My favorite part of summer in West Virginia is fireflies. For real. We don't have fireflies in California. I was driving home from my friend's house tonight and the sides of the road were completely lit up with fireflies. It's like they're putting on a show. I can't even explain how much I love them. I gives me this deep down happy feeling and I feel like my heart is going to burst. I know, that's kind of lame, but I really can't help it. I just love fireflies.
I honestly don't have much to talk about today. I will tell you that my lunch consisted of a Think Thin bar, Pop Chips, and Amy's mac and cheese. When we're out of town, we avoid fast food by hitting the grocery store and grabbing any array of things we like. I'm a little bit addicted to Pop Chips, so those are pretty much always on the last minute menu.
What is your favorite part about summer where you live? What is on your last minute menu?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Winning
So sorry I've been neglecting you, dear readers. I have been insanely busy at work. Then, when I'm home I just feel too drained to do anything else. Mainly I've been watching movies and desperately trying to finish The Girl Who Played With Fire in time for the book club. The book club was yesterday and, luckily, I managed to finish the book on Thursday. It was very good. I highly recommend the trilogy, even though I haven't read the third one yet.
Today was a lot of fun, and exactly what I needed. I was on a quest to find a new swim suit to take to California. I've been looking for a while with not much luck. I happened to mention to Chad, "If we had a Target, this wouldn't happen." So he said "It's Saturday; let's just go to Charleston." In case you don't know, Charleston is an hour away from where we live and there is no closer Target. So, off we went. At Target, I found exactly what I was looking for. As I knew I would. We also found a very affordable espresso machine and purchased it since we've been wanting one.
Then we did a bunch of window shopping at Pier 1 and then headed downtown to eat at Capital Cafe. We love that place. When we got there we found out that there had been a jazz and wine festival going on and we just barely missed it. Fail. But, we still got our good coffee and light food from Capital Cafe and walked around downtown. As we were walking, we saw a restaurant called Ichi Ban, a Japanese place. There was a sign that said "appropriate dress required". We thought we wouldn't qualify, but could see people in the window who weren't dressed any fancier than we were. So we walked in and Chad asked, "Are we dressed appropriately?" to which they replied in the affirmative. So we took at a seat at the sushi bar (you all know we're obsessed with sushi) and ordered three rolls. Chad also ordered sea urchin. It did not look appetizing, but he ate it. His response did not give me any hope and I didn't try it.
After consuming three rolls of amazing sushi (the best I've had so far) and, of course, some sake we walked down to the mall. We continued our window shopping here and Chad spent a lot of time picking up clothing and saying "this would look good on you". Yes, my husband shops for me. And he's pretty much always right about what would look good on me. I ended up buying an amazing dress from Charlotte Russe. He didn't tell me to try it, but I did anyways. I still make my own clothing decisions (sometimes). We had taken so much time shopping, by the time I bought the dress the mall was closing. So we left and came home and made lots of espresso.
Here are some highlights from today's adventure:
So there you have it. I'm sorry I sound a little crazy right now. It is 12:30am. I don't do well after 10pm.
Did you do anything fun today? Are you winning?
Today was a lot of fun, and exactly what I needed. I was on a quest to find a new swim suit to take to California. I've been looking for a while with not much luck. I happened to mention to Chad, "If we had a Target, this wouldn't happen." So he said "It's Saturday; let's just go to Charleston." In case you don't know, Charleston is an hour away from where we live and there is no closer Target. So, off we went. At Target, I found exactly what I was looking for. As I knew I would. We also found a very affordable espresso machine and purchased it since we've been wanting one.
Then we did a bunch of window shopping at Pier 1 and then headed downtown to eat at Capital Cafe. We love that place. When we got there we found out that there had been a jazz and wine festival going on and we just barely missed it. Fail. But, we still got our good coffee and light food from Capital Cafe and walked around downtown. As we were walking, we saw a restaurant called Ichi Ban, a Japanese place. There was a sign that said "appropriate dress required". We thought we wouldn't qualify, but could see people in the window who weren't dressed any fancier than we were. So we walked in and Chad asked, "Are we dressed appropriately?" to which they replied in the affirmative. So we took at a seat at the sushi bar (you all know we're obsessed with sushi) and ordered three rolls. Chad also ordered sea urchin. It did not look appetizing, but he ate it. His response did not give me any hope and I didn't try it.
