Workouts

Sun
Rest

Mon
Run 5 mi (on Dreadmill)

Tues
Row 5K (ugh, I had to take a lot of breaks & it wasn't my favorite workout)
Back squats 5-5-5-5-5
(#105-105-115-115-120)

Wed
Run 1 mi wu, 4X800M, 1 mi cd
25 min of yoga DVD w/Steve

Cake taste testing? Why yes, I'd love to

My dear mom offered to make our wedding cake - we gladly accepted.  Not only will it save money (yeesh, it is RIDICULOUS how much places charge when "wedding" is in the description), but it will be so much more memorable knowing she made it.  Needless to say, my dad, Steve & I have been more than willing taste tasters. My mom has always been an excellent baker - she always made me the coolest birthday cakes growing up (including a 3-D doll cake).  She's in the process of practicing her recipes, as she wants to make sure it will be the.best.wedding.cake.  I have no doubts, but I understand the perfectionist attitude.  We've tried a few flavors, both of cake, filling, & frosting; as of now, we've narrowed it down but plan more taste-testing sessions.

This is a picture of our first taste-testing, when my parents visited us on their way to MT.  Wine, cake, frosting...I was one happy girl.  Our table was full & before long, so were our stomachs!  :)

Workouts

Fri
1 hr. riding recumbent bike

Sat
4 mi snowy run w/Steve

Snowshoe Running

Last year, I became interested in the idea of snowshoe running.  So often during the winter, Steve & I get stuck on the "Dreadmill" at the gym & our running motivation takes a serious dive.  I had done some reading on snowshoe running, a great way to enjoy "running" outside while there's snow on the ground.  After doing research, I purchased a pair of Redfeather women's snowshoes at the end of the season (thus allowing for a better price).  Snowshoes can range anywhere from $75-$250+ & don't often go on sale, but if you do enough digging, you can usually find something that will fit your needs for a good price.  I wasn't planning on becoming the next snowshoe racer, so I wanted to stick with a snowshoe that was smaller, lightweight, but not out of my price range.  As for shoes, I found another great deal on Gore-Tex Adidas trail shoes ($89 through Road Runner Sports); I bought a half-size up to make room for wool socks.  I went with trail running shoes because hiking shoes are too cumbersome for running.  To prevent snow buildup in my shoes, I bought a pair of gaiters similar to these (although mine were $25 & waterproof - essential for snow).  For clothing, I wore running tights with snowpants over top & several layers on top.  The snowpants are bulkier than what I'd like, but they're necessary because you'll kick snow up on  your rear & running tights will be soaked.  In the future, I'll probably look for a light pair of waterproof pants - rain pants might work well.  On top, I layered several wicking tops (all from my workout collection) - sports bra, short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, & Capilene base layer.  The first time I wore my down jacket, but quickly had to stuff it in my backpack because it was too warm.  I always wear mittens & a hat - neck gaiter if it's cold enough.  Because I'm in the mountains in the middle of winter, I carry a backpack filled with water, food, & safety equipment (first aid, matches, knife, etc).  The weight of the backpack is an added bonus - it adds to the workout!

I've been up on the mountain (not enough snow in town) a few times & I fell.in.love. with snowshoe running.  But let me warn you, it's more like hiking & less like running.  Don't expect to strap on snowshoes & go for a 30 minute run.  No way Jose.  The area I've frequented is a dog-friendly cross country ski & snowshoe area. Snow is not usually packed down, making the snowshoeing that much more difficult & more of a workout.  If going uphill, I don't run - I'm breathing hard enough.  When flat or downhill, I run for 15-30 sec, walk for a few minutes, run 15-30 sec, walk...  Rinse & repeat.  I built myself up to running for 1 min.  Whoa buddy.  Of course, if utilizing an area with packed snow, you'd probably be able to run for longer periods of time.  The deep snow helps strengthen ankles too, especially wearing running shoes instead of ankle high hiking boots.

I try to take the dogs because it's an excellent way to tire them out.  A few pictures from one of our recent adventures...

See the dogs running behind me?  Brewer on the left, being chased by Gidget on the right.  :)

Brewer eating snow

How many dogs can you see in the trees??

