Where's the Beach?

This morning I had really hoped to sleep in late, I was aiming for 9 am actually. Maddie decided to start barking around 6:30 though so that foiled my plans. I did stay in bed and doze until 8:30 though. It felt so nice to be back in my own bed. We had a front moving through today that brought in warm temps, high humidity, and deadly tornadoes. Thankfully, the storms weren't as bad for us, but sadly people were killed in the storms today. Whenever it's 70+ degrees in December or January, you know to expect tornadoes. My sinuses were feeling less packed in today, but this crud is starting to move into my chest unfortunately. I had to use my inhaler twice today when I rarely even use it once a month. However, with the temps being so much warmer, I couldn't pass up a run. I really wasn't sure how far I was going to make it. I was hoping for at least 3 miles. Since I wasn't convinced I would be able to go very far, I didn't think to bring my small water bottle t...

Wednesday Wedding Recap   So Wednesday was the wedding day. It was again rainy and foggy. I will say that the rain and fog were beginning to be a bit oppressive feeling, but the wedding made up for that feeling. It was beautiful. The decorations were fitting for winter including three croque en bouche as the bride's cake and a bouche noel as the groom's cake. The guest gifts were either a snowflake cookie cutter or a snowflake wine stopper (we came home with one of each of course). I figured that the best way to do the recap of the wedding was to do it mostly as photos: Fog   Wedding Thursday This morning we woke up to more fog, rain, and howling (literally) wind. We made it home around 1 pm and unloaded the car. The dogs were worn out thanks to my sister's kiddos. My dear friend Lindsey was in town and wanted to try to get together. She stopped by the house and we all headed out for a couple of drinks just to sit back, relax, and catch up. Lindsey is my ...

Well, I managed to get my errands run and make it to spin class yesterday. I thought that perhaps sweating out the, whatever, would help me feel better. Really all I was trying to do was not have snot dripping on my towel more than the sweat. I actually ended up feeling worse after spin. Usually a workout, even with a cold, makes me feel better. Not so yesterday. Jason ended up stopping by Kroger on our way to Mt. Magazine to pick up more meds. I have been taking Zyrtec D (which usually helps). He wasn't sure what to get so he grabbed a myriad of things like Zicam, Ricola, even Airborne for himself as he was starting to get worried he was going to catch something from me. I've never tried Zicam, but though, what the hell....got nothing to lose at this point. Not sure if it did anything to be honest, but it didn't make me feel worse at least. I dozed in the car for about 20 minutes or so, then he needed help with some directions. We made it safely in 2 hours. It was star...

Today's post is going to be a brief one as I am not completely sure of the internet access at the lodge we'll be staying at, nor of how busy I'll be. Right now I feel like I'm fighting off a cold and I'm completely exhausted feeling. I didn't sleep well at all for two reasons: 1) cold medicine and 2) Jason getting home after 11:30 pm. He went out with the guys from the wedding party last night. Actually, I pretty much saw Jason all of 10 minutes yesterday. Anyway, I have a really hard time falling asleep without him being home. I also knew that when he got home, he'd wake/startle the dogs so I was semi-anticipating that. Plus, the medicine I took kept me awake as well. I probably didn't finally fall asleep until sometime around 1 am. I am planning (key word) on trying to hit up Group Ride at my gym at noon. I do have to go by Whole Foods though to pick up a few things to take with me and to leave for my sis and the kids who will be watching the dogs ...

Crockpot Fail Ok, so it wasn't the crockpot's fault that the crockpot chili failed. It was my fault for not starting it sooner. Really there was no reason to cook the chili in the crockpot other than to play with my new toy. But after 2 hours, I was beyond ready to eat and the chili was nowhere near being ready. I did the only rational thing I could think of...transfer to a soup pot and finish it up quickly. I did add barley to the chili for a change. I always see others adding it and never seem to remember myself. Anyway, this is a recipe I'll try again when I can program it to start about 4 hours ahead of time. Crockpot Tempeh Chili Ingredients: 1 package tempeh, crumbled and browned 1/4 cup pearled barley 1 15 oz can no-salt diced tomatoes 1 can red beans, rinsed and drained 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 16 oz no-salt vegetable broth 1 not-beef bouillon cube 32 oz water 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced 1/2 white onion, dice...

