First Day Home = Weight Day
After about a 45 minute flight delay (with all of us on the plane mind you), we finally landed at just after 9 pm and home a little before 10 pm. To say that we were worn out is an understatement. But, I poured myself a glass of wine (in a real glass thank you very much), did 2 loads of laundry, and sat on a comfortable couch and watched one episode of Big Brother before going to bed and crashing.
I would love to say I bounced out of bed at 6 am to get in a fantastic long run. Instead, I slept until 8:30, by which time it was already 85 degrees. So, I hit the gym instead of the pavement. I've been missing my weight workouts anyway, so this really worked out for me I suppose.
I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical browsing last month's Oxygen magazine. This worked in my favor as well because I found a great shoulder workout that I tried out. I was going to do shoulders and legs anyway. I did a giant set for shoulders then supersets for leg.
GS -3x8
Dumbbell upright rows
Incline rear delt dumbbell flyes
Overhead barbell press
SS#1 3x8
Squats
Stiff-legged deadlifts
SS#2 3x8
Alternating rear lunge
Plie squats
SS#3
Step ups 3x8
Calf raises 3x15 (turned out, turned in, turned out)
I did some ab work after the legs as well. It was a pretty good workout. I was worried that a week and a half of no weights was going to make today feel really hard, but it was good.
Productively Lazy
Jason went to the grocery store while I was at the gym since the fridge was bare. I had some time after the gym, before he got back to get more laundry done. And by done I really did fold and put away most of it for a change. I also dusted. It's amazing how dusty the house can get when you're not even there.
I was really hoping my sis was going to come up and stay the night (and bring the pupsters of course), but she had other plans. But, she was kind enough to meet us halfway so we didn't have to drive a full hour there then an other hour back to get the pups. I thought they might be way more over the top excited than they were. Maybe they were just as worn out and ready to be home as we were feeling yesterday. It was a long time away for all of us apparently.
After we got back, I promptly got in the pool and just relaxed on my floaty. You know it's hot though when you're in the pool and still sweating. But it was nice to just do nothing for a while. Clouds rolled in along with thunder, so I got out after about 2 hours and cleaned up. Promptly putting on PJs by 3:45.
Dinner tonight is going to be homemade pizza. Nothing terrible exciting. You'd think after 10 days of not cooking I'd be all over some crazy new recipe. But I just want comfort food right now to be honest. So pizza it is. Tomorrow, however, there are plans for something far more creative.
Chicago Recap
As I was floating around in the pool being utterly lazy, I was going over the time in Chicago. I admitted to homesickness, to being tired of eating out, listed out creature comforts I won't take for granted, and even admitted that I got really grumpy and ugly at some points. However, the positives of the trip far outweigh any of the negatives.
I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to visit Chicago in such detail (with my husband at my side). I was able to get out of my comfort zone of daily routines and explore, try new things, soak in the opportunities at hand, roll with it basically, and meet new people. Meeting new people is a biggy for me.
I know you all probably don't believe me when I say this, but I really am a shy person. My blog is my way of being that hidden extrovert. It's part of why this trip did have some downs - it's hard for me to get out of that shell, to really seek out new things, to just be surprised.
But, no matter how I was feeling at any given point, I remembered the positives and my to-enjoy list was lengthy. So, I thought I would just list out some of what I enjoyed as a reminder to myself of this incredible trip:
Absolutely amazing vegan meals (Karyn's Cooked (x2), Chicago Diner)
A Cubs game in unbelievable seats at a "real" baseball stadium
The opportunity to meet 2 incredible people (bloggers Sarah and Kathi)
A chance to hang out with coworkers (a rarity) and meet one coworker's wife (I think we'll be friends!)
The chance to enjoy the lake (you know how I like my beaches after all)
The opportunity to see some fantastic architecture
Trying new food (Indian from Reza's)
Some Plan B dinners (Stocks & Blondes and 6 Corners Bar)
Exploring the city like (like trip over to Lincoln Park)
And then there were the incredible views from Hancock Tower (Signature Lounge to be exact) and some awesome drinks
I could go on and on I do believe. So, sometimes it's really good to get way (way) out of your comfort zone. Otherwise, you might miss out on some amazing things.