Dogs running chest deep through "Mutt Meadows"

Gidget gets hot & buries in the snow

Workouts

Mon
4 mi trail run w/Steve & the pups
4X 21 dips, 50 squats

Tues
3.25 mi run
"20's"
3X 20 jumping pullups, 20 walking lunges w/20#, 20 thrusters w/20#

Wed
35 min run w/Steve

Thurs
~20-30 min snowshoeing
4X 25 15# kettlebell swings, 25 stair jumps, 25 crunches

Workouts

I've been working out, just not blogging about it...

Wed
Snowshoeing
Cycling class

Thurs
Strictly Strength class

Fri
4X Run 400M, 20 30# db swings, 10 GH s/ups
Cycling class

Sat
~5 mi run w/Steve

Sun
Rest

Jump, Brewer, Jump!

Some of you may have had the privilege of seeing Brewer do his "jumps."  This dog can get some height.  It's usually when he's incredibly excited - if you're getting home or (& almost always) when he's hungry & you bring the food out.  We caught a few good pictures last night...  Enjoy.  :)

Ready...set...

GO!

Getting excited...

WOO HOO!  (We like this picture the best)

PS - Please ignore the dirt spots that are apparently on my camera lens.  I think it got water droplets when we were snowshoeing & I haven't wiped them off.

Baking FAIL

Steve's birthday is on Monday & I have a work meeting/Christmas party at the Y the same night.  I signed up to bring a dessert & figured it would give me an excuse to bake something for Steve's birthday.  I came across this recipe for rainbow cupcakes.  FUN!  How cute do they look?  The recipe looked like something I could handle, especially considering my typically unskillful kitchen skills.  I figured I was taking them to a work party, so even if they didn't turn out as pretty as shown on the original website, as long as they tasted ok, they would be eaten.  Well, the following pictures will tell the story...

So colorful!  The batter separated & dosed with food coloring.

Continuing with the prettiness into the oven...

Epic FAIL.  My cupcakes look like the remnants of rainbow vomit.  I'll cover them up with frosting - I'm going to attempt this fun colorful idea for frosting - & no one will notice the difference (& hopefully they'll enjoy all the fun colors in the cupcake).  Don't get me wrong, they taste great.

With my perfectionist personality, I'm not going to let this fall by the wayside.  I want to try it again until I achieve the perfect rainbow cupcake.  I think one problem was pouring the different color batter in the cupcake tin; instead of pouring each color into the center of the previous color, I should try to cover the previous color entirely with the next color (not spreading it, as it says not to).  Other than that, I'm not sure what I did wrong.  Ah well, I'll keep trying.  Until then, I'll bake something different for Steve's birthday.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Ain't it a good lookin' Christmas tree?  All for a whopping $12.  Mother Nature done good!  If you look closely, you'll notice we're missing ornaments on the bottom part of the tree.  This is not by accident - we have plenty of ornaments to fill the bottom half.  We happen to have three very large, furry creatures with a fifth appendage attached to their rear ends.  These appendages play no use other than to knock things over or whack you in the knees  Maybe even take out a small child.  Or act like a rudder when they're swimming.  The appendages move at warp speed when said beasts are excited, which is often.  Either way, we can't use our coffee table to place drinks nor can we put ornaments on the bottom part of the Christmas tree.  Small complaints compared to the love these dogs give.  But I think God's sense of humor is behind the reason for the tail.  (Although they're tails do dust the front half of our entertainment center :))

I like the dichotomy of the framed ballet picture next to the European-mount elk head.  The elk is Steve's from this year; his other European-mounted elk from a few years ago is in the bedroom.

Tree Hunting Madness

We've tried to make it a tradition for our tree hunting adventures - load up the dogs, snowshoes/skiis, warm clothes, food, saw, beer & head to the mountains for a fun day.  The two times we've gone it's always been really really cold - 1 degree F the first year & 4 degrees F this year.  Ouch.  Needless to say, it's fun, but when it's that cold we make the trip short & sweet.  Our beer froze almost instantly upon opening - beer slushy! (Don't worry, we weren't getting trashed, we're smart enough to realize freezing weather + beer + driving = not smart).  But there is something quite delicious about a cold beer while hunting the Christmas tree.  I didn't get too many pictures because my camera battery died early on into the adventure.  Georgia used her camera so I'll hopefully post more pictures once I receive them from her (she also has pictures of Steve & I with our tree).

Georgia & pups in the background

Shane & Georgia

Gidget burying in the snow

Matt manages to fall down while on snowshoes...Shane popping open a beer with his teeth (very redneck)

Georgia with the perfect Charlie Brown tree.  It was perfect!  But a bit too small.  Maybe next year.

Matt, Steve (hiding in the back), Shane

Shane's rat tail created while we were eating breakfast at our place before taking off (side note: he's growing his hair out for Locks of Love, hence the hair long enough for a rat tail)

Ring!

Pictures of my gorgeous engagement ring...  Does this mean I have to plan a wedding now?  :)

Workouts

Sun
Rest

Mon
Sadly, I can't remember what I did for a workout...
Cycling class

Tues
Strictly strength class
Run 400M wup, 1 mi, 4X400 at 1 mi pace

Wed
Run 4.75 mi w/Gidget
Cycling class
Yoga DVD w/Steve

Thurs
Run to Turkey Trot
Turkey Trot (~2.8 mi - 4 loops around one of our city parks)
Run home
(Total: 5.75 mi)

Workouts

Wed
100 squats
100 pushups (50 regular, 50 modified)
100 squats
100 walking lunges
100 squats
Cycling class

Thurs
Run 20 min
Strictly strength class

Fri
2 mi run w/Gidget & Brewer
2 mi run w/Guinness
Cycling class

Sat
Run 4.8 mi w/Steve
21-15-9 Back ext, pistols (one-legged squats)

Halloween

Steve was a dead lumberjack (guy on the left is our friend Shane, he was a scare crow).  He did a great job with the make-up...& was able to come up with a costume that only required purchase of make-up & suspenders.

I was a washed-up 80's aerobics instructor.  Yes, that's food & lipstick smeared in my teeth.  You can't see it, but my tights are ripped, I'm wearing two sets of scrunched socks, & nasty old tennis shoes.  I used sandwich bags filled with rice for my beer belly.  Pretty sweet, eh?  The Busch Light & the Sponge Bob Square Pants underwear hanging out of the crushed velvet purple leotard completed the outfit.

Workouts

Fri
5X 25 30# dumbbell swings, 15 back ext, 10 knees to elbows

Cycling class

Sat
20 min run
Zumba training all day

Sun
Rest

Mon
2 mi run w/Brewer & Gidget
1.6 mi run w/Guinness
Cycling class

Tues
Strictly strength class
Run 4X 800M
(400M wu, 400M cd)

Workouts

Tues
Rest

Wed
Run 35 min w/Steve & dogs
Cycling class

Thurs
Strictly Strength class
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of...
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

The Pink Link 10K

A few weekends ago, the hospital put on a fun run (1.5 mi walk, 5K run/walk, 10K run/walk) for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  As per the norm, my friends & I went all out with pink attire.  A few pictures from the day (also waiting on the same friend for a few pictures she has)...

Of course I happened to get an obnoxious red zit  on my forehead the day of...we'll say it was part of the costume.  And yes bought bright pink duct tape to cover our shoes...and wore HUGE pink fake eyelashes for the entire run.  Go us.

Workouts

One of these days I'll get Halloween pictures posted, but I'm waiting for a friend to send me her pictures (I didn't have any great pics).  In the mean time...

Fri
5X 25 60# deadlifts, 50 squats
Cycling class

Sat
5 mi run

Sun
8.5 mi run (2.25 mi to meet up with Steve, 2.5 mi back to the Powder Horn, 4 mi slow run w/friends for International Run Day)

Mon
Cycling class

Workouts

Wed
25 - squats, pushups, situps
50 - squats, pushups, situps
75 - squats, pushups, situps
Run to & from Y (~1.5 mi roundtrip)
Cycling class

Thurs
Strictly strength class
Run 6 mi (3 w/Brewer & Gidget, 3 w/Guinness)

Workouts

Sat

~2.8 mi run w/Steve to Kmart (hey, what better than to get some errands done while working out?)

