Apr 30, 2012

CrossFit, Confirmation Weekend, and Trail Running

By · 3 Comments

Life has been NUTS lately! Seriously I have been running around doing a little bit of everything over the last week or so. What I haven’t been doing is a whole lot of running although I have been getting in some great CrossFit workouts! So I am gonna try to include a workout during every post that I expect everyone to try Winking smile and I’ll include a few additional fun add-ins too! So here is the workout I think you should all try, my confirmation weekend overview, and a really great trail run!

 

CrossFit Workout

  • Run 1/2 mile warm-up
  • 25 Jump squats
  • 15 push-ups
  • 10 pull-ups
  • 20/each walking lunges
  • 10 burpees

Complete 3 times (minus the run)

Which if you are doing the math, in a very minimal amount of time,

  • 75 jump squats
  • 45 push-ups
  • 30 pull-ups
  • 60 each leg lunches
  • 30 burpees

You won’t be sorry! Do it for time and try to push yourself!

 

Confirmation Weekend

So when I was a baby my parents had me baptized and then in second grade I made my First Communion and then somewhere between then and now I missed making my confirmation! So as you may remember from a few months back I attended some adult classes for 4 weeks so that I was prepared to make my Confirmation and this weekend was the big event! The real Bishop was even there!

DSC_0031

And Tim’s mom was kind enough to be my sponsor!

556196_10150781751848288_826193287_9710052_634621735_n

It really was a unique experience getting Confirmed at an older age. I think I liked it better because it helped put things into perspective…. the conversations were more meaningful I think. I was able to relate them to more experiences throughout life. Although the one 8th grade girl whose last name must have been at the end of the alphabet which landed her in the back with the adults seemed very kind and mature for an 8th grader! But man I bet those girls were cold- their dresses were very SHORT and did not look warm at all!

We had a celebration at home afterward where Tim was kind enough to make dinner for us and we snuck in a few family shots!!

DSC_0041

DSC_0070

And it wasn’t just my Confirmation day that was special on Saturday- it was also Tim’s little brother Tanner’s sweet 16 birthday!! It seems crazy that Tanner is already 16… makes me realize how long Tim and I have been together because I remember Tanner being so young when I first started coming around and now it is 16 years old and will be getting his license soon! Just crazy!

DSC_0091

Trail Running

The other day I met my mom at Hubbard Valley Park in Seville for a trail run! I really haven’t done much trail running so I was amazed at how different the run felt. I did a 5K and then did some hill sprints before the day was up. There was something really freeing and refreshing  about running in the woods… except that I have been reading too much of The Hunger Games so when I was running through the open field I was certain I was going to get shot with a bow and arrow. I know I know sounds silly but hey that is what I thought of! What do you want me to say… those books are very well written and it just seems really real!

Hill Sprints went great….

DSC_0053

But I made sure to stretch…

DSC_0046

And my mom rocked her hill sprints!

DSC_0066

I think I would love to plan a trail run once a week and then 2 longer runs a week. If I could get in a 3 week cycle I think it would be perfect. Now, all I need to do is find the time to do this! I think I may have to start waking up early in the morning again… I wish we had a nice straight path really close by that I could get an hour or so in before work even starts. I know I know I should just suck it up and get up early in the morning but it is really hard because I don’t end up going to bed until like 10:00 and 6-7 hours of sleep just won’t cut it for me!

 

When do you work out?

Did you complete the workout above? Tell me about it!

Filed Under: CrossFit-ing, My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Apr 23, 2012

CrossFit Fun and Weekend Highlights!

By · Leave a Comment

Another weekend come and gone- they go by too fast don’t they? I apologize for being M.I.A. over the last week or so! As you know from my very generic post last week, work was INSANE and filled with meetings and dinners. Delicious dinners that made my pants a lot tighter. It’s all good though- I suppose that is part of being in the corporate world… the work day rarely ends when you leave the office! Before I get to my weekend fun I want to tell you about the awesome workout I had Thursday  night! It was awesome for lots of different reasons

  • Tim came with me
  • Kari and Joy were there who I just love to kick some butt with
  • We ran a mile for a warm-up and I needed that
  • I was sore for days!

The workout we did was outside since the weather was fabulous! We did everything from play tug-of-war (which I realized, with Kari’s suggestions, if you are the anchor at the back of the rope and have the thing looped around your waist- just turn around and run… run your heart out) which my team won, run suicides with the cones, burpees, pull-ups, jump rope, hanging knee raises, one-legged squats, and just worked out excuse my French but asses off! It was an intense workout and I was sure to give it 100%!

workout

Hey it may not look pretty but I was trying!

