Need a swift kick in the butt

Life is stressful right now with preparing to move to San Diego (finding a job & finding a home...things that are just a little bit important).  I feel like I'm handling it pretty well, other than I'm having a hard time wanting to get myself up in the morning.  I sleep really hard during the night, which is a good sign....but if anyone tries to wake me up before 7am, I am a cranky pants.   I was doing a great job a few weeks ago getting up early and getting my workout on early in the morning.  I really need to step it up and just get it done.  I think the whole getting up at 3am on Saturday really threw me off my groove.  Combine a sleepless weekend with someone who hates mornings....and you get a sleeping zombie--with messy hair--for the entire next week.
Another thing I'm going to work on this week is taking vitamins.  I think maybe my iron levels are low and maybe extra vitamins will help me feel less tired all the time.   Anyone notice a difference when you take vitamins?  My doctor has been hounding me for some time to take my vitamins.  I was doing so good for a while, and then once I ran out I didn't pick a new pack up.  That's going on my grocery list.  Along with food in general.  I don't have healthy food in the house.  Heck, I don't even have unhealthy food in the house.  It's been a long week with no food.
But, ultimately, I just need a swift kick in the butt.  I need harder workouts.  Not necessarily longer workouts, just harder ones.  And I really need to get a grip on my eating, get my vitamins in, and get some sleep!!!  I'm going to start incorporating more Insanity, P90X, and strength training into my workout schedules--since I don't have any races planned.
By the way...want to see some sweet running tan lines??? 

Utah Valley Half Marathon

I was originally supposed to be running the Utah Valley Marathon....26.2 miles.  However, about a month ago we found out that we are moving to San Diego...and "my live got twistered upside-down"  (please tell me you know where that quote is from).  Let me just point out that I am a planner---big time.  This is a big move for me, since I've been living here for 8 years.  In late April I actually got up to 18 miles in my training (this was prior to knowing we were going to move).  It felt good, but around the same time I started feeling somewhat guilty.  I was feeling like I was putting off some of the important things.  Training for a marathon takes a lot of time.  And I felt like I was neglecting some of the important things I needed to do, so I opted for the Half Marathon.  Plus, I just felt like I needed to lose some extra pounds before I got too serious with marathon training.

So, anyways.....I was excited for this race because my sister was going to be running her very first half marathon!  I always get really excited when someone decides to do the challenge....I just know how great I felt about my body after I ran my first long, daunting half marathon.  It took a lot of will-power and mental toughness, but ultimately I felt so proud of my body--excess pounds and all--for making it through the race.  I felt gratitude for what my body can do rather than focusing on what I lacked.  (or...didn't lack--aka--extra curves)

We tried to get to bed by 10pm...which didn't happen.  More like 11pm...which was late, considering we needed to get up at 3am (yes, 3am) to get ready in time to catch the first waves of buses to the starting line.  We got to the starting line area and used the rest rooms.  Then we sat on the side of this mountain while we waited for everyone to get there.  I was glad to have my sister with me so we could chat and help pass the time.  

We didn't want to run "together" because I wanted her to feel that sense of accomplishment of finishing all by herself, with no help.  My family is very competitive and we didn't want to feel like we were racing each other.  We each had different goals and the thing I love about running is you compete with yourself.  

Me and my seeestor--- pre race.  Nervous  tinkles were out of the way.

I look kind of stupid...what am I doing with my hand?  And my form is horrible...

Big ol' booty is bookin it to the finish line.  My husband says he likes my backside, which is why he takes these awful pictures.

My sister in the black to the right of the cone....such a great accomplishment!  She did awesome!

What a trooper!  She broke through the mental barriers and did a great job!

We did it!!! 

