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Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon Recap!

Post author By admin
Post date September 23, 2020

This picture kind of put me in shock when I saw it!

I slept like a rock on Friday night. I don’t think I moved the entire night and that was a good feeling because I woke up feeling refreshed and ready. The lower mileage this last week also made it so that my legs felt fresher than they have in a very long time. I was eager to run after dropping down the mileage and taking Friday off.

Emilee picked me up and we drove to the busses. I ate two pieces of bread with jam and drank my 2.5 scoops of UCAN. I had a gel 15 minutes before the race started along with my Nanohydr8. We jumped on the busses and got to the start.

We took a group photo in front of a honeybucket because I guess there is a contest to win one if you tag them ha. They want to put one where we do a lot of our workouts, ha, so cross your fingers for us.

Emilee and I did a .6 mile warm-up (ps we are really learning we need more like a 2 mile warm-up for half marathons but we ran out of time) and the race started at 7:08. It was so nice and cool and we had awesome cloud cover along with a tailwind = the perfect recipe for a PR.

Hobble Creek is much different than a lot of the Utah races but it’s still at elevation which is awesome. The work starts in mile 2 and you have rollers pretty much from the first few miles until mile 10 and then it’s flat till the end with a small downhill for part of the last mile. I definitely noticed my weakness on the uphills cardio/muscular wise so I NEED to work on that. But I was pretty happy with how I maintained an evenish pace throughout the race pretty much the entire time. My last mile was a 6:02 and mile 7 was by far the hardest mile for me (6:21)… mentally and physically the hills felt never-ending.

I saw Andrew and the girls at mile 10 and that always gives me a huge boost in energy.

I’m very very lucky to have this crew and of course the stuffed dog was there too to cheer for me.

The last .1 miles is on the grass which definitely felt strange to get on after 13 miles on the roads. PS the clock was about 20 seconds off.

Flowers and medals at the end. There were a few PRS from our crew which was so fun to celebrate together.

But not as good as the apple fritter and breakfast burrito (where I added extra salt to it) at home from Andrew afterwards.

Time for all of my random thoughts now:

*Listen to this podcast episode the night before your next big race or workout. My friend sent it to me and it was just what I needed to get my head in the right place for the race. There was a line that I thought about a few times in the last few miles when she was talking about the tough choices we have to make during our runs—> throw in the towel or drop down the hammer? We have the choice and like she said in this episode… what’s the worst that could happen if we choose to drop down the hammer? We breathe heavier or our legs feel more dead? I kept reminding myself to make the choice to throw down the hammer.

There were so many things I took away from this episode and it was so good for my mental training!

*I have a new invention for Garmin. I want a watch that I can put in a time (ie for the half I would put in a 1:19:59) and then in the final miles it will give me a prompt of what I need to run the next mile in to hit that goal. I am BEYOND thrilled with my time but it would be nice to have my watch do the math for me to get my next goal of a sub 1:20 in my next half marathon:). Math during a race or hard workout is really hard!

*My coach says I look really angry and tight when I race… I’ll work on not being so tight when I race but I don’t know if I can fix my angry face. I’M HURTING hahaha

*I LOVED meeting Marissa, Natalie and Kim. They all had great races and I love meeting my internet friends!

*I tried TWO new things (which is a big deal for this creature of habit)—> I didn’t do the power bun (just a high ponytail) and I wore spandex. The spandex rode up the whole time (a pair from like 5 years ago ha) but it didn’t bother me at all and I felt faster in my spandex vs normal shorts. I need to grab a pair of black Senita ones for St. George so I get the benefit of them not riding up and feeling faster;)

*I raced in the Brooks Hyperion and did the other miles in my Levitates.

*I used my Clif Citrus gels (one right before the race started) and one at mile 7! The one at mile 7 got all over my hands. When I finished the race I just wanted to wash my hands so so badly because having sticky hands for 6 miles was annoying.

*I haven’t worn this necklace during a race for a while and every time I felt it during the race it brought the kid’s faces into my brain and I loved that. The perfect distraction from feeling like my legs were going to fall off.