Christmas Day Yesterday was a long one, but a good one that even included some snow flurries (closest thing to a white Christmas we'll ever get). It started off with more time in the kitchen getting food ready to take with us to our hometown where we started off with lunch at my sister's house. But...before going there, I must talk about my gifts of course. We got the food started before opening our own Christmas presents. It was a Victoria's Secret Christmas for me. I can never have too many PJs and was in need of new undies and house shoes. I got Jason a down vest, some new PJs, a much-needed new robe and some other goodies. Heath and Maddie (via Jason) got a gift for Jason and me. This was something we both needed in a BIG way. It's a Triggerpoint set complete with 2 different rollers and 2 balls and DVDs to help you roll out all the muscles - ideal for runners (sorry for the ugly picture below). So, after opening our own gifts, getting ready and packed up, we...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my readers! Kitchen Day Yesterday I spent about 7 hours in the kitchen. I made and jarred spaghetti sauce, cooked lentils then made a lentil loaf for dinner, roasted up acorn squash, baked bread, and put together treat bags (to get rid of leftover treats made for the brunch party). It was worth it of course, but man my feet were tired. Oh and my walls were covered with spaghetti sauce along with stove, counter, floor, me... You know you're Italian when... Christmas Eve Dinner Since Jason and I won't be home until late tomorrow and would definitely be too stuffed to eat a Christmas dinner at home, I made a Christmas Eve meal for us instead. I made a Chipotle Lentil Loaf topped with my Chipotle Cranberry Relish , roasted sweet potatoes seasoned with rosemary, thyme, salt & pepper, and sauteed kale with cranberries. Chipotle Lentil Loaf Ingredients: 2 cups dried lentils 6 cups water 1 not-beef bouillon cube Dehydrated w...

Party Recap Last night's Christmas Eve Eve Brunch was a success. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, even the Vegan Veggie Frittata . I was sort of thinking I'd be the only one eating that one, but to my surprise, everyone wanted to try it and actually liked it. Seal of approval has been given to this one. The next time I make it, I will likely add in a bit more color with red bell peppers and maybe green onions. Vegan Veggie Frittata Ingredients: 1 package extra firm silken tofu 1-2 tbsp spicy mustard 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Splash of soy or almond milk To taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast flakes (approximately 3 tbsp) 1/4 orange bell pepper, diced 1/4 white onion, diced 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 small yellow squash, diced To taste: salt, pepper, parsley, basil Vegan cheese (optional) Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor, puree tofu, mustard, vinegar, milk, and first set of spices until thick and creamy - almost like a ...

Working it Out This morning I thought I'd sleep in a bit as an indulgence on my first day off of my 4-day holiday weekend. Well, I was awake around 6, but stayed in bed at least until about 7:40 before giving up. Hey, it's start ;-) I got started on some of the cooking and prep for this evening's party. I made some cookies and a coffee cake before starting in on my workout. Today was Shoulders and Triceps. As I've mentioned, I missed Week 2 of STS Meso 2 , so I did that for today's workout but as a pyramid style increasing my weights as the reps dropped. Standing shoulder press - 12,10,8,TF Standing lateral raises - 12,10,8,TF Seated rear delt flyes - 12,10,8,TF Lying dumbbell triceps extensions - 12,10,8,TF Side lying single-arm extensions on ball - 12,10,8 Seated double-arm overhead dumbbell extension on ball - TF Double-arm kick backs - 12,10,8,TF After the weights, I headed out for a chilly 3.5 mile run. Tuesday I was clad in sports bra and shorts, ...

