Happy Mother's Day!! I got myself a little somethin' somethin' in honor of the day myself. I scoop cat poop and work hard to keep 2 cats very satisfied. Karabou bought me some Caribou. And Maddi thought I needed new running shoes because I've put 500 miles on my pair I got six months ago already. Plus, they were $44 at Nike Outlet when I spent $95 for the exact same pair I have now at Fitness Sports.

I know you'll read this Mom. I wish we could have more days to honor our mothers. One day a year really doesn't do it justice how much they've done for us... am I right? So thank you today and every day for being the best Mom you are. Love you!

Now to another big love of my life: food.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to buy and prepare all my meals for the week! I have a few of these guys: 

That is spinach, Gorgonzola, strawberries and candied walnuts.

A few of these:

That is a super food salad adapted from this recipe. It's mainly quinoa, corn, beans, kiwi, avocado and lemony dressing. Served cold. It is delicious and filling.

I'll thaw out some veggie spaghetti another time and for snacks I have things like hummus/veggies, kale chips, cottage cheese/fruit, Chobani and nuts. I've also prepared for PMS week and bought essentials like peanut butter cup ice cream and dark chocolate. Meals that I can grab and go is my favorite. I'm glad I took the time to prep for my week tonight.

I had a great 8+ mile run this morning with some girls from the running group. We were up and at em' by 7:00 and home by 9:00. Long runs with the group are my favorite. The 12.4 mile run, Dam to Dam, is coming up in 3 weeks. We're a little short on our runs still so we ran many, many hills at DMACC West. You can see one of the hills in the distance with the picture below.

All in all, it was a great day and a wonderful weekend. Looking forward to a low-key week at work for once, movie date with my friend Beth, and possibly taking Friday off before I lose my vacation days?

Have a good one!

Making May A-MAY-Zing

*Peeks in*

*Sheepishly waves*

Hello? Anyone still out there?

Apparently, Blogger changed their blogging format months ago and I missed the memo. And, my last recap was a summer update as I'm writing this in 80* weather as summer is quickly approaching... whoopsies!

Anyway, Happy May Day! So glad we are on the up and up in getting the heck out of winter. What a miserable time. I am so excited to don my pasty legs, sweat profusely, and peruse the farmers market buying vegetables I don't know what to do with.

To start summer off on the right track, I've come up with a few ways I can try to make my May A-MAY-Zing.

1. Catch up with long lost friends - I miss everyone!!!
2. Cut back on YMCA hours - these last few months have been insane and I'm not sacrificing myself any more.
3. Schedule and STICK TO my time to study for the personal training exam.
4. Attempt a pull-up... maybe unassisted.
5. Make the plunge and purchase some legit professional clothes. I had a meeting today with one of the higher ups at Hy-Vee and I had to tape my shirt ruffle flap down beforehand so it wouldn't hang out.

Starting with baby steps here...

I've got a super fun summer planned full of weddings, family, friends and a NEW BABY GIRL NIECE!!!! I would add a few pictures to help capture what I've been up to, but every single one of them is of a cat. Instead, I'll leave you with what will be happening July 15 in the Twin Cities with my favorite little sister, the Color Run!

On that note, I'll try not to abandon you for 6 months again. See ya!

Summer Recap

Oh hello, again. Sorry for the few months sabbatical. It's not that my life hasn't been exciting, it's just been to crazy to take the time and write about it. I overslept my group run this morning so thought I better do something productive like blog... instead of emptying the cat litter or finding my bedroom floor back.

Here's what you've missed:

Seth and I were  stranded on the way to Omaha. It was a scorcher

 Saw some OAR

 Saw some Jason Aldean (thanks Kristin!)

We took a trip to the Twin Cities. Watched the Twins and did a lot of shopping...

Sister time in Omaha!

It doesn't matter this picture is blurry. Bon Iver is about the music.

More sister time!!!

Disappointing game.

Said goodbye to the car and hello to a beautiful CRV and a car payment for the rest of my life.

Won a trip to Honolulu and this resort. Holla!!! Yes I'm going alone... :(

Graciously welcomed cooler weather and all things FALL

Welcomed a new fuzzy friend into the home. Maddi is a stinky, sneezy, cuddly yet crazy new addition.

