Health Quest

Back....again?

2010-07-15T15:03:00.000-05:00

Long time no blog!?

So, I am back, again. I don't think I've posted since April (right after my birthday in fact). No, don't worry... I haven't fallen off of the wagon o' health or anything like that. As I've explained to my friends and family, blogging became overwhelming for me so to speak. I did it to myself. When I start something new, I tend to go at it full force instead of taking my time and easing into things. But, after having some time from blogging (okay 2 months too long), I think that I can figure out some kind of manageable blog schedule for myself. A big thanks to Libby for helping me see the light on this. So, I may blog daily, or just a couple times a week. But, I'm not going to be blogging 3-4 times a day anymore. It's great to be back blogging! I've missed it so!

While I've been "gone," I've run in two races here in Eau Claire: the Eau Claire Half Marathon in May, and the RCU Charity Classic in June. Check out my Run/Races page to find out how I did on those runs. I have another run coming up in September: The Buck Shot Run, a 5 mile run that benefits Special Olympics! Fun and Rewarding!

Sadly, another thing that has gone by the wayside along with blogging is picture taking!!! I swiped a photo that my friend Suzie posted the other day to jazz up this post. We had prepared a divine picnic (including chilled wine) to have at Phoenix Park. Here I am with our bountiful spread: moroccan, couscous with grilled chicken; brie and crackers; fruit; chocolate chip cookies from Harmony Corner Cafe (to die for); chilled chardonnay. Great times!

Back!

2010-04-15T11:45:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Bloggies!

I'm back! Sorry for the delay in blogging, but life has officially taken over for me lately. The next week or so is going to be pretty busy. In fact, I'm trying really hard not to add anything more to my calendar in fear that I will go crazy.

Admidst all of this "life" I am still on track with my half-marathon training. Here is a quick recap of where I am right now:

Week 2 = 29 miles total running miles

Week 3 goal (this week) = 29 miles, so far I've run 14.50 miles.

I'm still going strong, and my knee is miraculously holding out during all of this. I'm pretty pumped about it all. I will say that I am more tired than I have been in a long time though. All of these extra miles is burning mondo energy. I'll be glad to get on my regular workout schedule again after the race. Whew! I still have 2.5 weeks to go. And, this Saturday I have to run 11 miles!!!! I know I will need a walk break at some point in that 11 miles.

Back to yummy food now...

Last night's dinner was delicious. I whipped up baked chicken breasts, roasted brussel sprouts (this has surprisingly become my most fav veggie now), brown rice, and sauteed mushrooms (sauteed in a tablespoon of Smart Balance butter, no seasonings).

You know, these simple dinners are so wonderful - not a lot of sodium, lots of protein and whole grains... really great. :) I've learned over the year to appreciate a simple "home" meal (as opposed to a restuarant dish).

Breakfast this morning was my usual - yes, I'm sorry but I LOVE eggs and English muffins. They just "do it" for me what can I say. :)

Today at Starbucks you can get FREE COFFEE! Just bring any reusable travel mug, and they will fill you up for free! I meant to stop by this morning on my way to work, but completely forgot. It's okay, I brewed Starbucks at home this morning anyway. I may stop by later today though after my lunch meeting and get a fill up!

My morning snack this morning is a Yoplus light yogurt - vanilla flavored. I think this is supposed to be similar to my Fiber One yogurts. It's okay - not quite as tasty as the Fiber One vanilla. The Yoplait has 90 calories, and the Fiber One has 50 cals... I'm dipping strawberries in my yogurt today. Mmmmm...

Not sure what lunch will be today. I have a Chippewa Valley Society for Human Resource Management (CVSRM) meeting today. I hope you all are having a great day!!!

Dead Sea Scrolls!

2010-04-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

Another wonderful birthday present from Carl was taking me on Thursday to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul, MN. This exhibit has been at the Science Museum since mid-March, and runs through October. Click here to find out more about the Minnesota Science Museum and here to find out more about the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit. I was so excited that he took me to see the Dead Sea Scrolls! I really wanted to see this exhibit. I mean, come on! I'm sure there are only a couple (maybe just one!) chances in your life to see ACTUAL Dead Sea Scrolls in person! What a huge historical opportunity!

It was too bad that I was not allowed to take any photos of the exhibit. Photography (and cell phones for that matter) were not allowed due to the sensitivity of the scrolls. I did get some shots of us walking into the museum and to the exhibit though.

Where we parked "bear level"- heading in to the museum.

Cool tile wall.

Carl forgot his cell phone in the car, had to go back to get it.

Earth floor.

Entrance to exhibit.

No food, cameras or phones allowed. How will we survive?

The exhibit was awesome, and awe-inspiring as well. I really liked how they took you back to Qumran, where most of the scrolls were found, and explained what life was like 2,000 years ago when the scrolls were probably written, who was involved in finding, selling, and studying the scrolls over time, what the theories are on on the scrolls, how they got there, and why they were written, etc. It's truly fascinating. The exhibit is really a lot of information to digest. We went in around 10:45AM, and left the museum at noon. So if you go, plan for at least an hour just for the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit. Wonderful!

Birthday Vacation

2010-04-09T17:17:00.001-05:00

Ahhhhh. It's my birthday. I'm sitting outside on the deck soaking up a MOST beautiful day without a care in the world. Now this is the way it's supposed to be. I need days like this, and I'm so lucky to have them every now and then. :) Later, Carl is taking me to dinner for my birthday. We're going to an oldie, but goodie - Texas Road House - oh yeah. And maybe, just maybe, if I can fit anymore food in my tummy, we will hit up Cold Stone Creamery for some cake batter ice cream afterward. Mmmmm. No, no, I promise to be reasonably "good" while eating out. I will probably get a sirloin steak, a baked potato with just a tad bit of butter, and a side of broccoli. We'll skip the appetizer, and I'll order a salad with the dressing on the side instead. And, I will only have one piece of bread...okay MAYBE two but that's it.

Right now though, I'm chill-axin, and bloggin in the sun.

Vlad is heading down to the yard to do some sniffin and explorin. It's hard for him to relax, because he is constantly on the look out for bugs to eat.

Rewind to earlier in the day...

