“Lazy” Sunday

There is something I just love about Sundays. I always like to say that I’m going to have a “lazy Sunday”, but I usually end up being pretty productive.

Today started out with a trip to the gym where I did a little cardio mash-up. I ran some intervals on the treadmill, spent some time on the stairmill, and then finished up with an incline walk on the treadmill. Once I got home, Chipper and I spent some time at the dog park. He was loving every minute of it and has been sleeping ever since we got inside! Next up for me was some food.

I set up a little snack plate that hit the spot. The rest of the afternoon has been filled with laundry, meal prep, reading for school, and catching up on Scandal. Scandal is my newest show to watch on Netflix. I’m trying to finish the second season before the new season airs in a couple of weeks.

On the menu for dinner tonight is Brunswick Stew. It may still be 95 degrees outside, but I’m ready to start having soups and stews for dinner. Florida needs to hurry up and get the memo to cool down!

2-4-1 Birthday Weekend

This weekend was a blast and I wish it didn’t have to end! We celebrated my sister Kristin’s 25th birthday and my 23rd brithday this weekend. Birthdays in this family come in pairs. I was born the day after Kristin’s 2nd birthday. She knows I am her favorite present still to this date. Here is one part of the present I gave her this year. I found the quote on this frame online and knew Kristin would appreciate it.

Mike arrived in Ocala late Friday afternoon. We ate a delicious dinner of BBQ ribs and then waited around for Kristin to arrive so we could both blow out some candles and enjoy some cake. 

 

This was the most delicious vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. The bakery made a mistake and accidentally made my cake a two-layer cake. Trust me it was not a mistake I was upset about. 

 

How cute is this package?! My mom is so creative when it comes to bows and wrapping presents. I got a polar FT4 heart rate monitor that I’m excited to put to good use. I also got plenty of new workout clothes and some yoga gear. I’m easy to please when it comes to the gifting department. 

Saturday was spent hanging out. Mike and I took Chip for a walk and then spent a good amount of time at the dog park. Chipper loves when he has both his mom and dad together at the same time. Saturday night was filled with mosquitos, mudding, driving through the forest, and trying a sip of moonshine. That was my attempt of being a country girl. 

This weekend sure was one for the books. I have more exciting news to share but it deserves a post all to itself. So stay tuned! 

 

Lap Dog Problems

I’ve busted out my juicer for breakfast this week. Yesterday and today’s juices were a combination of apple, carrot, ginger, beat, lemon, grapefruit, and spinach. Delicious! Most juices taste better than they look, especially when spinach is involved. 

 

After breakfast I sat down to work on some homework. My class is quickly coming to an end so I’m trying to finish up a couple assignments due over the next week. While I was working the fire marshall started testing the fire alarms in my building. They warned us of this beforehand, but I didn’t realize how big of a production it would be. Every few minutes for the span of thirty minutes a fire alarm would ring out. Not a very conducive environment for school work, especially when this guy decided to climb into my lap. 

 

Please meet my 60lb lap dog, Chipper. He nudged his way up to my lap and then remained there for the next 20 minutes. The things I let this little man get away with. Needless to say, I didn’t get much more work done with my visitor. 

The rest of the day was much more low key for us. I headed to the gym after Chipper calmed down and completed my sweaty circuit workout. Afterwards, Chipper insisted I continue my workout by running around with him at the dog park. I’m sensing a dog-mom of the year award coming my way soon.

And now I have no shame admitting that I am currently watching Pretty Little Liars. I might be a little older than the target audience of the show, but I’m a fan. Who can resist some teenage drama? All I know is that if high school would have been like it is in Ravenwood, I never would have survived. 

Sweet Weekend

This weekend went by way too fast, and I had so much fun. Mike and I were able to spend the whole weekend together. He has been doing an internship this summer, so our time together has been limited. He got into town Friday evening just in time for pizza. You know the routine, pepperoni pizza and some garlic knots. So good! That night, Mike treated us to some fro-yo. Although we were both stuffed from dinner we couldn’t resist the urge. 

 

Saturday included a run, grocery shopping, Fast and Furious 6, and homemade nachos. Chipper was spoiled this weekend with countless trips to the dog park. He has such a ruff life. Funny, I know. 

 

The many faces of Chipper. Before and after outside playtime. The cold kitchen tile is his spot when we get home. Instant cool down. 

This morning I went to yoga and got a good stretch in. The rest of the day has been spent getting ready for the new week. That includes laundry, meal prep, and homework. The exciting things in life.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Cheers to the Weekend

This morning started off with completing my last workout of phase 1 of bootcamp. This workout is by far my favorite yet- it focuses on unilateral training. It is intense! I’m ready to see what the workouts will be like next week. I’m enjoying all these new exercises! After my strength training I was ready to tackle some cardio, but couldn’t decide what type of mood I was in. To keep things interesting, I started off on the treadmill where I ran sprints for 10 minutes. Next, I hopped on the stairmaster and climbed for 10 minutes at a steady pace. To finish up, I headed back to the treadmill to walk at a fast pace for the final 10 minutes. All in all I had a great session at the gym.

When I got home I was greeted by a certain furry friend who was in a playful mood. I grabbed a snack to tide me over til lunch and then Chipper and I headed to the neighborhood dog park. 

 

He had a blast playing fetch and jumping around trying to get the ball. Now, he is sleeping on the couch- worn out for sure! When we got home from the park, my stomach was telling me it was time for lunch. I went for my simple go-to protein smoothie. 

 

To make the smoothie I put a cup of almond milk, chocolate protein powder, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a little bit of oats into the blender with ice. The result is a satisfying shake that tastes like a peanut butter cup. 

The rest of the day is going to be filled with some school work and reading. And then tonight, of course, is Pizza Friday. Tonight’s pizza is going to be a pepperoni and tomato pie. I can hardly wait!

Running with the Pollen

Weekends go by way too fast! This weekend was full of workouts, good food, and lots of schoolwork. The highlight of yesterday was a great Vinyasa Yoga class I took in the morning. I really do have a new found love for yoga. I always try to do a class over the weekend, because I feel like it wipes away all the tension that has built up over the week. I always leave yoga class feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another week.

This morning I felt like making something a little special for breakfast, so I whipped up some whole wheat apple cinnamon pancakes. I will share the recipe as soon as I perfect the measurements (something was slightly off when I made them). After breakfast, Mike (my boyfriend) and I went for a run. I have slowly been trying to get back into running after being sidelined for a few weeks with a hip injury. Today’s run felt great, but pollen is outrageous here in Gainesville and my allergies are now off the charts.

After the run we headed to a local dog park to let Chipper get some exercise. We met up with some friends and had a great time walking around the trails and letting the dogs run around. Needless to say, we are all exhausted around here tonight! Time to gear up for another week.