*Am I doing my best in this moment? <—I asked myself this question at least 6 times a mile and I’ll do this at St. George in 6 weeks and 5 days. There is no point thinking about what I THINK I will be doing/feeling in two miles or five miles, all I need to do is be in the moment that I am in. Whenever I asked myself this question it made me feel calm and in control… because I am in control of THAT moment. When I asked myself the question there were times that I replied no to myself and sped up a little or worked on my form. There were also times where I would say yep, I’m doing my best in this moment and just hold on. Nothing else matters but the step you are in so focus on making that step your best and it will all piece together. I love evaluating my NOW rather than wasting energy worrying about the future in running and life. It has helped me a lot with anxiety (but I still have a lot of work to do in the everyday life part of this but the work is worth it:).

*When I finished I thought for sure I was going to puke. I laid down on the grass and it took a few minutes to want to stand up again. I really got out of my comfort zone.

*This race was small but it brought the FASTEST girls. There was a pro there and a lot of girls that ran for BYU or other big colleges. Having a fast field helped me to run a lot faster than I would have without them in front of me. I was 9th overall for the women and I told Andrew before the race that I would be thrilled being in the top 10 so I was very excited.

*Utah races are always the best for kids! They also had snow cones for the kids too.

*I can officially say I never once felt nervous for this race… not even right before it started. I used to race and feel sick from nerves leading up to it but between racing ALL OF THE TIME (and it feeling normal now) and not putting pressure on myself (besides just trying my best for what my legs, brain and body can give me that day)… the nerves are GONE and I love it.

*Post race my hamstrings were tight again but other than that everything feels great. 24ish miles total for the day (20.3 miles in the morning and 4 miles later).

*During the race I would be worried for a second about how hard I was breathing but then I reminded myself that that is NORMAL. We just have to keep getting more and more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Being okay with heavy breathing and legs that feel like they are zapped of energy during a race brings the PRs.

*I’ve never gotten a flower from a race and I loved that… I’m a big flower person and so is Skye apparently.

*It took 4 years to break my half marathon PR (and I did have a baby in there but I’m just reminding you… not every race is a pr and sometimes it just takes a lot of time). I thought it was funny because it took me 8 years to break my marathon PR and half that time to beat my half PR. Numbers are fun.

Thanks for reading and I hope your Monday is a great one!

Tags half marathon, my half marathon, running

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Nia’s Cute Quirks #2

Post author By admin
Post date April 7, 2015

It’s been over a month since I did the first installment of Nia’s cute quirks, so I thought I would throw another one out there! Her phrases are getting funnier and funnier. Enjoy!

-Making peanut butter one morning, I had her sitting on the counter and while it was processing, she yells out, “I LOVE peanut butter!”

-She threw a piece of mango on the ground in the house and when I asked her what she was doing, she said, “Birds!” (No silly, the birds only feed off of food on the ground OUTside.)

– “Home!”

What she’ll say when we’re out shopping and she sees something we have at home.

-“Let’s hear it.”

What she’ll say when she’s sitting on the potty waiting to pee (and especially after we’ve had a few false calls and I’m ready for her to just go!)

-When she sees something she likes a lot: “This is SO cool.”

-While sitting on the potty with me there, she’ll grab my face and give me a long kiss while tilting her head to one side

-I told her, “Daddy is out to dinner with a friend.” She replied, “My friend is Mama.”

-One time I used one of her cups for a “big drink” and told her so she wouldn’t take a sip out of it as well, and then another morning when I was pouring some water into that same cup, she said, “Mama’s big drink.” Whoops!

-She successfully knows, can say, and identify the following artists on her own: Sia, Ariana Grande, Jared Leto (aka Thirty Seconds to Mars), Taylor Swift, Demi (Lovato)

-While driving to dinner and stopped at a light, Tyler reached back to give her a high five and she said, “No daddy. Go driving!” And so the rejection begins.

Tags toddler, what toddlers say

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Taking Action With Action! (Giveaway)

Post author By admin
Post date April 6, 2015

A while back, I had the opportunity to try out some new workout clothing. Now, if you’re familiar with who I am and what I stand for then you should know that workout clothing is put very high in the rank of “what to wear” for me. If we’re talking stats, let’s just say that existing in this type of clothing accounts for 75% of my day (the other 25% being pajamas. How cool am I??). So it’s a pretty big deal when you’re sent some to try out…aka live in.