CHIRO APPT

Though I am on vacation for my birthday today, I did have to do some "things." I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment around lunchtime. My lower left back is still bothering me a bit. It must be getting better though because it doesn't ache and hurt all the time like it used to. It only hurts when I sit for long periods of time, or when I cross my legs, which I do quite a bit because I wear skirts for work a lot. Dr. Angela said that this is normal, and that the ligaments are weakly trying to hold my sacrum in place. When I sit, it puts a lot of stress and strain on the ligaments. Crap. I go back in a month for her to check things out again. One good thing that came out of the visit was that she totally released the stress in my shoulders and upper back. Ahhhh.

GROCERY SHOPPING

After the Chiropractor, I hit up Super Target for some food. I got lots of fruits and veggies - practically the whole cart was full of them! I didn't get anything new or special this go round except for some Zyrtec for my seasonal allergies. I came home and filled my fridge with goodness. MMMMM. I love a full fridge.

I had a pretty simple but yummy lunch - grapes (not all of these grapes, hehe), carrots, and an Arnold Wheat Thin with peanutbutter and banana. mmmm. I also had a glass of almond milk.

HALF MARATHON TRAINING UPDATE

Yesterday (Thursday) was a REST DAY, and boy did I need it. The combined 11 miles I ran on Tue and Wed really kicked my butt. My body was really tired, and my hamstrings were aching. Today I only had 4 miles to do, which is easy now that I've been running 5, 6 and 7 miles! Tomorrow I have a 9 mile run scheduled. YIKES! Overall, I feel like I'm doing a decent job. I think that with the 3 weeks I have left to train, I can manage to groom my body to do the 13.1 miles within a reasonable amount of time, and running it all the way. I'm going to have faith in myself.

While I ran today, I chewed on this gum that I bought when I went grocery shopping. Brittany has me hooked on it. It helped to keep me focused a bit.

A FEW COOL BIRTHDAY GIFTS

Thanks to my family and friends who have sent me (and sang me over voicemail and on the phone) birthday wishes. You have truly made my day special! :)

Here are a couple of cool gifts I received...

Carl got me some awesome New Balance water pro shoes! I've been wanting a pair for a couple of years now. He also got a pair so we can run in the lake and river with Vlad! Pretty awesome huh!?

They're my favorite colors too! I love gray and light blue together in a shoe...

These are the holes where the water drains out of the shoe. NEAT!!!

Elaine gave me a VLAD BAG! Look at this bag! It has a picture of Vlad on it!!! NEAT!

Uhhh, awesome SPA gift certificate! I'm going to need this after my Half Marathon.

I got these for myself... stainless steel drinking straws. Pretty cool, huh? Trying to be green even when I drink smoothies!

Now I'm going to continue to relax and read a book. Hope you all are having a great day, and have a wonderful weekend planned! Thanks again for a great birthday!

Vanilla Sparkle Heaven!

2010-04-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

YAY! Brittany surprised me with an early birthday gift - a Vanilla Sparkle cupcake from the best cupcake bakery in the whole world... Dessert First! She remembered that my favorite cupcake from Dessert First is Vanilla Sparkle. YUMMY!!!

Can you see the sugar sparkles on top of the delicious icing???!!!

At lunch, after I did a 30 minute walk, I stopped and got a Hazelnut Creme flavored coffee (no cream, no sugar, just black) to go with my Vanilla Sparkle cupcake.

Vanilla Sparkle cupcake + Hazelnut Creme coffee = Heaven :)

So naughty, but it IS for my birthday. Thank you Brittany!!!

Half Marathon Update & Kashi

2010-04-07T11:36:00.000-05:00

I'm still counting down to my birthday, which is this coming Friday!!! YAY for birthdays! My "birthday week" is turning out to be decent I guess. Though, I was sick on Monday with those horrible stomach cramps, and things at work have been pretty busy... still, I'm going to take the "glass is half full" mentality and believe that things can only get better.

Who watches The Biggest Loser tv show? I used to watch this off and on quite a bit, many years ago when it first started. I haven't watched in a while, but I did catch a new episode last night. I love seeing how far the contestants have come in their weightloss. Sometimes their stories, how they got to where they are currently, how they really have a better sense of value in their lives, are so inspirational. I especially love the gym scenes with Jillian and Bob yelling at them to "push harder," and "move, move, move!!" Ha! Ha! I wish I had them as my personal trainers. :) I would totally kick some butt in the gym with them. Great show! I need to watch more episodes.

HALF MARATHON UPDATE

Okie dokie! One week of training down and 5 weeks to go! Let's see how I measured up the first week of training:

Monday, March 29
~ 4 miles, 38:00min

Tuesday, March 30
~ 4 miles, 37:15min

Wednesday, March 31
~ 5.15miles, 50:00min

Thursday, April 1
~ REST DAY

Friday, April 2
~ 4.15miles, 40:00min

Saturday, April 3
~ 7miles, 1 hour, 5 min

Sunday, April 4
~ REST DAY

TOTAL MILES RUN FOR WEEK 1: 24.3 miles
GOAL MILES FOR WEEK 1: 24 miles

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, here is how this week is going....

Monday, April 5
~ 4.15miles, 40min

Tuesday, April 6
~ 6.15miles, 60min

You can see I have fairly close to a 9 or 10 minute mile. I need to improve on that if I can. I can definitely feel a difference in my running physically. The longer mileage is getting easier for my body. What I need to work on is how I manage the longer mileage mentally. I get unfocused when running for long periods of time, and I start to run sloppily which is not good for my body or reaching faster running times. Somehow I need to figure out how to retrain my mind. Hmmmmm.

This Saturday I have a 9 mile run scheduled. Eeek! I think that on April 24th for my 13 mile trial run I'm going to actually attempt to run the half marathon course. I'll have to bring my cell phone with me though in case I don't make it!!!

NEW KASHI BAR

On the foodie front, I tried out a new Kashi Bar for my afternoon snack yesterday - Honey Almond Flax.

This was a CHEWY granola bar - I prefer chewy granola - and it had:
~ 300mg of omega-3s
~ 4g of fiber
~ 7g of protein

Plus it tasted great! There were actually whole almonds you could crunch on within the bar. The honey gave it a great, mildly sweet taste too. I like this flavor a lot!

Carl’s Secret Project Revealed!

2010-04-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

Carl and I finished building his project over the weekend. I’ve had a lot of guesses on this that we were building a swing or an exercise apparatus. Here is my initial post on the secret project, when we purchased the materials.
So, what was this project you ask??? It was…………………………………………………..