Said a Happy 54th to my favorite mother!

Doesn't she look GREAT?!

 

Well, those are the captured highlights of my summer. I do enjoy the fall colors, fall food, and crunchy leaves but summer was good to me. Till next time (hopefully its not 3 months again)!

A Person of Excellence

Hello out there! How was your weekend? I spent most of mine in a Foundations of Strength and Conditioning class at the YMCA. Luckily, it was more of a review for me. The class brought together employees from multiple Y branches so it was a good chance to meet others in the area. Erin Kiernan is one of those people who teaches at the Y in her spare time. She's a full time anchor on WHO here in Des Moines. On Saturday I had the opportunity to eat with her at Z'Mariks. She is one of the cutest, most down-to-earth, inspirational people I've ever met.

Also in the class, we discussed how to define a "person of excellence". The group brainstormed some ideas I thought were great. Below are a few examples of what a person of excellence does:

• doesn't put blame on others
• holds others accountable
• is able to play in the "gray area"
• committed to whatever they're doing at that moment
• knows that their actions affect others
• generous with time, talent, and resources
• can say "no"
• continuously learning
• is known as the "go-to" person

What else would you add to the list? What qualities do you have that are on the list?

In other news... it's week 2 of boot camp!! It is now 8:30pm and my body is about ready to shut down. It probably doesn't help I'm on a 9 day streak of working at the Y and my days have gone from 4:30am-9:30pm. With the extra cash, I ordered a few tops I found on REI and am crazy about them. Especially the pink and gray one.

Front

Back

I'm also officially signed up for the Des Moines IMT Half Marathon. Come cheer me on Sunday, October 16th, 2011!

Why I love Home

This summer I've managed to make it back to my home town of Dyersville a few times. There's something about hometown friends, family and all the green space on the farm that can't be beat. The second week of June I made it back for a friend's wedding. Here's a group of us doing shots... not my regular choice of alcoholic beverage, but it was a fun wedding nonetheless.

 The next weekend back was for the 4th of July! This is my absolute favorite holiday right behind Christmas. Fireworks make me so happy and BBQs, watermelon and the summer sun are what make summer, summer. Even the Karabou got to hitch a ride to visit her cousins Casey and Gabby.

The other new and fun adventures back home are Troy's chickens. I was shocked when he brought this one-"Rooser" was his name right up to the front door. Rooster follows Troy around and it's pretty adorable.

Troy and Rooster

 

 

 

We also have hens from the Amish that produce some good looking eggs. Troy is out there about 10 times a day checking on the chickens and pulling out the eggs that appear to be "stuck". What a helper.

 This past weekend the family kind of came to me! Instead of a vacation to Montana, we spent the weekend camping at Ledges State Park near Boone. Our first celebration once we all arrived was to congratulate Sarah on being debt free!!!!!!! I am so very, very proud of my big sister. I don't recall the final amount but it was around $30,000 she paid off in about 2 years (with a wedding in there, too!) using Dave Ramsey's envelope system and budgeting advice. That is awesome!

Mom and her tie-dyed honies!

My family is definitely the best thing I'll ever have. Such an amazing group of people with such unique qualities and I love every one of them to pieces. It's always good to be at home with them.

Weekend (well, Friday-Tuesday) Recap

In a nutshell, here's what went down:

Friday
Since Seth was out of town I headed to Gray's Lake with my good friend Kristen for the event "UnWined". Jasper Winery hosts the event with a different local band every time. The band was wonderful and we had a beautiful night while sipping on sangrias. We dined at Rock Bottom Brewery after UnWined was over. Lots of girl talk is my favorite.

Saturday
Saturday started off with a computer training class for the Y. I then snuck in an hour and a half workout while I was there. Once back home, I finally managed to clean and organize my spare bedroom and the rest of my apartment. The evening quickly approached and I found myself online looking at cats available for adoption... thank goodness Kristen saved me and invited me over for margaritas and to show off her new place. Another great night of conversation and friends.