Sun

Filthy Fifty

(5o: 20# dumbbell swings, jumping pullups, supermen, walking lunges, tuck jumps, 20# thrusters, 30# push press, knees-to-elbows, stair jumps)

I conveniently ran out of time for the burpees...

Mon

4X Run 400M, 25 #40 lb front squats

Cycling class

Tues

Strictly Strength class

3X (200M, 400M, 600M) Run

Boston

I'm trying to play catch-up with pictures & blogging. We recently flew to Boston to see Jean's side of the family & go to Steve's cousin's wedding. A few pictures from our trip to Boston:

Beautiful fall colors!
Steve & I outside Fenway Park. Go BoSox!!
Steve & I at the wedding. We clean up well. :)

Lipetzky brother shenanigans. Something is not quite right in this picture... Perhaps the finger (yes, get your mind out of the gutter, that's a finger) pointing at Kenny's leaf loin cloth? While he & Shane try to look as innocent as possible? :)

Workouts

Fri

40 min run w/Steve

Cycling class

Sat

The Pink Link 10K

Sun

Rest

Mon

Run 5.5 mi w/Steve & the dogs (3 mi w/Gidget, 2.5 mi w/Brewer & Guinness)

Tues

As many rounds in 20 min of...

4 dips, 4 p/ups, 8 30# dumbbell swings

(I forgot to keep track of how many rounds I completed)

Wed

5-5-5-5-5 Squats

(95# w/up, 95-95-115-115-125)

Row 500M w/up

1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on, 40 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on, 20 sec off, 1 min on, 10 sec off, back up the ladder... (maintained ~215-225M/min)

Elliptical 25 min

Thurs

REST! I'm currently being a lazy sack on the couch. Lovely.

Workouts

Mon
Rest

Tues
Strictly Strength class (drop sets - 8 reps max, drop weight, 8 reps, drop weight, 4 reps, drop weight, 4 reps)

Row 250M wu
4X 250M

Wed
Run 3X 5 min (ran each set with a different dog)
Cycling class

Thurs
20 min elliptical wu
4X 50M walking lunges, 50 crunches
(I think I may have been off on my meter estimation, but I think I overestimated so I'm not too worried)

3 weeks since my last post?!?

My apologies to all...it's been a crazy 3 weeks. Lots of traveling & family time = little to no blogging. I have much to catch up on, but here's a rundown/highlights of the past weeks...

~Trip to Boston for Steve's cousin's wedding
~Day from hell on our return trip
Highlights:
-A flight attendant looking like Willem Dafoe in drag (see The Boondock Saints, except with a blond wig) & acting like Queen Bitch
-An ill man requiring medical attention, thus diverting our flight to Buffalo, NY. If you're 58 with high blood pressure, diabetes and in generally poor health with a laundry list of issues, DO NOT fly the day after you get married, as you've probably spent most of the night drinking way too much and sleeping far too few hours. As a gentlemen behind me put it: "He got married yesterday. He probably just realized what he got himself into." Not only did it take them 20 minutes to get the poor guy off the plane because they couldn't figure out how to get him out, we sat in the airplane for a total of 2 hours waiting for Buffalo to get their act together & send us on our way. Thankfully the guy was recovering & not experiencing a true medical emergency, otherwise it would have been a body bag. When you land at the airport BEFORE the ambulance arrives, despite the fact they had at least 20-30 minutes notice of our landing, you know you're in for trouble. Note to self: don't land at the Buffalo, NY airport with serious medical emergency.

~Wasting away 8 hours in the Salt Lake City airport because Casper, WY has only two flights in from SLC. At least they have a few good brews in the airport to help pass time.
~Flying to Eugene, OR to see the family.
~Hanging out with the family, Peter, & Tom in Sisters, OR (my new favorite town)
~Running the Sisters Poker Run (punked out & ran 20 miles instead of 32...fair enough)
~Flying back home, seeing my pups & Steve & getting a chance to breathe from all the traveling.

Great American Beer Fest 2009!

Last weekend, we made the trek to Denver for the glorious Great American Beer Festival. We met up with friends from Laramie for a weekend of relaxing & plenty of beer tasting. Friday night, we arrived in Denver in time to have a beer in the lobby of the hotel before heading up to the room to hang out with the crew. As you can see from the picture above, when you have a floor to ceiling cabinet in the hotel room, what better than to see if everyone can fit in the cubby holes?? Apparently that is a strong cabinet...

Saturday morning, we woke up & decided to go for a short run to stretch the legs & prepare for the onslaught of delicious beer. After cleaning up, we took a picture (top picture) before heading over to the convention center - it kind of looks like I'm farting on Steve & everyone else is kind of upset about it...but I swear, I wasn't. We proudly sported our "pretzel necklaces" - a nice way to bring in "food" to munch on while drinking lots and lots and lots of beer. The festival itself was great! They added more floor space this year, allowing more room to spread out. They also added more bathrooms, which is KEY when tasting beer for four hours. We had some excellent beers & a few not-so-excellent beers. (To my dear sister-in-law: Kona Brewing Company now has a Coconut Brown; if you're a coconut fan, I think you'd love it! Not sure when it will be in production).

Saturday night, Steve & I headed to a Flogging Molly concert at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre. Neither of us had been to the venue & we not only enjoyed the incredibly cool concert venue, we loved Hepcats (opener) & Flogging Molly. They put on an excellent show!

Sunday morning, we woke up early for a 10K run I had signed us up for: Das Husslehoff 5K/10K. It was not the best run for either us - in our defense, we had been standing for several hours the day before for beer fest & the concert AND we were very dehydrated from hours upon hours of beer drinking. However, it was an excellent way to wake up for the day, the course was nice, & we saw several funny costumes. Who wouldn't have fun at a race that is based solely around Oktoberfest & Germany's most noted star, the one & only DAVID HASSLEHOFF?! Genius. After the race, we went back to the hotel to clean up & hit the road. A fun weekend had by all.

We had a great time & if anyone ever considers attending beer fest in the future, I highly recommend it. Especially the more expensive "Members-Only" session on Saturday afternoon.

Workouts

Fri
Cycling class

Sat
3 mi run around Denver

Sun
Das Husslehoff 10K (more on that to come later)

Mon
5X 10 cannonballs, 10 pullups
Cycling class

Tues
Rest day

Wed
0.3 mi wup
2X 1 mi
Cycling class

Thurs
5 mi run
Strictly strength class

Fri
21-18-15-12
55# deadlift
Knees-to-elbows
30# dumbbell swing

Cycling class

Workouts

Sat
3 X 5K

Sun
Rest

Mon
3-3-3-3-3 Front squats (65#-65#-75#-75#-75#)
Rowing 3X 700M

Cycling class

Tues
We had a "Bike-A-Thon" at the Y in which we had the cycling room open all day & asked people to sign up for time slots to be in the room cycling. The goal was to have someone cycling at all times between 5 am - 8 pm. I did two hour-long stints (6 am-7 am & 4 pm-5 pm)

Wed
Run to & from Y (~.75 mi one-way)
4X 15 dips, 30 30# dumbbell swings
Cycling class

Thurs
Strength class
Run 5K

Banana bread

(Disclaimer: my food never looks as beautiful as the pictures from the professional recipe. And for some reason, Blogger keeps rotating my picture - it should be horizontal - & I can't figure out how to fix it)

Of all banana bread recipes I've tried, I've enjoyed this recipe the very best. I prefer my banana bread to be moist & using other recipes, it's always turned out dry & almost unedible on the edges. However, this Cooking Light recipe has been fabulous. I've made a few adjustments & it still turns out an excellent final product...

Adjustments I've made with success:

-Using Yoplait Light Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt (the only yogurt I had in the fridge - individual container)

-Lowering sugar to 3/4 cup; I didn't want overly sweet banana bread & since I wasn't using plain yogurt & instead using yogurt with sugar in it, I made the executive decision to cut down the sugar amount. Bread still tasted great, but if you prefer sweet banana bread, stick with 1 cup

-Half wheat flour & half white; the first time I baked this bread, I used all white. This time around, I decided to experiment with half whole wheat flour & half white - so far so good!

-4 bananas instead of 3 (three did not seem to have enough banana flavor, so four it was)

-Adding cinnamon & nutmeg. What's banana bread without spices??

Of course, all ovens vary & I cooked mine longer than 1 hour. Although the ends always dry up a touch more than the middle, they're still moist. *Note: this is a fairly moist banana bread; verging on "wet" in the middle. I like mine this way, but if you don't, I would recommend baking it longer.

Next to try: adding walnuts.

Who knew gardening had such a learning curve?

Granted, it's only my second year trying my hand at gardening (more specifically, veggie gardening) & it's going swimmingly well for beginner status, but I learn something new every day.

Mother Nature has been on a roll... Blackbirds are eating our sunflower seeds, slugs are enjoying my tomatoes (ick), & grasshoppers have been living very well off our garden. We've never used chemicals on our gardens, but next year I'm going to look very seriously into organic insecticides/pesticides.

P.S. I read beer was a great way to get rid of slugs - put a few saucers of beer in the garden & the slugs, attracted to the yeast, will fall into the beer & drown a happy death. Well, apparently Busch Light is not their choice of drink. I went out the next morning hoping to find slugs in the beer & off my 'maters, only to find them happily munching on the 'maters. Damnit.

I dream of owning several acres tucked away in the mountains in which I can have large garden plots some day - in the meantime, I'm working on my gardening education...
_______________________________________

And not too far off topic, as weather has played a large part in our crazy gardening season (& my desire to wax philosophical for a bit)... What are your thoughts on the idea our weather patterns have moved months ahead of their previous patterns?
For example, winter typically falls in the December/January/February range. However, last year, we really didn't experience winter until February/March/April (which are usually spring weather months). Summer typically falls June/July/August, but this year, we had a very cool, wet June/July/August. Now, in September, we're experiencing typical summer weather in a typically fall weather month. As though Winter, Spring, & Summer moved ahead by several months. So will we have our Summer now in September/October/November (which used to be fall weather months) & our Fall in December/January/February?

Something to think about...

Steve's new toy

Steve has been on the hunt for a new vehicle & found this 2007 Dodge Dakota (only 40,000ish miles) in great condition & for a great deal. He was past due for a new vehicle, as the Blazer is ready to be retired to an "around town" set of wheels. Luckily, the Blazer is paid off so we can take our time selling it.

If you look closer in the first picture, you will see a pack of wild beasts in the bed of the truck. We were in the yard & upon hearing a commotion, we turned to see these three ferocious animals had made their way into the open gate. Looking at their faces, you can see the crazy look in their eyes - we were quite frightened & decided to leave all well alone. After 20-30 minutes, we realized these bloodthirsty criminals were not going to leave the comfort of their new residence. We decided to take them for a ride & all calmed down once we went through the Dairy Queen drive-thru & they received a treat from the DQ employee.

Workouts

Sat
4 mi run w/Steve

Sun
11.3 mi run w/Steve

Mon
Cycling class

Tues
Strictly Strength class

5X 100 ft walking lunges, 15 20# dumbbell swings, 15 s/ups, 15 back ext

Wed
3 mi run w/Steve

2 cycling classes

Workouts

Sun
2.1 mi run w/Gidget & Brewer
1.5 mi run w/Guinness

Mon
Rest

Tues
0.5 mi wu
4 X 800M
0.5 mi cd

Wed
3X 100 ft walking lunges w/20#
30 stair jumps
Cycling class

Thurs
0.5 mi wu
9 X 1 min on, 1 min off
0.4 mi cd

Fri
3X Row 500M
50 squats w/20#
Row 1400M cd
Cycling class

More pictures of our dogs than of us

Foot rest!

And now you know why we call him a goober...

Workouts

Mon
5.8 mi run

Tues
1 mi run
100 knee pushups
100 jumping pullups
200 squats
1 mi run

Wed
0.75 mi wu
4 X 800M
1.75 cd

Thurs
1000M row
21 35# thrusters & back extensions
500M row
15 35# thrusters & back extensions
250M row
9 35# thrusters & back extensions

2 mi run

Fri
Rest

Sat
1 mi run w/Gidget & Brewer
1 mi run w/Guinness
9.1 mi run w/Jessica & Georgia

Workouts

Mon
Rest

Tues
5.2 mi run

Wed
100 ft. walking lunges
21 pullups, 21 back ext
100 ft walking lunges
18 kn pushups, 18 situps
100 ft walking lunges
15 kn pushups, 15 situps
(continue this routine through 12-9-6-3 & walking lunges between)

35 min on elliptical

Thurs
4.2 mi run including 3 steep stair repeats

150 5# wall "ball" (I used a rice bag...sometimes Crossfit requires creativity...)

Fri
6 mi run w/Jessica & Pepper

50-40-30-20-10
Tuck jumps & situps

I workout so I can eat, not the other way around

I didn't realize so much time had passed since my last post. This past week was a vacation spent in Helena with the family - we passed time relaxing, boating, hiking, eating, drinking & all other things conducive to vacationing. I love food & drink. To combat the effects of my love of all things food & drink, I workout. I would rather workout more & eat more than have to eat less. I want my cake (& beer) & I want to eat (drink) it too. 'Nuff said. Luckily, the Ramirez clan is big into working out (possibly bordering on obsessed; but I'm not the only one in the family with a burning passion for food & drink) - I had plenty of exercise throughout the week. (Despite this fact, I think I still gained a few pounds...ah well, it was all worth it).

Sun
Leading Ladies 1/2 Marathon

Mon
Rest - drive to H-town

Tues
Elliptical 1 hr.

Wed
Hike Mt. Helena

"Chicky's Modified Filthy Fifty"
50 - cannonballs, supermen, situps, pushups (25 regular, 25 assisted), squats, dips, walking lunges, 20# dumbbell swings

Thurs
5.85 mi run

Fri
6.5 mi trail run w/my bro

Sat
~5 mi trail run w/Steve & bro

Sun
~3.4 mi run w/Steve

I didn't take any pictures, but the rest of the family had their cameras out at all moments, so I'll try to hunt some down. Now I'll attempt to return to regular blogging (including more pictures, as I know my workout schedule is not always fascinating to everyone else).

Workouts

Oops, it's been awhile.

Mon
Cycling class

Tues
Powerflex class
0.5 mi wu
3X 1K (~0.6 mi)
0.7 mi cd (Total = 3 mi)

Wed
21-15-9
95# squats, back extensions, push-ups
Cycling class

Thurs
PowerFlex class
As many rounds in 20 minutes: 5 jumping pullups, 10 knee pushups, 15 squats

Fri
8K (3 miles w/Brewer & Gidget, 2 miles w/Guinness)

Sat
Rest

Sun
7.25 mi run w/Jessica (helping her train for a half-marathon)
5 X 30 situps, 25 superwomen (back extensions)

They love each other :)

Brewer & Gidget

Workouts

Fri
4X 20 30# Thrusters
20 Stair jumps
20 walking lunges
20 back extensions
Cycling class

Sat
Rest

Sun
~5 mi trail run w/Steve

Mon
5K
Cycling class

More garden fun

Lemon thyme: the best herb to grow, especially if you're still developing your green thumb (such as yours truly). I started it last summer in the ground but transplanted it indoors during the winter; the herb didn't go crazy during the winter, but it didn't die & I was able to continue harvesting it during the winter. As soon as the weather warmed up this summer, I put it outside & it began producing again. It's a versatile & delicious herb! This winter, I plan to move it indoors again & when we have our occasional warm winter days, put it outside to enjoy the warm sun - I think that will help it keep producing through winter.

To the left of our garden, we're growing raspberries, sunflowers, & a cherry tree (also unpictured: blueberry bushes)

Around the front of the house (the veggie garden is in the back), we have a more "natural" garden with aspen trees & wildflowers. A few close-ups of the wildflowers...

The entire wildflower area

A view of the "natural" garden area. In the future, we'd like to make it a more low-maintenance area - take out some of the grass, create a bigger river rock garden, plant a few more drought-tolerant local plants, & put down mulch.

Behind the largest aspen tree we have mint growing & have already been able to enjoy mojitos with mint from the garden. Yum! :)