A Makiwara Board

What is a Makiwara Board??? Here’s what Wikipedia says:

The makiwara is a padded striking post used as a training tool in various styles of traditional karate. It is thought to be uniquely Okinawan in origin. The makiwara is one form of hojo undō, a method of supplementary conditioning used by Okinawan martial artists.

The makiwara is used by karate practitioners to practice strikes in much the same way as a boxer uses a heavy bag. The makiwara develops ones' striking ability by letting them experience resistance to punches, kicks and other strikes. A poor punch will bounce off the makiwara if the body is not in a position to support the energy generated by the strike. It also develops targeting, and focus, which is the ability to penetrate the target (i.e., opponent) to varying degrees of force.

Carl researched how to build the Makiwara Board, and designed his own, using the materials I listed in my previous post. We built it together! YAY!

Here is the progression of the Makiwara board coming to life…

Hiatus

2010-04-05T10:21:00.001-05:00

Good Monday Morning everyone! I am not in good shape this morning. My stomach is killing me – not sure if it’s cramps or Easter food buffet re-take. Ugh. I just hope it goes away soon. I’m sitting with a heating pad on my tummy – the heat helps the cramps.

I apologize for not blogging this weekend, but I was taking a little hiatus. I really wanted to concentrate on relaxing and unwinding over the weekend. Plus, I had a lot of miscellaneous things that were keeping me occupied. Now that the warmer weather is approaching, I’m finding that I don’t have that much time to blog!!! I not only have inside chores, but also outside chores as well. This change in schedule has prompted some thinking about how to achieve balance in my life – having time to take care of responsibilities around the house, exercising, reading time, family/Vlad time, and blog time. Plus, “work” needs to fit in there somewhere. :)

After thinking everything through, and being realistic with myself I’m going to make some changes on the blogging front. Right now, I’m blogging 2-3 times a day sometimes more. From this point forward, I’m going to cut back on blogging so many times a day. Instead, I’ll really concentrate on blogging about exercising, training for the half marathon, NEW foods I try, restaurant reviews, NEW or tweaked recipes, etc. I’ll also add other snippets of things that I think are interesting. I’m not going to blog about my entire day anymore though. Overkill! I hope that you’ll keep checking back on my blog for new entries – I’ll still blog almost every day I’m sure – I’m looking for more quality now than quantity… make sense?

On that note – here are some food highlights from the weekend:

Dinner on Friday night - whole wheat couscous, steamed green beans, and baked chicken breast! Mmmm! I ran 4 miles for my half marathon training on Friday evening - this yummy dinner was totally needed!

After my 7 mile run on Saturday (yes, 7miles!!) I made a strawberry banana smoothie.

In the smoothie: 6 frozen strawberries, 1 banana, 1 cup plain non-fat yougurt, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 TBSP flax seed meal. This smoothie was delicious!!!

Oven potatoes for Saturday night's dinner. I cut up two baking potatoes into diced pieces, drizzled olive oil on top along with a few seasonings, spread on a baking sheet, and baked at 400* for 40 minutes.

Delicious!

First grilled hamburgers of the season on Satuday night! Yummy! (Lean ground beef & seasonings)

EASTER BRUNCH

Carl, his parents, and I went to Fanny Hill bed & breakfast, and restaurant for Easter Brunch. I didn't take any photos though. Sorry! I do have a couple of pics of us though at Fanny Hill. See the Easter bunny in the background?

Easter wonderland.

Here's what I did have to eat at Fanny Hill:

2 mimosas (OJ and champgne) - love this drink!

1st Plate:
~ honeydew melon and strawberries
~ one small blueberry muffin
~ 1/2 cup of cheesy hashbrowns
~ 2 sausage links
~ 1/2 cup of scrambled eggs

2nd Plate:
~ two slices of ham
~ 1/2 cup of butternut squash ravioli (this was delicious!)
~ 1/2 cup of cauliflower
~ more honeydew melon

Dessert:
~ Carl and I split two desserts - a slice of lime cheesecake, and a slice of blueberry poundcake with major frosting. We didn't eat most of the frosting, it was just too much.

MMMMMMMMM! Brunch was delicious! I was really, really full!

HALF MARATHON UPDATE

Friday night I had 4 miles scheduled to run, which I did!

37:00 min
4 miles
450 cals burned

Saturday was my first really long run. At least, this was a really long run for me. I have never run 7 miles straight through before. I was so nervous before I got on the treadmill. I didn't want to let myself down, but at the same time had doubts that I could do this run. Eeek!

I ran with my ipod, listening to tunes, instead of watching tv. I knew I was going to have to really focus to get through this, and music helps keep me going during long exercise stretches.

The first 30 minutes were fine. I ran at a regular pace for me (6.5-6.6mph), nervous that if I over did it I wouldn't be able to finish the run. Around 40 minutes in I started to get a little flighty (this is usually my stopping point when running), ready to be done and get off the treadmill. I had to calm down and refocus myself by staring at a knot in the wood on the wall. (Concentrating on the music, and finding a focus point really help me with running long distances). I did calm down, and caught my second wind around 45 minutes into the run. Around 55 minutes, I got off track again, and had to refocus myself. But, I made it!

7 miles
1 hour 5 min
650 cals burned

WOW!!! Keeping my pace pretty steady throughout the run helped a lot. There was probably no way I could have gone up to 6.8 mph and finished without completing wanting to die. I can't believe it!!! YAY running! PLUS, my knee didn't hurt after the run or on Sunday, which was a REST DAY.

Today I have 4 miles scheduled, which will be a piece of cake now after Saturday!!!

Foodie Friday

2010-04-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

I’m kind of tied up today at work for most of the day – unable to get to a PC to blog at my normal blog times. So, I’ve decided to do a preview of my lunch and afternoon snack for you.

First, let’s start with breakfast. Still in my mode for eggs and whole wheat English muffins. My tummy was a little weird this morning (probably due to the veggie burger) so I stuck with what my body knows for breakfast.

Morning Snack

Sliced fresh strawberries dipped in Fiber One vanilla yogurt! This snack is SOOOO good.

Lunch

Since I threw together a salad last night for dinner, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and make one for today’s lunch as well.

In the mix:
~ spring mix and butter lettuce
~ diced apple (new for me in a salad!)
~ cauliflower
~ mushrooms
~ carrots
~ walnuts
~ dried cranberries
~ fat free feta cheese
~ two tablespoons of raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing
~ black pepper

I also have a 100 calorie Arnold whole wheat sandwich thin that I’ll spread some peanut butter on.

Afternoon Snack Time!

