Fantastic Friday

Fridays are always fantastic, but today is extra special because I have the day off! WOO! I love days off (who doesn't, right?), but this day off is special because today I'm headed up to Maine for a wedding! I love weddings too, so double win!

I took advantage of my day off and slept in a little bit. The hubs still had to go to work for a half day, so I was still up early, but not 5:30am, which was a treat. I have a ton of errands to do this morning, so I fit in a quick workout using an OnDemand workout video.

It was a pretty decent kickboxing video that got me nice and sweaty. I chose not to do the jumping quite as intensely as the lady in the video because I have downstairs neighbors and it was 7am. But I still looked a hot mess afterward. It's pretty sticky here these days thanks to random rainstorms, so my hair looked FRIZZY.

Now I'm watching Biggest Loser from Tuesday night and having my pb&j breakfast, yogurt bowl style. Delicious!

Now I'm running really late for my errands (got to get my nails done and pick out shoes for the hubs), but I have two things! Fun things.

1. I am going to run 5 miles. Remember when I agreed to do it back in April? Well obviously it never happened. And I did a half-assed job training for my tri. So now it's game time. 5 miles. When? I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking the first weekend in November. I wanted to say Thanksgiving, but that's way too far away. I KNOW I can do it before that. When I pick the date, I'll let you know.

2. I bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It seems like a bit of a bandwagon thing to do, but I need to strength train. And I can no longer go to my awesome body building class, and I need some direction. A lot of people have had success with it, so we'll see how it goes! It should arrive today!

source

Ok...now I'm REALLY late!

Pardon the Interruption

I'm going to interrupt the regular program of food and fitness just for a moment to show you some pictures of my fantastic weekend. (Not that we ever blog on a regular schedule, but the following has has no fitness involved and is just for fun!)

On Saturday my friends and I took a road trip to Maine. It was only a day trip and we have a specific location in mind.

Oh yes, we got our red neck on and went wedding dress shopping. And it was SO much fun. And my friend bought the most perfect wedding dress ever. And there was hunting gear involved (not in the wedding dress, just in the day).

After the dress fest and some serious amount of orange, we headed back down to the city. We were supposed to have a girly sleepover, but plans changed and we played poker for pennies instead. I did not win. Bummer.

On Sunday, the Pats played the Bills. They also did not win. But we have a good time watching the game with our New York loving friends. I made oatmeal raisin cookies.

And the hubs made bubbly water! Since we drink far too much diet soda/seltzer water, the hubs decided it was best to invest in the contraption that actually makes the bubbles. It's like the soda stream, but my science loving man is more of a DIY kind of guy, so we have an air tank and hoses under our sink now. Totally worth it if you ask me.

And yesterday, I had a very proud moment. Let me preface. I am very independent and self-sufficient, but I cannot cook and I know nothing about my car. I am the kind of girl who has to take a guy with her to the mechanic because I will pay for things that don't exist because I don't know better. And my father replaces my windshield wipers for me because I don't know how to take mine off. BUT. YESTERDAY. Yesterday I changed the headlight in my car all by myself!

Oh heck yes. I clearly got very dirty in the process, but I needed my light replaced so I can pass Massachusetts State inspection, and I was the only one around to do it. So I read my owners manual (which was surprisingly unhelpful) and although it probably took me far longer than it would someone else, I did it. And I'm proud of myself. :)

It's the little things in life, right?

Down for the Count

This weekend I partied. Nothing super crazy, but I drank more than usual, danced my butt off, and didn't sleep enough. It was a BLAST. I wouldn't trade any moment of it, even though I know I didn't make the healthiest choices. I was celebrating an upcoming wedding of someone that means a lot to me, and I was not about to hold back. 

Flattering picture, I know. 

Because I partied like a rock star this weekend, I'm paying for it now. My lack of sleep has caused me to be nursing a cold instead of any more vodka sodas.

I took that picture at work this morning, but I didn't make it through the whole day. I'm now at home, in sweats, having more tea. I can count on one hand the number of times I've called in sick or gone home early sick, so it took a lot for my to realize it just had to happen. I share a small office with two other people and it's not fair of me to cough all over the room and spread my germs when I really don't feel up to being in the office anyway. 