The company in question here is not your average workout apparel line either, it’s a little company that has a big message: take control of our lives and our dreams. The company is Actio926 and it was founded by Stephanie Radkay. She has a rather interesting story for the start of her company and I love that action is Latin for action. She has done it all: marathon runner, commodity broker, cheerleader, and dreamer to name a few. And now she wants to inspire us to get active and stay active while wearing technically driven, higher fashion, super comfortable gear. She’s doing this all–running her business and inspiring others–in LA while making sure any clothing item is tested and retested by her, personally. She’s my kind of lady ;).

I was given the chance to try out one top and one bottom item, so I went with Own the Draft for the top and Rock the Course legging for the pants.

I’m not usually one to dive into dangerous (read: new, uncomfortable, brightly colored) territory, but I did so this time with the leggings because even before realizing the color, I loved that they offer light compression, helping give muscles the support they need through a workout. I’ve never experienced this before in a workout pant, so I was intrigued.

First impression: Apart from being resistant to the color (I’m still working on the kinks in my silly brain), they are light-weight, and do have the support feeling I was hoping for from the description. I can definitely see myself getting a lot of use out of them, probably mostly in running.

As for the top, I don’t know why I decided on a long sleeve going into summer. I guess my focus was on “black and/or something less wild than the pants.”

First impression: When first putting the top on, I thought that it did not look the same on me as it did on (the model on) the website. I really wanted it to work better than I feel it does. The wider neckline looks much different/wider on me than what I thought it was, given the images online. But that’s ok. It happens. It’s often hard to get the true feel for something by just looking online. If I could do it again, I probably would have gone with a tank, due to sensibility for the season change. The top is super comfortable though and pretty good in length. It also has the added bonus of having thumbholes (that can sometimes be a take-home for me).

I don’t like to limit my workout clothing to just one activity, so I made sure to test out Action in all areas.

Jumping.

Running.

Yoga (which kind of, sort of felt like hot yoga underneath that sun).

Handstand.

Because I think that’s pretty much what it comes down to having functional workout clothing, that not only looks pretty when you’re in it partaking in your activity but feels good and comes from a company wanting you to get active and take control. That’s pretty powerful. So powerful that now it’s your turn to reap the benefits.

Actio926 is giving you the opportunity to win a clothing item (either top or bottom) of your choice! All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me what helps keep you active. I will select a winner on Friday (04/10). Good luck!

Disclosure: Through my partnership with Fit Approach, this post is sponsored by Actio926. I also received a top and a pair of pants to review. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Tags Actio926, giveaway, review, Sweat Pink

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The Day My Toddler’s Head Might Explode

Post author By admin
Post date March 21, 2015

Today is the day, people. We’re going to see Frozen on Ice!! In preparation for it, we had a girls’ night of watching the movie and eating chocolate last night. If that isn’t the best way to lead into today, then I don’t know what it is!

Nia will also be rocking her braid (seen above) and her Elsa shirt from grandma. She’s all set and probably doesn’t even know what’s she’s going to. I might be just as excited as she will be because it’s funny how once you become a parent you get so much enjoyment from seeing your child unbelievably happy. It’s one of those parent things that you can’t help but smile over.

I just wanted to keep it sweet and short and to say, enjoy your weekend wherever you are!!

Tags family outing, Frozen on Ice, Toronto

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I’m Back Home!

Post author By admin
Post date March 16, 2015

Hey and happy Monday! Today I come at you from the beautiful, tropical, amazingly hot… oh wait, I’m not in Florida anymore. I’m back in Canada! Nia and I flew in super early on Saturday morning and we are here until next Tuesday. We flew into Buffalo, NY and my mom picked us up at the airport, which is a couple hour from her house. My mom knows the way to my heart because, on our drive back to her house, we stopped in Burlington to grab lattes and baked goodies from Kelly’s Bake Shoppe.

And then we stocked up on a few things from Whole Foods, which included my beloved vegan pizza. I swear no other Whole Foods does a vegan pizza as good as the Oakville location. And I actually told the girl that, haha!

Once we made it back to my hometown, we picked up a few more things like some groceries for me and Nia and then got take-out dinner. I pretty much hit all the places I wanted to as soon as I was home! You don’t know what you’ll miss until it’s gone, or the alternative, until you’re gone.