After consuming three rolls of amazing sushi (the best I've had so far) and, of course, some sake we walked down to the mall. We continued our window shopping here and Chad spent a lot of time picking up clothing and saying "this would look good on you". Yes, my husband shops for me. And he's pretty much always right about what would look good on me. I ended up buying an amazing dress from Charlotte Russe. He didn't tell me to try it, but I did anyways. I still make my own clothing decisions (sometimes). We had taken so much time shopping, by the time I bought the dress the mall was closing. So we left and came home and made lots of espresso.
Here are some highlights from today's adventure:
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| Some bohemian people playing instruments. |
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| AMAZING SHUSHI!!! |
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| Sea urchins. You know that looks appalling. |
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| Yep. That's a T Rex made out of balloons. |
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| WINNING |
Did you do anything fun today? Are you winning?
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Feeling Scatterbrained
Well, I'm on the second to last week of TurboFire. I haven't been posting any progress pics but I will when I'm done. I've really enjoyed this program and I've become a bit of a Chalene Johnson fan in the process. I've also decided to try for the new TurboFire DVD auditions. It's going to be interesting. While we're in California, I'm going to go to Irvine to work out with Chalene at 24 Hour Fitness. Maybe I'll sneakily slip it in that I'm trying out for the new DVDs if I get a chance to talk to her. ;-)
Speaking of California, I'm getting so anxious to go! I can't get it off my mind. It's pretty much all I think about now and probably will be until we get there. I think it's also making me a little scatter-brained. For instance, it's taken me about 15 minutes to write these two short paragraphs. I just have too much on my mind. I'm thinking about California, work, reading, training for the Tough Mudder and everything I'm not getting done at home. I haven't done any housework for a while. Luckily, my dear husband is home for the summer (being a teacher and all) so he's kept up with it pretty well. I'm blessed that he's home while I'm so busy at work for these few weeks. If he wasn't, this place would be a pig stye.
I have a confession to make. It's 9pm and I haven't worked out today. Yes, that's right, I haven't even done my Turbo. And I was really hoping to get to bed earlier than I have been. I might just use today as my rest day and work out tomorrow (which is supposed to be the rest day). I also have another confession to make. I ate two tiny cinnamon rolls that my boss brought in today. So, I've officially had way too much sugar. Guess I'll be working out extra hard tomorrow. :-P
I apologize for being boring today. Just wanted to give you a quick update.
How is your week going? Any confessions you'd like to make?
Speaking of California, I'm getting so anxious to go! I can't get it off my mind. It's pretty much all I think about now and probably will be until we get there. I think it's also making me a little scatter-brained. For instance, it's taken me about 15 minutes to write these two short paragraphs. I just have too much on my mind. I'm thinking about California, work, reading, training for the Tough Mudder and everything I'm not getting done at home. I haven't done any housework for a while. Luckily, my dear husband is home for the summer (being a teacher and all) so he's kept up with it pretty well. I'm blessed that he's home while I'm so busy at work for these few weeks. If he wasn't, this place would be a pig stye.
I have a confession to make. It's 9pm and I haven't worked out today. Yes, that's right, I haven't even done my Turbo. And I was really hoping to get to bed earlier than I have been. I might just use today as my rest day and work out tomorrow (which is supposed to be the rest day). I also have another confession to make. I ate two tiny cinnamon rolls that my boss brought in today. So, I've officially had way too much sugar. Guess I'll be working out extra hard tomorrow. :-P
I apologize for being boring today. Just wanted to give you a quick update.
How is your week going? Any confessions you'd like to make?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wine Snobs
Yesterday was the wine festival at Daniel Vineyards. Chad and I have always enjoyed their wine but have never been able to make it to the festival. Luckily, we were able to go this year. For only $10 they gave everyone a wine glass with the Daniel Vineyards logo on it and all the wine you can drink!
There were representatives from several other wineries there also.
The guy from this vineyard taught me how to properly hold my glass and drink wine. He said "I'll make you a wine snob in one easy lesson." He said to hold the glass by the stem so the wine doesn't get warm. Then you swirl it around to air it out and then sip it and swirl it around in your mouth. I knew most of that, but it was fun having a lesson on being a wine snob!
All in all, it was a beautiful day! We came home and had a glass of our Fredonia that we purchased. It's sweet and fruity. Just the way I like my wine. Today has been quite a lazy day. We stayed up late watching movies last night, so we ended up sleeping until about 10:30 this morning. We went out long enough to exchange some new clothes and have been watching movies since. I really need this day to do nothing. I've been going non-stop all week and really needed a day to rest.
