eight glasses a day

Making sure you get eight glasses {that's eight 8-ounce glasses, please} is important. Water is necessary for your organs and makes your skin lovely. It's important to be nice and hydrated for workouts. And it's especially important if you live in the desert in the summer.

They say it's a dry heat, and that's so true - it's like an oven here. But that dry heat sucks all the moisture from the air, and your skin. Not to mention, your body is trying to cool itself down by utilizing its natural air conditioning, aka sweating. Which means more water that is lost and needs to be replaced.

When I was little, I didn't like the taste - or lack thereof - of water. As an adult, I know how imperative it is to be properly hydrated and have learned to love the taste of water; but sometimes it's boring. Sure, you could add lemon or cucumber, but there are times you want a burst of flavor.

That's where MiO comes in. It's a new water enhancer from Kraft. Think Crystal Light meets liquid. You take your bottle of plain water, flip the top of your MiO flavor, squeeze a bit in and enjoy!

~via~

I'm addicted.

sugar fix | cake pops!

Currently dreaming of red velvet cake pops from Amy's bridal shower

designer decor{ating}

I love Groupon. In fact, I'm addicted. I've had the chance to do some really fun activities, like learning to fly on the trapeze.

On Saturday morning I had another chance to indulge my Groupon obsession. Jenny and I headed to a bakery in Glendale to learn how to decorate cookies and cupcakes from professional bakers. After an hour and a half, we had learned some tricks and picked up some tips for prettifying delicious baked goods. {Some turned out better than others; my personal favorite was the Thanksgiving turkey, who was rocking a do-wop curl that doesn't really show up too well in the photo}.

pretty peonies

I love picking up flowers during my weekly trip to Trader Joe's. It's a little indulgence that makes me so happy; they have a great selection at reasonable prices.

My favorite flowers by far are peonies. They are big, beautiful and smell so sweet. They're only available for a short time and I was so excited when I grabbed a five-stem pack of bright pink peonies for only $7.

breakfast of champions

Last week, Mark got up with me and made me a protein smoothie for breakfast. So sweet {both him and the drink}.

date night

One of the things I miss most when Mark is away is date night. Each week, we alternate who plans date night, and this past weekend was my turn to plan. I wanted to go to Fuego Bistro, so we hopped in the car and headed up to the restaurant. We got there right as the restaurant opened, and to our dismay, we weren't able to get in. However, the owner was so pleasant and gave us a VIP card to check out his new restaurant, Fuego Taco.

Since it was just a couple of miles away, we decided to go for it. And I'm so glad we did. It was ah-mazing. The restaurant has only been open for about four months, so it's still under the radar, but believe me, it was so tasty, it won't stay a secret for long.

We shared chips and salsa, the most amazing creamed corn dish ever {it was made with chipotle!}, and a delicious sangria {me} and fruity rum drink {Mark}.

We also shared Cuban sliders

and barbacoa tacos marinated in soy, pineapple and dr. pepper

While Fuego Bistro is still on our list, we really enjoyed our meal at Fuego Taco. And thanks to the attentive owner, we're sure to be regulars.

After dinner, we had planned to catch the new X-Men movie, but neither one of us were up for waiting in line to see the flick, so we ended up stopping by Sam's Club.

we in dc

You can't get much more patriotic than celebrating Memorial Day weekend in D.C. Although it was hot and humid {but absolutely gorgeous in Phoenix - I don't want to talk about it}, we had an amazing time exploring the city and checking out the sites.

union station

prepping for the capital concert

old p.o. boxes

all about the homeland

the first amendment bold and beautiful on the newseum

at the butterfly exhibit

at the american history museum

pizza paradiso in georgetown

super tourists : washington memorial from dc duck tour on the potomac river