And even through all of the grunts, yells, swear words, and sweat we still managed to laugh and have some fun!

workout 2

I have found the more I mix up my workout the better. For one, I get bored easily and you can’t just mentally keep doing the same things over and over. Two, your muscles also get bored easily. You need to give them something new to do. Three, it keeps me challenged. If you are constantly creating and achieving measurable and realistic goals you will feel better about yourself and all that your body can do. That would probably be my biggest hint to anyone that is just starting to workout… MIX IT UP! Do something FUN and just enjoy yourself. Life is a ride-take care of yourself and have a TON of fun along the way!

These women are seriously strong and have hearts that go on for miles. They really do inspire me each and every day and I cannot even begin to thank them for everything they do for me. They probably don’t even know it but their strength and commitment to their health really keeps me going day in and day out. It’s funny how often we are inspired by others that are probably not even aware that they are inspiring us!

In any case my weekend was also filled with Friday fun (I took a mental health day) where I got my haircut and picked up Peyton for a play date at the park and then had a slumber party!! The park was a really great day and we had fun racing down the slides and swinging. Well she had fun in the swing… which who wouldn’t when  you continually request for “under doggies” and get them all of the time.

My mom met us at the park for a quick run down the slide in her beautiful pink pumps..  now that is a hardcore grandma!

mom and pey park

Oh the life of a 3 year old!

We went to Menchies (it’s our regular slumber party spot) where she impressed myself, Tim, and the guy sitting in a nearby table with her Spanish skills. Tim loves this because he loves how much Spanish he retained after taking it in grade school so he likes to whip out his Spanish skills every now and then. Especially when  he gets to use them with a 3-year old I guess! Pey was exhausted and only made it through oh maybe 10 minutes of The Incredibles before she passed out on the living room floor. I made it through a little over and hour and Tim made it through the entire thing. In the morning we enjoyed pancakes and eggs- our favorite!!

After dropping Pey off and running some errands I headed home for  quick nap before heading to my bestest’s birthday celebrations at her parent’s house! Kara’s parents have been like second parents to be since I was in middle school so it is so nice to be there to just hang out with the family. Her little sister Lauryn is practically my little sister and I love hearing of all her new adventures… cheerleading, crafting, driving, and all of her many accomplishments (which is an EXTREMELY long list because she is amazing). So we had a great dinner of Italian sausage, beans, fruit and had this delicious chocolate pudding, mint pie for dessert! I love chocolate, I love mint, and I love cool whip… so this was a dream come true! I think there are some cute pics to come from Momma Lanzer’s camera but I haven’t seen any yet to post!

Sunday was filled with Wedding planning! We started on our table numbers, we went to pick up candle holders at the store and a bunch that we are borrowing from family (thank you Karla and Katie)! We chatted about tuxes, transportation, and honeymoon stuff. Well mostly just discussed that Tim was looking at honeymoon stuff since it is a surprise to  me! It was really the first time Tim had any time to talk about the wedding so I think he enjoyed being brought up to speed on some of the things I already decided during tax season! Plus, it felt good to get things crossed off the list!!

Not the most eventful weekend but was filled with laughter! As usual it went by WAY to fast and Monday morning seemed VERY early BUT I have this weekend to look forward to now!

Filed Under: CrossFit-ing, My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 29, 2012

Keep It Coming…

By · Leave a Comment

Birthday Dinner Date

If you read my actual birthday post yesterday, you know that I pretty much LOVE my birthday! As a matter of fact I love it so much that I felt a little sad when I woke up today and realized that I wouldn’t have another birthday for another 365 days.

People keep warning me that the day after the wedding I am going to really feel bad… because you won’t have another one of those… well ever.

But last night I ended my birthday with a bang… Tim and I had a hot date to The Lockview Tavern in downtown Akron. I have been wanting to go here since Casey, Jen and myself attempted to make dinner plans there only to find out that they weren’t open for some reason that day (a weird sort of holiday maybe? I don’t remember). But anyway when Tim said we could go anywhere I knew I wanted to try somewhere we hadn’t been before and since we both L.O.V.E grilled cheese and because I wanted to not care about my waist line on my birthday we went to live it up with cheesy goodness smashed in between warm bread!

We actually made it there JUST in time for a few happy hour specials so I got a pomegranate martini (and I only had 1- not like my other birthday celebration at Flemings).