For my afternoon snack, I have a banana and some Kashi Cinnamon Harvest squares. I won’t eat this whole container of squares – at least, I’ll try not to!

I have a 4 mile run to do when I get home from work today. At this point, I’m not 100% sure what dinner will end up being tonight – solo again so something simple. If it’s not raining I may grill out some chicken breasts. Hmmmm.

Veggie Burger Blah.

2010-04-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

It’s Friday!!!! I’m so happy. I have been so tired this week, and I’m really looking forward to sleeping in a little Saturday morning. I think my tiredness is due to a combination of warmer weather, allergies, and the additional mileage I’m logging for the half marathon training. My body is taking a beating. Thankfully, yesterday was a REST DAY. My knee feels better today, and back to normal. So, I should be able to pump out the 4 miles I need to accomplish. Hopefully this weekend will offer some R and R, along with Easter Brunch on Sunday at Fanny Hill! Can’t wait!

Rewind to last night’s dinner…

I didn’t blog last night because two of my favorite shows were on with new episodes – BONES and FRINGE. It was so nice to relax downstairs and veg out for a while.

Dinner was a little weird though. I picked up some veggie burgers while grocery shopping, and decided to try one out since I was solo for dinner. I whipped up a yummy salad with all the regular veggies, plus dried cranberries, walnuts, and fat free feta cheese. And, I cut up some fresh strawberries (on sale at the grocery store) to have as a little dessert.

I decided to grill the veggie burger, as it indicated on the box (you could either microwave ~umm, yuck~ or grill it). Though I enjoy a good veggie burger at a restaurant, I’ve never purchased them to have at home. I wanted to see if they were tasty enough to make into a regular dinner for me on nights that Carl is at karate. I picked up this brand at the store, because I’ve heard of it before, and because it was rated #1 in the Tasters Choice Awards.

I grilled it on the gas grill for about 10 minutes, then served it up on a 90 calorie whole wheat hamburger bun, with cheddar cheese.

It tasted pretty good. I mean it wasn’t awesome or anything, but it tasted like and had the consistency of a beef burger. I ate the whole thing.

Later, I paid for that veggie burger. Though it tasted pretty good at the time, the after taste was not good. I can’t even explain it, but I tasted that veggie burger in my mouth for the rest of the night. And, when I woke up this morning my tummy was NOT happy. I really don’t know if it’s just me and my weird body’s reaction to the burger, or if this is just not a good product. Who knows. I just DO KNOW that I won’t be trying these veggie burgers again. Yuck.

Bowl for Kids Sake Fundraising Update

On a happier note, I’ve raised $90.00 towards my $250.00 goal for Big Brother’s Big Sister’s Bowl for Kids Sake! Thanks so much to Elaine Mothes and Rhonda Karau for their donations!!! I still have $160 to go. If you’re interested in donating or just checking out my fundraising page click here.

Bowl for Kids Sake!

2010-04-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Bloggies!

Guess what! I'm participating in this year's Big Brothers Big Sister's Bowl for Kids Sake event! This is the third year that I've been involved in this fundraiser with my work place. This year's event them is "Round 'em up! (A western theme). Going along with this theme, my team name is the Ruder Rattlers (like rattle snakes, get it?) We even have stuffed snakes with tail rattles to hang from our belt loops. I know, we are so COOL!

Yeah, it's a "Baby's First Toy" - haha!

Ultra-cool rattler...

I LOVE this event. It is so fun. I have a great time, and I don't even know how to bowl. Our team is bowling on Thursday, May 6, 5:30PM @ Wagner Lanes here in Eau Claire. In the meantime, I'm collecting pledges for Big Brothers Big Sisters. My goal is to raise $250.00.

Here's a breakdown of where my pledges will go if I reach my goal:
~ $190 = Programming
~ $40 = Bowl for Kids Sake expenses (bowling is not free)
~ $20 = Administrative expenses

Not bad!!! This event is pretty important to our local BBBS organization. It's their main fundraiser for the entire year. 24% of their budget comes from BFKS. And, 76% of the money they raise from this event goes to programming.

Here are some more stats:

~ In Eau Claire County 281 kids were served in 2009 through BBBS.

~ Last year the BFKS event raised $143,000!!!

~ This year the BKKS goal is $165,000 - that means that each bowler currently signed up needs to raise at least $176.95 to reach the overall goal.

Today, I worked on setting up my online fundraising website for the BFKS event. It's pretty neat! Each bowler has access to set up their own fundraising page to give their personal message and collect pledges online from their friends and family. (There is even a blog on my page!!!)

Check out my page sometime! http://bbbsnw.donorpages.com/BFKS2010Pledges/angiem/

I'll be sure to post updates on how I'm doing in reaching my $250 goal!

Oh Sunshiny Day - Here I Come!

2010-04-01T13:05:00.002-05:00

It's another beautiful, warm, sunshiny day here in Eau Claire, WI!!! I love it! I think it's 79 degrees - the warmest yet. And, I actually had the opportunity today to go out and enjoy it at lunch. How lucky am I? Oh, so very lucky!!! I went on a 30 minute walk at lunch, listened to some tunes on my ipod, and tried to chill-ax, and soak in the sun.

There were lots of other people out enjoying the beautiful day as well: bikers, runners, lunch time walkers...

At the end of my walk, I stopped at the Acoustic Cafe for a medium (unsweetened) iced tea. Now that it's getting warmer you will realize that I LOVE iced tea. I drink it all the time in the summer.

Comment: On my way out of the office to go on my walk, one of the staff members (who was also heading out for a walk) said: "Why are YOU going on a walk? You don't need to lose any weight. What's the point?" Oh my!!! This poor person thinks that a walk just = losing weight. I told her that I was going on a walk because I wanted to be outside to enjoy the fresh air, AND that exercising isn't all about losing weight. It's also about your body feeling good, and refreshing your mind! Oh dear...

LUNCH

Rewind to lunch before my gorgeous walk... I brought a leftover grilled teriyaki chicken breast and couscous from last night's dinner, and had some carrots on the side.

MORNING SNACK

Rewind even further to my morning snack. I guess I'll just post my meals backwards to make it more interesting. :) I had a cup of grapes and a Fiber One Vanilla yogurt.

BREAKFAST

And what was for breakfast you ask? Well, of course scrambled eggs, a whole wheat English muffin, and a glass of Almond milk!!!