Sunday
I was scheduled to work at the Y again on Sunday. I woke up late and was in serious need of some coffee, so I allowed myself to stop at Starbucks (whoops) before heading to work. A quick 4 hour shift and I was off to an 80 minute Zumba class. I hadn't attended a Zumba class at the Y since I started because it gets so crowded but this one was a complete blasty blast. I didn't even look at the time and the whole session flew. I really encourage you to try out a Zumba class if you have access to one. My favorite part was doing a legit dance to the song "Baby Got Back". You betchya.

Since I was home by 2:00pm and the sun finally came out, I decided to check out the pool at my place. There were no flailing children splashing so I laid out for an hour total (30 minutes on each side). Needless to say, my pasty body fried and I am a complete lobster. Whoops #2 for the day.

Seth came down to visit and we were both very hungry by 5:00pm so we snagged some Jason's Deli. Delicious all around. After groceries from Super Target we shared a small brownie batter blizzard... whoops? It was so worth it.

Monday
The work day was typical yesterday. I went on a hunt for bagged HEPA filter vacuum cleaners for the EPA grant I'm working on. The grant allows kids with asthma who are uninsured or under-insured a home and asthma environmental assessment and modification by partners we have. I scored 3 vacuums from Big Lots.

At the Y I assisted with the Trim Kids program again. Luckily the summer class is 8 weeks and we're on week 5 because I'm ready to have my Monday nights back. I taught a 10 minute session to the parents and kids on intuitive eating. It's good to practice my speaking on topics other than lungs. My workout was a quick 3 mile run around a nearby lake.

Tuesday
Today was not a good day for eating. We had a small party at work to celebrate the end of the fiscal year. It was over the lunch hour but all that was available was cupcakes and chips and salsa. Fail. Good news came from the state capital that hopefully they will pass 2.8 million for the Iowa Quitline and the community partnerships. That means, hopefully, that all the staff at the ALA can stay! Our CEO is also now letting everyone stay until at least July 15 even if their grant doesn't go all the way through until then. Good news and 4 out of 7 people are no longer laid off for now!

I attended the Bosu class again tonight then went for a 5 mile run with my running group. If you're not a runner, this is usually exactly what goes through a runner's mind. Whether you do 2 miles or 26.2 miles, the thoughts will probably be the same. Have a great night and enjoy!

Favorite Blogs

I've been asked before what type of blogs I read and how I find inspiration to do what I do. Most of the blogs are cooking/running type of blogs but I also have some thought provoking blogs on there too. I like to follow blogs that don't have a ton of words and include pictures. I also like individuals who actually have some type of health background and know what they are talking about. Often times, there will be blogs linked to each other so that's how I come across the ones that I read. Once on the site, I read the "about" or "about me" section. From there, I can determine if it will be worth adding it to my Google Reader (best function ever). So... here's what inspires me:

• Iowa Girl Eats - this is Kerry's sister-in-law and she also lives in Des Moines. I've seen her at the gym a few times and just wanted to run over and tell her how big of a fan I was... but that would be especially embarrassing.
• Peanut Butter Runner- I recently found this one and I like how into yoga she is
• 1 Cup Awesome- Another Des Moines couple. I like watching what goes on around the area
• Fitnessista- She's a personal trainer at some resort and I think she has the cutest little family. She's pregnant and share's her journey online and has a dog that looks like Casey... Lauren, you may like this one :)
• Daily Garnish- A vegetarian culinary graduate so her food always looks so good to me. I also like her story of going from couch potato to getting where she is now
• Mark and Angel Hack Life- These posts are sometimes long but this is how I find a lot of overall life inspiration

I'm going to need all the inspiration I can get because I just signed up for a BOOT CAMP beginning at the Y on July 11th. The class will meet Monday-Thursday and will last 90 minutes each day. But don't worry... we're starting at 5:15am so I can be finished with my workout before the time I normally wake up. Dad, I may need a wake-up call for the next few weeks. Since watching my portion sizes and food choices these last few weeks, I've dropped 6 pounds. I'm inspired to keep going and keeping up with blogs and what others are doing is a huge motivating factor for me. I hope you enjoy the ones I like and if not, start searching for the stuff you like. Happy weekend!

The Best Part of Waking Up...