Then yesterday, we kept up with the fun of me getting my dose of Canadian essentials, and ventured to Guelph (my old university stomping grounds last year!). We went to the mall there so we could get some of David’s Tea.

They actually had this sale that ended yesterday prompting our visit: buy 2 get 3. So I pretty much got a tea for free that I would have bought anyways on this trip home. Everyone loves those deals! Then we went for lunch at a place near and dear to my heart; it’s where my uni besties and I used to go all the time. I ordered some vegan nachos to split with my sis and then got a curry lentil soup as a starter. It was a picture-less day because I was too busy enjoying it!

After Nia was in bed that night, I FaceTimed Tyler. It was nice getting to catch up (even though he was making popcorn without me there while I was talking to him).

Definitely miss that guy and I know Nia does, too!

The plan for the week is to just hangout and enjoy family, along with embracing my dry skin (which happened within 12 hours of landing in the cold), and then we’re taking Nia to Frozen on Ice on Saturday and I cannot wait to see her reaction.

What are your plans for the week?

Tags back home, Guelph, Whole Foods

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1, 2, 3

Post author By admin
Post date March 9, 2015

Happy Monday! How is the time change treating you all? Can I be honest for a minute? This is how detached I am from the real world; I had no idea daylight savings was this weekend. That just goes to show I need to get a life back to have a reason to know about this sort of thing!

For today, I thought I would try something fun. I saw Carrots ‘N’ Cake do something similar to this morning (the whole numbers thing going on in my title) and I loved the idea, so I’m doing it, but with less numbers (she went to ten!). I thought I would give you three things with the number corresponding to that thing!

ONE: New show. On Friday, I started watching Once Upon A Time. I’ve seen the previews on TV for it in the past and I’ve always been intrigued, so when I saw it pop up in “suggestions” for me on Netflix, I thought, let’s give it a try. It also didn’t hurt that Jamie Dornan is in the first half of the first season ;). So far I’m really enjoying it (minus a deceased Jamie Dornan’s character – that was a sad episode to see come). I love how different the style and theme is from regular shows. It’s about fairytales characters who are trapped in reality (but it switches between the actual fairytale times and then them in the present day reality), but have no clue who they are. The only person who knows the truth is the evil witch because she put a curse on everyone to forget who they are. They also do different plays on the fairytales, so they’re not exactly the traditional story that we know. I’m only on season one, but super interested to see how they stretch the story and the characters over the following seasons.

TWO: Queen-sized beds side-by-side on Saturday night. Tyler was away this weekend for work (junior golfers in a tournament 1.5 hours from where we live) but had his own room so Nia and I went to stay with him on Saturday night. It was so awesome for Nia to have her own big bed, but I’m not going to lie, I was in light sleep mode all night every time she turned in her sleep because I wanted to make sure she wasn’t close to the edge to fall off! We did have a pillow barricade on both sides of the bed but the worrier in my couldn’t let that be enough. Of course she did fine and was nowhere near tumbling over, but it was nice knowing that I was pretty much lying right beside her had anything happened. This also solidifies the fact that it’s time to retire our queen-sized bed to her and upgrade to a king!!

THREE: Pure Barre classes within a week’s span. After 1:10pm today, I will have completed the third barre class that I’ve been enjoying so much. The only part of barre that I don’t enjoy is being a rookie. If the teacher is not demonstrating, but instead walking around the class and instructing us what to do, I find I constantly have to look around the room to make sure I’m doing it right. Also, I feel like if I miss one thing she says (which often happens), then I wonder if I’m even doing the move right. I wish, especially for the barre portion of the workout, that’s when she was at the barre consistently to show us the move before walking around. That’s my only beef with the class, but again, if I keep doing more barre then it will become a non-issue. I’ve really been loving this style of a workout!

There you go! I hope you have a lovely start to the week and catch you soon

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Twice in One Week

Post author By admin
Post date March 6, 2015

Well, we made it to Friday. How is everyone feeling? I am exhausted. I’ve been doing a lot lately (and by the time I get home at night, blogging is out the window!), so I’m ready for some R&R tonight. And perhaps some wine. Lots of o’ wine!

I mentioned on Wednesday that my friend Mel is in town with her hubby and his work for a convention… well, that convention is for helicopters. Super cool, right? (He’s a helicopter mechanic by profession.) So yesterday I picked Mel up and we headed over to the convention so Nia could experience something new and interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever really been up close and personal with a helicopter, so it was pretty fascinating. Nia kept calling them ‘airplanes’ but hey, I totally get why – some felt as big as airplanes.

This particular one floats on water. Mind = boggled.

The going rate on a helicopter is well above what I ever would have thought it to be. It seems I have a bit to learn in the area.

Apart from going to this and all the other activities, we have been partaking it, like kiddie pool swimming, or lululemon shopping (and taking selfies to ask the husband if these are valid/good items to purchase),

I’ve also been fitting fitness classes in like my life depended on it.

Remember me saying on Wednesday how I hoped Pure Barre didn’t destroy me? Well, ya, it did, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the music, the moves, and how different the workout felt compared to others. Plus, picking a morning class on a Wednesday luckily meant only a few other people and not a jam-packed room.

I was thankful that Mel braved it with me for the first class ever just because new situations are always a little intimidating (especially when you arrive there with only a few minutes to spare, which we did). We gave each other multiple looks throughout the class, like, holy eff this kills, which was nice to know we were on the same page. I left feeling challenged, but not overly in torturous pain. And then the next day happened: calves, my butt, my side above my hips sore – all places I wasn’t expecting! (I also should mention that I did attend hot yoga that same night, so maybe it was the combo of the two that put me over the edge.)

And then I did what any (in)sane person would do – I registered for another barre class for today (this afternoon). I only have four days left to use my ClassPass and I love that I can attend Pure Barre two more times with it (because it’s a total of three max at the same studio). After today’s class, I hope I can make it to another one on Monday. I can’t wait to see what today’s workout has in store and how my muscles will react to being re-challenged so soon! I think my body secretly likes all the challenges I’m putting on it lately. Plus, it really needs a bit of butt-kicking.

And then for the weekend, my agenda is as so: vino drinking tonight, possibly with popcorn, farmers’ market on Saturday morning, which I hope my grandparents will attend with me, and then heading to meet up with Tyler on late Saturday afternoon because he’ll be away this weekend at a golf tourney for his players. Nia and I are going to keep him company one night and then hang by the pool while he works.

What are you up to this weekend?

Have you ever tried Pure Barre? If so, what was your first experience like?

Tags ClassPass, fitness, fitness classes, Orlando, Pure Barre, workout

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People Actually Come To Visit!

Post author By admin
Post date March 4, 2015

Hey guys! I’m putting this post together while I enjoy a (big) glass of vino. So, cheers (even if it is the morning when you’re reading and you’re sipping something other than alcohol!).

So what’s fun is that while we moved away from pretty much all of our friends and family, we had a bunch come into town all at once. First, last week I told you about my grandparents arriving here (and are my saving grace for future outings alone!), well my sis-in-law also spent all last week here, so we went to visit her, along with my in-laws on the weekend. She was supposed to go home on Sunday but extended her trip a few extra days, which I think was wise because the weather was just gorgeous on Monday and Tuesday.

We got to have a night/dinner out with her on Saturday night, and that was fun…as always!

And then my friend Mel is in Orlando because her hubby has a convention going on right now. Last week she didn’t know if it was going to happen, but I’m so glad it was a go. I spent yesterday afternoon with her by the pool with Nia, and it was tons of fun. Although Nia was done-zo by the time we left. Two hours in the pool will do that to a toddler!

Mel and I are actually attending a Pure Barre class this morning, and I’m super excited to try it out. Can you tell the class to not kill me though? I can already hear my legs crying out in pain…and fear. Our reward for attending the class is going to the outlet mall afterward. Perhaps I can find a gem in lululemon.

And now… I thought it might be fun to do a few categories with a few points in each. Do you dig it? Ok, sorry. I’m just trying to be creative.

BLOG

-Designing a new blog header is very hard when you’re an indecisive individual. I’m trying so hard to narrow down what it is I’m looking for BUT I JUST CAN’T DO IT!!! Suggestions?

-When we were driving back home on Sunday, the hubby went over some future blog ideas with me and I’m super excited. We came up with some good stuff. I hope you’ll like it.