Ogden Half Marathon 2012

Ah, one of my favorite races...the Ogden Half marathon.  I did this race in 2011 and loved it.  And I loved it again this year!  The race expo seemed much more organized this year, things weren't as crammed.  The weather was perfect and I felt SO good on race day.  I knew it was just my day...and I ended up with a new PR!  1:48!  I averaged an 8 minute/mile pace, which was incredible for me.  I'm not a speedy runner, so this was a huge accomplishment.  It was a hard!  I loved the views in the canyon, and the beautiful lake, the dam, the trees, the cliffs, the rocks, the park, and the finish line stretch is quite enjoyable.  You run towards the old part of town and you can hear the cowbells for a mile.  The finish line energy is so amazing.  Plus, at the end of the race Ogden was so organized. They had water, chocolate milk, juice, fruit and other things in several different areas in the finisher's corral.  That was nice so you didn't have to stand in a big crowd of people to get what you needed. My husband also thinks this race is the best race to be a spectator.  

I didn't wear my visor this race....it was weird.

I'm not a thin person, and I although I work out a lot and eat healthy....I still have some excess weight I would like to lose.  I sometimes get really frustrated seeing post-race pictures because I don't look the way I would like to.  But, I know that it's going to take hard work to get some of this extra weight off.  My genetics are fighting against me, but  I know that if I could lose some extra pounds, then it would dramatically help make my running more enjoyable, and I'd be able to go at a faster speed without having to drag an extra 20 pounds with me.  I'm just going to keep working at it and keep running as fast as I can!  The feeling of accomplishment crossing the finish line is a great feeling and I love pushing myself!  

sports, fun & therapy running

I had a fantastic weekend with my family.  I started my weekend with an 18 mile run on Friday morning.  Surprisingly it was the best run I've had in a long time.  I finished my 18 miles in 3 hours and that includes stopping at stop lights, stretching,  and climbing hills.  I averaged a 9 min/mile.  I honestly couldn't have felt better.  I didn't even feel sore after.

We went to Utah for the rest of the weekend, because my baby sis graduated from BYU.  I feel old.  My parents came into town and the weather was beautiful.   We hiked the "Y" at BYU, we went to Bridal Veil Falls, and we went to a BYU Men's Volleyball game.   The VB game was so awesome.  My sister wanted us to really experience the game, so we got baseline seats and I'm telling you...you had to watch out otherwise you'd get smoked in the face with a ball.  Great times.  The fans were crazy and the gym was loud.   It makes me miss sporting events.  By the way....we made it on TV.  What?  We be famous now, yo!

We look confused, I know. Haha!

  
Have you ever had a workout that was therapeutic? 

I have....a lot.  But, this past week I had a first, I was literally crying.  It wasn't because of physical pain, but joy and happiness-- and I felt a strong witness of God's love for me.  As you know, my grandpa recently passed away, and my thoughts were flooded to the 3 grandpa's that I've lost.  My Grandpa Lester, Grandpa Jim, and Justin's Grandpa Elliott.  All great men with strong values, and men who cared about me.   As I ran I watched the sun rise over the mountains and watched the majesty of the earth as the sun peeked over, my mind flooded with thoughts of gratitude for all that God has given me, and grateful to know that there is life after death.  The birds started to wake up and chirp, and as I looked around I could see Spring bringing life into the trees, flowers and animals.  As I turned the corner, the temple was bright and beautiful, and reminded me of God's love for all of His children and the plan he has for each of us.   It was a great run to strengthen my testimony  that life does go on.  And happiness & warmth can be found after the bitterness of winter or death.



Not the greatest photo, but I was moving pretty fast ;) 



Running Resources #2- Garmin Forerunner

If there is one running gadget I'm obsessed with the most...it's my Garmin Forerunner.  I LOVE this thing, and it's my best bud. 

What does this thing do? It may be easier to explain what it can't do.

• This gadget will not magically transport you to the finish line.  You will still need to put in the effort to get there.

Other than that...it pretty much does everything you'd think it could.   Some of the features I like to use include:

• Uses a GPS to track your pace, distance,time and route
• You can upload your runs to the Garmin Website (using the USB chip) and look at each specific mile's pace, as well as view a map of your run. -- Crazy part is your watch will save the memory of each run you've completed until you upload it to the internet. 
• Race a virtual partner on a downloaded course
• You can buy the Heart Rate Monitor strap to track your calories burned.
• You can pair the Garmin with a foot-pod so that if you are running where you can't get a GPS signal (treadmill, indoor track, etc) you can still track your distance/pace/time/etc
• Ability to turn on backlight in the dark.

