wedding anni numba 8! #maui #greateight

we had an absolute BLAST celebrating our 8th wedding anni in Maui last month.  i took way too many pics. like a ridiculous amount.  if you make it to the end.... thank you in advance for your time, haha.

 when you have to be at the airport at 5am, you don't even bother going to sleep.  my girlfriend had just finished installing my faux locs like 3 hours earlier (18 hour job if you're interested!) and my head was sooooooo tender. but i loved them and Sonny did too.  he better had! he requested them :) 'happy wife, happy life.' is cute... but i rock with 'happy hubby, happy her.'

i didn't find out where we were going until we got to our gate (still didn't know in this pic!) but i knew i would not be disappointed.

my Modern Oats package hit our mailbox juuuust in time.  i took the very last container from the 8 count variety pack they so graciously sent me and ate it for breakfast on the plane.

soon as Sonny sees this i'm going to get a text. nah, prolly a call.  get your laugh in while it's still up, tee hee

snackin' on the plane!  eating the freeze-dried raspberries i got from Trader Joes before we left.  Sonny missed out cause i ate them all.

that's a really, really big hole. diamond mine, i guess. i have no idea where we were at that moment and didn't ask.

back to my snacks. since you have to purchase EVERYTHING on a plane these days i pretty much brought us our own personal mini bar.  i had seen these in Sprouts Farmers Market for months before deciding to purchase them.  maui made me do it.

my goodness, they are DELICIOUS and seriously addicting.  especially this flavor!

layover in phoenix.  we spotted a Le Madeline while heading to our next gate and got some more grub. it was still breakfast time so we got omelettes.

finally!!!!! long flights are just not my thing.  6 hours from phoenix to maui and i almost lost it. how will i ever go to Nigeria one day? no idea. i kinda don't want to sleep for 3 days straight before we have to go though. sigh. anyway, we made eeeet!

loaded up Red Vevet and you already know what was next....

the rental car peeps suggested we try Da Kitchen so we went straight there. sure, we were hoongry, but they were spot on with that recommendation.

i started with a green salad,

and followed that up with some salmon (duh) and Sonny requested the biggest dish they had!! soooo that's exactly what our waitress brought him.

yep, that's spam. i have never eaten spam in a restaurant. ever. whatever you think is in that bowl, it is.  eggs, brown rice, colby jack cheese, spam, ground beef, onions, gravy, and green onion. it was actually REALLY good, just way too heavy for me.

 look them up on IG and you'll find our pic in the hashtag cloud. #DaKitchen

on to the hotel. we were extremely pleased with our Westin Ka'anapali premium villa. check out the periscope tour we did! straight to sleep that night though, zzzzzzzzzzzz.

the next morning was the BIG day! and yep, it started with prayer and a workout.  it's automatic and it wasn't forced at all either... we enjoy starting our day this way. i pretty much ran for fun and did a weight circuit with Sonny and called it a day. that's pretty much what our workouts looked like our entire time there actually! we worked out 4 outta the 5 days there.

post-workout brekky!  i eat this way cause i love it. i enjoyed myself and indulged but i would be eating these particular items regardless. everyone we asked suggested Mama's Fish House for our anni dinner but you have to make reservations like 2 weeks in advance.  sooo that was out. we asked for the next best thing which was Merriman's.

we spoke to Chiso on Skype during breakfast! gosh i missed my boys so much. he was actually at the hospital at that very moment because my sis in law, Kara, had just delivered her baby girl!!!! we spoke to the proud parents too and even got a glimpse of baby Natalie!  we now gladly share September 15th with our niece, Natalie Chizara Egwuatu <3

it rained on our very first day out and about, buuuut it cleared up after breakfast thankfully. we took some pics and then a lil' drive through the mountains in the 'stang.

the winding roads, the mountains, the water, the scenery...gaaaah it was incredible and kinda hard to take all in at once.  i saw a sign that said 'scenic look out 1000 ft' so i told Sonny to pull over.

we hopped out and basically made a post card. look at that!