... Is eating a giant cookie for breakfast. Not just any cookie, a healthy one! This morning I rised and shined at 5:00am so I could head to St. Paul until Thursday. Last night I prepared a giant oatmeal cooking with these ingredients:

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 T of almond butter
• 1/2 mashed banana
• 1 tsp ground flax seed
• a pinch (drop?) of vanilla extract

Mix all together, lay across evenly on the plate and stick it in the fridge for the next morning. SO. GOOD! I can't wait to do this more often.

I was on the road by 6:30am with a rented blue Ford Fusion, ice coffee and my James Patterson book on CD in tow. It was a rough drive up. I should have slept more last night... A pee pee break at McDonalds halfway through and I was good to go again. I managed to make it to St. Paul by about 10:30.

I'm attending a COPD Educator's Course in St. Paul this week since I need to replicate it for Iowa when we have our class in March. So far, it's an interesting class. I sat next to a Native American woman named Romaine. She is from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation which is about 45 minutes away from the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Romaine was staying at my same hotel so I offered to give her a ride since she flew in. She gladly accepted and after a quick 45 minute session on the elliptical (go me!) we decided to grab supper together too. For a little background on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 80% of residents are unemployed. The per capita income is about $6,000 a year. The average life expectancy of a man is 48 years and a woman is 52 years. Romaine has two children ages 5 and 6. In February, her daughter found Romaine's husband dead at the age of 40. His family opted not to do an autopsy so the cause of death is unknown, but she did say that heart disease and diabetes is rampant in the community amongst other problems.

That was one of the best dinners I had in a long time. It was apparent Romaine has been struggling with the loss of her husband and really needed someone to talk with. She said her family is not supportive of her grieving and she is really trying to hold it together in front of her kids. She says everywhere she goes and everything she does reminds her of what their family used to do and is a painful reminder that he's not coming back. My heart went out to her. It is hard to comfort someone who has gone through something like this and who has had a hard life when I have never been in any predicament of the sort. I really think all she wanted was to have someone listen to her. We talked about cultural beliefs and she enjoyed educating me on the Native American people.

Culture is one thing that I am passionate about. I thoroughly enjoy learning about different lifestyles of others and trying to get into their head and emotions and feel where they are coming from. Yes, the Indian Reservation is different from the culture we live but it really opens my mind and allows me to appreciate life more knowing what I am blessed with. These are not just a crazy group of drunks who steals America's money. They are real people with lives and real struggles. I think we could all be a little bit more open to other cultures, allowing ourselves to take a walk in their shoes. Who are we to judge, mock or say hurtful things about anyone we do not know. Everyone's situation is different and we all have our burdens but all we can do is support one another and share compassion equally.

Life is good. We're lucky to be here. And I'm grateful you are part of my culture.

What I'm Digging

Hey-o! I wanted to provide you with a few things that I've recently been in to. Here are my recent top five:

1. The Bosu class at the YMCA. I do this on Tuesday nights before I run with the group and it's quite awesome! I never knew what to do with this thing before I took the class but the little half blue ball will whip your butt into shape. We actually do all of the exercises she demonstrates here.
2. Getting out of debt. I'm trying really, really hard to be debt free by Christmas. I've done this by practically emptying out my savings to pay it off. I've also started practicing self-discipline (23 years in the making) and saying "no" to things I "need". Last week, I saw that Jillian had her new DVD on sale at Target and I stopped by after work specifically to get it. I held the DVD in my hand and knew I wouldn't use the DVD for the $9 I would put in it. I put it back and made a B Line out the door without looking back. Crisis averted.
3. Wanting, wait, NEEDING to get a new kitty. Please?! Does it really make me the crazy cat lady if I live alone with two cats? I would get one from the humane society so it's spade and all shots are taken care of. I think Caribou would thank me in the long-run. Oh someone please give me permission!!!
   
4. My new haircut! I took a good 5 inches off my hair last week. So far it isn't too bad and I haven't had big regrets yet. A little angling action in front and it still fits in a ponytail.
5. Setting short-term goals. I'm making baby steps on becoming a better person. Here's what's on my list for the week:

• Nutritional: I will limit my meals to the appropriate portion sizes
• Physical: I will exercise on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 6:00am and incorporate strength training to 2 days per week
• Spiritual: Talk to God at least twice per day
• Family: Call a family member at least once per week
• Work: Create project timelines for FY 12 and have them completed by the end of the week
• Emotional: Stop negative thoughts about myself as they creep up and turn it into something positive

What have you been digging lately?