I love the sleek design!  I have this product in BLACK, but I secretly want the green color.  Right now they have a killer price on some websites...only $160!  That's 30% less than what I originally paid for mine.

The Garmin uses something similar to a touch screen to set up your watch.  During a race you can lock your touch screen so that it doesn't change if you accidentally bump it. 

If you run in humid climates, or if it's raining.... be sure to have your watch ready prior to the race/run and locked.  The humidity or wetness makes it hard to recognize the touch sensors.  It IS waterproof (to an extent...I mean don't go plunging it in your bathtub or anything).

The battery life is pretty great on this watch.    Using the GPS satellite after you're done with your run will suck out the battery life, so always remember to turn it off afterwards.  I can usually run Monday-Friday without charging it.  And then I charge it up good Friday night for my long Saturday runs.  And I charge it after my Saturday long run.  I haven't ever ran long enough for it to die in the middle of a run.

I honestly can't think of any cons......I've had ZERO problems related to the watch.  Most of my issues are with the user...derr.

Long runs & the future

I've had a crazy couple of weeks.  My grandpa passed away and we did the long drive to Minnesota (20 hours driving).  It was hard to say goodbye to him and to know that I won't see him again in this life, but I know he is in a much better place and I will be reunited with him again someday.  Despite the somber weekend, it was also a great weekend.  We spent a lot of time with family, and it was great to have my immediate family all together.  It's been almost 3 years since we were all together.  And, it's been over 8 years since we last spent Easter together.

I love my family!!!  What a great looking bunch!

As I mentioned...the driving took a lot of time.  Basically we were driving 4 out of the 7 days we were gone.  Typically we split it up 14 hours one day, 6 hours another day---and the same way on the way back.  We ate a lot of Subway sandwiches and salads from Wendy's.  We tried to hustle at each gas-up point, but yet we chose healthier alternatives.  Nothing worse than being stuck in a car for hours and feeling like crap because you've got nasty grease sloshing around in your stomach.  No thank you!


On Saturday I completed the longest distance I have yet to run....17 miles.  Afterwards I felt conflicted, it was my worst pace (11:20 average), but yet, my personal record for distance.  I decided to forget about the pace and be happy that I completed it.  This week I'm going to go for 18.5 miles.  I know it's going to be a challenge...but by golly...I'm GOING to do this.  I can do hard things!  I'm currently reading an AMAZING book by Elain S Dalton called "A Return to Virtue".  She compares her marathon training to life and her reflections and analogies on are very similar to thought's I've had.  Life is hard, and running is hard.  But, it's so worth it.  I've just started the book, so I hope to share at least a few insights as I read along.

My husband graduates with his undergrad in Accounting in July and we still aren't sure where life will be taking us.  I get a lot of questions like "Where are you going?  Are you stressed that you don't know?"  And my answer honestly, right now...is No.  I am not stressed at all!  I feel like we've done everything the Lord has asked of us and we have done all that we could, and wherever we end up, and whatever we do....will be the right thing.  We've spent a lot of nights on our knees praying for guidance as we seek for help with our future, and I have no doubt the Lord will answer our prayers.  It may not be what we thought we would do....but it will be the right thing. 

I love learning about healthy snack ideas for road trips.   So, if you have any good ideas or tips...let me know!

Green Monster

I've been a blog slacker.  I've been busy with my training schedule and the weather is beautiful these days so I pretty much forgot that I have a blog. 

For those that don't know...I am running my first marathon in June.  26.2 miles of pure craziness.  I love running- and I feel the most fit when I run, plus it's a great time to unwind.  The training has been good so far, but this week I'm starting to feel the fatigue of increasing mileage.  And my weekly mileage is only going to keep getting higher.  Right now I'm running 4 days a week, cross training 2 times a week and my beloved rest day (Sundays).  My mileage is around 25-30 miles per week right now, and it will be increasing up to 40 miles a week.  Here's what this upcoming week's schedule looks like--starting with today:

Thursday-  Strength Training + Turbo Kick
Friday- 4 miles + yoga
Saturday- 14 miles
Sunday- REST!
Monday- 4 mile run
Tuesday - Strength Training + Turbo Kick
Wednesday- 6 miles tempo (aka-- hard, fast run)


