star's Island. This is an island that is ridiculous. The houses are beyond what anyone who doesn't have 12 kids would ever need. All the stars live on the island. Dr. Phil, Gloria Estefan (I am pretty sure I totally murdered her name), P.Diddy aka Puff Daddy aka Diddy aka Sean Combs, the guy that invented Viagra and lots more. I have countless pics of houses on the island of which I don't remember which one belonged to any of them. I am a disappointment I know. But the above house, which is super cool looking, was in an Usher video at one time or another.



Although brief, I hope this tour through our Miami trip was fulfilling. If you would please exit to the left of the ship that will conclude our voyage.
And this last picture is for you Grace...long live the pirate tour ship!

Yellowstone-GIG Girls Weekend

Here are some photos of the GIG girls weekend in Yellowstone that happened in July. It was great fun, even if MW had us running ragged over what the trail guides called "easy-moderate". I firmly believe that those folks who pen the trail guides in Montana are on crack.

MW/me/AET/JJ

Buffalo aka Bison
And of course a little cute baby! They look weird because they were shedding their winter coats.

Buffalo Soldier in the road

JJ/AET/me
Please note that I am wearing flip flops on a trail. I had a wicked ingrown toenail that was not having hiking boots for one more second. The Monday following I had to go to the doctor and have it cut off (half of the toenail that is). Oh and did I mention that after that I couldn't wear closed-toe shoes for a week...and I was leaving the following day for Miami to meet the parents!

MW and I on the trail...I believe it was the "easy-moderate" with "slight rises" and was only supposed to be 3 miles long that turned into 8 miles with about a thousand switchbacks...crack I say!

Beautiful...Gorgeous...Wish you were here...
A waterfall at the start of the Yellowstone Grand Canyon.

For those that don't know, Yellowstone is a thermal area. And if I remember my facts, it basically sits on huge volcano. This is one of the countless areas where steam and boiling water is seen.

This picture was taken by MW. I have zero idea what it is. All I can defer is that it is in a thermal area and is a kick-ass picture. Nice photo-taking skillz.



Now you have it. The condensed, super-mini version of the trip. But one final picture must be shown. I don't think she thought I'd post it, but here it is AET! Goodluck this year at school!

Worst Blogger Ever

I admit it...I am the worst blogger ever. Here I sit wondering where I went wrong...did I take too many trips in a row? did I take too many pictures to sort through? Why me I cry!!!!!!!!
OK enough drama. Life since my last post has been at best, a crazy roller coaster.
And now I sit reading my friend M's blog which is always funny, inspiring and frequent. So I am going to attempt to try and redeem myself by posting some pics and a few choice words about my trips leading up to what in the world is going on today.
So I hope you enjoy the following posts. I apologize for their delinquency and hope that all my adoring (you are adoring right????) readers forgive me.

And Katie-you can always give me a call or text me and I'll call you back. Sorry I haven't sent your package yet...tomorrow hopefully.