Daily To-Enjoy List
After about a 45 minute flight delay (with all of us on the plane mind you), we finally landed at just after 9 pm and home a little before 10 pm. To say that we were worn out is an understatement. But, I poured myself a glass of wine (in a real glass thank you very much), did 2 loads of laundry, and sat on a comfortable couch and watched one episode of Big Brother before going to bed and crashing.
I would love to say I bounced out of bed at 6 am to get in a fantastic long run. Instead, I slept until 8:30, by which time it was already 85 degrees. So, I hit the gym instead of the pavement. I've been missing my weight workouts anyway, so this really worked out for me I suppose.
I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical browsing last month's Oxygen magazine. This worked in my favor as well because I found a great shoulder workout that I tried out. I was going to do shoulders and legs anyway. I did a giant set for shoulders then supersets for leg.
GS -3x8
Dumbbell upright rows
Incline rear delt dumbbell flyes
Overhead barbell press
SS#1 3x8
Squats
Stiff-legged deadlifts
SS#2 3x8
Alternating rear lunge
Plie squats
SS#3
Step ups 3x8
Calf raises 3x15 (turned out, turned in, turned out)
I did some ab work after the legs as well. It was a pretty good workout. I was worried that a week and a half of no weights was going to make today feel really hard, but it was good.
Productively Lazy
Jason went to the grocery store while I was at the gym since the fridge was bare. I had some time after the gym, before he got back to get more laundry done. And by done I really did fold and put away most of it for a change. I also dusted. It's amazing how dusty the house can get when you're not even there.
I was really hoping my sis was going to come up and stay the night (and bring the pupsters of course), but she had other plans. But, she was kind enough to meet us halfway so we didn't have to drive a full hour there then an other hour back to get the pups. I thought they might be way more over the top excited than they were. Maybe they were just as worn out and ready to be home as we were feeling yesterday. It was a long time away for all of us apparently.
After we got back, I promptly got in the pool and just relaxed on my floaty. You know it's hot though when you're in the pool and still sweating. But it was nice to just do nothing for a while. Clouds rolled in along with thunder, so I got out after about 2 hours and cleaned up. Promptly putting on PJs by 3:45.
Dinner tonight is going to be homemade pizza. Nothing terrible exciting. You'd think after 10 days of not cooking I'd be all over some crazy new recipe. But I just want comfort food right now to be honest. So pizza it is. Tomorrow, however, there are plans for something far more creative.
Chicago Recap
As I was floating around in the pool being utterly lazy, I was going over the time in Chicago. I admitted to homesickness, to being tired of eating out, listed out creature comforts I won't take for granted, and even admitted that I got really grumpy and ugly at some points. However, the positives of the trip far outweigh any of the negatives.
I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to visit Chicago in such detail (with my husband at my side). I was able to get out of my comfort zone of daily routines and explore, try new things, soak in the opportunities at hand, roll with it basically, and meet new people. Meeting new people is a biggy for me.
I know you all probably don't believe me when I say this, but I really am a shy person. My blog is my way of being that hidden extrovert. It's part of why this trip did have some downs - it's hard for me to get out of that shell, to really seek out new things, to just be surprised.
But, no matter how I was feeling at any given point, I remembered the positives and my to-enjoy list was lengthy. So, I thought I would just list out some of what I enjoyed as a reminder to myself of this incredible trip:
Absolutely amazing vegan meals (Karyn's Cooked (x2), Chicago Diner)
The opportunity to meet 2 incredible people (bloggers Sarah and Kathi)
A chance to hang out with coworkers (a rarity) and meet one coworker's wife (I think we'll be friends!)
The chance to enjoy the lake (you know how I like my beaches after all)
Trying new food (Indian from Reza's)
I could go on and on I do believe. So, sometimes it's really good to get way (way) out of your comfort zone. Otherwise, you might miss out on some amazing things.
Daily To-Enjoy List
- Doing laundry (never thought I'd say that)
- Homemade pizza
- Lifting weights
- Pool time
- Staying home
- Petting the pups
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