And in case you can’t see the true beauty of that girl right there I took a close up…

And Tim got this orange martini that had too many spices in it for me… but it did look really pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And because appetizers were half hour (for 3 whole remaining minutes) we decided the timing was right to order some of those too! So we opted for the macaroni and cheese bites (fried cheesy noodles- can’t go wrong) and a basket of tatter tots that came highly recommended by a co-worker.

After all of that food, even though we didn’t need it, we each ordered a sandwich since that was, after all, what we went there to get! I got the #2 and Tim got the #3 (and they need to update their menu online because I believe my sandwich was more than $6).

My review: My sandwich was good. Acceptable. Worth the money. May try it again. Tim’s sandwich was DELICIOUS. Perfect. Would have paid more. Will order it next time. Will make it at home.

There was something the spiciness of the peppers mixed in with the cheese that really hit the spot. The blue cheese dressing for dipping was also a highlight but you didn’t need it. Although Tim is amused that I dip EVERYTHING even before I try it. He keeps telling me that I should try things plain before I add more salt or a dressing yet I just can’t seem to break the habit of the dip.

We ended the evening with the peanut buttercup cakes that Casey got us from Pandora’s Cupcakes in Akron and well.. they were fantastic! Although I have to say I am really looking forward to Peggy from Just Desserts in Medina’s cupcakes for the wedding! These cupcakes were devoured while watching Whitney and some 90210! Looking forward to The Vampire Diaries tonight when I get home from my grad school class!!

 

Salmon Salad

I like egg salad.

I like tuna salad.

I like chicken salad.

So why shouldn’t I like salmon salad?

The answer is simple, I should!

We had left over salmon from the cookout with my mom the other night and wanted to put it to good use but wasn’t sure what I would do with it. I’m typically not a fan of re-heated fish. So I decided to make some salmon salad after being inspired by some blogs and recipes online. It was pretty simple

  • Shred the cooked salmon I already had
  • 1 hard boiled egg
  • Mayonnaise
  • Onions
  • Red peppers

Mix it all together, put it on some bread and you have a really taste and good for your sandwich for lunch!

This was so filling I could only eat half of my sandwich and it was so tasty that I am looking forward to making it again. The salmon egg mix is what really did me in I think. The unique flavors somehow someway blended together really nicely. All of that with a dash of salt and pepper on some whole wheat bread, some spinach, and some cut up tomato (which is hidden under there) and it is a lunch to be proud of!

My review: Loved it. Will have it again. Soon. You should try it.

 

Working Out

It probably goes without saying (since I usually update good workouts on here) that my work out schedule has been LACKING this week! Between birthday fun and and injury I sustained at last weeks soccer game I have been a little bit behind on my work out goals for the week. BUT I did at least get 1 workout in this week!

But to my injury. So the goalie and I got in a little bit of a fight till the death match at the game (he won I guess considering it resulted in no goal for me) and my knees took the grunt of the hit. Practically ripped off all of the skin on my left knee (and a little on my right) and it ended up throbbing for days! I did take a picture of it but trust me, it was extremely gross so I decided the right thing to do would be to delete it.

That darn turf really freaking hurts!

But on Monday I knew it was my one and only day to get a really good workout in (considering Tuesday was dinner with the parents for my bday, Wednesday was my bday dinner with Tim, and Thursday I have grad school class) so like the champ I am I wrapped up that knee and headed downstairs to complete a CrossFit routine.

Gross I know but I am glad I got the workout in this week! My mom had to tweak a few things for me (since I couldn’t kneel at all) but everything worked out and I was feeling great! My arms were a little sore on Tuesday but it was well worth it!!

It’s still feeling a little rough today but I can at least wear pants because I don’t cry when something touches it. As long as it heels by Sunday (when it is bound to happen again) I’m a happy girl!!!

The workout consisted of 1 minute work with 20 seconds in between and had…

  • Bicep curl and row on Pilates reformer
  • dip drive with Olympic bar
  • Skull crusher triceps workout
  • Press with the cable system
  • Sit-up with medicine ball side to side

Great upper body workout which was PERFECT for me since my injury really only held back the lower part of my body.

But oh my goodness those skull crusher triceps workout is HARD. I was just trying not to drop the bar on my head!

Filed Under: CrossFit-ing, Good Eats and Treats, My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Mar 28, 2012

A VERY Happy Birthday!

By · 1 Comment

Today is a great day.

Saying it with me.. TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!

Why do you ask?

Because today is my 26th birthday!

Now, I know that some people aren’t into their birthdays. Some people hate getting older. Some people hate being the center of attention. Some people just think birthdays are not a big deal.

I am not one of those people.

I love my birthday!