-Run Happy still isn’t wetting my whistle. Again, I do apologize for the lackluster posts. I promise you that with switching blogs again (soon!) and coming up with blog ideas with the hubby, I can’t wait to fall back in love with blogging. I do miss the regularity of it.

WORKOUTS

-My ClassPass expires in a week and I’m hustling to get more classes in (I wanted to do at least five in the cycle). I had it scheduled to do a class this Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I think I’m on track for that to happen. I just need to decide on a Friday class and double-check that my grandparents can watch the little stinker.

(Disclosure: I was given a month ClassPass to try out for free. As always, all opinions are my own though.)

-HOT yoga vs. WARM yoga: warm yoga is what my Monday ClassPass class encompassed, and I can’t really say I was a fan. I either want hot yoga or just your plain Jane, regular yoga. It was actually a detox yoga class and I liked that about it, but I guess I need to double-check the print on the studio temps before I hop on board. I’m hoping to give Bikram another shot this coming Monday (two weeks after the original time I tried it) to see if it grows on me a little more. The first time left me feeling weeewwww!

-I really need to incorporate running back into my workout routine. I thought I didn’t miss it, but I saw a lot of people out running yesterday as I was driving around and was kind of wishing it was me (just maybe not in the middle of the day with the heat those crazies were doing it in). That’s a big indicator that I’m ready to reintroduce it. Don’t even ask when the last time I ran was.

AWKWARDNESS

-Because I love being that person, I rocked a bathroom selfie out to dinner on Saturday night.

-I only legitimately put on make-up if I know I’m going out. So if you want to see my better side, wine & dine me ;).

-Saving the best for last: ummm, Fifty Shades of Grey – THE MOVIE. I have this website that uploads TV shows right after they’re aired and movies soon after they’re released (to stream instead of downloading), so when I saw the fifty movies on there the other day, I just had to see it. It’s been killing me. Too bad it was so disappointing and just awful. I’m soooo glad I didn’t end up paying a movie for that thing. They completely ruined it. I heard that the author had creative issues with the director and might just direct the next two movies herself – I say, maybe she should just remake the first one (I mean, do we know that Jamie Dornan is even confirmed for the next two – you can’t just switch Christian Grey mid-trilogy!), and go from there. Man, the movie was so terrible. I highly suggest you read the book for a redemption.

ENTERTAINMENT

-Have you watched the show ‘Repeat After Me’?

Where they get celebrities to repeat exactly what is being fed to them through an earpiece. OH, MAN. It’s so hilaaaaarious. Kristen Bell was my fave. The video above is from last week with Kristen Bell appearance.

-I heard the saddest news I’ll ever hear when it comes to my love for Jared Leto. He cut his hair for his role as the Joker in the upcoming movie, Suicide Squad. RIP ombre locks.

-I have yet to watch the new show ‘Secrets & Lies’ starring Ryan Phillippe, but seriously judging by the previews for it, it looks so badass and now I can’t wait until we can watch it.

Tell me one piece of news about YOU!

Tags ClassPass, Pure Barre

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What I’m Loving Friday

Post author By admin
Post date February 27, 2015

Hi all and happy Friday! I kind of skipped out on you guys during the week, so to make up for that I’m going over what I’m loving from the week. I have some really good upcoming posts I can’t wait to share, but I actually decided that I will wait to post them while I’m out of limbo (i.e.: moving to the new non-limbo blog space soon). That way I can watermark with the new name. And that’s partially why I didn’t really feel like blogging mid-week. I did have one lifestyle post that I did plan to share the other day, but then my program I use for blogging wasn’t sending the draft from my computer to the blog, so I said, screw it! So, there’s that! I just am feeling sort of detached from my blog space right now, although super excited for new things to come, so I’m sorry for the lack of enthusiasm, in the process.

Anyways, without further ado, what I’m loving…

Newly highlighted hair. I fiiiiiiiinally got my hair highlighted on Wednesday morning. I usually go every three months, but between the move and being scared to find someone new down here, I put it off an extra month. I swear ever since having Nia, my ash blond turns yellow so quickly. Not to mention I had nasty roots and split ends. Along with making it nice and blond again, I got a couple of inches cut off. I really like the girl I saw for my color (the cut was done by someone else), so hopefully, I have a new stylist that can keep giving me what I want!

I only have the ‘before’ picture for my hair. Go figure.