8 years. you ever look back on your life like, 'THANK YOU GOD for not making it work with any of my ex's.'!? He knew best.

every city/country we travel to... this is on my agenda. deal with it, Sonny.

i just wanted some snacks!  look, i did a two week sugar fast to get beach ready so i was about to enjoy me some chocolate. i found the bulk aisle and made myself at home.

salted carmel chews and chocolate covered pretzel balls. worth the tummy ache.

then we found a Walmart and bought some souvenirs for our family and a breast pump! i actually packed my dual electric Medela pump but naturally something went wrong with my tubing and it totally wasn't working. bum. mer. back to z hotel!

'ooo, wait, this is the selfie cam.'

it was still cloudy when we got back but we couldn't wait any longer!  we went out to the beach anyway to explore and take in the views.

and have a mini photoshoot.

well we definitely weren't in galveston anymore!

enjoying this life.

we went back to the room to get ready to go to our anni dinner. i found this dress at H&M for 30 bucks! 2 weeks prior to that day it would not zip all the way up.  nixing refined sugars from my diet... that'll do it.

i see ya with the fancy lighting, Red Velvet.

we had an awesome, intimate dinner at Merriman's! we arrived after dark so we couldn't see the magnificent view they are known for, but i couldn't have cared any less! i was so happy to just be there with Sonny at that very moment.  before we tore up that food, we took a pic for #8. to God be all the glory.

it was super dim in the restaurant so excuse my flash and these horrid angles, yall. i had half lobster enchiladas with asparagus and fillet mignon with garlic potatoes.  the portion sizes weren't outrageous, so i had plenty of room left for dessert.

Sonny had fillet mingon as well with swordfish and seasoned veggies. it was just right!  we were satisfied, not stuffed. i was so ready to go IN though, hahaha.

then Sonny had a big ol' cup of coffee cause he was STRUGGLIN' to stay awake!!! it was only 8 there but 1am in Houston.

dessert was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream paired with this chocolate-filled 'purse'. we broke through the dough with our spoons and it oozed right onto the plate. yummerz.

meanwhile... i was constantly wondering what my babies were up to! my mom sent me this pic of Dego getting a good ol' fashion kitchen sink bath. so bittersweet cause i couldn't reach out and kiss his little face.

same plate, different day!

the weather was picture perfect that day.

so i put on my two piece (H&M, 10 bucks) and hit the beach solo cause somebody needed a nap after breakfast. immediately before i left,

knock, knock!  what an unexpected, pleasant surprise. a day late, BUT they spelled our name correctly and brought us dessert so it was all good! i ate a couple and went on my way.

this.

soaking it all in.

i was bummed we couldn't get into Mama's Fish House for our anni dinner, but we DID snag a lunch reservation, yay! we headed there to see what all the buzz was about.

this was a very, very good sign in my book.

:)

strawberry lemonade!

bread, butter, and a complimentary sip of cream of mushroom soup.

a real, fresh lei! nice touch.

tank tops weren't allowed, so our waitress brought Sonny and made him put his guns up.

i feasted on the Opa,

and this.... this was THE best coconut rice i've ever tasted. i saw it on the menu and added it to my meal cause i had to have it!

Sonny got the stuffed Mahi Mahi. clearly there is a reason this restaurant is ranked #2 in the NATION!!!! everything was scrumptious. everything.

Hana Banana Macadamia Nut Crisp topped with the cutest little sea turtle cookie. lick-the-bowl DELISH.

so we had a delima...we ran outta ice cream with a bit of macadamia nut crisp left to go.   our waitress solved that problem and gave us another scoop on the house. that's going the extra mile right there. she was incredibly sweet and took fantastic care of us from beginning to end.

the restaurant faces the shore and the windows were all wide open to the ocean air.

what an experience. stuffed and off-balance. cheese!

the very next morning, we set out to do some sight-seeing and hiking.

but first,

we hit up the 'Bucks for some caffeine before we rode out, map in tow.

the winding roads seemed to just go on and on and on...  it was fun being completely submerged in nature.