A big thanks to Libby for leaving me a comment about how to make yummy oatmeal. I do plan to give oatmeal another go using her recipe. I'll be sure to post about it when I do!

AFTERNOON SNACK TO COME

This afternoon I have a banana and one of the Oatmeal Bars I made last night. Even though they didn't taste wonderful, they still have a lot of super heart healthy ingredients. I'm going to give this bar another go. Maybe they taste better the next day, who knows.

Grocery List for Thursday, April 1

2010-04-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's already April!!!! Where did January - March go? My goodness, it will be freaking Christmas again before we know it. (I am glad it's April though - birthday month RULES!) :)

Okay, time to get serious about some groceries. Here's my list for this week. I couple of interesting and/or new things on the list:

Banannas (2 bunches)

Apples
Grapes
Strawberries
Green Beans
Broccoli
Carrots (small Bag)
Mushrooms
Bagged lettuce
Cucumber
Baking Potatoes (2)
Ground Beef (ea.) (2)
Chicken Breasts (ea.) (2)
Sirloin Steak
Wheat French Bread
Bacon Farmland
English Muffins
Olive Oil
Salsa
Taco Mix
Spagetti Sauce
Spagetti Noodles (Barilla Plus)
Minute Rice (Brown)
Coffee
Walnuts
Chocolate chips
Oat bran NEW!
Cereal
Granola Bars (Oats & Honey)
Granola Bars (protein)
Larabars NEW!
Cheddar Cheese (Sm Block)
Tortilla Chips
Kleenex
Swiffer pads
Windex
storage bags (gallon)
Yogurt (Fiber 1)
TP
Beer
Milk (skim)
Silk Almond Milk
Tropicana 50
Eggs, 2pks
Smart Balance
Corn
Veggie Burgers (Dr. Praeger) NEW!
Dark Chocolate
Pantyhose 2 pair
Body wash
Vlad bandages (for Vlad's bo-bo's)
Night face cream
Baby Aspirin (for Vlad's bo-bo's)

I hope that SuperTarget has Larabars. I've never looked for them, and have never eaten a Larabar, but I hear they are delicious! I'm also going to check the selection of veggie burgers. I hear the Dr. Praeger is a winner, but I'm not sure Target carries that brand. We'll have to see! And, I'm going to check out the oat bran. I'm not sure if I'll get any or not. I may just try a couple more Oatmeal Recipes out. Hmmmm.

Half Marathon Update, Dinner, and a Bar Treat

2010-03-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

HALF MARATHON UPDATE

Scheduled to do 5 miles today. Tired. Ate a handful of peanuts before workout, and drank plenty of water.

Here's what I did:

~ 5.15 miles
~ 50 minutes
~ 600 calories burned

10 minutes of strength training.

Thank goodness tomorrow is a rest day. I'm suddenly having my "knee problem" from many years ago again. I had kind of forgotten about it. My left knee used to ache when I ran a lot back then. I can see this is going to be an issue again. I'm going to have to ice it tonight.

DINNER

Carl and I were starving for dinner. I whipped up something quick: grilled teriyaki chicken breasts, couscous, and some steamed veggies.

I usually use either whole wheat couscous or this parmesan flavored couscous. Near east 100% natural couscous.

This unfortunately has a lot of sodium in it. I only use it occasionally. It's a good source of protein though. The whole wheat couscous has NO sodium. I should really just stick with that.

Here's dinner. We inhaled it. We were so hungry!!!

Mmmmm, look at those green beans! I LOVE green beans. I put a little bit of onion and garlic powder on them for seasoning.

PLUMPING MY WHEAT BERRIES

Not too long ago, I bought some wheat berries at the Downtown Grocery in Wausau. Wheat berries are a great source of protein, omega - 3's, and fiber. You can put them in pretty much anything (baked goods, oatmeal, homemade granola bars, etc.), but they come as a hard, dry little kernel. You have to plump them to eat them. When plump, they are kind of chewy, and they have a mild nutty flavor.

To plump wheat berries, I pour about a cup of wheat berries in a sauce pan, cover with water, bring the water and berries to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. I just let the berries simmer until they reach the texture and chewiness I desire. Usually about 15 minutes. Then, I drain the berries, put them in a container and put them in the fridge. You want to use your plump wheatberries within 7-10 days. YUM!

SPECIAL BAR TREAT

I was just on a roll tonight in the kitchen. I decided to try out a granola bar recipe I found on another blog Kath Eats Real Food. Her Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars looked delicious!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
~ 1 1/2 cups oats
~ 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
~ 3/4 cup dried fruit (whatever you want, I used dried cranberries)
~ 1 tsp cinnamon
~ 1 tsp kosher salt
~ 1 1/4 cups skim milk
~ 1 egg
~ 1 tsp vanilla

Process:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees
~ Mix all dry ingredients
~ Mix wet ingredients
~ Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
~ Pour into a 9x9 baking dish coated with cooking spray or parchment paper
~ Bake for 40 minutes
~ Cut into 9 squares

Each bar is approx 165 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein.

** Kath says that your fruit brings sweetness to the bars. If you want more sweetness or don't want to use dried fruit, you can add 1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Here's my concoction:

Well, Carl and I tried it out and it was okay. Nothing spectacular. I think that if I would have put some brown sugar in it, that would have improved it for us. The cranberries didn't provide enough sweetness for our taste. Good try though!

TOO NICE OUTSIDE

2010-03-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

OMG - I just went to my car to get something and the weather/temperature outside is PERFECT!!!! And, I'm in here! In my closed up office! What is wrong with this picture?! Want to go outside and play with Vlad, and it's only 3:48.

Temp: 71 degrees
Partly cloudy
Light wind
PERFECT!!!!!! Warmest day of the year.

Happy Hump Day

2010-03-31T15:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Hump Day everyone! This week is going by pretty quickly. I'm not complaining. Though the weekend is probably going to be fairly busy, I'm still looking forward to some home time.

WOW! I was really, really tired when I got up this morning. I have a feeling that all of this running is going to take it's toll on me. I need to buck up! I also may need to increase my carbs over the month to keep me going strong. I did go ahead and get up at 4:45AM to walk Vlad (BLAH). We walked for 30 minutes - no ipod. I tried trance walking to get a little more shut eye. Didn't exactly work, but I did shut off my mind for some peace. :)

BREAKFAST

I had my usual breakfast this morning - though I am considering another try on oatmeal or oat bran. I have them on the grocery list for this week to see what I think. I'm going to do some research on some tasty oatmeal recipes. Not that I'm tired of this wonderful breakfast! It's just good to change up every now and then, I'm sure.