The hard part is that while I'm training, I'm also trying to get fit and hopefully tone up/lose weight.  I'm not a girl who's totally focused on the scale, but I want my body to look toned and tight.   Why would this be hard?  Marathon training requires a lot of fuel.  To run 26 miles, you need to be properly fueled, otherwise your body could completely give up on you.  So, I'm eating more calories and food--but I'm trying SO SO hard to eat good, clean foods.  So far, so good.  I'm feeilng more fit and looking more toned (at least to me, and that's all that matters really).   My biggest hurdle is my eating at night.  For a while I ended up feeling starved at 8-9pm, and then I end up eating too much and feel gross afterwards.  So, what I've done to eliminate this is to eat more calories throughout the day (healthy snacks & smaller meals), eat more fiber in my diet, and have a healthy shake after dinner to satisfy my "sweet tooth" and to get me some healthy nutrients.  My friend gave me this recipe, and I love it.  I'm sure there are many variations out there, but I'm in love with the creamy-not-too-sweet taste.

Any shake that looks green and has lots of nutrients I call a Green Monster.  So, here's my Green Monster...

My husband thinks the color is disgusting, so he won't eat it.  And that is OK by me....it's yummy, cool looking and I LOVE IT!

Green Monster:

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 cups spinach-raw
1 TBSP peanut butter

Use blender and blend banana, milk & spinach until creamy.  Add peanut butter & blend well.  Wa-lah.  Yummyness. 

Nutrient Facts:
220 calories

30g carbs

8g protein

9g fat

 210mg sodium

14g sugar

811mg potassium

7g fiber

16% iron

147% Vitamin A

50% Vitamin C

Dine and dash

It's not what you're thinking.  Here's the thing...I'm a woman on the go.  I constantly have things going on in my life- between being the primary provider, to fitness instructor, to runner, to housewife, to mom-in-training.  Sometimes I feel this pressure to put an amazing meal on the table all the time.  And it doesn't always happen.  Life is busy!  So, I decided that some of the best meals are ones you can type up without looking at a recipe card.  Although....I'm not very good at that.  But, here are some fool-proof recipes:

By the way--- I'm a huge fan of tin foil.  If I'm baking vegetables or chicken or salmon...I line it with tin foil.  Easy clean up and a lot of times I wrap the meat in tin foil so it stays moist.

Italian chicken & veggies  (makes 4 servings-- perfect for leftovers the next day!)             
     Chicken breasts (4- 4oz breasts)
     4 Red potatoes, diced
     1 head broccoli
      Any other veggies you desire
     Italian Dressing - 1/4 cup
     Parmesan cheese

Wrap your chicken in tin foil and drizzle some light italian dressing on top (my favorite is Ken's Lite Northern Italian Dressing).  Then cut up some fresh vegetables- potatoes, zucchini, broccoli, green/red peppers, tomatoes, snow peas, green beans...whatever you'd like.  Line a pan with tin foil, place veggies in tin foil and drizzle italian dressing on top & sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.  Place in oven at 350 degrees until veggies are soft & chicken is cooked all the way through.   Typically takes 20-30 minutes.


Fiesta Lime Chicken (Applebees copycat, with much less fat & sodium & calories)    
       Chicken Breasts (4-4oz breasts)
       1 cup salsa or pico
       2 TBSP Ranch dressing
       1/4 cup shredded cheese
       optional:  1/4 lime for juice

Place chicken breasts on baking sheet.  Cook chicken until almost cooked through at 350 degrees for roughly 13 minutes.  Before chicken is completely cooked, top chicken breasts salsa and top each breast with 1/2 TBSP of Ranch dressing.  Put shredded cheese on the very top.  Cook chicken for another 13 minutes until chicken is cooked through.   Before serving drizzle a small amount of lime on top.   Serve with a side of baked potato (which suprisingly also tastes GREAT with salsa and lite sour cream) and salad.  Or broccoli and salad.

