Summer Bucket List

Fitfluential had it's ambassadors create fitness bucket lists via Pintrest and Healthy Living Blogs started a link up for summer lists.  It got me thinking of what I want to do this summer, and thus my summer bucket list was born.

- Take Lola to the beach.

- Go to a baseball game, where I will eat nachos with fake cheese and drink beer.


-Give surfing another go, this time without a cabana boy to pull me out to the wave and push me off.

- Learn how to kick into a handstand.  (My July CrossFit goal!)


-Stand up paddle boarding in Prien Lake.  (I found a friend that wants to try with me!!!)

obviously not me and obviously not Prien Lake - source

- Create even more delicious, refreshing, summery cocktails.


- Visit Kemah's boardwalk and ride a roller coaster. 

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- WOD with the SeeFit:Road2theCure guys at CFLC.

 

- Red Dress Run in New Orleans (I'm registered and the hotel is booked!!!)

- Boat day  Done!


- Run the 4 miler on the 4th in red, white, and blue.  Then, eat watermelon and hot dogs afterwards.


- Run with the Porch's Ride, Run, & Rukus

- Tour a brewery.  Abita?  St. Arnold?

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- Go fishing offshore. 


It's already almost July.  I have no idea how I'm going to get all this done.  Better get busy!

What is on your summer bucket list?

What I ______ Wednesday, Vol. 23

What I'm Slacking Wednesday

I'm unmotivated.  

1. 5k a day challenge.  Why did I even make this challenge?!?  I haven't run a single day. 

On Monday afternoon, the weather was gorgeous! Perfect for my first run of the challenge! But I didn't run. 

Tuesday morning I set my alarm for 5:00 AM, so I could tackle over 6 miles to make up for Monday.  I hit snooze until 6:30. 

Today, I again set my alarm for 5:00 AM, but since I didn't get home and into bed until after 11:00 last night (I started my new, second job and celebrated with a couple of beers after my shift), so I snoozed until 6:30 again.

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2. Exercise, in general.   I haven't done anything physical since CrossFit last Thursday.  And since I'm working tonight, I won't get in any exercise until Thursday.  A week!  A whole 7 days without any exercise.  I can't remember the last time I had a break that long.  It's probably been since I started seriously working out 3 years ago.

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3. Nutrition.  Saturday, I bought clearance Easter candy with the intention of using it to bake (in the place of chocolate chips).  I put the chocolate in my big, upright freezer.  Out of site out of mind, right?  Wrong.  I've hit the stash pretty hard. :( 

My diet has also been lacking vegetables and containing too much processed junk.  And this is probably the reason I feel like poo.

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And I guess I have to mention the fact that I have been drinking like a fish.  Friday night (wine), Saturday all day long (beer), and last night (beer).  In my college days, this would have been a mellow week, but in my older age, anything over 1 night a week is a lot.  And I can't help but think about all those empty calories.

4.  Laundry.  My basket is overflowing.  I sorted this morning, thinking if I had it in piles, I'd be more likely to throw one in the washer.  My running clothes from the BlueBell 10k were still in there.  Ewwww!  That was almost 2 weeks ago. 

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5. Various errands.  I need to change my oil, turn in my old plates to the DMV, plant my basil I bought in Fredericksburgh, wash my car, clean house, bake for a friend's fundraiser, etc.  I have no clue when these things will be done, especially since I'm going out of town this weekend.


So here's the deal.  I'm now working 8 AM to 9 PM Monday through Wednesday.  That means I'm going to have to be a lot more efficient with my time.  It also means if I'm going to have to do some serious meal planning and prepping, as well as exercise in the morning on those days. 

I've always been the type of person that thrives on a very busy schedule.  The more I have to do, the more I get done.  I have no more time to be grumpalicious and lazy.  I'm hitting the ground running.  Figuratively and literally.

My initial thought was "I'll get serious next week", but I'm starting now.  Why sabotage myself anymore?!?  I had a healthy, wholesome breakfast.  I'll have a healthy, wholesome lunch.  No beer after work tonight. (This is going to be the hard one, especially since free beer is a perk of the job.) And CrossFit and laundry tomorrow!



What do you think?  The busier, the more productive?  Or does too much to do stress you out?

Cheater, Cheater, Pumkin Eater

More like beer drinker than pumpkin eater. 

I had my first Paleo cheat Friday night in the form of beer.  4 beers to be exact. -20 points.

Let me explain.  A friend wanted me to go with him to see his dad's band play at Linda's Lounge.  Linda's Lounge is not the kind of place where you walk in and order a glass of cab or a skinny margarita (both of which are Paleo legal in moderation).  Linda's Lounge is the kind of place you order a beer. I was already out of place enough and getting stares from the regulars, so instead of rocking the boat, I drank a cold, delicious, hoppy, refreshing Bud Light.  My long lost love.

All was well while there.  The beer made me full and burppy, but I felt fine jamming out to the harmonica and bluesy sound of the band.   4 beers consumed over about 3 hours...I was having fun, but not tipsy in the slightest.

My friend dropped me off at home a little before 12:30 and I was in bed before 1:00.  At about 4:00 AM, I was woken by a wave of nausea.  I fought the battle for a while, then finally gave in to vomiting.  Not to be too graphic, but it was pure hops and wheat coming up. :( 

Paleo turned beer against me!  It's the only explanation I have for getting sick. (That or my friend poisined me, which he denies.)  I never barf.  The last time was 2 years ago, when I had a horrible virus. 

***Sigh.  I guess I won't be cheating anymore since it makes me ill.

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If you were to have a cheat eat, what would it be?

Beer is Cheaper Than Juice! It's Paradise.

Finally, as I promised, here is the first installment of my vacation posts.  I went to Punta Cana, DR to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday with her and 4 more of her friends.

There are always so many little happenings on trips that get forgetten.  Hopefully by documenting this trip via blog, it will be a diary/scrapbook for me and a way to share my trip with y'all.

Day 1

It started at 2:45 AM.  The cab was late to pick us up, therefore I was in a little bit of a panic.  But it worked out perfect. By the time we got through TSA and I chugged some Starbucks, it was time to board. 

The only set back was that I lost my favorite beach hat.  It was too big and floppy to fit in my bag, so I was carrying it in my hand. I set it down on the check in desk while I moved my running shoes from my checked bag (which was 1.5 lbs over the weight limit) to my carry on. I guess that is where it stayed.  I tried lost & found on our way back through Houston, but no luck!

Here is my beloved, now lost hat at the New Orleans Food & Wine Festival with my Ponkies. 

We had breakfast while layed over in the Miami airport.  Egg white omelets are always a winner.  Then we bought booze at the duty free store, and boarded.  I sat next to a couple from Baton Rouge on the plane!  Gotta love finding fellow Louisiana's when traveling.

 

South Beach



Bahamas

More Bahamian islands

More Bahamas or Turks & Caicos?

 The Punta Cana airport is the only privately owned international airport in the world.  Or at least that is what someone told me. I didn't fact check this tid bit. 

Customs was a joke.  We could have smuggled chinchillas into the country and no one would have cared.

We all cramed into a taxi with our luggage and headed to our condo.



Sarah had to hold my bag in her lap in order for us to fit.

Once arriving to the condo, half stayed for a tour of the grounds and half went to the grocery store.  I was in the grocery store group.  Adventure is an understatement.  Our taxi driver came inside to shop with us and push our buggy, but he spoke NO english.  As a matter of fact, no one at the grocery store spoke english. 

Highlights of the grocery store:
-Avocados the size of canteloupes.  Linsey wouldn't let me buy any because she said I would get E. coli. :(
-Beer is cheaper per ounce than juice! :) 
-Nothing was priced in dollars and we had no idea what the conversion rate was.
-There were lots of American brands, like Lays, Tostitos, Yoplait, Ritz, etc.

our condo/villa

It was close to 6:00 PM when we got back to the condo (Punta Cana is Eastern time zone, so only 1 hour difference from home), and I just wanted to see the beach!  We put on swimsuits and walked 2 minutes to the gorgeous blue waters.

After frolicking a little while, we realized it had been over 12 hours since we had a proper meal, so we walked to a restaurant on property called Balicana.  It was Asian style food and was adjacent to the pool. 

Linsey and I jumped in the pool, but were told by staff that the pool closes at 6:30 so had to get out. :(

We ordered a round of Presidente, the national beer.  Then we ordered another round, and another round, and another round.  Sarah and I split some pad thai.  She said it was burnt, but I was too many beers in to even notice.

I was looking rough!  It was a long day.

Carrie and I found coconuts! I was so excited!  Little did we know they were EVERYWHERE on property.

We had an impromtu dance party back at the condo with Lady Gaga, then it was bed time.  We had to get up early the next morning to meet Rafael for surf lessons! :)



Where is the most beautiful place you have ever been?

It's Perfect!

I'm talking about the weather, of course.  It has been A-MAZ-ING here in southwest Louisiana.

The humidity is slated to return Thursday. :(


It's days like today that make me soo thankful for Bleacher Club and the opportunity to workout outside!

Today at Bleacher Club, we did 3 rounds of the following:
2 minutes intervals
-Prison get ups with sand bags
-Dead man burpees with a jump twist
-Ax swings with sand bags
- Knee ins with feet in straps
- 100 ft of 2 back lunges (1 each leg) and 2 forward lunges (1 each leg)
- 1 double bleach
- 100 yard sprint

It was fun, fast, and felt great!

Weekend Recap

Saturday was my "long run" for the week on my half marathon training.  This week, that meant 6 miles. It was awesome.  My pace wasn't as fast as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the run so much that I couldn't be disappointed.  I started a little before 7:00 AM and it was about  60 degrees outside.  I don't think I even broke a sweat until my back half of the run when the sun was fully up.

I came home and made a breakfast of scrambled egg, spinach, and blue cheese laughing cow bagelwich with the bagels I bought at Sam's last week.  Then did some laundry, went to Wal-Mart (I hate that place but sometimes it's a necessary evil!), had my car oil changed, and went to celebrate a friend's birthday by watching football, eating lots of food, and drinking lots of beer.

The weather had me totally in fall spirit, so while at Wal-Mart I picked up the Blue Moon Brewmaster's Autumn Sampler to sip on during the game.  It included the Blue Moon Belgian White, the Belgian Style Pale Ale, and the Harvest Pumpkin Ale.

The Belgian White is the regular Blue Moon flavor.  Delicious as usual!  With a slice of orange, please.

                                                     

The Pale Moon was my favorite.  But I'm partial to Pale Ales.


                                           


And the Harvest Moon tasted most like fall!  I am loving pumpking right now!


                                  


A friend of mine gave me an Abita Fall Fest to try.  It's in my fridge and I can't wait to taste it!

Sunday was my rest day.  I did do a little "exercise" in the form of vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing toilets, and planting lettuce. That's right, in about 60 days, I will have homegrown romaine lettuce.  Hopefully.

Like every Sunday, I had lunch at Mom and Dads. The menu was fried fish, hush puppies, french fries, and sweet potato fries.  My mom was sweet enough to bake me some chicken and sweet potato fries because she knows I'm not a fan of fish or tons of fried food.

I watch most of  the Saints game with my dad, then I went to soak up the last bits of summer by the pool. 

Dinner was soup and a baked potato at McAlisters with a friend who was heading back home to Houston. The food was underwhelming, but the company was great.

Once again, I am happy to report all my teams won this weekend!  Congrats and keep up the good work McNeese Cowboys, LSU Tigers, and Saints!

To sum it up, my weekend was full of food, friends, family, football, and fun!



How did you spend your weekend?

Canned Pineapple Is for the Birds

First thing first....Why did I just find out yesterday we got a fro-yo joint in Lake Charles?  I stumbled upon it on my trip to Books a Million.  Yogurt Mountain.  Not as good or as many options as Orange Leaf in Sulphur.

I filled my cup with no sugar added strawberry yogurt topped with pineapples, yogurt chips, pretzels, and granola. The pineapples were out of a can and disgusting, so naturally, I ate them first, then enjoyed my yogurt.  I know what you are thinking. I paid $0.50 an ounce for them, and I don't waste food or money. 

Progress around the house

I broke the glass of a picture frame while moving, so I turning into a medal display case.  I can't wait to add my half marathon medal!!!