Starbucks Ain't Got Nothin' on Me

Happy Saturday! How was your day? Mine started off with waking up at 6am to run the Clive Festival 10K (well, 5 miles because the trails were closed to flooding). The race started at 8:00am and I met up with my running group. Some of the group chose to run the 5K and others opted for the longer route. The morning started out as overcast but very humid. You know how you have those days where you can tell it's going to be a bad run before you start? Well, today wasn't one of those days for me. I hammered out the 5 miles in under 50 minutes! Thank goodness for my running coach as he pushed me the last mile of the race. I was audibly gasping for air and my heart rate hit 208 but by golly it felt good to finish with a decent time for once.

I headed home after the race for a quick much needed shower and Seth and I were off to the library. I wanted to pick up a book on tape for my trip to St. Paul next week and another book by a woman shown here. Have you seen this yet? You NEED to check it out! Yes, it is 18 minutes but worth every one of those minutes...

Seth and I then ventured out to find supplies to make our own homemade iced coffee. Yah, I'm hot all the time and since I very rarely drink pop anymore, I opt for the iced coffee route to stay chill. I read a couple blogs on how to make your own iced coffee and it challenged me to try it out too. A large pitcher, cheesecloth and a mesh sink strainer later we were off creating our own concoction. It took 8 hours to brew but tonight I had my first sample and HOLY. COW. I may never go back to Caribou again.... Ha!
Oh yes... having one of these at 9:30pm is totally going to be worth it! If you're really curious on how the process works I'd be happy to share.

The rest of the day was spent working at the Y and getting my groceries all organized for the week. This week I only spent $25 on groceries and it was all fruits, veggies and whole grains. I think part of the reason I had a good run today was what I've been putting in my body since last week. I told myself to cut down on the portion sizes and really start to follow the new Choose My Plate guidelines. I've felt really good and it validates the the fuel you put into your body does make a difference. Now I'm going to get caught up on some cleaning and reading while I sip away at my own cold brew. Have a great rest of your weekend!

I'm Baaaaaack!!!

Well, hello there! Yes, yes it has been six months since I've graced you with my presence. It would be impossible for me to briefly update you on the last six months of my life. Here are just a few highlights:

• I went to San Francisco! In February I went to visit my best friend who was doing a brief internship there. It rained most of the time but I am officially a big girl maneuvering the airport and city bus system by myself. Check out my FB page for a complete photo album.

• I became the newest employee of the YMCA Healthy Living Center. I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE. http://www.ymcahealthylivingcenter.com/. I'm still in "training" since most of the classes happen during the day when I am working full time. So, my work so far consists of giving tours, managing memberships and folding lots and lots of towels. Oh yeah, and I get a free membership.
• Through the YMCA I've also joined a running club. I've met some terrific people so far and our coach is just great. We run Tuesdays, Thursdays and have a long run on the weekend.
• On May 13th, I moved into my own place again. The new 2 bedroom apartment is very spacious and it's great to just hang out. With the purchase of a new TV and a new computer that same week, it was quite an expensive month.
  
• I completed my first Dam to Dam!!! This is the biggest accomplishment yet. 12.4 miles is tough! I was out of commission the whole week before the race with strep or something like it. Not to mention I sprained my foot. Slow and steady didn't win the race but it let me cross the finish line. Go me!

With my biggest goal of running Dam to Dam complete, it is on to other goals. I'm narrowing down my nutritional, physical, emotional, spiritual, and occupational goals and will post updates soon.

Other exciting upcoming things in the next few days:

• June 16-Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!! 32 years and they've still got it. I love them.
• June 18-I am officially 24.5 years old. Holy old balls.
  
• June 19-Happy Father's Day to the man I most look up to-my Dad. So happy you raised me to be the way I am.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates!

Holidays 2010

Well, the weather we are getting today should only be allowed to come ON Christmas Day once everyone has arrived home and is sitting by the fireplace. It's days like today that make me want to move to Florida. Come on all, let's move together now.