Lean Turkey Chili  (several servings-- I believe it makes 8 to 10 1-cup servings)
       1 lb ground turkey (93/7 lean)
       4 cans diced or stewed tomatoes
       1 can black beans
       1 can kidney or pinto beans
       1 can diced green chilies
       2 TBSP tomato paste
       1 can corn (I love corn, so I always double the corn)
       1 packet of McCormick chili seasoning  (I always only use 3/4 of the seasoning packet to reduce sodium)

Brown ground turkey.  Then add all ingredients to a large pot (or we've done the crockpot on low before) and let simmer on low for 30 minutes.  Stir occassionally.

      

Swiss Chicken  **This one is my husband's favorite!
        Chicken Breasts (4-4oz breasts)
        1 can cream of chicken soup or cream of celery soup
        2 TBSP dried minced onions
        1 tsp garlic powder
        1/4 plain greek yogurt (or light sour cream)
        1/4 low fat skim milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
        Swiss Cheese (mozzarella, pepperjack, or monterary jack work just fine!)
        1/4- 1/2 cup bread crumbs  (or you could use crushed up corn flakes, or saltines even!)
         salt and pepper to taste
Lay chicken breasts on tin foil.  In a mixing bowl mix cream of chicken soup, greek yogurt, milk, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.  Sprinkle minced onions on top of chicken breasts, add once slice of cheese to each chicken breast.  Spread chicken soup mixture on top of cheese.  Add more minced onions, if you desire with breadcrumbs lightly sprinkled on top.  Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until chicken is cooked through.



.........................
And...I'm not sure if I've ever shared this alfredo recipe before...but it's awesome and really low-fat compared to most alfredo recipes.  Plus, my husband thinks it's better than Olive Garden.  He just likes the flavors!  Best part?  I usually always have the ingredients on hand.  So after a long Saturday or Sunday at church I make this because I know I have everything already.  Enjoy! 
Chicken Alfredo  (makes 2 servings)   
       1 chicken breast, baked in oven
       4 oz whole wheat pasta
      
       2 TBSP whipped Land O Lakes Butter  (this kind has less calories/fat)
       2 TBSP flour
       1 cup skim milk
       2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
       1/4 tsp garlic powder
       1/4 tsp salt
        1-2 TBSP parsley flakes

Cook chicken.  Cook noodles.  In a separate pot on stove, melt butter until liquid (not until boiling).  Add flour and mix quickly into a thick paste.  Slowly (very slowly) add milk, while constantly stirring....making a rue.  Basically it will keep getting thicker and thicker.  Use a whisk so that the mixture stays smooth.  Once really thick, add garlic powder & salt.  Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese.  Add parsley flakes.  Mix in chicken and top over pasta.

Windy

I've been busy, I promise!  Mid-January I started my marathon training.  18 weeks, baby!  I'm pretty excited about it, but nervous at the same time.  I gave myself A LOT more time to train for my first Half Marathon.  Like at least 25 weeks.  So, I feel like I have no wiggle room with this training schedule.   My fault.  The year is going by so fast, and I didn't realize how soon this marathon thing is coming up.

I'm running Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturdays.  Tuesday & Thursdays I'm doing strength training and teaching my Turbo Kick class.   My biggest goal with training is to focus more on clean eating and not worry so much about the calories as I am filling my body with healthy food:  vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats, nuts.   And eat proper portion sizes.  I'm hoping that I can get some extra fat off my body in the process.  And keep myself properly fueled for long runs.

Last night was Wednesday and I was supposed to run 3.5 fast miles outside.  Ha.  Well, with 55mph winds and gusts up to 70mph...my run was not going to be happening outdoors.  But, lucky for me I decided that if I timed it right...I could do my fast run on the treadmill while watching the Republican Presidential Debate.  And, so was my evening.   We had breakfast for dinner because after coming back from Boise I didn't really have time to plan out my meals for the rest of the week.  Scrambled egg whites with ham & sweet potatoes.  It was so delicious.  I love breakfast for dinner! 

Copied this picture from the local news station.  This is a picture of a semi truck on it's side from yesterday's gusty winds.  Insane!!!

when ya have a bad day...

Yesterday I was having a rotten day.  The day where you just want to go back home, put your pajamas on and get back into bed.  My boss was cranky, but that's ususal.  It's just some days are easier to handle than others.  I could go on and on about why I dislike my job, but I'll spare you the boring details.  I will admit that part of my animosity towards my job happens to be because I just want to be a mom, plain and simple.  And the other part is frustration with poor leadership.  Ok-rant over.  Haha!

So... in order to combat my stress I can deal with it in two ways. 

1) I could sit on the couch at home and stuff myself with chips & cheese, or ice cream.  Telling myself I deserve it because I've had such a bad day.  In the moment the food will taste so good.  I'll eat it so fast that I won't even be able to  tell when I've had enough.  Shortly afterwards I will probably feel even worse than I started and I will want to cry.

OR

2) I could do Turbo Kick (my favorite anger-releasing workout) and get out all my frustrations with punches & kicks...and lots of cardio.  And when the Turbo section comes along...I could push so hard that by the end I won't remember why I was so mad in the first place.  And after my workout I would feel on top of the world.


I chose #2!  And it was fabulous.  I had an amazing Turbo Kick class last night and by the end of class I completely forgot about why I had been so frustrated with my job in the first place.  My class had such high energy, everyone was working hard, having a good time---and I think we all burned off a little stress together.  I love it!!!

TURBO SECTION!!!! 
**Not from last night's class...but you get the idea.... 

The first 5-10 minutes when I'm stressed or "not feelin it" are the hardest to WANT to workout.  But, I always tell myself---just do 10 minutes and then decide whether you want to continue or not.  Usually once I get to 10 minutes I feel so much better and want to keep going.  So....if you are having a bad day and don't think a workout will cure it.... just tell yourself "only 10 minutes"...and then see where that takes you!!

How I Avoided Weight Gain on Vacation

Whenever I go on vacation, I am always fearful that I will come back feeling lethargic because of the extra weight gain.  But, this time I was determined.  And I did it!  I was so happy with my determination to have fun, yet be good while on vacation.   There were fried food and treats everywhere, but I tried to limit myself to one "treat" per day--and that was typically the beloved churro.  I love those things!    Here are some of the things I did to help me!

1. Buy healthy breakfast food & lots of water at the grocery store.  ---- Not only was buying healthy breakfast food & water at the grocery store much cheaper, but it was a healthy way to start the day.  Fruits, hard boiled eggs, & toast for breakfast.  And I ALWAYS had a water bottle in hand.  I even brought empty bottles into the parks so that we could refill them. 

2. Get a fun workout in early in the morning to give your day a jump start.  -- Now I will admit, I'm not usually good at this one, but the gorgeous views and the weather motivated me to get up early.  Plus, I didn't put too much pressure on myself.  I didn't want to set goals like "run 5 miles" or "run for 60 minutes" because I didn't want to fail.  Instead I made it fun, and brought my camera and decided that we'd give ourselves an hour and we'd just have fun taking pictures until we were ready to go back.   Usually we used up the whole hour because we loved seeing the sites.   I brought my husband on every run with me...for safety's sake.  Can't ever be too careful.  Plus, it was fun to take pictures of us on the beach.

3. Order healthy meals -- One of the hardest things to do on vacation is to eat healthy at meal time.  100% of our lunch/dinner meals on this trip were restaurant food.  Luckily my family has great taste in food and there were usually healthy options for me. Here's what I did on my meals out:

Friday lunch - Mexican Salad
Friday dinner- 2 slices Cheese Pizza  (my treat for the day)
Saturday lunch - Grilled Salmon & Veggies (Sea World)
Saturday dinner- Brown rice, veggies & orange chicken
Sunday lunch - Mexican Salad (Disneyland)
Sunday dinner- Grilled Chicken BBQ skewers & smoothie (Disneyland)
Monday lunch- Turkey, Tomato, Spinach Wrap w/ Cheddar popped chips (San Diego Zoo)
Monday dinner- Grilled Cod, veggies, potato
Tuesday lunch- Subway turkey sub  (Airport)
Tuesday dinner- Toasted Sesame Salad & Tortilla Soup

4. Walk Around-- You know how sometimes you go on vacation and you dread that you have to walk around all day at an amusement park?  Don't dread it...embrace it!  I was thrilled!  Usually I sit at my desk job all day long, so to be up and moving around during the day was great!  Not to mention it burned some extra calories. 