Did you do anything fun this weekend? Have you been getting enough rest?
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| Getting ready to start the fun! |
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| Lots of vendors. |
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| What? Wine? |
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| Awesome guy from Forks of Cheat. They make one of our favs, CocoVino. |
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| Of course the Daniel Vineyards booth. I love love love their port! |
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| The no-kill shelter was there. I wanted this puppy so bad! |
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| Such a beautiful pond! |
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| Being a goof. That's what a few glasses of wine does to me. ;-) |
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| The beautiful main building! |
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| We ended up buying from this vineyard. So good! |
All in all, it was a beautiful day! We came home and had a glass of our Fredonia that we purchased. It's sweet and fruity. Just the way I like my wine. Today has been quite a lazy day. We stayed up late watching movies last night, so we ended up sleeping until about 10:30 this morning. We went out long enough to exchange some new clothes and have been watching movies since. I really need this day to do nothing. I've been going non-stop all week and really needed a day to rest.
Did you do anything fun this weekend? Have you been getting enough rest?
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Agony of Running
I'm not really sure if I'm fully conscious right now or not. I just got home from my second day of running. But first, let me tell you about how wonderfully refreshing my day has been (before the running, of course). I didn't have as many appointments on the books today as I have all this week. I was actually very happy about that because I'm running on empty here. So when I had a two-hour break, I took off for some much-needed retail therapy. First, I hit up Healthsmart to pick up a meal bar and some other snackage. Then I went to Delightfully Yours where I ordered a Summer Berry salad to go. I took my salad to Starbucks where I ordered an iced soy latte, then sat down outside and drank my latte and ate my salad. It was delightful.
Then I had about an hour to kill before my next appointment so I went to my old job at LA East where I was bombarded by children. As much as I don't miss the chaos of that job, I do miss my kids. They're sweet little boogers (sometimes). Then, as I was about to leave I got a text that my next appointment cancelled and now I had two extra hours to kill. Since I still had some left over birthday money, I put it to good use at T.J. Maxx. Those few precious hours I spent alone shopping and with my friends and kids I haven't seen in a few weeks was just what I needed. I felt so refreshed and was able to finish my work day with ease. Also, the massage I got helped a lot. I even managed to sneak in some reading of The Girl who Played with Fire.
After I got home, Chad and I left for our run. Now, mind you, I haven't run since Monday and before that I didn't run at all. Chad wanted us to do some high intensity running. Meaning, we sprinted for 30 seconds, walked for 30 seconds, sprinted, walked, etc 10 times. All together it was only a 10 minute workout. However, at the end of it, I almost puked. And I'm pretty sure I cried a little. About half-way through, I started to see fuzzy rainbows in the bottom of my vision. I'm not sure, but I think I might have been about to pass out. Has anyone ever had that happen while running? I also ended up with side stitches in my right side from my hip up to my shoulder. Also, my head still hurts. There really are no words to describe exactly how I felt (and still feel), but it is a very intense feeling that I do not enjoy at all.
Ok, enough whining from me. Tomorrow, Chad and I are going to a wine festival at a local vineyard so expect some pretty pictures!
Do you enjoy running? Did you have a terrible time getting started?
Then I had about an hour to kill before my next appointment so I went to my old job at LA East where I was bombarded by children. As much as I don't miss the chaos of that job, I do miss my kids. They're sweet little boogers (sometimes). Then, as I was about to leave I got a text that my next appointment cancelled and now I had two extra hours to kill. Since I still had some left over birthday money, I put it to good use at T.J. Maxx. Those few precious hours I spent alone shopping and with my friends and kids I haven't seen in a few weeks was just what I needed. I felt so refreshed and was able to finish my work day with ease. Also, the massage I got helped a lot. I even managed to sneak in some reading of The Girl who Played with Fire.
After I got home, Chad and I left for our run. Now, mind you, I haven't run since Monday and before that I didn't run at all. Chad wanted us to do some high intensity running. Meaning, we sprinted for 30 seconds, walked for 30 seconds, sprinted, walked, etc 10 times. All together it was only a 10 minute workout. However, at the end of it, I almost puked. And I'm pretty sure I cried a little. About half-way through, I started to see fuzzy rainbows in the bottom of my vision. I'm not sure, but I think I might have been about to pass out. Has anyone ever had that happen while running? I also ended up with side stitches in my right side from my hip up to my shoulder. Also, my head still hurts. There really are no words to describe exactly how I felt (and still feel), but it is a very intense feeling that I do not enjoy at all.
Ok, enough whining from me. Tomorrow, Chad and I are going to a wine festival at a local vineyard so expect some pretty pictures!
Do you enjoy running? Did you have a terrible time getting started?
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wearing Thin
"I feel thin...like butter scraped over too much bread." - Bilbo Baggins
Ok so maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I do feel worn very thin. My days are getting shorter and shorter. I wake up in the morning, do my Turbo, go to work from 9am til 7pm, train for the Tough Mudder, then end up with only an hour or two to wind down before I have to go to bed. I don't feel like I get enough time to rest. Also, I realized that I've been forgetting to take my vitamins and I could possibly be low on iron.
I know I'm a little boring tonight, but I think I need to get some rest. I'll try to have a real blog for you tomorrow.
Ok so maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I do feel worn very thin. My days are getting shorter and shorter. I wake up in the morning, do my Turbo, go to work from 9am til 7pm, train for the Tough Mudder, then end up with only an hour or two to wind down before I have to go to bed. I don't feel like I get enough time to rest. Also, I realized that I've been forgetting to take my vitamins and I could possibly be low on iron.
I know I'm a little boring tonight, but I think I need to get some rest. I'll try to have a real blog for you tomorrow.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tough Mudder? Hell yeah!
Well...I was going to blog about my birthday, but I think Chad has that pretty well covered. Instead, I would like to talk about something different. For instance, the fact that Chad and I have decided to participate in the Tough Mudder in Virginia this October. It's a 10-mile race with obstacles designed by the British Special Forces. Despite the fact that I will have to crawl through tubes full of muddy water, run through fire, and get shocked with 10,000 volts of electricity, the thing I'm dreading the most is running.
You may think I'm crazy for saying that, but it's the truth. I hate running. And when I say I hate it, I mean I despise it with every fiber of my being. It makes me feel terrible. I ran two (non-consecutive) miles with Chad today. When it was over, I couldn't breathe and I felt like I was about to cry and/or puke. Chad says that's normal. I'm sure it is. I do not relish that feeling. While we're running, Chad tries to tell me encouraging things and I end up hating him just because he can run faster than I can and even talk while he does it, while I'm over there wheezing and about to fall over dead. If I could punch him in the face while running, I would.
I have until October to achieve the minimum running requirement for the Tough Mudder. That requirement is to simply be able to run 5 miles in less than an hour. Right now I can't even fathom running five miles in a row without stopping. I'll get there. It'll be a long, hard road but I will get there. I need to get in good running shape by August so that I can do Insanity: The Asylum in conjunction with running. The reason I want to do The Asylum is to build my upper body strength so I can do the climbing obstacles and monkey bars and what-not.
So, the content of my blog is probably going to have a lot to do with my preparation for the Tough Mudder for a while. Sorry if you get sick of hearing it.
What are you training for? What do you want to eventually train for if you aren't right now?
You may think I'm crazy for saying that, but it's the truth. I hate running. And when I say I hate it, I mean I despise it with every fiber of my being. It makes me feel terrible. I ran two (non-consecutive) miles with Chad today. When it was over, I couldn't breathe and I felt like I was about to cry and/or puke. Chad says that's normal. I'm sure it is. I do not relish that feeling. While we're running, Chad tries to tell me encouraging things and I end up hating him just because he can run faster than I can and even talk while he does it, while I'm over there wheezing and about to fall over dead. If I could punch him in the face while running, I would.
I have until October to achieve the minimum running requirement for the Tough Mudder. That requirement is to simply be able to run 5 miles in less than an hour. Right now I can't even fathom running five miles in a row without stopping. I'll get there. It'll be a long, hard road but I will get there. I need to get in good running shape by August so that I can do Insanity: The Asylum in conjunction with running. The reason I want to do The Asylum is to build my upper body strength so I can do the climbing obstacles and monkey bars and what-not.
So, the content of my blog is probably going to have a lot to do with my preparation for the Tough Mudder for a while. Sorry if you get sick of hearing it.
What are you training for? What do you want to eventually train for if you aren't right now?
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