So much in fact that I try to spread it out over a couple of days every year if I can and this year I was pretty successful at it! So last week, while I was in Miami, we started some birthday celebrations by having the opportunity to attend the Miami Heat game. I’m not a HUGE basketball fan but I don’t care who you are- it’s still cool to see a good game!

Then Saturday, as you may have read a few days ago, I got to celebrate my birthday with Casey and Mark. And Sunday I got to celebrate by spending the day with Kara! Then Monday I got to open some presents with Peyton and my sister!

Then last night the birthday festivities really kicked off at Sushi on a Roll in Medina by having dinner with my wonderful parents, Tim, and Peyton. We had a fantastic time! We have a traditional in our house that we have been doing for a little while now where the birthday person has to find the hidden cupcake. This cupcake contains a wonderful surprise… like make-up, gifts cards, money, or other special little birthday treats and since we were out to eat for my birthday celebrations I had to walk around the restaurant to find the cupcake!

And with Peyton’s help I found it stashed behind the water feature! YAY for a gift card to Bath and Body Words… I L.O.V.E. their hand soup and candles and always have the house stocked up on those goodies so this gift was just perfect! Thank you Mom and Dad!

For dinner we had MASSIVE amounts of Sushi which was really delicious. I wasn’t sure how authentic this sushi place would taste but I’ll tell you what it was just a casual atmosphere with great food. It is set up more like a Panera where you order at the counter and then just find a seat and the guy running the place didn’t seem to mind us laughing loudly and having a great time! Chances are good that we will be back =)

Now Peyton is a pretty picky eater and she has a tendency to want to spend more time playing than eating when we are out to eat so we had to think of some unique ways to get her interested in her food. After the failed attempt with the chop sticks we tried NO utensils and she seemed to like that for a little while!

But then, like any normal 3 year old, she got bored of that and we needed to move on to something else! So we decided to have our own little version of lady and the tramp… although I’m not sure we ever specified who was the lady and who was the tramp!

Either her skin looks very white or I am starting to darken in my old age haha

We wrapped up dinner with a family photo before taking off for a delicious treat!

After dinner we debating a while over Dairy Queen or Lemonberry (the new Fro-Yo place in Medina on the square) and Peyton and I agreed that the winner was… LEMONBERRY! This was my first time there and as you know I am pretty close to being obsessed with Menchies so I figured I would love Lemonberry and well I did!

That wrapped up my “Birthday Eve” celebration and Tim and I went home with very full bellies and a lot of left over sushi!

The next morning I woke up to a great day filled with sunshine and warm weather! Then when I got to work I was thrilled to see that my co-worker and friend Jackie had decorated my cubical for me! She did such a fabulous job!!

And on top of a very delicious box of treats from Panera she left me this adorable card (which is just so Jackie- girly and adorable!)

Casey was also there to greet me in the morning with a nice surprise from Pandora’s Cupcakes!

Tim is going to be VERY happy for these Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes after our birthday date this evening!!

And my birthday celebrations don’t end there! My other co-worker and friend Angela made me one of my favorite desserts (in the top 3 for sure) APPLE CRISP! She is a DELICIOUS chef and baker so this Apple Crisp quickly became my breakfast!

And my birthday celebrations STILL didn’t end! Alyson made cheesecake brownies, Christina brought me over a funny and wonderful card with Reece Cup treats and then after a meeting I came back to my desk and found THESE!

It is probably already obvious at this point that Tim is wonderful to me and this was just an extra special treat! There is something about getting something delivered to you at work that just makes you feel really special! It’s a very obvious and outward sign that someone loves you and that anyone can appreciate that! I don’t always know if I deserve him and how good he is to me, but I love him and appreciate all that he does for me!

And even though Jen sort of forgot about my bday until the very last minute she made me this pretty sweet sign out of post-it notes…

THEN to top ALL off…

- The bridal shop called and my DRESS IS IN! So I get to try on MY VERY OWN wedding dress this Saturday!

- My friend Renee just told me that a baby was born not too long along and I got to see her picture and she was just adorable!

 

So a special thank you to all of my family and friends who have helped make my birthday an extra special! To all of my facebook friends that said hello to my friends that baked, decorated, and hugged me to my family who loves me every day and always makes my birthday special, to the stranger on the street that smiled this morning…. THANK YOU! You all truly made this a magical day for me and I am looking forward to my date with Tim this evening and more celebration with Robin, Gary, and crew on Friday!!

 

  • What is the best birthday memory you have?
  • What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?
  • What is your FAVORITE flower?

 

 

Filed Under: My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts