Almost There.....

I hope everyone is having an awesome Wednesday! I definitely am because:

1. It is almost my "Friday"
2. I got to go out to lunch today
3. I just went by the brewery and MAN!! It is coming along fast now.
4. Last but not least, I get to see my Mom and "little" brother tomorrow!

I am only working a half day tomorrow, and then my favorite visitors will be arriving in time for some home cooked dinner-yes Mom, I'll make Pot Pie. :)

They are here for the WHOLE weekend....and I'm ready to get my shopping on with my mama. Whoo hoo! Why are they here, you may wonder? Well, because someone (ahem, me!) is turning the BIG 3-0. Bummer..... I'm beginning to think everyone either loves this b-day or hates it and for me, it is definitely the later. I am not embracing this like I wish I could....but I still have a few more days for that to happen. (Don't hold your breath!)

In any case, my boss took our department (all six of us) out to lunch today to a fantastic Italian restaurant. Yummy!! Then, after work I went by to see Justen (my man) and how the brewery is doing. I gotta tell you, it's finally sinking in. After months of hearing about this, you think that would have already happened, but for some reason today it just clicked. We're (mainly Justen) opening a brewery. And it's going to be beautiful!! Take a look....

Okay-don't pay any attention to all the stuff on the bar top, but that is the cold room-a large, silver, metal walk-in fridge that has been transformed into a nice, warm, center piece to pour beer out of. Haha....

 



To catch you up on my workouts-since last Thursday I've been going strong!

Friday 1/24: Gym (cardio)

Sunday 1/26: 13.3 mile bike ride (phew!)

Monday 1/27: Gym (arms and cardio)

Tuesday 1/28: Gym (cardio)

Wednesday 1/29: Gym (legs and cardio)

I will be going in tomorrow as well, for some cardio, but I will more than likely not be back until next week.

Sunday was a lot of fun-Justen and I went for a ride to the brewery and back, for a total of 13.3 miles....I think my legs are still tired!

In other random news, because it wouldn't be my blog if it wasn't random, I've noticed just how much my hair has faded in the last two weeks....yikes!

Looking at it now, it doesn't look the least bit red. I'm kind of bummed because the red was so different, but I must admit I like it now a little better. :)

I also tried to take a few pictures of my meals, and looking back at my pics, this was all I captured:

I made delicious water-adding in a whole cucumber, a lemon, a handful of mint leaves, and some fresh ginger. Man-o-man this was tasty!! You should make this if you have a hard time drinking water. I also made a salad for my lunch this weekend, as well as a very filling breakfast. It may not be pretty, but the potatoes, turkey sausage, and egg was delish-all topped with Del Taco hot sauce because I'm classy like that.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week! I probably won't be back until later this weekend, possibly next week, so this is the last time I will blog as a 29 year old. :(

Questions...

1. Have you dreaded any birthdays?

2. What is your best birthday memory?

I have quite a few, but I'll share the first few that popped into my head.
-My 7th birthday, which was a surprise party! It was also the birthday where everyone (at my mom's instruction) brought me a box of Kleenex. I had a reputation for using tissues and blowing my nose a lot. Don't worry....this didn't scar me or anything. My therapist says I'm getting better. :)
-My 24th birthday, where I thought Justen was taking me to a nice romantic dinner to celebrate, but he ended up proposing. :) Awww....

Going Strong....Kind Of

Hello again! I am sorry for my slight absence the last two weeks. I wish I could say something exciting happened, like I got picked to go hiking through the Amazon, or my Hubby surprised me with a vacation in Hawaii (hint, hint there Hubsters) but nothing cool happened. Well, nothing outstanding like that, but a few cool things occurred. :)

 

First, I am proud to say that my exercise goal for January-although it has not been every day this month-it has been almost everyday. Check it out:

 



Thursday 1/9: Gym

Friday 1/10: Walk/run intervals on the treadmill

Saturday 1/11: Worked at the brewery hanging the wood panels

Sunday 1/12: Walk

Wednesday 1/15: Walk

Thursday 1/16: Walk

Friday 1/17: Walk and ride bike

Saturday 1/18: 6 mile bike ride

Tuesday 1/21: Walk and 5 mile bike ride

Wednesday 1/22: Gym

Thursday 1/23: Gym

That's it in a nutshell! Yes, there are four days missing, but two of those days I had a migraine. Now the old me would have just given up. I didn't reach the goal, so there is no point in trying to keep working out. But the new me says to keep going to see how much more I can workout. Yay me!

You also may have noticed a few bike rides in the mix....and that is because we got new bikes!

My shins were getting worse and worse, so we decided if I wanted to stay active that I need a lower impact exercise. The bikes are so much fun and we can cover so much ground! We've ridden to a few different spots in the city and I may have fallen once or twice.....opps!

Unfortunately my shifter on my bike stopped working, so it is back in the shop until tomorrow or possibly Monday. Bummer.....and I was looking forward to a long ride this weekend.

The brewery is coming along nicely-and I even participated in helping to hang some wood on our cold box-it made such a huge difference!

It is being stained this week, so it will be darker than it is in the above picture.

In other brewery news, we finally have a logo:

We should be opening sometime in March-make sure you follow us on Facebook so you can come to the grand opening!!

I had been thinking about changing my hair a little, and last week I finally bit the bullet and went for it

This was taken right after I had it done-so it has faded considerably and looks like a reddish-brown. The highlights are under the top of my hair, so you can't tell when it grows out...which is perfect for me since it bugs me the second I see roots. :)

Last, but not least, I was able to pass on some of my football knowledge to my hubby (with a few text messages and help from my brother). Yes, he did not know much about the sport (or any) but that has changed! Last Sunday we hung out at Yardhouse for the second half of the Broncos and the Patriots game so I could show him what was what.

And then guess what happened?!

The Broncos won!!! YAY!! They're going to Superbowl! Yes-I love the Broncos, and the first basketball team I followed was the Nuggets (I even met Laphonso Ellis and spilt water on him). Denver all the way! :)

I hope everyone is having a great week. Tomorrow is FRIDAY! WHOOHOO!

Questions...

1. What is your favorite sports team?

2. Do you have Superbowl plans?

So Far, So Good

Well hello 2014!!

Hope everyone had a great New Year's-parties, drinks, and then those lovely resolutions. :)

I am happy to report that my running goal for January is off to a great start. I have exercised everyday so far, some more than others, but always a minimum of one mile. Yay me!!

Here is what I have done so far:

Wednesday 1/1: Ran outside 1.75 miles

Thursday 1/2: Ran outside 1.3 miles

Friday 1/3: Walked on the treadmill 1.5 miles

Saturday 1/4: Walked outside 2.25 miles

Sunday 1/5: Walked outside 1.5 miles

Monday 1/6: Went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 mins

Tuesday 1/7: Walked outside 1 mile

Wednesday 1/8: Ran outside 1.25 miles

Phew!! I know it may not seem like a lot, but for now just getting back to a routine feels awesome! Eventually I plan on incorporating longer cardio sessions and some weights. All in good time though. If I make my goal this month, we'll expand on it next month!

Not much else has been going on, so I'll just share a few pictures from the ol' cell phone with you...

 

 We bought an awesome candle for the holidays from Bath and Body Works and last week we were watching a movie and had the candle lit. Out of nowhere it cracks and falls apart. Bummer...

I got a new pair of shoes I had been wanting from my Hubby for Christmas, but once I tried them on I kind of didn't like them. So I exchanged them for the new Mizuno Wave Inspires. They arrived today...along with a super comfy pair of Moving Comfort shorts. LOVE! <3

Yes-this is how we "walk" our dog...don't judge. We had decided to take the old man (the dog, not the Hubby) on a walk Sunday and got about a mile into it when he just stopped and wouldn't (couldn't?) walk anymore. So the Hubby had to carry him the home. Yeah, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Hope you're all having a good week, getting back to the flow of things again. It's a pity to think our next paid holiday isn't until May...darn!

Questions...

1. What did you do for New Years?

2. How are those resolutions treating you? :)

Everybody Does It

Happy Monday! I am home sick today-which totally stinks because 1.) I'm bored 2.) I need to be at work...a lot to do and 3.) Of course the obvious-I feel like death. So to occupy my time, I thought I'd pop in and get one last post in for 2013.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. We have one more holiday and then it's all back to normal. Of course we have to get through January and all the resolutions, but that is to be expected. Everyone does the resolution thing, right? Even if you don't intend do, it is the perfect time for a fresh start on whatever your plans are.  I do have a few things I'd like to do:

Run a marathon
I actually had this goal at the end of 2012, but life happened, things came up, and I was unable to dedicate the time to training. No excuses this year.

Grow the blog
Thanks to a gift from the Hubby the blog will be seeing some changes this next month or so. Once they have been put together, I am hoping to get a few more readers.

Run (or exercise) for 30 days
February first is my big 3-0, and it is not something I'm looking forward to. Not because the number, but more because I'd always figured I'd be further than I am. I thought I'd have a career and instead I have a job-I guess I just want to feel more accomplished. But in good time I think I will, so with that said I plan on running (or exercising) everyday for the 30 days before my thirtieth birthday. Good times ahead.

Get in shape
I know everyone has the resolution to lose weight and whatnot, but this one goes hand-in-hand for the marathon goal. I won't be able to run 26.2 miles in the shape I'm in, so I better toughen up! But of course I could stand to lose a little weight too...if it was up to my doctor a lot of weight. But I've been the weight he wants me at and let's just say my mom thought I did not look good. She actually thought I was too skinny at my wedding, and I was 15 lbs over the doctor's goal. Everyone has their own ideal weight, and I'll know mine when I'm there. :)

That about wraps it up. I'm going to leave you with some random pictures from the last few days...

I wore one of my new shirts to work Christmas Eve...I rather like it

My Mom's dog decided to lay in the middle of all of us Christmas morning as we opened gifts, so she was covered with a little paper...

The Hubby got an electric blanket and two camping chairs that he was slightly excited about

And we finally went down to Oceanside and checked out a brewery the Hubby has been wanting to go to...

Besides their over-sized tables and the cool atmosphere, they didn't have too much going for them. We redeemed the trip with a visit to Mother Earth Brewing-much better beverages!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and SAFE New Year's. Good luck with those resolutions and I'll see you in 2014.

Questions...

1.) Do you have a New Year's resolution?

2.) Any party plans out there to ring in 2014?

Merry Christmas

Good morning all!

Just wanted to pop in real quick and wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful day.

I am waiting for the rest of the house to wake up....which I hope will be soon. I love Christmas and watching my family open the gifts picked out just for them.

Wishing you and yours the very best-from me and mine. :)

That's Never Happened Before

I went to bed late last night, which normally happens when my Mom and Matilda come to town....added to the fact that the Hubby and Matilda stayed up late, drinking a few beers, smoking cigars, and watching Django. So when I finally woke up this morning, and rolled over to see what time it was, imagine my surprise when I saw 11:20. 11:20??!! How does that even happen!? I guess I really needed it, because I was solidly asleep until then.

But as much as it feels good, I feel like the day is wasted. Bummer...

So I know I missed Wednesday's workout recap, so here it is:

Thursday 12/12: Ran 2 miles

Saturday 12/14: Did some running intervals for thirty minutes

Sunday 12/15: Walking intervals for 45 minutes

Wednesday 12/18: Actually made it to the gym for some elliptical time

I don't know what I did for the intervals on Saturday, but on Sunday I picked one of Julie's walking intervals to follow. Boy was it challenging! I didn't workout as much as I should have, but it is a start.

I have also been trying to take more pictures of my meals, but I guess I am still learning that part of blogging because all that was on my camera was this pic

This was my lunch Monday-Wednesday and it was pretty good! I took two pieces of turkey lunch meat and cut them up, combined it with cottage cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers and dug in! Nice, light, and refreshing.

Yesterday at work we celebrated my boss's birthday, which is actually the 24th but since he off next week we did it yesterday. Let's just say we had been looking forward to this day for months! Last year he told all of us not to do anything for his birthday, and then come January he told me and our department manager that he was kind of bummed we actually listened to him. So, we decided to go all out!

Needless-to-say, he was pleasantly surprised when he opened his door and we all shouted "SURPRISE!" at 6:30am yesterday. So fun!!

In other birthday news, my not-so-little brother turned 23 last Tuesday....Happy Birthday to him!! Love you Matilda! :)

Hope you guys are ready for Christmas-last weekend and all that jazz...let the last minute shopping begin....ahem, talking to you Hubsters.

Questions...

1. What is the craziest prank/celebration you have pulled off at work?

2. Who haven't you shopped for yet?

Back on the Band Wagon

Hello friends! Hope everyone is doing well and getting their last minute Christmas shopping taken care of. Two more weekends to tie up lose ends, then it is all fun from there.

In any case, after my eye troubles I am happy (and relieved) to report that my eye is 100% healed. I didn't wear my contacts for a few days, which felt like forever, but it was definitely for the best. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a tad (read: VERY) apprehensive to take my contacts out the first day I wore them again. I was paranoid I'd do it again or something, but everything is A-Okay!

With  all the four-eye loveliness I endured for four days, not much running took place. To make matters worse, I didn't register for the Renegade Santa race in Irvine I wanted to do today. Major bummer...but after beating myself up for a little, and having a pity party (sorry if you didn't get your invite...you know how the mail is around this time of year) I decided to get over myself. I mean, life happens, and often times so does something else...and usually they're one in the same...haha...moving on now. I can't even count how many times in the last year that I've been going strong with the running and then life just decided to pop in and say hello. You get sick, you get injured, family emergencies occur, but that is life. So, you just ask yourself, are you gonna stay down? And for me, that answer is no, no I am not.

Enough with my little preachy moment-thanks for letting me vent that out. (Not that you had a choice...heehee.) The past week I have shopped a lot, wrapped numerous presents, baked cupcakes, and enjoyed copious amounts of hot cocoa. YUM!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, walking into the house and seeing the Christmas tree all decorated and lit up, with all the fun presents around the tree. There is just something about it...

Thanks to all our home improvements this is the first year that we actually have a sofa in this room with the tree. In the past, it is usually our tree and a rug. So sad....it is very nice to see it all together this year. Especially since my Mom and Matilda will be joining us for the first time at our house for Christmas! So excited....oh and Mom-when will you be here???

Another thing I love about the holidays: Christmas lights! I remember when I was younger my sister and I would have a contest to see who saw the most lights on houses whenever we would go somewhere at night. She could only count the houses out her side of the window and I could only count the ones out mine. I told the Hubsters this and he laughed....I guess it was pretty silly, but my sister and I would have fun. Miss you Jay-jay!

One night last week we drove around our block and saw this house

Too much fun!! It is hard to tell in the picture, but there was sooo much going on. I love it!!

I just finished some interval running and am off to run some errands. The hubby is working at the brewery this weekend, so I am on my own. I am going to go stock up on some veggies and healthy ingredients for dinners this coming week. I'm definitely going to use a few ideas from my old boss's blog. The meat sauce looks incredible! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Questions...

1. Are you ready for Christmas?

2. Any good, healthy recipes you'd like to share?