5. Read a Book-- I tend to get the most snacky when I'm not busy or when I'm bored.  So, to keep myself busy on the flight, drives, and at night when everyone else was showering/watching TV I read a book.  Reading a book keeps the hands occupied so it's not as easy to mindlessly snack.  Plus, nobody likes having cheeto fingerprints in their book. 

5. Bring Snacks-- I'm the type of person who typically eats 5-6 small meals each day.  If I don't have a healthy snack inbetween meals I tend to overeat.  So, in order to keep myself energetic and avoid overeating, I brought small snack-sized zip lock bags with almonds or a granola bar.  I was very happy to see that each amusement park had a "healthy snacks" stand, they've come a long way.  At Disneyworld they had a California Trail Mix, grapes, fruit bowl, apples, oranges, craisins, etc.  They weren't cheap, but well priced, considering.  I never ever buy soda on vacation, I always buy water.  Water seemed to be just as expensive as the soda, and so much better for you.  And, like I said, keep your water bottle so you can refill it at water stations.

And those are just a few of the ways I avoided the dreaded vacation weight gain!  I felt really good coming back from vacation.  I was energized and I didn't feel like "I let myself go".  I also didn't feel any regrets.  When you make vacations about the memories and the things you do, rather than the food you eat, you tend to enjoy yourself so much more!!   

I miss a girl...her name is Sandy Ego Part 5

Unfortunately there was a time when we had to say Good Bye to San Diego....it was such a great trip and we enjoyed every minute!!  It's so fun to make memories with the ones you love.  And it was great to get out of the cold weather.  

Good bye beautiful beach running!

Good Bye beautiful house! 

Good Bye Hot Tub hang out!

Good Bye Hot tub!  Good Bye Patio!  Good Bye Sunbathing Roof!  We will miss you!

Good Bye beautiful condo!

I miss a girl....her name is Sandy Ego -Part 4

Day 4 of San Diego we spent at The San Diego Zoo!  It was a little bit of a chilly day...but not as chilly as Idaho.  We're talking like 55 degrees cold.  Not bad at all!  We had so much fun seeing the animals, and the zoo is so amazing!  Our favorite sites were the giraffes, monkeys, jaguar, cheeta & dog in the same pen, elephants, hippos, polar bear, panda bear...and so many more!!

SO happy to be on the beach!!  I love running and taking in all the beauty of God's creations!

Beautiful beach run...little chilly...but still gorgeous!  

Stop staring at my woman, you beady-eyed bird.

Happy Feet in 4D!  It was so fun!  If you don't know what 4D is...its where you watch the movie in 3D and then during certain parts of the movie special effects happen...snow is literally falling from the ceiling, wind is blowing through your hair, you get poked in the back by a fish hook (pretend, of course), and there was rumbling on the ground when the penguins danced.  It was so fun!  Don't ask me what my facial expression is here....we were being silly.  Unfortunately after many days of trying to duplicate that face...I cannot do it.  It must be a face that only San Diego can produce.  I guess I just need to go back!! :)

Polar Bear...he was wanting to mate, but it wasn't mating season...so he was burning off a bunch of energy by climbing up the rock, and falling back into the water, and he kept repeating the motion.

Keeping warm by snuggling in an ice cave.

Our favorite Mandy girl!

"What you saying? "

I'm a big boy now!
 

Typical sight....Dad stickin' with Mandy while we take weird pictures or take too long looking at the animals.  

SO GREEEEN!  View from the sky rail.

Haha...hair in my face.

I miss a girl....her name is Sandy Ego -Part 3

Day 3 we spent at the most magically place on earth....Disneyland!  We had such a fun time that we didn't take quite as many pictures.  We were enjoying the smells, the sights, the music....everything.  We went on quite a few rides...Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, and attempted Thunder Mountain (it closed down half way through the line.  People were stuck.  It was awesome.)  It was great. .  But, we had lots of fun!

View of our morning run....absolutely breathtaking!

I LOVE THIS FAMILY!

SO excited!!

On Main Street....

Churro Mania!  I won't even attempt to count how many of these things we ate throughout the weekend.  I don't even want to know..haha!  So yummy.

