Cassey Ho's Blog, page 79
January 7, 2020
I hate it when people ask me this… | Day 6 of 20
Hey guys!
Today I went to my friend’s dogs’ birthday party (yes that is a very common thing in LA) and saw a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in a while. It was great to catch up with everyone, you know beyond what you see on Instagram, but one question kept coming up.
“So what are you working on?”
OMG. I don’t know why. But literally every time someone asks me this, I blank, my brain turns black, and I search for one worthy thing that I am currently doing, and I CANNOT for the life of me, find one thing that I am currently working on. None. Nada. Apparently, I do nothing all day long and have accomplished zero.
I go, “Oh, me?” to buy me 2 seconds more of thinking time. “Ya!” they say, buying me one more second. Eventually I stutter out something, but by this time, I feel that my shoulders have slumped and my eyes have started looking down as I answer the question with no confidence.
Like why. WHY DO I DO THIS.
OBVIOUSLY I AM WORKING ON SO MUCH. SO MUCH THAT I CAN’T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT MY LIFE IS ANYMORE.
It’s like this question too:
Anyone else get all flustered by super casual questions like these? If so, here’s a tip I have that I’ve used for press interviews that you can use for any situations like the above. Before interviews, I typically recite to myself my latest accomplishments first to build confidence. Then I recite to myself some things that I am currently working on so I can remind myself that I am actually doing something with my life :P
I know it sounds silly that I have to do this, but when someone asks me what I am working on, I guess it’s sort of childhood-traumatic. It reminds me of when my parents would barge into my room as a kid and ask me what homework I am working on to make sure I am still on task. This question still makes my heart jump and I still turn to stone for a moment as if I have done something wrong. So weird how our adult bodies can still react to childhood situations, huh!
Do you have any weird childhood linked traumas that you still deal with as an adult?
Yesterday’s (Day 6) Food Log:
Started out the morning with 2 hard boiled eggs! Cept…I didn’t even boil them! I used my rapid egg cooker timer thing that I bought on Amazon for under $20! Best ever.
Lunch was leftovers from last night’s dinner. Cauli rice, mushrooms, tofu, avocado, and sriracha!
Okay before I get into the food, I wanna say YES I WILL FIX MY NAIL POLISH SOON. It’s been busy and it’s gel so I haven’t had time to go to the salon! Anyway – I’m eating Siete’s cassava tortilla chips (LITERALLY THE BEST OMG, way better than real tortilla chips) and some homemade quac.
Got sent some Body Armor Lyte drinks (only 20 cals) and after trying it, I’m surprised at how “real” it tastes! None of that weird fake sugar stuff. I liked it!
Dinner was cauli rice with tofu and left over Thai eggplant & soy chicken from the restaurant the other day. I also had a side of butter lettuce. Delish!
There ya have it! Love that I get to eat tofu. Need to start preparing it in more exciting ways.
The post I hate it when people ask me this… | Day 6 of 20 appeared first on Blogilates.
January 6, 2020
Nothing matters if you don’t have this one thing… | Day 5 of 20
This morning as I was scrolling through Instagram, this quote popped up on my feed:
Wow, it was like it was made for me.
Today, by some miracle, I am pretty much healthy again. I was able to go to work, have a few meetings, and even take a Pilates Reformer class with Brittney, the Blogifam graphic designer. I honestly don’t know how I got over a really severe flu in just a few days instead of the 7-10 days it usually takes. But I guess I have my hard working body and my caring hubs to thank for that.
Being really immobile the past few days had made me realize exactly the quote above. Without your health, you have nothing. So don’t ever take your ability to do anything, even the things you hate, for granted. Appreciate your ability to work out, to run, to walk, to dance, to talk, to breathe…one day, we won’t be able to anymore. So seriously, take care of yourself!
Yesterday’s Day 5 Food Log:
Started out the day with some kombucha from Costco! Kinda digging this ginger lemonade flavor!
Sam and I went to one of our fave vegan restaurants called H.O.P.E. Guess what it stands for? Okay I’ll just tell you. Healthy Organic Positive Eating!!! OMG “positive” eating. Love it. Good thing the food is good too! These are the freshy rolls with soy chicken, avocado, lettuce, and no noodles. Hoisin/peanut butter dipping sauce. MY FAVEEEEEE thing ever. LOVE.
I always order the eggplant from any Thai restaurant we eat at. It was superb.
Green papaya salad with green beans, tomatoes, and peanuts, served on some romaine lettuce leaves in vegan fish sauce.
Later that day I tried out some Kite Hill almond greek yogurt and blehhhhhhh it was so bad!!! Just terrible. I mean, yeah, I got “plain unsweetened” BUT STILL!!!!
So I diced up a mango and thew a bunch in but it was STILL BAD!!! So I tried adding a bunch of monk fruit sugar to the yogurt, and guys, it was a struggle to get down. Sad because one of these yogurt containers aint cheap! But oh well, now I know. I actually bought like 4 different brands all in “plain unsweetened” to do a fair test and so far only one was good. It’s the So Delicious brand in plain. Have you tried? Actually SO good.
New concoction. Cauli rice with sauteed mushrooms, tofu, avocado, homemade pickled cucumbers, and sriracha. I was afraid it was going to be weird but it was fantastic! I decided to make it for lunch the next day too.
Grapes for dessert.
So far, being meatless has been pretty painless. I don’t really feel like I am missing out much unless I’m like literally in front of rows and rows of rotisserie chickens and they are staring at me! Ha. But that has only happened once and it was because I was at Costco and they had a bunch lined up fresh, hot, and ready outta the oven!
I am genuinely enjoying my tofu and am really loving going out to try new dishes that will inspire my cooking. Can’t wait to cook more the rest of this week.
The post Nothing matters if you don’t have this one thing… | Day 5 of 20 appeared first on Blogilates.
January 5, 2020
Why people can’t stop talking about Adele’s weight | Day 4 of 20
Hey guys!
Oh my gosh – today I woke up feeling SO MUCH BETTER!!!! It feels amazing to have my energy almost fully back. I don’t know how I seem to be recovering so quickly from this flu (hopefully I’m not jinxing myself), but I thought I’d be out for another week according to some articles I was reading. Today my temp is down to the 99s! Sam has done such a great job of taking care of me. And I am so so grateful for my health. OMG. I never wanna be sick like this again! Literally was NOT a functioning human!
Okay, I wanna talk about something that has been splashed all over the news in the past 24 hours. Adele’s weight loss. It’s always funny to me how something as frivolous as a celeb losing some weight can make the news cycle when the Australian brush fires are raging and World War 3 is trending on Twitter.
To get you up to speed, some photos were captured of Adele on vacation and it looks like she’s lost a lot of weight:
Adele & Harry Styles were spotted together in Anguilla, Caribe yesterday.
January 4, 2020
It’s like I’ve taken an appetite suppressant | Day 3 of 20
Hey guys,
Thanks for all of your well wishes on my last post! I am again writing you from bed – I barely got out today. Sam has been delivering everything to my bedside because anywhere else in the house is just too cold.
Also, something weird has happened. My taste buds are all messed up. Suddenly everything that I am eating or drinking (like even water) tastes bitter! I don’t ever remember having this happen as a child. All I remember is that I would lose my appetite. But this time it’s different. I still have an appetite but I don’t want to eat anything because everything tastes terrible! It’s like I’ve taken an appetite suppressant!
I looked this up and apparently, it’s due to an increase in the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) which is released by the immune system to help fight off inflammation due to an illness. TNF is also responsible for increasing taste sensitivity, making food taste extra bitter.
Well, good to know that my body is fighting to get better. I just hate that nearly everything I’m eating tastes rancid. It’s really impairing my true judgement for my meatless meals. I hope the TNF production slows down so that things can start tasting normal again! Especially the water…I need to drink more but I have been avoiding because it’s so bitter! Have you ever had this happen?
Yesterday’s Food Log (Day 3):
Sam made me a banana, orange, and strawberry smoothie. Everything was perfect about it, but I couldn’t finish it.
Okay. I know this is not something you’d expect to see here on a healthy food blog but given that I’m not cooking right now and given that everything was tasting bitter, I said screw it I’m sick and I asked Sam to toast me an Eggo waffle. I’ve had a weird craving for one ever since Sam bought himself a pack of 72 Eggos from Costco! And you know what? It actually tasted pretty good.
After this I went to sleep for a long time, and then woke up for dinner.
I was so bored of lying in bed all day that I mustered up enough energy to throw on 2 thick layers of sherpa coats and make it out to Veggie Grill (all vegan). I ordered the paleo zucchini noodles with Beyond Sausage.
Sam ordered the Sonoran Bowl with Crispy Chick’n.
As a side, we shared some buffalo chick’n tenders with celery and vegan ranch.
Unfortunately Sam didn’t really like his meal, so when we got home, I had just enough energy to make him some nachos – which he devoured! I also had a few bites.
For dessert, Sam peeled a mango for me (I’m terrible at peeling) and I had it with my sweet, spicy, salty dip.
I’m sad that I haven’t been able to use any of the ingredients I bought from my most recent grocery trip because I don’t have the energy to cook right now. It’s so weird not being healthy. I take my energy for granted all the time. I just push and push and push – in workouts, in career, in life, in everything. But now, I can barely get up out of bed. The only thing that matters is getting healthier. Everything else can wait.
My temp is still over 102 degrees F and I’m extremely tired. If my normal energy levels are 100%, then my current energy level is about 10%. I’m barely a functioning human.
Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the meatless journey so far. I’m so lucky to live in LA where there are so many options for vegan and vegetarian restaurants!
The post It’s like I’ve taken an appetite suppressant | Day 3 of 20 appeared first on Blogilates.
January 3, 2020
I can’t believe I’m sick | Day 2 of 20
Guys. I never get sick and I am currently so sick I’m bed-ridden. I had signed up for a hot yoga class yesterday, so I still went this morning so I wouldn’t be charged a penalty fee, but that was a terrible idea. In the hour that we were in that heated room, I didn’t even sweat. I felt so weak that even a down dog was hard for me. I had the chills, goosebumps, and barely any energy to move. Currently, my temp is over 102 degrees F, and I’m freezing.
Anyway, I am blogging from bed. I will make this quick because I am dying. I don’t know how I got this sickness but it’s the most sick I’ve been since childhood.
Day 2 Food Log:
I made myself scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions, guac, and pico de gallo. As I side, I had butter lettuce with Tessamae’s Jalapeno Ranch dressing and a few sunflower seed and cauliflower bites.
I made Sam 2 tacos! These were tortillas were filled with the same sunflower seed and cauliflower bites, butter lettuce, guac, and pico de gallo. He loved it!
It was after this snack of banana slices and peanut butter that I started to feel my throat hurting. I mean, I’m def not allergic to bananas or peanut butter so not sure what happened here. It was also around this time that I was complaining to Sam that I was really cold, while having a thick sweater and blanket wrapped around me.
For dinner, I made us both Beyond Meat burgers with egg, sauteed mushrooms, butter lettuce, guac, and tomatoes. I ended up throwing a ton of pickles on there as well as some Lemon Oil dressing from Tessamaes!
After dinner, I went to my heels class (feeling so fatigued, again bad idea but I had already signed up and my friend was meeting me there so I couldn’t bail) and felt like I was gonna die. Sam got a massage while I was in dance, and then he picked me up to go for some boba. He got a matcha green tea smoothie with boba and I got plain black tea.
Ok that is all for now. I need to go rest. I don’t think I will be working out for a while. Ugh. Being sick is the worst!!! But at least Sam is taking care of me, making sure I take my medication and my fluids. He even made me a fresh smoothie! That is a huge deal because he doesn’t ever really cook ;)
Tomorrow’s food log is probably gonna be weird because my appetite is off. I hope you have a much healthier day than I am having and a lovely start to your weekend!
The post I can’t believe I’m sick | Day 2 of 20 appeared first on Blogilates.
January 2, 2020
Going Meatless for 20 Days | Day 1 of 20
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I am so excited to be blogging consistently again for the next 20 days. I guess I need to live my life in challenges so I can keep having something to write about :P
First off, let me show you how fabulous Sam and I looked for New Year’s Eve!
We went to Sam & Casey’s (yes we are friends with a couple named Sam and Casey, you did not read that incorrectly) Roaring 20’s party and got to dress up super Gatsby status! I loooooove costume parties, so I went all out and got an entirely new dress, heels, gloves, pearls, a faux fur shawl, and flapper headband. And Sam wore his coat tails for the occasion.
To get my look, I watched Michelle Phan’s 20s makeup tutorial and for my faux bob, I watched Elanna Pecherle’s hair tutorial. I must say, YouTube tutorials rock!!! I never really ever followed a makeup tutorial until I had to do my “Top 100 influencer” makeup, and that really got me to believe in makeup tutorials! Haha. I know. I know. I am soooo late in the game. But I am here now!!!
Just some friends having a good time :) This makes me wonder what I should do for my bday! Jan 16 is coming up in a couple weeks…should I have a lil shindiggity? I don’t wanna really plan my own party but then again, I kinda do!!?? Ugh. Should I have a party or keep it small? Contemplating.
Next, I wanna say that your enthusiasm for the #2020challenge has been lighting up my life!!! I love seeing your check-ins on Instagram!
If you guys want me to be your accountability partner for the #2020challenge, I will gladly do that! Just text me at 510-692-4556 (US and Canada only) and I will remind you for the next 18 days what moves you have to do for the day.
Plus I’ll send you pics of what I am eating on my 20 day meatless journey to help inspire your culinary adventure!
Why am I going on a meatless journey?
I watched a documentary called The Game Changers on Netflix and it talked about how plant based athletes have improved performance. It was incredibly well done. As weird as I feel saying this, it inspired me to test out my own meatless challenge to see if my fitness performance would improve. I say I feel weird because I didn’t actually do my own fact checking on the studies presented to me – which I usually do.
There’s been a lot of heated debate over how certain facts were ridiculously cherry picked to prove their point, which is never good because I’m juts ingesting propaganda. I also read that James Cameron (Director of Titanic, Avatar etc.) is an executive producer for The Game Changers and that he has invested “…$140 million in plant-based proteins, including a company that produces pea protein, a key ingredient in Beyond Meat, which is in short supply right now.” – Medium
But I will say is this – personally, I think fruits and veggies are the gems of the earth – nutritionally dense and so healthy. I also think if we can try to eat less meat and still thrive, then we should. Do I think everyone should be vegan? No. Do I think everyone should be a carnivore? No. I think everyone needs to eat what’s right for their bodies, and that we should stop shoving ideologies down each other’s throats.
With that said, I will eventually dig into some fact checking over the documentary! But either way, I am happy it inspired me to go meatless because I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now! And to be clear, I am not going vegan because I tried that for about 6 months once and lost a lot of muscle, bruised constantly, and felt fatigued. So this time around, I’ll be testing out a grain free, dairy free vegetarian diet for 20 days to see how I feel!
Day 1 Food Log:
Mango with sweet, salty, and spicy dip. After coming back from Vietnam and Thailand, I became obsessed with dipping my fruit in a mixture of chili, salt, and sugar – something that Vietnamese and Thai people did for all sorts of fruit! Absolutely geniuus. It elevates the flavors so much! But I wanted to make my own healthy version as soon as I got home. So I mixed 0 calorie monk fruit sugar with Tajin and guys, IT IS BOMB!!! Absolute perfection! You’ll need to test your own monk fruit to Tajin ratios (you can start with 1:1), but seriously, omg, so good. TRY IT.
To celebrate day 1 our meatless journey, Sam and I went out to a vegan restaurant called Follow Your Heart with a few friends! Here’s what we had!
Vegan mac n cheese as an appetizer. I think the cheese was made of cashew nuts and nutritional yeast. No, not low carb – hard to do low carb vegan out at a restaurant – but fun to try!
Vegan nachos as an appetizer. So good. I’m not sure what the sour cream was made of, but it tasted fantastic!
Squash soup. Meh, it was ok. Needed more flavor.
My main dish. Ugh I made a terrible mistake. I tried to go low carb vegan and totally hated my meal! It was supposed to be zucchini noodle spaghetti but I ended up with like no zucchini spirals, a ton of bland kale, a ton of bland broccoli, a ton of beans (not a fan of beans), and marinara sauce that was pretty disappointing. I’m the type of person who needs A LOT of flavor and also I need a protein of some sort to make my meal not feel like a side. Good thing the mac n cheese and the nachos already filled me up!
Some green grapes for dessert! So good!
Okay you guys, well that is day 1 of my meatless journey! Day 2 will be some home cookin’ which I am excited for. Should I show you what Sam is eating as well? He’s doing regular vegetarian and I am doing grain free, dairy free vegetarian. Maybe showing you both our meals will help you and your significant other embark on a meatless challenge of your own! I told Sam…”Hey if for some reason it gets hard while we’re vegetarian, you can always order a Domino’s cheese pizza ok?” I think that made him say yes to my challenge :P
The post Going Meatless for 20 Days | Day 1 of 20 appeared first on Blogilates.
December 31, 2019
The Blogilates January 2020 Workout Calendar!
Hey guys!
Sitting here the eve before a brand new decade at my desk, and I’m thinking about how much has happened over the past 10 years.
In 2009, I graduated from college with a Biology degree, not knowing how my future would look because I didn’t see myself becoming a doctor – a dream my parents had made for me. I cried a lot. I had dark thoughts. I didn’t know what my future was going to look like. One of the only things bringing me peace was my Pilates practice.
At the time, I was the only instructor teaching POP Pilates at 24 Hour Fitness and had to quit because I got an opportunity to move cross country for my first real job out of college. My 40 or so students at the gym were sad because there would be no more POP Pilates. So I had an idea to film a 10 min workout and to put it on YouTube. I told them that anytime they missed me, they could work out with me on the internet. I picked the screen name “Blogilates” because I taught Pilates and I was starting to blog at the time.
Little did I know that 10 years later…Blogilates would amass over 4.7 million subscribers and that POP Pilates would be the official Pilates partner for 24 Hour Fitness – with over 4,000 classes being taught by certified POP Pilates instructors every month! INSANE. Truly insane what can happen in a decade when you follow your passion, work hard and continue to challenge yourself to do better everyday.
The photo above may look like your standard before and after, but to me, it’s a What I Knew Then versus a What I Know Now. I have learned so much about my body, my mind, my limits, my strengths, and my weaknesses over the past 10 years.
22 year old college Cassey had just started dating Sam and they thought it would be fun to drive to every fast food chain nearby and do a “best hamburger” 
December 27, 2019
The 2020 Challenge. You in?
Hey guys!
I’ve never been so busy at the end of December ever before! I’ve been working nonstop – photoshoots, design meetings, video shoots, writing, editing – I guess that is what a 2 week vacation does to me hah. But you know what? WORTH IT.
You gotta do what you gotta do because A BRAND NEW DECADE is happening in 5 DAYS!!!! 5!!! WHAT!!!! 2020 is coming!!!
I am really excited to ring in the new year with my friends who are throwing a Roarin’ Twenties themed party! I already got my sequined dress, my flapper headband, my pearls, my gloves, my faux fur shawl, and my glittery gold heels. Now all I need to do is practice how to do that cool wavy thing with my hair. That will totally solidify the look! I soooo need help on that though. Will probably just look up a YouTube video…any suggestions?
Anyway…GUYS.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE #2020Challenge??!!! Before I even say what it is…ARE YOU IN!!???
Good. Thought so.
Here are ALL the details you need to know…
The #2020Challenge:
When: January 1, 2020 to January 20, 2020
What: 20 reps of an ab move a day + 20 reps of a surprise move a day
Why: To CHECK.IT.OFF. and to GET.IT.DONE. because accomplishing something everyday for 20 days will help you build the habit of CONSISTENCY, which is the most important factor when it comes to building a healthy lifestyle. Oh, and to sculpt a strong and toned body while you’re at it!!
I am wearing the Zodiac Bra and the Capricorn Legging from the latest Constellation Collection from POPFLEX.
I am not releasing the challenge graphic to the public just yet. I want to reserve the graphic for those of you in the community who are the most dedicated. To get the graphic before anyone else does, I need you to tell me that you’re in.
But I want you to tell me by…
TEXTING ME THAT YOU ARE IN!!!!
No, this is not a drill. This is real!!! My number is 510-692-4556. Right now I can only text you if you’re in the US or Canada. Sorry. For my international POPsters, you can still sign up for the challenge though. Just go here and give me your name and email and I will send you the graphic early via email.
My text inbox is looking RIDIC right now, but whatever. This is what I want. I want to be your accountability partner and I want to see you through to your success.
Once you text me that you’re in, I will save your phone number to my address book and I will text you the #2020Challenge graphic on Monday December 30th! You will be the first to see it before anyone else.
Plus, the coolest part is – every day of the challenge I will text you a reminder to do your workout of the day! I’ll motivate you to GET.IT.DONE. and CHECK.IT.OFF.
I’ll even send you what I’m eating to inspire you to make healthy choices. Like this!
This is what I ate today! Mushroom egg scramble with pico de gallo and fresh homemade guacamole! I’m testing vegetarian recipes to help me prep for my 20 day meatless experiment beginning on the 1st!
Oh and I am soooooo happy to announce that Sam has AGREED to go meatless with me for 20 days! I watched a documentary called “Game Changers” on Netflix about vegan athletes and how they were able to improve their fitness performance by going plant based. It inspired me to try out a vegetarian diet for a bit to see if I could increase my energy level and my fitness level.
The reason why I am not going vegan is because I did this for 6 months a couple years ago and for some reason I was bruising an abnormally high amount, my energy was low, and I was getting super soft everywhere. It was almost as if I was losing muscle or something. So I went back to eating meat.
I am excited to give this new diet a try and I am even more excited that Sam has officially AGREED to do it with me. This is going to make it so much more fun! I will be posting what I eat everyday for 20 days on this blog, so you guys can see! It’ll be like 90 day journey times…cept…with a 2020 flair!
While you’re waiting for 2020 to begin, I encourage you to step up your water game. I’m picking fresh lemons from our yard (yesssss our tree started fruiting!!!) and cutting them up for my water. Look how beautiful they are!
This is how I make hydration fun and delicious. Water is all good and fine, but lemon water in my opinion is so much easier to take down!
Alright, now who is in for the #2020Challenge!!??? TEXT ME!!! 510-692-4556. And yes, it is free!
The post The 2020 Challenge. You in? appeared first on Blogilates.
December 25, 2019
The Cutest 2020 Printable Calendars *FREE*
Hey guys!
I hope you had a lovely holiday with your family. Did you eat all the Christmas cookies and latkes that you wanted!!?? I sure hope so!!
Now, to start prepping for the new year, I made some 2020 printable calendars and phone backgrounds for you! I personally love writing everything down in pen and pencil because it feels more real. Plus, hanging things on my wall makes my goals more visible which makes me think about how to achieve them everyday.
So here you go!
2020 MONTHLY CALENDARS
Download all the calendars HERE!
2020 PHONE BACKGROUNDS
Download all the backgrounds here!
If you want something that will truly help guide you towards achieving your dreams, then you totally need my 2020 Fit Planner!
I seriously cannot wait to fill this out! I will be doing my goal pages today and tomorrow! I have some goals that are going to take a lot of commitment, so I need to think about how realistic they are so I can set myself up for success.
Here’s a peek inside the goal pages! You can fill all of these pages out before Jan 1, so get your planner now and start PLANNING!
Here’s the monthly spread. I love this year’s spread because it includes a space for measurements on the side. Plus – the boxes are BIGGER!
We brought the weekly spread back because the week-at-a-glance was so helpful to so many of you. The grocery list is also here too! And boxes for some attainable weekly goal planning. I took the time stamps out of this spread so that you could have more flexibility with your schedule. Not everyone works from 9am-6pm, so I hope this change helps!
Here’s a look at your daily page! You’ve got 52 weekly challenges (which can be found every Monday), a roomier to-do list space, and of course your food log, your water log, sleep tracker, workout box, and your *BRAND NEW* MOOD LOG!!!!
Oh and at the beginning of every month, your 2020 Fit Planner features a Habit Tracker!
I’ve got healthy recipes sprinkled throughout the 2020 Fit Planner! These are some of my FAVORITES! each so nourishing and DELISH.
Alright you guys – you have everything you need right in front of you. I’m so pumped for 2020. It’s gonna be a year of CLARITY and SUPER FOCUSED VISION for me. And I am excited to announce the #2020Challenge soon and tell you what my personal goals are.
How are you feeling?
The post The Cutest 2020 Printable Calendars *FREE* appeared first on Blogilates.
December 22, 2019
MY LITTLE SISTER GOT ENGAGED!!!!
OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!! MY LITTLE SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHATTTT!????
Guys, I just got back from my 2 week vacation in Vietnam and Thailand and it was just INCREDIBLE!!! The first week was kinda rough but I ended up easing into our vacation and ACTUALLY relaxing the final few days. Then…we had to jump back on the plane (26 hrs of travel – BRUTAL) and get back to reality!
Anyway, I want to catch you up on the proposal and how it happened…because it involved me rock climbing for the first time and screaming through a pitch black cave. But it was all worth it because…well, let’s just get into it!
For the surprise engagement, we (me, Sam, Jackelyn, Nick) and went to Railay in Thailand – a popular spot for rock climbers. The idea was that Jackelyn was supposed to think it was just a vacation.
For Sam and I, it was our first time in Thailand ever, and we were taken aback by the beauty of it all. I mean – LOOK AT THOSE ROCKS just jutting out from the ocean. WHAT!
It was SOOOO not easy to sneak past Jackelyn. She is incredibly alert, questions everything, doesn’t let anything slide, plus I’m the worst liar on the entire planet – so pulling off this surprise engagement was EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
Nick wanted to surprise Jackelyn by having the entire fam climb high up into a pitch black cave together, then emerging out the other side and proposing on the beach afterwards! The plan was set and solid…until…we saw HOW HIGH THE CLIMB WAS. Sam and I had NEVER EVER climbed in real life before so we were TERRIFIED. Once we saw how high it was, Sam pulled Nick aside and was like “DUDE YOU SAID IT WAS BEGINNER!!!!!”
It was bad. Now Nick was upset, Sam was upset, and the plan was ruined…
…or was it?
I decided to face my fears for true love, so I told Nick and Sam that I would go on the climb and Sam would meet us on the beach later. Plus, that way Jackelyn would never think a proposal was on the cusp since one member of the familia was missing! She had previously emphasized to me that if she were going to get proposed to – all 4 of us needed to be together!
Here’s me climbing outdoors for the very first time with ropes and all that jazz. It’s not scary if you don’t look down!!!! (And I looked down quite a lot.)
The climb was tough and I stopped a bunch of times because I couldn’t figure out how to place my feet and my hands in the right places. Nick was on top pulling the rope and Jackelyn was coaching from below, so eventually, I made it up.
Once all 3 of us were up, this is the cave we had to climb into. Literally pitch black. We had to use actual headlamps. You could even hear bats chirping or squealing or squeaking or whatever bats do. Ugh. The things I do for love.
Yes the climb was nerve-racking but I was way more nervous about TIMING!!!! We needed to get out of the cave on time to catch golden hour, to catch a good tide, to have Nick bend down on one knee in literally the EXACT LOCATION Sam and I scouted the day before so that Sam could secretly film the proposal at the perfect angle without Jackelyn noticing anything!
Someone had put bamboo ladders inside the cave, so that’s how we got through some difficult parts. Very helpful I must say.
Here’s my dirty butt after falling and sliding down a rock. Sister thought it was funny so she took a pic.
Almost out! LOOK at that view!!!
CAVE SELFIE!!!!
This was the location that Sam and I had scouted the day before. Tide looked perfect. Sun looked perfect. Perfect. Just perfect.
I had Nick take pics of me and Jackelyn here so that Jackelyn would be in “picture mode”. Nick and I switched places for photos, and that’s when I saw Sam hiding in the jungle behind a rock. Everything was perfect.
The time was NOW.
Well you guys…WE GOT JACKELYN GOOD. SHE WAS SHOCKED!!! Shocked I tell you!!! When Nick bent down on one knee and asked my sister to marry him with the sunset glowing behind them – IT WAS A MOMENT. Jackelyn started wailing, Nick was smiling ear to ear, Sam was filming AND army crawling out from behind a huge boulder after waiting around in the jungle for my spotty location updates via DM, and I was capturing the entire thing on camera. SUCCESS. WE DID IT.
CONGRATS NICK & JACKELYN!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Jackelyn, I remember when we were kids and you would tear out ring advertisements from the magazines and then cut the edges nicely so you could tape them to your bedroom wall like posters! You’ve waited for this for so long…
A relationship that wouldn’t hold you back – instead one that would push you to your limits.
A love that wouldn’t require sacrificing who you were to make it work – instead one that would require you to be yourself to the fullest to make it thrive.
A partner who wouldn’t put his priorities before yours – instead one who would make YOU his only priority.
My heart is giddy with pure happiness for Jackelyn and Nick! All 4 of us are going to officially be a FAMILIA!!!!!
Also, here’s a closeup shot of Jackelyn’s ring (left) and my ring (right). Nick designed Jackelyn’s ring with an emerald cut diamond and pink cluster diamonds on the side so that we could have sister rings! Ya know, different but the same. I love it!!!!
Hope you guys are having a beautiful holiday season. I will be announcing our new year’s challenge the day after Christmas on December 26th. PREPARE. It’s gonna be GOOD.
The post MY LITTLE SISTER GOT ENGAGED!!!! appeared first on Blogilates.
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