I had a TO DO list a mile long when I got to work this morning. Good thing is that I now (at 3PM) have everything crossed off of that list! YAY!

MORNING SNACK

I snacked on a Fiber One vanilla yogurt and a cup of grapes this morning around 10AM. Hit the spot.

LUNCH

I wanted to walk outside during lunch today - it's a beautiful, warm day out there! But, I had a couple of errands that needed to be run: car wash, bank, and gas. Bummer. Maybe I can walk tomorrow. Before heading out on errands I had a tasty, different lunch.

Toasted, Arnold Sandwich Thin with peanutbutter and bananas + carrots. This was a very tasty lunch! I loved it! :-D

No, I did NOT stop at Starbucks today for a coffee or tea after running errands. I really wanted to, but I controled myself for once. :)

AFTERNOON SNACK

Honeycrisp apple, Quaker Chocolate Chunk granola bar, and some YOGI green tea - GOJI Berry flavor.

Tonight I have a 5 mile run! OMG - I am so tired right now, running seems undoable. I must get energy. At least tomorrow is a REST day. I can't wait.

Weird Tuesday

2010-03-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it's about 8PM, and I'm finally getting around to a blog post. Today was just a very strange / weird day in general. Work in Wausau was busy, but doable. I had several meetings going on, and had to meet with some people from my team on a couple of random projects. For some reason though, the dynamics at the office were a bit off. I almost can't explain exactly what I mean either. I could just sense something in the air, and I'm not sure what it is or could be. It's almost like I'm having some kind of sixth-sense about something that is on the verge of happening. Like I said, a weird vibe. I tried talking to one my my co-workers about it - one in which I have a close relationship. She said that she felt the vibe too, and had no idea what was up. Hmmmm. I don't like being in the dark.

Anyway, because my vibe was all wonky today, I completely forgot to take pics of my snacks and meals. I kept on remembering right after I would eat something. Grrrr. I did thankfully remember to take a pic of dinner at least. Sorry everyone! I'm just having a bit of an "off" day.

For the record this is what I ate today:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, whole wheat English muffin with Smart Balance spread, and a small glass of OJ
(oh, I did get a pic of breakfast!)

Morning Snack: Fiber One vanilla yogurt and a cup of grapes (ate these during a meeting, yum!)

Lunch: leftover spaghetti and roasted veggies from last night's dinner, a piece of dark chocolate, and a peppermint (needed the mint after the spaghetti and chocolate)

Afternoon Snack: a banana AND, I stopped at Starbucks and got a special treat - a Nonfat Chai YUMMY!

HALF MARATHON TRAINING UPDATE

Today I was supposed to do 4 miles according to my training schedule.

Here's my actual breakdown for today:

~ 4 miles
~ 37:47 minutes
~ 477 calories burned

10 minutes of strength training

WHEW! I was a tad sore from yesterday's run, so today's run was a little difficult. I totally ROCKED it though! Now, tomorrow I have to do 5 miles!!! Ahhhhh! At least Thursday is a rest day. I am so tired right now though. So ready for bed.

But, before I head to bed, here's a recap of dinner. I made one of Carl's fav dishes tonight: honey mustard chicken bites over brown rice. This dish is soooo easy and simple, yet sooooo delicious! I made some steamed broccoli for Carl, and I had steamed green beans.

I sauteed some mushrooms and put them on top of my chicken and rice...

Dinner really hit the spot tonight. I was so hungry from my run, and I just needed something tasty and simple. Mmmm.

By the way, I forgot to mention yesterday that I finished watching New Moon - the second movie in the Twilight Saga. I thought it was awesome! The movie made me want to read the books all over again. I love that series! Now I'm on the another Ghost Whisperer DVD.

POOR VLAD

On another note, poor Vlad... I had to wrap his leg tonight in a sock (or leg warmer). Vlad is a "licker." He had a bad and traumatizing incident with a storm drain about 2 and half years ago, and his leg has never been the same since. I think he's had some nerve damage to his leg, and it causes tingling sensations all the time, and really bothers him. So, he licks, and licks, and licks, the spots where his injury was until they are very raw and yucky. I feel so sorry for him. We've gone through so many different kind of interventions for his problem over the years, and nothing seems to work. Today though, his poor leg was just looking terrible. So I put some antibiotics on it, and wrapped it up for the medicine to do it's job. I wish I could help him!!!

Time for the nice soft and warm bed. Ahhhh. Night night!

Monday Ending

2010-03-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry this post is so late, but I have company tonight. In fact, I'm sad to report that I forgot to take a picture of my declious dinner because I was so engrossed with being with my friend! Oh well! Friends are way more important of course! =D

HALF MARATHON TRAINING UPDATE

YAY! I accomplished my first official half marathon training run today! Here are my stats:

Miles: 4
Time: 38:02
Calories: 475

I really need to work on speeding up my miles. I think this is pretty decent though. I usually only run about 3 or 3.5 miles, so this was a push for me today. The run felt great though. Plus, I did walk for 5 minutes before starting my run, and I counted that time in the 38 minutes. My mile may be a better time after all.

DINNER

Tonight I whipped up spaghetti with lean beef, Barilla whole grain spaghetti noodles, my new Muir Glen spaghetti sauce, and also roasted veggies and bread. I did remember to take a picture of my spaghetti sauce at least, but sorry, I totally forgot to take pics of all of the yummy food!!! (What in the world is wrong with me!)

I thought this sauce tasted great! Great flavor, and you could tell that it was organic. When I opened the jar, you could smell how fresh the sauce was inside. YUM! Unfortunately, I'm not sure Carl liked it very much. It had some tomato chunks in it, which he picked out while eating his dinner. Hmmm. I thought it was a winner though. :-)

I'm heading to Wausau tomorrow, so I probably won't get a post in until later in the day. Hope your Tuesday is warm and wonderful!

Afternoon Recap

2010-03-29T17:36:00.001-05:00

No walk today at lunch. :( I ended up having to go home and take care of a few things at the house. At least I had a chance to see Carl and Vlad! :)

Today I had a big salad for lunch (Carl even made the comment... "That is a BIG salad you have there." Heh, heh. Yeah, well I knew I would have BIG hunger at lunch today, and I wanted to make sure I had enough fuel in my body to start my Half Marathon training this evening with a 4 mile run.