Grandparents arriving in town last night. My grandparents came back to Florida yesterday, so we asked them to join us for dinner at Seasons 52. We arrived there and even though we had a reservation, somehow our table still wasn’t ready for us 30 mins later, and my grandparents were nowhere to be found. We took a risk and left, hoping they wouldn’t show up.

Unfortunately for them, with delays at the airport (for baggage claim and renting a car), they arrived way later than anticipated, but we magically bumped into them at Whole Foods somehow instead. I’m so happy I randomly saw them, so we actually did end up eating dinner together! And this brings me to my next point…

Drinking while grocery shopping. When we arrived at Whole Foods, we placed the order for our pizza and then walked around to get some items. Also with the hassle of waiting previously at the restaurant, Tyler and I had magically aligned our thoughts on needing a drink. I think it’s the best invention ever to allow your customers to drink and grocery shop. Tyler joked that I’m going to start coming to WF every day now. He might be right. He also joked that when he’s drinking, it’s a better opportunity for me to ask him for items because he’ll most likely say ‘yes’ to purchasing them, haha.

Friends coming into town this weekend. My friend and her hubby are coming to Orlando for his work (a conference), but she almost didn’t think it was going to happen. Luckily, two days ago I got the confirmation that it’s a go. I’m reeeeeally looking forward to seeing her and spending some time with her. Plus, since my grandparents are now in town, they’ll be able to watch Nia if I just want to venture off with my friend, Mel, alone. We’re planning on hitting up some cocktails and then going to see Fifty Shades, plus suntanning, shopping, and hopefully I can convince her to do at least one fitness class with me!

Going to the island (Anna Maria) because the sis-in-law is also in town. As you can see, a lot of family and friends coming in all at once, which is amazing. I love it! Tyler’s sis, Carly, actually got in last Sunday, but since Tyler had to work last weekend, we weren’t able to visit with her until this weekend. I can’t wait to catch up – seeing as she was our roommate and all for almost a year, so to go from that to all this distance is heartbreaking!

A trip back home. And along with everyone coming here, I thought I’d balance the scale by making a trip back home. Nia and I are going back home over March break for 10 days. I’ve been struggling a bit with adapting (plus dealing with the lack of family support) and just need a breather at home. I love being Nia’s mom, but I also feel like I’m losing a bit of me with what I’m currently doing. And it’s actually that that’s so confusing – I don’t even know what I’m doing, nor, what I really want to do. I’m hoping the refresher at home will help clear my head, then I can come back and get into action. Also while we’re back home, the girls (me, my mom, Nia, and my two sisters) are taking Nia to see Disney on Ice’s Frozen. I cannot wait to see how she reacts to that!

As for Tyler? I’m hoping he’ll keep busy at work while we’re gone. In fact, the past four March Breaks when we were living back home, he actually ventured down here to his current work to run their March Break camps, so’s a seasoned vet by now. We’ll miss him though. He joked that I better not leave him for good, haha.

Becoming a yogi. This week made me feel like I’m morphing into a yogi since I attended not one, but two, hot yoga classes this week. On Monday, I tried out Bikram yoga and it destroying me is an understatement. The class was 90-minutes in 104 degrees F, and some of the moves were killer. I thought throughout the class I was pretty good, but it was the next day that got me. The teacher said it takes about 10 classes to get used to this style of yoga and I totally believe her! (I used my first ClassPass to attend this class!) Then on Wednesday, I attended my regular hot yoga class (60min power) with one of Tyler’s friends.

Nia’s Kiwi Crate. I mentioned it in a previous post about this little creative kit for children and Nia’s finally arrived. The theme of it was ‘colors’, complete with crayons, paint & brush, a dice, triangle cut-outs to paint on to make a banner, see-through color films (to overlap and teach about secondary colors), and a notepad with a color on each piece and an object relating to that color. I’m actually surprised how much they pack into that little box, and I was thoroughly impressed with it. Nia loved the painting, and I think my favorite part was how huge the crayons were, and they were non-toxic! I think I’ll try out another one for her in the near future!

Chia pudding. This stuff is so easy to make and tastes so good. I love the simplicity of it, and surprisingly don’t mind the texture (gag me if I ever have to drink one of those chia seed infused beverages again though – those are just nasty). I do: