Workout before Weekend

This afternoon I hit the road for a quick weekend road trip to Louisville, KY. More details to come. I couldn't take a super long lunch break so I opted to do 20 minutes of yoga to stretch out before 8 hours in the car.

So, I went to SWORKIT again. I may have an obsession. I realized today that the app adjusts my background music so that I can hear instructions. 

Here's some of the music I vibed with today.

Feels so good to stretch and relax!

Overall, a great, quick lunch workout to put me in a relaxed mood before road trip weekend!! 

What day is it?

Happy Wednesday!! This made me laugh, so I thought I'd share.

Hit the gym over my lunch break again today. Starting to love this app. It's free, and allows you to choose type of workout and length of time. I did a quick 10 min of the Strength one. I love how they show you how to do the exercises and give you a little countdown. Best app I've found so far! I also tried out the yoga section the other day and loved it too. I'm also able to play my own music over this and still hear instructions. Very impressive for a free app!

*Ps. Not a sponsored post- totally just love this app and wanted to share!

Birthday Weekend!

I could not have asked for a better birthday weekend. My family and friends were all so thoughtful and made me feel so loved. I am lucky to have them- that's for sure. 

Hubby took me out for sushi at Haruno on Friday night. We were starving, so I totally forgot to take pictures.

Saturday morning, he took me out to brunch at The Order. Another all-time favorite! They serve Brick & Mortar coffee- the only coffee I can really drink black and enjoy.

I had my usual- the Duck Confit Hash. The duck melts in your mouth. Love the purple potatoes too. It's just wonderful. Hubby had the Pork Belly Corndogs. Again super delicious- but they were really rich. They might have been better as just an appetizer instead of the main meal. 

After brunch, we headed over to Pineapple Whip. Hello- ALL THE EXCITEMENT. Pineapple Whip is this amazing little stand that is open around town during the summer. They had their Winter Solstice opening once during the winter- this year it fell on my birthday. I was in heaven! We got two of the biggest tubs to stash in the freezer. I've been taking a bite ever time I walk by the fridge. It won't last long! Ps. Love that the hula girl is wearing a blanket! Stay warm, hula girl!!

My aunt surprised me by driving up to my house with a warm pan of her homemade rolls- just for me! Talk about the best way to make me feel loved! Someday I need to spend an afternoon making these with her. I need to know her ways. These are the best rolls in life. I'm not even joking. 

When it comes to birthday cake, I'm not a fancy girl. All I need is a white or marble cake with whipped frosting straight from the grocery store. I was super excited to find one at midnight Friday night. But in my half asleep state, I forgot we purchased it and threw it in the back of the car with the rest of our groceries. Oops. 

It still turned out pretty well- and tasted amazing, so that's all that matters!

Thanks again to all my family and friends for the love this weekend. I am so thankful to have you all in my lives and thank you for helping me kick off year #29!

Me today...

Just overwhelmed by feelings today. No need to hide that. Just a rough day. This quote seems to fit.

I feel like I'm all of the above. I feel like I'm endlessly waiting for things to come together, waiting for what I want to happen, but I can't control everything so I just have to be patient but sometimes I have days of utter despair and hopelessness. It's hard to lift yourself out of that hole. It gets exhausting.

On Mondays, we watch Bachelor

I have a confession to make... My husband and I religiously watch The Bachelor. Every Monday night, we make appetizers and settle in for a good night of drama. Hey, it fills the void that Monday Night Football has left...

Last night, I made crab stuffed mushrooms and a cream cheese spinach crab dip and piled on the veggies as much as possible. Sorry no recipes- I really just threw stuff together. Beverage of choice was La Croix. Their grapefruit/pamplemousse is my go to flavor, but I decided to branch out for winter and try the cherry/lime. Good stuff! 

Then for dessert, I finally attempted chocolate chia seed pudding. Here's a link the recipe I used. I left out the maple syrup/dates and ended up adding a pack of Splenda. Not the best idea. It also could have used a nutty topping like almonds. Regardless, not horrible. 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

As for the Bachelor, it was a pretty great night. Really impressed with how Lace handled herself and am really starting to love the crazy train that Olivia is becoming. Also, I LOVE Jubilee. At first, I was totally skeptical, but after she opened up and shared her past, I want to give that girl major props. Then how the girls treated her afterwards totally killed me. Maybe it was just the editing, but I couldn't believe that the girls weren't on board to take care of Ben when he had received terrible news. My heart broke for him, and it was nice to see Jubilee give him a little rest from the chaos of the house when he needed it the most. 

Aannnnnndd that's my Bachelor opinions for the night. Sorry about that! If you need a recap, I highly suggest Pinterest Told Me To- Hilarious! Here's a link to her recap from last week:

www.pinteresttoldmeto.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-bachelor-episode-2-recap-ben-sniffs.html

Restart

This Monday seems like a "restart" kind of Monday. I kicked off the weekend by taking down Christmas decorations and getting some serious cleaning and organizing done in my house. It's finally time to get back in the grind of real life.

I even had time yesterday afternoon to do some meal prep for the week. I got these divided containers for Christmas, and I love them! It reminds me to pack veggies, fruit, and protein for lunch. 

I also felt really motivated to work out today. Despite the meal prep, I didn't have the best eating habits this weekend. A few too many sweets and meals out! Decided to work on the abs today with some planks, sit ups with ball support, etc. 

Then for cardio, I hit the stair stepper. This song was my jam for the workout. It's upbeat and catchy. Plus, I love how it talks about building your own house- reminds me to build my own life without letting outside opinions interfere. I know what's best for me, and I have to follow my heart.

So, that's my Monday. Good start to the week, for sure!

Chill Gym Day

I've been pushing it hard the last few days with weights and running, and I'm sore. But, I still wanted to hit the gym today so I opted for something chill.

15 minutes of yoga and then 20 minutes on the rowing machine. It felt great to stretch out my muscles and listen to some jams. Disclaimer: this song was my jam. I swear I listen to some of the most inappropriate music, but this song totally got me today. 

Ok, ok- not all of the song, just certain parts of the lyrics. Reminding me to stay in the moment, despite how broken I've been. That's me today. 

Costa Rica-4

We spent the last couple of days hopping between the pool and the ocean, just relaxing and soaking up the sun. A wonderful trip. 

Flew over Cuba on the way home and am excited to add it to the list of future travel.

 Can't wait for the next adventure! 

Costa Rica-3

We took a day to get out and drive. Beautiful country side, but crazy drivers! 

Playa Flamingo was gorgeous!

Delicious coconut right on the beach.

It was definitely nice to just get out and explore.

Then we ended up back in Tamarindo for the night at El Patio. Great venue with good food. Ceviche for the win.

We ended the night at Sharky's, watching the Vikings play. I was in heaven! Never would have guessed that I'd be able to watch so much football while out of the country! 

Costa Rica-2

We spent the next day at the Palo Verde National Park on a river boat tour.

Lots of iguanas!

And a curious monkey.

And ended with more relaxing on the beach and a beautiful sunset!

Costa Rica!

Apparently I was a good girl this year, so Santa whisked me off to Costa Rica for a week. Great trip! Beautiful place and time spent with wonderful people. 

We spent Christmas Day at Arenal Volcano. I totally expected an arid volcano so I was caught off guard by the rain forest climate!

Our first encounter with coati. We found out that when you see one and feed it, twenty others jump out from the jungle to beg for more! 

I was able to spend time hiking on a road that was destroyed when the volcano erupted, then through the rainforest.

We wrapped up the day at The Springs Spa. Perfect way to celebrate Christmas- just relaxing in the mineral pools!

Stay tuned for more travel stories!

Sand in my running shoes

Finally able to hit the gym after two solid weeks of holiday travel. Started off by shaking the sand out of my running shoes. Take me back to the beach! 

Started off my first morning in Tamarindo, Costa Rica with a beach run. 

Low tide sure helped!