I also had apple slices with peanutbutter smeared on them - one of my favs...

and a one of my Super Cookies!

Afternoon snack was a big banana, and a Kashi Roasted Almond Crunch granola bar.

Ready for my run - 4 miles!!! I can do it!

Eau Claire Half Marathon

2010-03-29T14:12:00.002-05:00

I'm going to do it. I've been going back and forth with myself for a couple of days now on whether or not to attempt the Eau Claire Half Marathon. Last night, I just decided that I'm going to do it, and that's that. The issue that was keeping me from moving forward was that this race is in 5 weeks! That's not a lot of training time for someone who has never run over 6 miles at one time before in her life! For some reason, I thought this race was later in the summer. Well, I was wrong, wrong, wrong!

I've run a few 10K's in the last couple of years, so I'm not new to the whole training and race scene, but I've never attempted a 13.1 mile race. Okay, take that back. About 3 or 4 years ago I did sign up for this Half Marathon, and I completely chickened out a couple of days before the race. Didn't do it. Never signed up again. Granted, the last couple of years have found me out of shape, and in no way trainable around the time of the half marathon. This year is different though. I've been running regularly about 15 miles per week for a little over a year now. I think I've got it in me to kick it up a notch, and not die trying. :)

So, I have made the decision to give the Eau Claire half marathon a go. I figure that I might as well see what I'm made of, and train with what little time I have left. I spent some today doing some research on Half Marathon training schedules, and crafted a special schedule for me based on the 5 weeks I have before the race. See Angie's Half Marathon Training Schedule here.

I'll be posting updates on my progress on the blog. We'll see how I fair with this schedule!
If anyone out there has any word of advice or wisdom in regards to marathons and marathon training, please be sure to leave a comment. I can use all the help I can get!

Click here to see the Half Marathon Route

On schedule for today's training: 4 miles

Monday, Monday

2010-03-29T10:34:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Blog World. It is Monday. My vacation day is over... well, until my next vacation days coming up next week!!! Whoo Hoo! Next week is my birthday week. (Yes, I celebrate for an entire week. It IS the celebration of my BIRTH for cryin out loud). I'm going to be 31 years old. Wasn't I just in high school? College? Where have the years gone???
Well, at any rate, I am older now with lots of responsibilities and such - BLAH. I'm taking April 8 and 9 as vacation days (April 9 is my actual D.O.B.) I've asked to go to St. Paul, MN to the Science Museum to see the awesome Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. Can't wait!!! Literally, I can't wait! I need more days off! :-D

Today though, I have to get serious and get to work. There's lots to do this week and next both here and at home. Buck up sister! Plus, I have to start thinking about my training schedule for the Eau Claire Half Marathon (more on that soon).

(rewind to last night's dinner)

I whipped up some tacos last night for dinner. Here was the spread:

~ Lean Beef, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, on white corn tortilla soft shells (YUM!)

~ Salad with butter and spring mix lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, dried cranberries, walnuts, with a touch of raspberry vinegarette dressing

~ White shoepeg corn

Mmmmmmm.

After dinner, I Googled half marathon training plans, and read a little of my new book The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith. Relaxing night.

(Fast Forward to this morning)

Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs, whole wheat English muffin with Smart Balance, and a glass of Trop 50. I ALMOST changed up using peanutbutter on my muffin instead of Smart Balance. But, then I remembered that I was going to have some peanutbutter at lunch with my apple, so I nixed that idea. I love peanutbutter, and I have to be careful not to over-indulge. Even though it's good for you, it has a lot of fat. A couple tablespoons a day is plenty. Sadly, you can even have too much of a good thing in your healthy diet. Everything should be eaten in moderation. :)

My morning snack this morning was a cup of grapes (I love grapes now, I used to think they were kind of gross because of the texture - I was crazy) and a Fiber One Vanilla yougurt.

I think I may go on a walk at lunch today, and listen to a podcast or two. I did have a meeting, but it was canceled - YAY!

Family Time

2010-03-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

This Sunday has been so GREAT! I'm so excited because Carl, Vlad and I have been able to spend some quality time together and have fun.

COOKIES TO START THE DAY RIGHT

Carl worked late last night, so I got up early and took Vlad on a neighborhood walk. We walked for about 30 minutes so we could both stretch our legs and greet the morning.

Later, while I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, I whipped up another batch of Super Chocolate Chunk Cookies! Yum! These cookies are so tasty, AND filled with all things good for you like flax seed, whole wheat flour, dark chocolate, and old fashioned rolled oats!

Here's breakfast - pancakes, bacon, and milk (almond milk for me, skim milk for Carl).

BORDERS TIME

We headed to Borders after breakfast to read magazines, and have our morning cup o' joe. I looked at two running magazines because I'm thinking of running our Eau Claire Half Marathon for the first time. It's May 2 - coming up pretty quickly!

ERRANDS, ERRANDS, and more ERRANDS

We then proceeded to run around town taking care of picking up a few things. I had to pick up more plates from Pier One, Carl had to get some odds and ends for a project at Menards, and Vlad needed chow from Pet Food Plus...

Here's Carl at Menards in the lumber yard (pic below). I'll tell you more about his project in another post. It's not finished yet, and I want you to see the progression of how he put it together. Just as a little teaser, here are his materials:
~ a leftover tire from our Camery
~ nuts and bolts
~ a 2x8x10 cedar board cut in half
~ four brackets
~ natural rope
~ vinyl cabinet or drawer liner

Hmmmm....what could it be?

We also picked up a water purifying system for our kitchen sink at Menards - YAY! Our water is good to drink from the tap here, but I can detect a mineral after taste. (Carl thinks I'm crazy).

Here's Vlad's favorite store! The Chow Chow store!

Besides chow, I thought Vlad needed a cool new snacky-snack. So many to choose from!

I picked out these Z-Filets (chicken). They boast high protein that brings strength, vitality, and performance to your pup!

QUICK LUNCH

Carl and I scarfed down some cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds), when we got home. I had some grapes and a banana too. We wanted something quick so we could go work on his project.

VLAD TIME!

We took a couple of breaks from the project work to hang out with Vlad in the sunshine, roll around in the grass, and toss the ball. FUN!

Nice day! I think we're going to have tacos for dinner tonight. Right now I'm going to relax with a cup of tea.

Mona Lisa's - Congrats to Natalie!