I left work at lunch time, so when I got in I sat down to my already prepped for today lunch. Salad and corn bread with a side of Vitamin Water and Dimetapp.

I meant to get Vitamin Water Zero (it was right next to this one, so I just grabbed the wrong one) because I don't like to drink calories (unless it's booze, as proven above), but I didn't notice until I was taking a picture of it, and I need the vitamin C, so I'll suck it up for today. And yes, I am taking children's Dimetapp. It says right on the label that adults can take it, and it was the best option for my symptoms.

I also take Flinstone vitamins everyday, so clearly I've come to terms with being an adult.

I wanted to go to the gym today for a work out and to get my new gym ID, but I'm not sure how that's going to work out. I had an awesome 4.5 mile walk last night, which I think helped me sleep well (or as well as one can when they can't breathe out of their nose), but I'm feeling pretty terrible, and I really don't want the "I'm sick and snotty and my nose is red from blowing it so much" look to be the one I sport on my ID. We'll see how I feel after an afternoon of napping/watching Mad Men from the comfort of my bed.

Off To A Good Start

Don't let that cute face fool ya! Almost every morning for the past two weeks at 3 a.m. our dog has decided that it is time to wake up. She sits in her kennel (yes, she is turning 3 this month and we're still working on potty-training, don't judge) and makes this tiny, high-pitched whimper. We take her outside to potty and she doesn't do anything but once she comes inside she wants to eat/play/lay on our bed. After waking up to her whining it is so hard to fall back asleep and to get her to stop whining. Needless to say this household has been very sleepy and slightly grouchy lately.





Jay has had his vehicle in the shop the past week and with my lack of a real schedule I'm able to drive him to and from work. Aside from the early wake up call, I really enjoy our extra time together that is spent sipping on coffee, listening to sports radio and chatting about the small things. When I return home I have a hard time tackling my to-do list and want to nap. Having been woken up at 3 am this morning by the pup and then waking up at 6:20 am, I was so tired and wanted to climb back into bed but instead I decided to change into workout clothes and hit the gym for a yoga class. I am so glad I did!! The class was taught by a different instructor and she didn't actually do most of the poses but instead walked around the class and called out the different poses. I was surprised at how many of the poses I could recall from the beginning yoga classes I took early this year. And the best part? My trigger points didn't hurt and I was able to do everything! After class I hit the weights to work on shoulders and triceps. I'm wide awake now and working on that to-do list, I think I have more energy after that workout than I do after a nap.



I came home from the gym and was hungry for a hard boiled egg and then I realized a small problem with that plan- we still do not have our range hooked up. I instead opted for a bowl of cereal and then realized I haven't gone to the grocery store yet so I had to work with what we have- Honey Nut Cheerios (seriously one of my all time favorite cereals) and Fage Blueberry Acai Greek Yogurt. Side note: Costco sold packs of Chobani Strawberry/Blueberry/Peach and I was disappointed to find out they don't and had to venture out and try the new brand they sell - Fage.
This flavor was actually delicious, maybe I shouldn't stick to the basic flavors all of the time! My b-fast was complimented by the most delicious cup of Green Mountain Hazelnut served in my awesome travel mug (I'm sure you can guess who gave me this lobstah mug!).Now I'm off to buy groceries and hopefully meet up with a friend for a nice walk (active day, huh?). Have a great Tuesday!!

The Kitchen Tile is Almost Done

What a week! I've been busy getting cementitous manicures, isn't it fabulous?Just kidding, but we have made some serious progress on the kitchen remodel and we should have our full kitchen back to normal by Tuesday. While Jay and I were grabbing tiles to set a certain someone decided to leave her pawprint in the wet thin-set; I won't mention any names but you can see her mark here.
My workouts this week included a circuit, weight training, sprints and a nice run outside; I'm loving this fall weather! Placing tile has also been one heck of a workout- having to squat for periods at a time, use my core to keep me from falling over on tiles that are setting and using my upper body strength to move and set tiles. It has been exhausting! I'm looking forward to increasing my running distance by 10% this week.

We took a break from the kitchen remodel to visit the NM State Fair. My favorite thing to see at the fair is the gigantic pumpkin that they have behind glass. This year's pumpkin (the one in the back row in the photo) weighed in over 95 pounds!!
While enjoying the fair fun I munched on a green chile batter corn dog. To be honest, I didn't like green chile very much (okay at all) when I first moved to NM but it has snuck its way into my favorite foods and I don't seem to mind it anymore. Yum!
Next month we are finally taking our engagement photos and I've decided to start looking for an outfit now. I went to Anthropologie and surprisingly couldn't find anything I loved. My favorite out of the millions of dresses I tried on was this mustard yellow number shown here:I loved the fit but I'm not quite sure I love that shade of yellow on my olive/tan skin, thoughts?

And I'll leave you with a photo I took while I was running around all of town doing errands last week, seriously this can't be safe!

It's a Bird...it's a Plane...

It's a GYM!

Seems like forever since I've been in one! Probably because it has been...oops. Oh well! Here I am, back at it! And, it's a new gym!

Remember, back when I was thinking about changing gyms? Well I've finally done it...it just took three months. About a month ago I canceled my membership at my gym in the city, Boston Sports Club. Honestly, I LOVED loved loved BSC since the day I started there in January 2009. There were great classes, nice facilities, but nothing super fancy and over the top. It was a perfect place for me, until I got my new job. Then there wasn't a location I could easily get to on my way home, and the only class I could ever get to was one spin class on Monday nights. It didn't seem like it was a good idea to be spending the money each month on something I wasn't using. And then we moved and there's not even a location close to our new apartment, so that was it. I, VERY SADLY, called and canceled. I will miss it a lot.

But the good news is, I'm signed up again at a new gym! Since the hubs is an awesome grad student, he gets me a sick deal at his university gym. Yes, it's full of undergrads, BUT it's very nice and has a rock climbing wall! Not that I climb...but I could!

Today I went in with the hubs, handed over a copy of our marriage license (had to prove I'm legit, you know) and got my sweat on. It's my first work out since the tri and I wasn't sure how it would feel. I did about 25 minutes on the treadmill, varying the speed between walking, running, and sprints. My hips are still fairly sore (my gma has arthritis in her hips, so I blame it on her already), but it was a nice welcome back into the wold of being a gym rat, and I was bright red at the end...always a good sign.

the sweaty self-shots never capture the true bright red-ness of my face

The new gym is a 10 minute-ish walk from our apartment, which is really not too bad. It took me a little longer than that this evening because I got lost. Lost? Really? YES. We now live in a more residential area with house and tree lined streets...that all look the same...especially when it's night time...and you can't see a street sign. Don't judge, I've only lived here a week.

So my plan is to get to the gym at least four days a week, and do at least one other non-gym workout (run, bike, etc). I'm not sure how this will go, as work is C-R-A-Z-Y right now and I've been staying until 6 several nights, but I'm going to do my best! I know it's a needed thing in my life and I'll feel MUCH better if I just GO. It's worth making the time in my life, so here's to hoping the new change in scenery does me good!

One for the Books

I don't really know where to start with today, so I'll start from the beginning.

4:25am. I was out of bed. I toasted waffles and turned on the coffee maker. I dressed myself and woke up Johnny. By 5am I'd eaten said waffles with peanut butter, put my coffee in a to-go cup and headed out the door.

We got to the race REALLY early. Before 6am, for a race that didn't start until 8am. I was nervous and it was COLD outside (and still dark!) I picked up packet, put all my numbers on (I was 517) and set-up my transition area.  As the sun came up, the lake was SO beautiful.

Having arrived so early, we had a lot of time to kill before the start of the race, so Johnny and I walked around a bit and took some pictures.

this is my nervous face

ohhh shoot. What's a girl to do?

more nervous face

I took a warm-up swim (the water temp was about 72 degrees...and seeing as it was only about 55 out, it felt super nice), and before I knew it, it was time to line up. I was basically shaking as I stood with my swim wave. Partly I was freezing, and partly I was TERRIFIED. The day had come and I was about to start my first tri. All I kept thinking was "HOLY SHIT."

I was the 6th wave of swimmers, so I didn't start until 8:25. Johnny played race photog and he did an awesome job. Here's my wave of swimmers.

The swim was not so bad. I had never done the distance in a straight line before...only back and forth in the pool, so I didn't really know how well I would do. I think I started a little slowly, but I got into my groove. I got tired by the end, but not enough to stop or float, I was close enough to the end to just push through. I came out of the water and Johnny and my aunt, my cousin, and her daughter were there to cheer me on.

My first transition was a little long. I had to change shirts and put socks on, so I didn't get in and out all that quickly, but I remembered my helmet and my Shot Bloks, so I was good. Right out of the gate there was a hill. IT SUCKED. My cheering squad (which now also included my mom and my sister) were on the hill, so I smiled for the camera.

But let me tell you, that was the only time I smiled on the bike. It was SO hilly. Hills like I've never seen before. It was so much up hill I thought I'd never make it. I had to get off my bike and walk one time, and the down hills and flats just did not come often enough. I took a lot longer on the bike that I had expected to and it wore my legs out. I was SERIOUSLY under-trained on hills.

Second transition was much fast...I just had to ditch my helmet, put on a headband, and choke down a lemon-lime Gu.

I took off on the run and had to go back up the SAME bitch of hill that started the bike. Once again my cheering squad was on the hill, so it helped me push through the first part, but I had to walk up the second half. My legs were MUSH. I honestly don't know what my time was on the run, or even was my pace was because my Garmin was in multi-sport mode and just stayed on "Other" the whole time. I felt pretty slow, but I pushed through. I had cheering squad and water at mile 1, and water again just after mile 2. I took three walk breaks before mile 2, and walked half of the hill, until I could power through until the end. I run actually went by MUCH more quickly than I thought it would. The finish line was in my sights and I started to get emotional.

don't be jealous of my form.

I was about to finish a triathlon. I thought about how far I've come, and how I was seriously doing this. A few years ago I couldn't run for 1 minute on the treadmill, and here I am about to cross the finish line. I saw my cheering squad and couldn't keep it inside anymore.

I did it. As I crossed the finish line, my mom was right there waiting for me. I hugged her and burst into tears. It seems cheesy, but what I did today was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I have gone through so much to get where I am, and I'm just extremely proud of myself.

AND, most importantly, I could not have done it without my AWESOME support team. Not only did I have my cheering squad, and my hot husband, but the BFF too! No, she couldn't be there, but she was always encouraging me and giving me tons of tips. Thanks to her tri-loving fiance, she knew some ins and outs that really helped. It pays to have such great people in your life! :)

I've been on a high all day and I kind of want to brag about how awesome I am. Luckily, my mom was in town to hang out after the race and was willing to listen to it. So now that it's done, I'm SUPER sore in the quads, and I'm tired (if I make it to 8:30pm tonight), but I'm so happy.

I AM A TRIATHLETE!

Weekend Catch Up

First off: CONGRATULATIONS BFF!!!!!!! You are one crazy (in the most inspirational way) triathlete!!!!!!

Though I very much wish I could have been there to watch Maddie race, I've had a pretty great weekend visiting family. I was planning on running yesterday but slept in an opted to take Chaca to the groomer instead. Later that day, I was tasked with making fresh guacamole for a family cookout. With a few avocados peeled and put in a bowl, I added some of our chopped homegrown tomatoes. And viola! We have delicious guacamole, let's hear it for our healthy fats! The onions and seasonings that I'd typically use were left out in order to meet everyone's needs. I love guacamole and hate that I'm allergic to avocados (as is the BFF!) but sometimes I just deal with the allergic reaction and indulge in a few bites. Today I'm going to write down my actual half-marathon training plan, I'm better at sticking to workout plans when I write it on paper.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

I Couldn't Come Up With a Clever Title

Good news- the pie was delicious and no one got sick! I'd call it a success!

My dentist was able to squeeze me in for an appointment yesterday to check out my problem tooth. I was dreading it (I hate when they have to numb my mouth) and looking forward to it (it was so sensitive) at the same time. Thankfully, there wasn't any real damage just a filling that needed to be replaced. I felt so horrible afterwards being shaky from the medicine, sore from the work and ended up with a bad headache so there was no gym time for me. Wednesday was my first distance run, it was 3 miles and not fast but it feels good knowing I'm working towards something again. I have a busy weekend ahead of me and was planning on running another 3 miles today but I'm still not 100%. I feel like my head is foggy but that might have something to do with the pup deciding that 3 am would be a great time to wake me up this morning and I couldn't fall back asleep. As I write this she is pleasantly napping next to me, isn't it funny how that works?

This week we also purchased our tile! Hooray!! We spent some time laying out a grid to work with and we'll be laying it next week, I can't wait for our kitchen to have a nice floor.

Is it just me or do those hardware/home project stores make you sleepy too?

The Final Countdown

The day after tomorrow. The triathlon is the day after tomorrow. HOLY COW. I'm really nervous and feeling super under trained, but it's go time, and I've got to put my game face on and love every minute of it.

Life has been crazy. We're moved into the new place, finally, and I'm so happy. It feels so much bigger than our old apartment, and it's so quiet. I'm excited to finish getting everything unpacked and feel like I actually don't live out of boxes any more.

Oh, and remember last week, when I said I was going to do an open water swim? Well it never happened! Not a huge surprise in the life of Maddie, but here's the thing...I tried to go THREE TIMES. The state park where the tri will be held is close to my office, so I was planning on heading over there and testing the waters. Last Thursday was my first attempt. I had to stay late at work finishing up some stuff, so I headed over later than I wanted...turns out, they don't let you swim past 6pm! Bust! So the next day I left work at 3:30 (yay early release Fridays in the summer!) and headed over. Apparently it cost $5 to park there. And they only take cash. And I didn't have any. Some how I missed that the first time, but I convinced the girl at the entrance to let me just drive around to get the lay of the land and see what the course would be like (HOLY HILLS), but did not get to swim. DANG. SO then on Tuesday I decided I'd do it again. Armed with my $5, I was ready. I went online to make sure they were open (it was super rainy here on Tuesday and I wasn't sure the weather would permit swimming), and thankfully I did...because they don't have swimming after Labor Day. Third time was NOT a charm. So Sunday will be my first open water swim. Luckily, I'm a strong swimmer and I'm not at all afraid of open water, but I would have liked to test it out first. OH WELL!

Anyway. That was a long story for a short point! At least it's Friday. And today my company has the "end of summer picnic" so in an hour we'll all be heading to the park down the street for some good old fashion outdoor fun. Best part about it (besides getting paid to go to a picnic)? I get to wear sneakers and capris to work today! Win.

A Delicious Day Trip

It was a busy weekend. Friday evening, after a tough leg workout (I'm still a little sore!) Jay and I decided to go out to dinner and use a LivingSocial deal we bought a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the food and service were disappointing; I don't think we'll be visiting this particular sushi spot again. Oddly enough it was voted last year as the city's best sushi place - this was our 2nd visit and we didn't like it, maybe it's just us? We did get a giggle out of a garnish, it reminded us of the filler that goes in Easter baskets! I guess it's not as shiny in my photo as it was in real life. While chewing on a bit of rice I felt an uncomfortable "crunch". One of my fillings came out!! Trying to find any dentist on a holiday weekend proved to be quite the task and apparently my dentist does not answer the emergency hotline voicemail box within the hour as promised. Thankfully, Saturday afternoon we found a temporary patch kit at the pharmacy. Jay was amazing in making the painful situation a little funny, check out the set up!

Yes, that is a Kleenex bib. The patch worked and made a huge difference, I was finally able to eat again.

Monday morning we took a long drive up north to visit the Salman Raspberry Ranch.

Their website mentioned the fields had been picked through quite a bit but we were willing to make the drive in the hopes of picking even a few raspberries. It was a bit muddy but there were plenty of raspberries to pick!

With our 2 pounds of raspberries in hand we visited their garden area and stopped by the cafe to enjoy freshly made raspberry soft serve ice cream. It was so delicious and a perfect treat on a warm day. We headed back to Albuquerque with the intent of making an apple-raspberry crumb topped pie. Honestly, I've only made a pie once in my life and that was last year at Maddie's wedding so I was a little nervous to give this a try on my own.

And here's our final product!

It was getting late by the time we pulled this out of the oven and wanting it to cool properly we decided we'd wait until today to eat it. I'm exicted! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Weekend Update

Since my death-inducing run on Saturday, things have perked up. I did go on a bike ride with my sister, and then we went out for amazing Indian food. I always thought I didn't like Indian, but I think it's because the first time I ever had it was a lunch buffet (at a really nice place...it's not a seafood buffet that's been out all day), and I had no idea what I was eating and it was all too spicy. Now that I know what I'm ordering, I actually really like it.

my sister and our friend, Alan

blurry Maddie and Johnny shot

 Our weekend fun continued yesterday as we went down to visit my gram. As I've mentioned before, my gram's is home to me, so it was nice to have a relaxing day and a cookout in a place that feels so comfortable in a weird transition period of notreallyhomelessness.

The hubs grilled up some delicious steak and we played a dramatic game of whiffle ball! Well it was not REALLY dramatic...it's just that my gram lives in a condo complex, so her back yard isn't much of a yard at all. And I may or may not have hit the neighbor's sliding glass door...luckily the whiffle ball is only plastic or we'd be in deep trouble!

my gramma is probably cooler than your gramma. just sayin'.

Today we're back in Boston. I redeemed myself for Saturday and went out on a 3 mile run. It wasn't super speedy, but it was a full 5k and I didn't want to die from heat at any point and time! Win! And I had a coupon for a free smoothie, so I treated myself to some protein in the form of orange-mango-deliciousness at the end.

Today is also our last day in temp housing #1. It's been super nice having the place to ourselves and the use of a washing machine, but tonight my uncles will be home, so we're getting out of their hair and heading over to temp housing #2 until Wednesday. Those digs come with live-in friends! I'm pumped, but for now I'll enjoy the last couple hours of outdoor seating.

yes, that is an ash tray on the table. no, I do not smoke, nor do my uncles. they entertain a lot and don't want butts on their balcony.

I am Full of Bad Ideas

In general, I like to think of myself as a pretty smart person. I did well in school, I like to read, I have traveled a fair bit, I know how to use computers, and I am socially capable. But, sometimes I don't think things through very well and do stupid things. Nothing drastic, I've never been arrested, unconscious, or even broken a bone (knock on wood), but like I don't always make the best decision.

As the BFF and I have mentioned more than once on the blog, we have a list called "Things Mari and Maddie Should Not have Done." We're often full of great ideas that turn out not so great. Today, I added to that list. Around 12:45pm I decided it was time for a run. It's sunny and gorgeous here in Boston,  but there was a breeze coming through the windows of the apartment where we're staying (thanks to my awesome uncles), so I ignored the fact that it is actually 82 degrees and humid out...even though the weather app on my phone told me that...I laced up and went out anyway.

Well I came back thirty minutes later looking like this:

doing my best Zoolander

 Even though I was out for 30 minutes, I only did 2.3 miles! Yikes. It was not a good run. I was WAY too hot and took several walk breaks. It was a pretty bad excuse for a work out...and had I gone earlier in the day it may have been better, but oh well. Not every work out is going to be perfect, right?

But since I did sweat profusely, I refueled with some chocolate milk and leftover pizza.

That's a lunch of champions right there! :)

Today we're bumming around and doing several load of laundry. My sister and I will probably go for a bike ride too, so all is not lost in workout today (Boston has a new bike-share program which has been a huge hit. Although I don't think the city should let people rent bikes without helmets, it's great to see so many people using it. Since my sister doesn't have a bike, she'll take advantage of it and ride with me).

And can I get a "heck yes" for the long weekend?? Oh heck yes!