My favorite Pottery Barn picture frame was chipped in the move.  I tried spray paint to cover the chipping, but the finish didn't take the paint. I decided to modge podge it with scrapbook paper.  And rather than return the snapshots to the frame, I silouetted a lab on burlap in honor of my brown girl!

I realize it is not centered in the frame.  I tried a redo, but it looked like a mix of a lab, a weenie dog, and Albert Einstein.

Links of interest:

I loved this article by Sara Gaynes.  Particularly, the part about the hidden dangers of a "goal weight".  This is exactly what happened to me last summer. (See my about me page for the full story.)

Pull up advice. Yes, please!  I'll take any help I can get to reach my unassisted pull up goal.

Louisiana 2 Step  Recipes (especially good cajun ones!), exercise tips, calendar of upcoming races...This site is great for anyone, but developed with Louisianians in mind.
"What is the Louisiana 2 Step? The Louisiana 2 Step is a fun, free, motivational program that teaches people 2 simple steps to better health: eat right and move more. Through this interactive website, you can access tools and information to help you get healthy and stay healthy"


Does anyone need an excuse to drink a beer? How about 4 excuses?  If so, read this article from Shape magazine. 

Cheers!

Sorry for the short  and random post, but it is a busy, busy, busy week.

Have you been working on any home improvement/craft projects lately? Or any new ideas? You know Pintrest is taking over your life and inspiring you to be crafty, so share!
Do you have any good and interesting links to check out?

Arts & Crabs Fest

After my long run yesterday morning, I went to my parents to collect a few more of my things.  I found this little treasure in the fridge.

Spinach, boiled shrimp, white beans, boiled eggs, & green onions.  Which led to this text to my mother.

Then, I ransacked the rest of their house.  I left with a bag of pecans, a jar of pepper jelly my mom made this week, the latest Southern Living, and my mail.

I read the magazine poolside with the brownie.

Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana hosted the 2nd Annual Arts & Crabs Fest yesterday at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

                                           
Local artist displayed their work, local musicians played, and 10 local restaurants prepared crab dishes.  Each dish was paired with an Abita beer.  Wristbands for the tasting were $25 each and all the proceeds went to the Arts & Humanities Council.  They had me at crabs & beer. 

It was an authentic display of what Southwest Louisiana has to offer.  Great music, great art, & great food!

The tastings were as follows:
Big Daddy's: Crab Etoufee & Abita Turbodog
Lake Charles Country Club: Mini Crab Cakes & Abita S.O.S.
Sha Sha's of Creole: Crab Stuffed Jalepenos & Abita Amber
Cajun Cafe: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms & Abita Mardi Gras Bock
Steamboat Bills: Crabmeat Au Gratin & Abita Andygator
Cypress Grill/Graywood: Gazpacho & Abita Abby Ale
121 Bisto: Mona Lisa Pasta & Abita Golden
Harlequin: Crab Cevice & Abita Restoration Ale
Coyote Blues: Crabmeat Poblao Bisque & Abita Jockamo IPA
Pujo St. Cafe: Crab & Avocado Salad & Abita Wheat

My favorites were: Pujo's Crab & Avocado salad, it was so refreshing and light; 121 Bistro's Mona Lisa Pasta, there was not only crab in it but also shrimp; and the LC Country Club's crab cake, I am a sucker for a crabcake and this one did not disappoint.  It was mostly crab, with little filler and had a light crispy crust.

Least favorites: Big Daddy's etoufee and Cypress Grills Gazpacho.  Crab has a naturally sweet flavor, but both of these dishes were too sweet for me.

While I have tried most of these beers, the S.O.S., Golden, and Mardi Gras Bock were new to me. I liked the S.O.S., LOVED the Golden, and hated the Mardi Gras Bock.  The after taste was strong and bitter. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures at the event.  I wore my new dress I made with my thrifted material and an old tank top.  I did snap some pics after I made it, but decided later to hem it above the knee.

Pre-hemming.

Its much more flattering with a belt.

After the event, we met some friends for drinks and dancing. 

My camera got passed around and I ended up with 60 pictures!  Most are very fuzzy, dark, or inappropriate.

It was a late night.