checking out the Nakalele Blowhole.

the sign says: 'Warning. Stay clear of blowhole.  You can be sucked in and killed.  It's not a waterpark.'  although the sign did make me a bit nervous, i wanted to get way closer naturally. but Mr. Egwuatu said no.

as good as it got.  i later googled to see other tourist photos of this spot and found this one:

we could have gotten a lil closer, Sonny, dang.

anyhoo, on to hiking!  i was really looking forward to a good, long hike. we drove back to the Kapalau Hiking Trails and hopped out.

buuut Sonny's achilles tendons had other plans. they've been giving him trouble for months now and that day was no different. we hiked for about 15 min before we called it quits :(

we still had time before the breakfast buffet ended so we sped back to the hotel.

i saw this class going on while we were at breakfast the day before so after we ate i went to change into my 'kini and jumped right in.

next up, snorkeling! first timers, here.  we had NO idea there were so many fish at our feet and that they were that close to the shore. crazy! even after 15+ years of knowing this guy, there are still so many firsts to experience together. 

the next day we literally CHILLED and lounged around. we also did some really boring stuff like driving to the Sprint store to check on Sonny's phone's memory card slot. i totally dropped his phone when i hopped out of the pool earlier that week and was hoping i didn't jack it up too bad and lose all our pictures. whew.

we came back to our room and ordered in!  Sonny got this banh mi sandwich,

and i ordered a gluten-free hawaiian pizza. we wanted to see Straight Outta Compton that night but didn't want to fall asleep in the movie theater.

last day :( ! we woke up and got all our stuff together and headed to check out of our hotel. no breakfast buffet that day; we headed to a recommendation from one of the valet guys minutes away: Slappy Cakes!  if Food Network says they're the bomb, i had to go see for myself.

our patiently-waiting-to-be-seated usie.

basically, you make your own pancakes right at your table!!! i do this at home for the boys, so this was right up my alley. what a fun concept!

spot on, Food Network.  i confidently claim Slappy Cakes as having THE best gluten-free pancakes i have ever eaten. EVA.

aaaand an extra stack for the road didn't hurt. finished'em before we got to the airport though.

we said our goodbyes to Red Velvet and took the shuttle to the airport. this was it! finally homeward bound.

maui to honolulu, honolulu to phoenix, then phoenix to houston.  somewhere along the way we devoured this together.

back home to our babies!!!! our families held it down and took excellent care of our boys while we were gone and we are so grateful for their support and willingness to help. back to life, back to reality....which is pretty darn good.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Q: where should we go next year? i ask cause it'll be my turn to plan ;)

fit foodie who?

so i'm roughly 16 weeks and some change and finally climbing further and further away from my first trimester symptoms.  thank. God.  if you were to have asked me who Fit Foodie Le was from weeks 8ish to about 13 i would not have been able to answer.   at my 8 week appt., my doc asked me if i needed any nausea meds and i proudly said 'nope!'. i prolly had a 'who, me?' look on my face to go with it.  weeeeell week 9 came and socked me in the face like a bag of rocks.  nausea (evening sickness) headaches, annoying forehead acne (still here), confused appetite, mood swings, and some of the worst fatigue i've ever experienced took over my world.  i felt like one of those cartoon characters with a black rain cloud following them everywhere.

i didn't want to do ANYTHING.  y'all don't hear me. NOTHING AT ALL.  no blogging, no IG, no social media whatsoever. i just wanted to disconnect from everything, everyone and sleep.  after walking up the stairs in our home, i had enough energy left to crumble to the floor once i finally made it to the top.  carrying Chiso across the room made my heart rate skyrocket.  i had no desire to workout and used every single excuse i could not to hit the gym when i wasn't teaching my fitness classes. i mainly blamed the weather (smh) which has never been a factor for me.  had no desire to go anywhere, do anything, be social, talk about fitness, eat or cook healthy food, and definitely no desire to motivate and inspire anybody else when i couldn't even get my own behind going.  because baby #2 was still secret, i had to keep quiet on social media and act like nothing had changed.  truth be told, i was on strike from vegetables with Chiso during that time cause the sight or smell of them made my nausea flare up.  most days, especially after a gym class, i'd be super hungry, but everything i thought of to eat repulsed me. friends, over those few weeks i ate some things i hadn't eaten in years because i wanted them and just didn't care! this flood of new hormones made me completely unfocused.  was i craving them? i wouldn't even call it that.  i just didn't want any healthy food and had to eat something.