Post- Splash Mountain.  We forced Justy to be in the front seat...because no one wanted to get wet.  He's such a good sport! 

Our faces coming down Splash Mountain...

After Splash Mountain...

I miss a girl....her name is Sandy Ego -Part 2

Day 2 of San Diego...

Every morning Justin and I got up and ran before everyone else got up......and despite the fact that we were so tired...it helped us to be more energized and it also helped us to not feel so guilty eating all the churros we ate! :)  We made our runs fun by taking fun pictures and checking out the sites along the way.  Our condo was right on the beach, so it made it easy to see some beautiful sights.  We were in good company...each morning there were TONS of runners on the same trails.  

We spent at Sea World.  It was a "cold" day for the California locals...but it was a beautiful 65 degrees!  Perfect enough weather to wear a light hoodie and enjoy the sun.  

I love Sea World and it was not crowed at all...so it was great to just let loose and have fun.  We went to all the shows that were going on that day...thanks to timekeeping Momma...and thanks to Justy and his masterful mapping skills.

My husband's youngest sister Mandy is mentally & physically disabled and it was a blast to watch her have fun.  She makes us so happy and lights up our world.  We love seeing her happy!

On the beach!!!   Beautiful run...we made it fun by posing for pictures along the way!

Dream fulfilled!  I ran on the beach!! :)  Although this was the last day we ran on the sand...my joints weren't used to that! :)

Surfers out early in the morning!

Sad face!  Mandy grabbed her milk cup too hard and ended up with milk everywhere.  It was pretty funny, she didn't think it was.  What a good sport!  

Beautiful Allie and Shamu!  It's so cool how the whale came right over to her and posed for a picture.   Pretty sweet!

Mandy petting the star fish  "Oooo pretty pretty fish"

Nerdy!  We are SO ready for Elmo in 4D!  Pretty much one of the funniest parts of the trip.  Mandy loves Elmo and she was a riot during the movie.  At one point Cookie Monster was shooting cookies and one of them was huge and started moving away and getting smaller and Mandy yelled "Come BACK COOKIE!!!"  We laughed so hard.   Or how about when Ernie was getting attacked by an octopus "Ernie!  No Ernie!"  

Attempting to feed the sea lions.  Check out Mr. Begger down below.  Those things were LOUD!  And the sea gulls pretty much attacked Justin when he had his fish food out for the sea lions.  Justin-0  Seagull-1

I miss a girl...her name is Sandy Ego

For Christmas my in-laws bought the family a vacation.  It was glorious.  I'm getting a little too old for presents...I mean, I love gifts and all...but as I've gotten older I've realized that all I really want for Christmas is time spent with family.  Playing games, eating good food, watching movies, not having to go to work, relaxing, running, sleeping, pajama parties, playing in the snow...and the list goes on.  But, this year my in-laws decided that we were all going to San Diego for about 5 days!  I was so excited.  I had never been to California, plus I was sick of my job and needed a break, and I wanted to be warm!!

The trip was wonderful...the memories we made will last forever.  We ate more churros than I can seem to remember... we were crazy and acted as if no one else was watching us....we let loose...we enjoyed the free time....and we just had plain old fashioned fun.  We were able to relax as well...not being in our typical surroundings there wasn't much to distract us from just being together. 

Since the condo we rented was right on the beach...I made it a goal to get up at least 4 mornings to go for a run on the beach.  There were paths along the beach as well....and it was beautiful.   My pictures don't quite capture it all...the smells, the breeze, the beauty....but it makes me want to go back.

DAY 1 (Day of arrival....relaxation & beach walking)

We're here!  Eating grub outside, in the sun.  Doesn't get much better than this!

View from our eating adventure....

Justin & Momma relaxing in the sun...

Me walking in the sand.....looking for cool shells

Justy found himself a lobster tail

SIL (sister-in-law) sleeping on the patio deck.

Running on the beach.  Literally running.

Sweaty...but check out that sunset!!!  Couldn't pass it up!

I wrote this in the sand...but I confirmed it with him...he does.  Haha!

Moster lobster washed up on the beach. 

Sunset on the ocean...so beautiful.