Gym Day Well, today the temps were back closer to the normal range - as in 51 not 73. Today was like my Friday as we are off Thursday and Friday for the holidays. Even better, I got to leave at 12:30 pm. Now that's a Christmas gift for sure! I had packed my gym bag this morning because I knew I wanted to work back today. I wasn't sure if I would be hitting up spin class or just the elliptical. Since I got off work early (though not early enough for the noon spin class), I just hit the elliptical for my cardio. Since I missed Week 2 of STS Meso 2 , I went with that for my Week 4 workout. I decided to start at 70% and work up to 80% of my 1RM with each set so that I was hitting the 80% as I was supposed to this week. Warm up on elliptical for 10 minutes Pullups Medium grip chinups Chinups Barbell rows - 12,10,8,TF 1-arm rows - 12,10,8,TF Pullovers - 12,10,8,TF Low back extensions on ball Again, I left out the band work and deadlifts and substituted with pullovers ...

Thank You I really wanted to thank everyone for your kind words from yesterday's post. I know that most of my replies were simply "thank you" but your words and support really do mean a lot. I've had 14 years to reflect on what happened to my friend. I've written about it (would love to publish one day), I even sat through most of the trial. So while I think about what has happened, I am now able to talk about it more freely. Sometimes I wonder if that might startle people a bit...in terms of how to react. I know it's also hard to know what to say to someone when talking about something so tragic, so sad, and so serious. So thank you all. Cardio Only Day This morning I wide awake shortly after 5 am. I thought about trying to stay in bed for another hour, but knew I wouldn't really fall back asleep. So I did myself a favor and got up to get my cardio done. I was not planning on step aerobics at all today. But weights are just not in the cards for me t...

Sad Day Today is a sad day for me. It marks 14 years since one of my dearest friends was murdered. It's something I've only mentioned briefly, but it's something that most definitely affected my entire life. Any loss does though of course. Juli had just finished up with her dance degree at OU (Norman, OK). She was only 21 years old. She had so much life ahead of her and such a zest for life as well. She was one of those people who lived to the fullest.  So while I have so much to be thankful for right now (including still being close to her parents), I can't help but remember this day and be saddened by what took place 14 years ago. As the years add up, it's those number of years that also make me sad. How can it have been 14 years since Juli was killed? The one solace? Her killer sits in prison and isn't free to harm anyone else. I did do my best not to dwell on the past though and don't want to make this post all about that tragic day. But it co...

Chili Night  So last night we donned the PJs early and just sat around and relaxed. I made the Chipotle Tempeh Chili while Jason flipped around the TV: between Iron Man Kona and Miracle on 34th Street. Once the chili was done, we opted for a funny, light-hearted move, The Tooth Fairy . I have to say that I was really skeptical, but it was really a cute movie. Bed time came fairly early. More Shopping and a Painful Run This morning Sarah and I both started out with some oatmeal, then a trip to Kohl's and back to the mall. We had an expired coupon printed for New York and Company for an extra $40 off. There was a new one that I hadn't printed, but they said we could bring that in with the merchandise to get the difference. Um, for $40, totally worth it. When we got home, Sarah decided she wanted to try one of my new Cathe DVDs - High Reps . She did the leg workout along with abs and said it was totally kick butt. Shaky legs (her words)! She cleaned up, packed up, and heade...

Gluten-Free Pizza Hit Pizza Friday was a big success. Sarah has officially declared that Bob's Red Meal Gluten-Free Pizza mix trumps the Bisquick hands down. I made it using the flax egg option so it was loaded with omega goodness too. This mix does make a lot of crust, so we split it into two smaller pizzas baking it and freezing one so she can use later. Thanks so much to my readers who suggested this mix!! We had a great night. We listened to music, played some pool, chit chatted and just had a nice evening. All the dogs got along great too - Sarah brought her ex's dog with her. Heath was so happy to have another playmate. Maddie, could have cared less.   Good Day This morning we got up and just piddled around for a bit before deciding that it'd be wise to head out to the mall earlier rather than later. Sarah wanted to hit up New York and Company. Who am I to deny her this? We behaved ourselves actually and only made two stops: New York and Company and The Limited....

