Where's the Beach?

This weekend was just about perfect. Friday, we headed out of town to Branson, MO. It was pouring rain, incredibly dreary. And made for a longer than normal drive that direction. We were heading there to meet up with Lindsay ( Cotter Crunch ) and her husband. He was racing in the Rev3 Triathlon on Sunday. They had a fairly crummy drive themselves unfortunately. But, everything that Friday was, Saturday was the opposite. We woke up to crisp, clear skies, amazing temperatures, just perfect. Even better, I got to run with Lindsay and my husband. There is a path that runs alongside Table Rock Lake. It was such a fantastic run for so many reasons. The weather, the views, but mostly the incredible company. Lindsay is such a sweetheart. I just can't say enough good things about her, and her husband as well I might add. We got in a fantastic 6-mile run, then we went back to the condo to clean up. She had sherpa duties (aka hitting the expo with her husband). So the plan was that w...

Well hello Friday, nice to see you again! It's been a long week around here. I let myself get stressed out and overly anxious. So much for the Slow Down Challenge huh? But, I made myself regroup last night and tried to remember that it's ok if things are left undone. Do what you can, try to enjoy rather than worry. I mean honestly, who cares if the laundry isn't put away? It's at least washed, and so are the crazy dogs now as well. I'm super excited this particular Friday. I mean, I love most all Fridays, but this one is going to be pretty darn amazing. This evening I finally get to meet my dear friend Lindsay (Cotter Crunch). Her hubby is doing the Rev3 Triathlon in Branson, MO on Sunday. But that's not where I live you're saying to yourself. Oh, but Branson is only about 2 1/2 hours away and my dad and step-mother have a timeshare there. See where I'm going with this now? Yep, got us a timeshare and Lindsay and James are staying in one of th...

I wish I could say that I'm getting tons of restful sleep here. Not so much unfortunately. The bedroom only has blinds so once the sun starts coming up, that's all she wrote. Also, the walls seem to be very thin or we just have very loud neighbors. But, I won't complain too much because I'm having a very good time. Today we decided to run a trail along the lake front. It ended up being 4.6 (rolling hills) miles. So, 4.6 actually felt more like 6. It wasn't an easy run, but it was scenic and it was nice running with Jason. After the run, we found ourselves a nice spot to go hang out by the lake. Jason floated in the water and I sunbathed on the shore. The lake is gorgeous, but it's a lot different than what we're used to. There are no sandy beaches at all. It's very rocky - hence Table Rock Lake I suppose. But, it was nice and relaxing.  We brought a picnic lunch to enjoy. Here's what we gazed at while eating.     Not too bad huh? I...

Thursday Night - Branson Day 1 Than you everyone for your kind words on the Fun Facts Friday - Anniversary post! My internet is sketchy so replying to everyone is more difficult than usual. In fact, posting, blogging, anything is more difficult. Thursday night we arrived in Branson, MO later than we had hoped because of extremely backed up traffic heading out of town. It took almost an hour to get to a town that usually takes 30 minutes. Good times my friends. Thank goodness I had my purse loaded up with protein and granola bars. I'm like a Girl Scout I swear. People make fun of how much I carry in my purse, but they will never starve, have bad breath, have a headache, migraine, messed up fingernail, get wet, or need a tissue ;-) Anyway, we got our bags dropped off and cooler unloaded and headed to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner. It's close by and we know that I can eat from the salad bar. And I pigged out! I started with a Skinny Lavender Lemon Drop Martini. It was really quit...

Running (Short on Time) This morning I just couldn't get myself energized or enthusiastic enough to get out of bed for a morning run. It was pitch black. Jason wasn't going to run with me (he had to be at work early). Of course I kicked myself big time when I stepped outside to head to work. While it was very humid, it was only 72 degrees. I just hate feeling like I HAVE to get out there at any moment when the temps cool off even slightly. I could have done spin today, but I really don't like the class style from the instructor for today. Instead, I sucked it up and hit the treadmill for intervals before moving onto triceps and abs. As much as I hate running indoors, at least the treadmill is good for speed work. Especially since I don't have any way to calculate my pace when running outdoors on my own. I was in a time crunch to be honest, so I did a simple giant set for triceps as 3x8 and some ab exercises during the rests. Double-arm overhead triceps extension ...

Last night we were planning on having dinner with my dad and step-mother, but she wasn't feeling great after the drive up. She wanted to just crawl into PJs and relax on the couch. Jason and I thought we would go find a Sushi place. I love wakame. That was a big disaster. Apparently his internal GPS was off and we ended up lost. By the time it was said and done, we ordered pizza from Domino's at the condo and shared with my dad while watching the Olympics. Thank goodness I had a healthy salad lunch! Today would typically have been weights, but the gym at the condo isn't exactly a full gym, so I just did cardio. I was going to run 30 minutes, but after 22 minutes, my hip flexors simple would not allow it. This is what happens when you go on a running hiatus and then run 4.5 miles. So I hopped on the elliptical and tacked on 30 pushups and called it quits. I did stretch out, but I am definitely going to have to stretch more tomorrow. We're about to head out to do just ...

Friday Night In Branson I've been hearing a lot about Popchips . I had not seen them in the stores yet, not that I was searching really hard for them to be honest. But, I saw these bad boys at my new favorite service station last night in Branson, MO. White Oak Station at 3200 Green Mountain Drive. I seriously don't have favorite gas/service stations, but this one my friends, is my favorite. Wine, Beer, Liquor, Popchips, and a sections of gourmet cheeses and crackers to go with the wines! HELLO! How fun is that? I am a chipaholic. I rarely buy them because I'll eat the whole bag. I used to eat Baked Cheetos for lunch every single day, every single folks. I was afraid they'd go out of business when I stopped buying them. So when there is a chip that's supposed to be healthier, I feel that it's my duty to give it a try. These were sooooo flavorful. I loved the light, airy, but super crunchy factor. They are apparently popped (hence the name) and not fried is why t...

Friday = Workout Fail Well, this morning was a Workout Fail. I had every intention of getting up and doing Shock Cardio Athletic Step. I had my step set up, alarm set, ready to go. Unfortunately, insomnia struck along with an achy back. Yesterday my back felt a little tweaked. Not sure if if twas from weights or the way I had slept. It worked itself out throughout the day, and I completely forgot about it. However, at 3:15 am when my eyes popped open and I rolled over, ouch. Then my mind started working over time planning what needed to be done for today to get ready for our trip to Branson, MO. I finally dozed off around 4:40 only to wake again at 5:07. I started to go ahead and get up, but my back was really not feeling right. Better safe than sorry when it comes to the back I think. So I just tried to lie flat on my back (I'm a stomach sleeper so this was not easy) until I finally got up just after 6. I tried though. The condo we're staying at does have a gym, so I can get...