2010-03-27T21:13:00.001-05:00

I just got back from dinner at Mona Lisa's with Natalie and Brittany. Great fun! Thanks ladies! And, congrats to Natalie on her upcoming wedding over the Easter weekend in Vegas Baby!

Here's a little catch up on the day...

MORNING SNACK

I enjoyed my last Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt this morning. I added a little Bare Naked Classic granola for some crunch. A perfect snack! I even ate the whole thing! I was hungry after all the cleaning I did!

DINNER FOR LUNCH

I made a larger lunch today because Carl was working tonight, and needed some nourishment. I grilled some boneless chicken breasts and made salads for us too. Plus, I gave Carl some left over Barilla noodles from last night's beef tips dinner.

Here's my lunch...

WORKOUT and NEW MOON!!!!

After lunch, I hit the treadmill for a hard run. I really needed to release some energy for some reason. I ran at 6.8 mph for about 25 minutes, and walked at 4.4 mph for 15 minutes. I also did about 10 minutes of strength training exercises. The run felt GREAT! I didn't even get tired. Like I said, I had a lot of energy to expend. Ahhhh. PLUS! I started watching the second Twilight saga movie - New Moon! YAY! I'll finish it up Monday. So far it's really good!

VARIOUS SNACKS and a WALK

Throughout the afternoon I had a couple of snacks. An apple with peanutbutter, a handful of grapes, and a handful of carrots. I wanted to make sure I wasn't famished before dinner, so that that I chose my entree wisely. Vlad and I also went on a 30 minute walk. He needed to get out and get a little fresh air, and so did I. I listened to a SETI podcast while we walked on anti-matter. I'm not sure I understood anything that they talked about! Way over my head!!!

DINNER AT MONA LISA'S

YAY! It was finally time to meet Natalie and Brittany at Mona's! I was a little early, so I ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while I waited for the other ladies to arrive. Tonight, Brittany and I were treating Natalie to one of her fav restaurants to celebrate her wedding. It's in Las Vegas over Easter weekend, and neither Brittany or I can make it, so we wanted to do a little something for Natalie as a gift.

I want to say, that I was very, very good. I did glance at my fav entree on the menu, but I chose a grilled chicken breast with bacon/fig rissoto instead. It was delicious!!! The chicken breast was so tender, and it had a balsamic vinegarette dressing drizzled over the top of it. The combination of bacon and roasted figs in the risotto was wonderful! I'm glad I tried something new, AND something a little healthier than my usual dinner at Mona's (cheese tortellini).

I did have another glass of red wine, and I should tell you too that we ordered an appetizer - brie, roasted garlic and a grape type pesto. I only had a small portion of the appetizer - it was really delicious!

I think Natalie had a nice time and liked her gifts.

It was nice to get together with the girls! I should tell you too that Brittany also did a great job tonight with her dinner. She ordered the chicken breast and risotto too, and was totally mindful of her diet, and staying on the "modestly healthy" side of the menu. YAY Britt!!!!

After dinner, the ladies and I headed across the street to grab a cup of coffee at Racy's. Then we headed home. Time to relax with Vlad and a good book! Have a great night!

Friday Finale and Saturday Start

2010-03-27T09:00:00.004-05:00

Good Morning bloggies!

Sorry I didn't blog last night, but I really needed a break from the pc for a while. I DO feel like I accomplished some things yesterday on my day off. I finished two books, Committed, which I blogged about earlier, and A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz which is about his golden retriever Trixie. I really like books about dogs! LOVE DOGS! :D

I also got to have some quality time with Vlad which was great! I always feel so bad when I'm at work, and he's here all by himself most of the day. Poor pup. Today he had his Mom all to himself!

DINNER

Dinner last night was sirlion beef tips (a.k.a. steak bites) over Barilla whole grain spaghetti noodles. I melted about two tablespoons of Smart Balance spread over the noodles in the pan before serving them up. We also had roasted veggies: broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower.

I put some freshly grated parmessan cheese on my beef tips. Mmmmm.

After dinner Carl and I watched a Netflix DVD - The Fourth Kind. Completely scared the crap out of me. Yes, I was highly disturbed, and probably should not have watched this movie. Eekkk! Carl said he's going to check our Netflix listing to make sure I don't have any other scary movies on the list. I just can't handle them anymore!!! Freaky!

SATURDAY

I have a lot of chores to get done today, plus a workout. I'm hoping to get a walk with Vlad squeezed in there and maybe some Super Cookie baking as well. We'll have to see! Plus tonight I'm heading out to have fun with Natalie and Brittany at Mona Lisa's restaurant. Busy day! :)

So far this morning I've done a couple of odds and ends around the house, ate breakfast, and spent a little time reading the newpaper and the latest New Yorker while enjoying a cup (or 2) of coffee. Now it's time to get down to business. Fold clothes, dust, vacuum, workout ...

Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs, whole wheat English muffin, and OJ by the way (as if you didn't know!!!)

Hope your Satuday morning is grand!

Vacation Day!

2010-03-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

Today I took a vacation day from work to chill-ax at home. Every now and then I do this for myself to regroup and feel refreshed. I've really just been reading and hanging out with Vlad most of the day, which has been GREAT!

READING

I tried to sleep in this morning, but I just couldn't do it. I ended up getting up around 6AM, and reading in bed. The good news is that I FINALLY finished Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast was the usual today - scrambled eggs, whole wheat English muffin, and a glass of OJ (Trop 50). I didn't even get a picture of it - hey, I'm on vacation!

MORNING SNACK

Around 10AM, I snacked on a Fiber One vanilla yogurt and a banana. Then Vlad and I headed to the dog park.

DOG PARK FUN (and cold)

Vlad and I went to the dog park for him to expend a little energy. We haven't been to the park since winter officially started back in November. We walked 4 laps around the park (which is equivalent to approx. 3/4 of a mile), for about a 30 minute walk. Vlad had fun running and sniffing on everything. He especially likes to follow the fence line and sniff there.

He also greeted and chased the few other pups at the park.

He had a great time. I, on the other hand, did not have a great time. I thought it was supposed to be warmer today, and though I had dressed warmly enough, it was COLD and very, very WINDY at the park. I was freezing! My nose was running, my face was numb, my finger tips were on the verge of numbness in my gloves... ahhhhh! I was ready to go home pretty quickly. Too bad! At least he got a 30 minute romp.

LUNCH

When we got back from the dog park, I made myself a nice salad for lunch and a glass of almond milk.

More reading and relaxing to come. Can't wait!