Thankful Friday TGIF my friends. Today is my rest day. I am happy to say that my IT band is not sore at all from my run or the weights yesterday. Definitely something to be super thankful about on this Friday. As I mentioned, my sis is coming up, so that's another reason to be thankful. Tonight will be Pizza Friday . I picked up Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza mix for my sister based on recommendations from a few GF blogger friends. I'll be sure to let you guys know how it ranks compared to the Bisquick mix we used the last time . Fun Facts Friday - Stylish Blogger Award This morning I found out that I received a blogger award. Thank you so much Meghan @ Cooking. In. College ! You're always such a sweetheart. The timing is perfect for Fun Facts Friday. To accept this award there are 4 rules: Thank the person who gave it to you. Share 7 things about yourself. Pass the award onto 2 bloggers you have recently discovered and think are fantastic.  Contact the b...

Running Like (and In) the Wind I checked the weather just before setting out for the run. Sunny, 50 degrees with no wind chill, but winds at 17mph and gusting up to 22mph. My first thought - I am bat-ass crazy. I hate running in the wind. My next thought - I'm scared I'm going to hate every second of running now. In reality, it was an awesome run, despite the wind. It felt sooooo good to be out there in the sunshine, feet pounding the pavement next to Jason. We did a super fast 1.9 mile run in 14:20. I will admit to being annoyed that it wasn't a full 2 miles. Is that nuts? Yes, probably so. Now this is the cardio I've been missing desperately. My endorphin rush was so high that I seriously was thinking, "Oh, maybe I could get in another 2 miles after work." I know, I know, had to talk myself back down to reality. If I want to be able to run consistently again, I cannot do crazy things like that. I have to take it slow and be happy with 2 miles, then 3 ...

Gym Day Today was a gym day for me, though I was really debating a rest day. While not enjoying the elliptical, I've been enjoying getting my back workouts in at the gym where I can do assisted pullups/chinups. I can already feel the strength gains from working on those. Today was STS Meso 2, Disc 21 . I did omit the band work and deadlifts and added in pullovers and low back extensions on the stability ball. I did warm up for 10 minutes on the elliptical first. Pull Ups Overhand - 12 Chinups Medium Grip - 12 Chinups - 12 Barbell rows - 12,10,8 1-arm Row - 12,10,8,12,10,8 (double dropset) Pullovers (in lieu of deadlifts) 12,10,8 Low back extension on stability ball - 2x16 After the back workout, I headed back to the elliptical for about 25 minutes. I have been less than enthusiastic about  working out lately and I contribute that to the weather and also not being able to get in the cardio I really would love to be doing. When you aren't doing what you enjoy, it mak...

Two on Tuesday I had a much better (stronger feeling) weight workout at lunch today. Maybe I was just more focused today. I did shoulders and triceps from STS Meso 2, Disc 22 . Unless noted, exercises were done as dropsets of 3x10 decreasing the weight with each set. . Seated Overhead Press (elbows forward) Incline Front Raise Seated Lateral Raise Seated Rear Delt flyes Flat Bench Triceps Extensions Close Grip Push Ups (triceps pushups) - 10, 10, TF Kickbacks Double Arm I had debated on going to the gym for some elliptical time after work. Instead, I ended up opting for a home workout. I went with MMA Boxing then abs and a nice long stretch then some foam rolling. I must say the foam rolling must be doing something good as it's not longer curse-inducingly painful to do. Taco Tuesday I had thought about doing Taco Salad Bowls tonight for Taco Tuesday. When I ran that idea by Jason, he said salads just didn't sound warm enough. He did have a point. So I asked if we...