I would definitely like to take these girls to Florida with me... I'm sure they have ample amount of state dollars to save lives. Please pray for them as their jobs are up in the air with the massive predicted state budget cuts. On a happy note, we had a great Christmas party at our office. Even Finnegan came by to play. I could just eat that little nugget up.


On to my 24th Birthday... anyone recognize these guys?! I didn't think so... I was the only one who did at P.F. Changs where Seth took me out to lunch on my birthday. My co-worker Krystal had won tickets to Tonic Sol Fa (below) the night before and invited me to go with. They were good! I enjoy A Capella music the way it is, but they were great with the crowd too. They guys are from Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota so I thought they wouldn't mind if I asked for a picture for my birthday. They kindly obliged, however, they were more interested in Seth... don't ask.


After a fun day of shopping for tea for my new Teavana tea maker (thank you, Hunny!), going out to eat (again) and beating the holiday crowds shopping, Seth and I headed back to my place for a nice, relaxing evening and to whip up a batch of tea. I LOVE this tea maker. I've cut myself back from three cups a day to two for now, but I still can't get enough of it. I'm sure my budgeted "blow" money will be reserved for buying more loose-leaf tea. Oh well, better than alcohol, right?



I've realized I haven't taken as many pictures as I wanted to over Christmas. For Christmas, our CEO generously granted us three additional days off. Bobbie Jo and I headed back to Dubuque county on the 22nd where I was able to successfully surprise Mom and Dad. Lauren and I spent the day at Grandma Thier's house on Wednesday helping her "squeeze the shit outta it", referring to the spinach for the ever famous spinach dip. Grandma Thier is the cutest, sweetest, most-witty 88-year-old I have ever seen. I love her to pieces and think (and worry) about her daily.

Sarah and Chris arrived on the night of the 23rd where we were able to begin the Thier Family Christmas events: drink and binge... and beg to open presents. We were able to open everything on Christmas Eve and I received everything I could want. Our immediate family time was cut short on Christmas Day when before we knew it, everyone scattered again. Sarah, Chris and I went to Alvord to celebrate Christms in that area. I under estimated how hard it would be to leave my family behind to spend time with another loved one. So many times I wish I could be more than one place at once. Next year, I hope we can make arrangements to spend at least two full days together as a family without other arrangements. With the events happening lately, it has really put into perspective how important family, friends, and health are. The picture below is taken in Alvord on Christmas Day.


2011 has arrived. Resolutions are still resonating and I would like to state mine so I don't forget them next week. Here they are:
1. Run the Dam to Dam (scheduled June 4th if you want to join the 13 mile run with me!)
2. Stay adherent to my budget system. I have ROCKED so far this month!! Plus I found $10 on Saturday in the snow... I hope it's karma for something else good I did lately.
3. Attend church or pray more regularly - try to find that piece of life I'm missing.
4. Tell my family and friends more that I love them. You may never know when it's your last.
5. Drink more water and less pop
6. Try not to stress the small stuff - a.k.a. stare at my happy light longer.
7. Blog more.

On that note... hopefully you'll hear from me again next week. Drive safe and keep warm, everyone.

I Couldn't Take it Anymore

So if you know me, you are well aware of a few things:
1. I'm a terrible liar - I don't like to do it, I'm bad at it, and I don't like when others lie
2. Sometimes I get over excited which leads to how I...
3. Can't keep fun secrets

This means Christmas is always a very hard time for me. The joy of giving someone a gift makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside and I want that feeling, well, as soon and as often as possible. That's why when Seth braved the blizzard and made it down to Des Moines this weekend, I couldn't take it anymore.

I had bought his gift on Black Friday and stocked it up until I wrapped it this week. There it was. Waiting in the corner to be opened. I swear Seth only shaves when he visits me so when I catch him off guard and he still has to shave - I jump on it. He presented the perfect opportunity to use that gift of his within the first five minutes. I begged him to open his present. And kept begging and begging. He did reluctantly, just to shut me up. I had tricked him and put the surprised gift in an even bigger box so he would have no idea what I got him. Here it goes....!!!!


He likes it!

I know it is only December 11th, but I am never any good at waiting for things. He still has yet to buy my Birthday and Christmas gift. Now I have set the bar for the both of those events :)

In other news, not a ton has been going on here. I invested in a Verilux Happy Light 6000 to try and for-go my seasonal blues. Who doesn't get a little down when you have about 9 hours of daylight each day and are inside for ALL of it?

Well, let me tell you, this puppy works! I could skip around my office all day after a few hours in front of my happy light. I should move it closer so I can get a face tan while I'm at it... You do have to sit in front of it for at least two hours a day.

I also ordered my first batch of Pampered Chef items since I am now a real cook. Soon I will have three paring knives, an apple corer and a meat/potato smasher! Thanks for the great party, Krystal!

Seth and I were also able to successfully run the Living History Farms race a few weeks ago. No dressing up this year, but next year for sure!


I have no plans for my 24th Birthday next Saturday yet but hopefully I can stay up past 10:00 pm with this geri body.

Hopefully everyone's Christmas shopping is going well. I've been doing a lot of shopping online. Great way to avoid the crowds and lines. The plans for the rest of today involve doing some baking and hopefully dragging Seth to Love and Other Drugs. I hear it's a good one!

Stay warm out there and DRIVE SAFE if you have to go out. It sure would be a nice time to have a CR-V... :)

For the love of Honey Crisps

How can you not love this season? Football is on (and I finally understand it!), the feeling of the crisp air in your lungs, and the best apple time ever! To indulge in the season, I suggested to Seth we visit an apple orchard. Since he's never even heard of an apple orchard, it was a must that we went. After scrounging through our limited orchard options, Seth and I settled on Center Grove Apple Orchard in Cambridge, IA. We had to be directed where to park and the flow of traffic was steady. Low and behold, we were the only ones there without kids... Our first step was the giant store which had samples of jellies, apples, dips, sauces and sweets. Since we couldn't decide what to get, we tried the peanut butter chocolate fudge, apple pie with ice cream and a warm glass of apple cider. YUM! Then, after a quick trip to the potty barn, we were off to check out the other goodies Center Grove had to offer. Among them: a corn pool, apple slingshot, giant bouncing pillow, and a hayride, just to name a few. The attraction we decided to conquer was the corn maze. I've never been in a corn maze which is sad knowing how many years the Field of Dreams had one to offer. The corn maze we went out had a game which you could find 10 items located throughout the course. Every time you found an item, you got to punch what you found and in the end you could take it back to the store for a prize. Seth and I took it among ourselves to make sure we didn't stop until we had every item punched. Literally 3 hours later we came out of the 4-acre maze exhausted, but with a win.

We limped back to the store to get what I really came for - the HONEY CRISP apples! Oye these things are just too much awesomeness to be so healthy. You pay for what you get, but it is so worth it. We ran into Deb there and she convinced me to get the caramel dip too... hmm, ok, talked me into it. I have been eating 3-4 honey crisps a day with the decadent dip since Sunday and I could use another one right now. The biggest thing I'm going to miss about the summer and early fall seasons are the fresh fruits and vegetables. Going to frozen and canned items for the next 6 months sounds disgusting. I hate winter.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I'm glad you can't get a good look at my shirt - I had to break down and buy an Iowa State shirt for tailgating, but I made it pink! It was great to feel like a kid again, indulge on some sweets and go on the corn maze challenge. There won't be too many more days to spend outside, just enjoying the weather and the colors of the season. Now who wants an apple?!...

There was a lot of Thrusting

And pumping! I'm talking about Zumba!!! Tonight after my (almost regular) Tuesday and Thursday body pump class, I stuck around another hour to figure out what this Zumba business was about. The same instructor who leads the body pump also leads this class and she mentioned it was a great cardio workout so I wanted to see for myself. Oh, and the fact that I had 2 pieces of pizza from Sam's Club and a giant pop for lunch left me feeling a little guilty. But it was only $4.88 for all of that! Anyway, Zumba is a dance class that incorporates different styles of dance moves into easy-to-learn but fast-paced steps. Here's an example:


My instructor was absolutely right. Our warm-up started off with us "pumping" our hips - I actually had to stop and giggle, loudly. Apparently this is normal because everyone else looked at me when I did. Let me tell you something else: this white girl CAN'T dance! But it sure was fun to try! Over my two hours of body pump and Zumba, I burned just over 900 calories and I had a great time doing it! I'm sure with anything, practice will make me look like less of a fool. I was also surprised to see that many of the people in Zumba didn't know what they were doing so I fit in great. I stood next to the man weighing in at over 200 pounds for added security, but I sometimes lost sight of how much space was around me and ran into him once or twice... whoops. My favorite parts were dancing to the songs on the radio that I really like right now since I sometimes jam out on my own. I'm going to try and make this a Tuesday/Thursday night ritual to try and put less stress on my body while running. As the weather is cooling off (65 degrees outside now!) I am going to need another outlet than the treadmill every day. I'm proud of myself that I tried something else new since I usually avoid dancing because I'm self-conscious. Time to get out of my comfort zone... slowly but surely! I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to break out a little and just have fun, especially because no one cares how silly you look!

I've Been a Bad Girl

In the last few weeks while I was abandoning my blogging... I was out shopping. I'm not sure what got into me but boy did I BUY!!!! Among the goodies:




A ROCKIN' new iPod and Nike Fit!!! This is what I've saved up my tax return money for. It took a long time picking out which color I wanted. The Nike Fit is amazing and it talks to me. I've also been putting my songs on shuffle more lately and have been discovering many goodies I've been missing. Love my iPod.

On July 17, Seth and I got slightly impulsive. We/I decided to see O.A.R. in Davenport. Not only is O.A.R. my favorite band EVER. It had been a full two years since I've seen them in concert!! Show #5 proved to be just as amazing... oh, and wait for it...









I GOT TO MEET JERRY DEPIZZO!!!!!! Seth and I wandered around Davenport for a while following the concert and when we were too hot to walk any more, we decided to head back to the car. We saw a crowd gathering around the bus and low and behold - Jerry stood. I blabbered to him that "This is my, uh, fifth show... heeheehee" and "I played the sax in high school so I know how hard it was" - ner. But he was nice enough to stand next to me and take a picture before I panicked.





Once we got back from the concert, I was feeling the need for some healthy cooking choices. I destroyed my body in Davenport at the Filling Station - dessert and all. So it was time to jump back on the wagon. After scrounging through many good options, I found "Healthy Cooking for Two" which was full of healthy things I never heard of.




It took a while to find something in the cook book without going out and buying all the ingredients from scratch. But I did it! My concoctions for this week were:


Quinoa, peppers, mushrooms and onions








Marinated chicken, sauteed cucumbers and sweet potatoes. All had different seasonings and all were delicious!!









Lentils and leeks. First time buying both of these ingredients. I made this tonight after I made the above meal. Directions say to eat it over a fresh green salad but I may just warm it up and eat it with something else tomorrow. But I made my breakfast for tomorrow tonight - Green Monster! This beast has handfuls of spinach, a banana, blueberries, almond butter, milk and ice in it. I'd like to make it with Almond Breeze and whey protein sometime for a meal. Delicious!


BAM! Check out this guy!! Splurge number 15 for the month. My blow budget is all but gone. I have been eyeing this beauty for months and finally broke down and got it. This tumbler from Starbucks allows you to create your own tumbler. I've been itching to have some more creativity and wanted to check this out. I have yet to finalize my plans for the design but I'm sure it will be glorious. Since I've been cutting back on my caffeine and coffee consumption, I've been drinking water and crystal light. I've encountered some headaches but know it will be just fine!











In other sad news, I had to say goodbye to Brenna this weekend. They had a nice going away party at Pat's partents' house. Pat was accepted into medical school at USC where he'll be there at least the next three years. Brenna isn't too excited about it and neither am I. I did, however, have the best (and only) salmon burger I've ever had. I went right out and bought myself a package to try myself.

There's been a few changes at work in regards to Active with Asthma. We still only have 11 kids registered which is not 100 like we were planning. I really hope the day turns out ok and things flow as needed. I've also been trying to work on the Asthma Educator Institute more so make that a successful program. I'm enjoying my job better and feel like I have a better handle on it lately. I need to keep up my self confidence which makes a HUGE difference.

This weekend is RAGBRAI weekend!! There will be a big extravaganza including a fish fry on Friday and a hog roast on Saturday. It will be great to be home and see family again for another special occasion. Wooo!!!