but subway is a great pick, right? everything in moderation friends, even subway. i had my fave sammich (the turkey breast on wheat) for lunch and dinner for about 2 weeks straight. it's all i wanted. and conveniently located right next to Sonny's job :lol: .  then things took a slight turn...

 

a tartar sauce-less fillet O' fish from Mc Donalds. who even eats these anymore!?!?  hadn't eaten one in decades but a tv commercial was all it took.  it was as delicious as i remember.

Timmy Chans wings and rice. with gravy. I KNOW. :shock: :shock: :shock:

fresh, hot, Shipley's donut holes. i figure the holes would help me nip my 'craving' in the bud rather than eating a whole donut or four. but if you eat them all at once then that theory doesn't actually work now does it :roll:

more chocolate chip Eat Pastry vegan cookie dough. eaten raw,

and baked.

now THIS really was a craving! i can eat Papa Johns pizza any time of day, hot or cold, preggo or not. omg. pineapple, ham, and plenty of CHEESE.  5 slices later....... and i could have honestly kept going.

normally i get oatmeal or a whole wheat english muffin/toast on the side when we go out for breakfast (which is super rare anyway) , but nope, i ordered and devoured a pancake bigger than my head at The Egg & I.

aaaaand this guy... I IG'ed this weeks ago and i consider it the start of my indulgent, sporadic 1st tri eats. it's the Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie,  a Chili's classic.  the last time we ate there though it was called the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie!  its been a while.

so the wack part of it all is that immediately after i ate those things i felt worse. every time.  i'm not just talking food guilt here guys. i'm talking bad physically.  i don't know if those foods tasted so unbelievably incredible because i'm preggo or because i hadn't eaten them in soooooo long or what! they only satisfied me for the moment though and wreaked havoc on my 'plumbing' later, if you will.  things were just as bad in the exercise department.  i'd dread my drive to the gym and gripe, moan, and complain the entire way there.  once i got going and was actually  moving and sweating though, i felt like ME again and back to normal.  soon as i stopped? back to crappy town. so i figured i might as well force myself to eat healthy stuff again since my workouts were struggling and eating those terrible processed foods was a threat to me and the baby's overall health.  also, i was heavily contributing to early, unnecessary weight gain and reintroducing former unhealthy habits.    my classes have literally saved me.  if it weren't for them i would not have exercised at all.  some might say 'what's the big deal with not exercising for a few weeks???'.  i don't want my first trimester to set the tone for the rest of my pregnancy.  once i sit down for too long, even two days, (even when i'm not preggo)- it's like pulling teeth getting back into a routine again.  if you're struggling to get through your first tri or pregnancy period, just HOLD ON!!! indulge in a craving every now and then and just keep moving. what can i say..it will all be worth it ;)

my OB assured me things would change with time and thankfully they have.  hellooooo, 2nd tri!  my goal is no longer weight or fat loss, none of that! i just want to keep moving as much as possible, have fun with my workouts, and keep my healthy eating habits going along with some Papa John's pizza here and there. that's it. no pressure. until i deliver and recover; health for me and baby is my priority. i'm excited to share my 2nd fit preggo journey with you again!

looking forward to some of these prenatal exercises now that my desire to move again is back:

1. spinning - works wonders for circulation for mom and baby without all the joint pressure from weightlifting or say kickboxing classes.  plus, you determine the speed, intensity, everything.
2. yoga- no hot yoga though! eases tension, boosts your mood, and can even make for an easier delivery.
3. walking- i walked 98% of my 1st pregnancy and did a few 5 and 10ks along the way. ain't nothin' changed.
4. zumba- it’s a great cardiovascular workout that  requires side stepping, jumping, and turning movements. keep an eye on that heart rate though.
5. water aerobics - 'It may reduce pain during labor, according to a study published in Reproductive Health, finding that women who did water aerobics three times a week were less likely to ask for pain relief during labor, compared to those who didn't exercise.' hmmmm! i like those odds.
6. booty barre - a ballet-inspired class that includes legwork with minimal jumping, making it a great option for preggo women.  they will be offered at Lifetime Fitness soon!

the real Fit Foodie Le has returned and is ready to rock round two RIGHT! here we gooooooooooooo

le

blogging from de plane

that post title is false advertisement.  i was so excited to blog from our plane headed to Jamaica to celebrate our 5th anni that i started the post early, from home!  however........ after all the hustle and bustle of the previous night (we had a FANTASTIC time and did well at our first bodybuilding show!!!!! details in my next post) that we naturally *sigh* overslept and missed our WI-FI enabled first flight. UGH. the second flight, which only left 1 hr later, was not wi-fi enabled because well, that's just how things go.  SO, Sonny and i actually spoke to one another (cause people still do that :shock: ) about the weekend's events, the highs and lows of training under one roof, our bodies then and now, how we felt on stage, how each other looked on stage, future shows, etc... yeah we had lots of time to catch up as life has finally slowed down a little.

i can't shake this 'i need to be prepared for anything' feeling, which is a good thing though. i knew i wouldn't go completely HAM on sweets so soon after the show, so i packed some healthy stuff for our trip a few days beforehand to make this a gradual thing:

 strawberry flavored magic pop, some shelled pistachios, light tuna packed in water, apples, chocolate PB2, canned salmon, and a stack of Food Network magazines i never found time to sit down and crack open.

not gonna lie- even though we woke up super late and rushed out to miss our flight, i still had my oats and bananas lol!   i really WANTED them though and didn't have time to get creative and make something else anyway.  we had a quick layover in Charlotte, NC, and it was there where i was reunited with the dairy food group again after over 3 months. i had an unused Starbucks gift card from Christmas, so i whipped it out and ordered a fruit cup and one of my fav drinks- a skinny vanilla latte.   

so, even on vaca, and i said i was gonna try and stick to 5-6 balanced meals a day, but also indulge and live a little! with everything being all-inclusive (unlimited food and drinks EVERYWHERE) this is hard.  not doing TOO bad so far though- there are different menus everyday, so i'm grateful for the variety.  for breakfast, there's a live omelette bar- was so excited to see that!! can you guess what i've been ordering? haha

 they only have *GASP* instant oatmeal which is disgusting and tastes and looks like wall paper paste. maybe even worse. i see why some people might be turned off by oatmeal if they ever have this stuff when eating oatmeal for the first time, my goodness. i mean it was BAD.  there aren't enough toppings in the world to mask a bowl of that stuff :shock:

my lunches and dinners have been looking a little like this: salad,

fruit / veggie plate - raw celery, tomatoes, artichokes, watermelon, cantaloupe.

and yes that's a slice of cheese pizza lol- i said on IG that i've had a slice with every meal so far except breakfast and that is still in effect!

random lunch plate - curried tilapia, roasted yellow potatoes, sautéed green beans/onions, jerk chicken.

random dinner - grilled jerk chicken, beet salad, raw tomatoes, zucchini, and chicken/tomato pizza;)

have we been indulging? DARN RIGHT. they don't just put out one dessert as you can see.  i made us a sample plate and well, we got our sample on.

rum cake, chocolate chip cookies, strawberry cheesecake, vanilla mousse cake, and chocolate cake.

there is a poolside grille that is open til 1 am (they shouldn't have told us that) and we took advantage right away.  fried fish and french fries - we split this though!

the buffet people see us coming a mile away LOL. we are always right on time for every meal!

 having a really good time so far and i can't wait to post about our show.

 for now, back to Jamaica!

le