5 Things Friday

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful, fun, smart, and loving Mommasita!!! She is the most amazing woman I know, and I am thankful every moment of the day that she is my mother and my best friend. My Momma makes everything special. Even breakfast on a normal day is turned into a fun event. I love that she can turn the most mundane event or thing into a fabulous experience or work of art! I love you Momma!!!! Next year we will celebrate together!!!! 

Tomorrow is my wonderful roomie's birthday. We celebrated at Matchbox last night with several friends as well as Alycyn's incredible Mom! After noshing on pizza and appetizers, Alycyn blew out the candles on a delectable peanut butter ice cream pie. It wasn't the cookie (our favorite dessert that is no longer on the menu) but we scraped the plate clean it will suffice. 

With all the of the late freezes we had this winter, flowers are just now starting to bloom. But man was it worth the wait! They are breathtakingly gorgeous. I am obsessed with this color combination!

On Wednesday, I completed 500 double unders. Double Unders are a skill in crossfit I have been working at for awhile. It felt so good to Rx a WOD that included so many of them!

Finally, I am soooo happy it is a long weekend. However, it is easy to think of Memorial Day as an excuse to barbecue and sit by the pool, but it is so much more than that. It is a day to remember all of the men and woman who have died while serving our country in the Armed Forces. I cannot even put into words how thankful I am for their service and sacrifices, and I will be thinking about them on Monday. 

Source

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, and thank you to everyone who has served and continues to serve our Great County!

#proudtobeanAmerican

#forevergrateful 

A Day in My Life: Food Edition

For me, food is something one should enjoy, and although I eat healthy about 80% of the time, I do splurge on my favorite things that other 20%. I truly believe that you can enjoy anything and everything, but it is about balance. During the week, I stick to the 80% rule the majority of the time, and I like to splurge on the weekends. This is what my menu looks like on a random weekday.

On this day (Tuesday), I woke up at 5am and went to the 5:30am CrossFit. Although on some days I feel like I need a lil snack before a big workout, I DO NOT feel that way on super early mornings. I usually complete my workout running on empty. Some people might argue that this is not a good practice, but my stomach is just not ready for something that early and so I do what is best for me. 

After my workout, I came home and poured myself a cold glass of chocolate milk. My favorite way to refuel after a tough WOD or run. Then, after my shower, I had a cup of coffee with milk in it and a bowl of Kashi Blueberry Clusters. Although I eat paleo every now and then...this was not the morning.

At work one of my coworkers was sent Georgetown Cupcakes. I can never resist those scrumptious baked goods sent straight from heaven. So I had half of a Vanilla on Vanilla. It was all I needed and the perfect 10am snack!

Chocolate Moo Juice; my cupcake; coffee and cereal

On most days I bring my lunch to work. Not only is it healthier, but it saves me SO much money. Our cafeteria has yummy options, but eating there regularly can break the bank. The lunches I bring tend to be leftovers from the night before. If I do buy something from the cafeteria it is almost always the soup or chili, which is what I did on Tuesday. I also picked up a little side salad. Later that afternoon I had some dried cherries and an apple for a snack. 

Turkey Chili w/ side salad; Pink Lady Apple; Steak dinner

Dinner is my favorite meal of the day (although I love brunch on the weekends), and it is the meal where I eat the most. On Tuesday, I made a cherry tomato caprese salad with fresh asparagus and sirloin steaks. While I was cooking, I snacked on a few wheat thins and some red wine. Since I had already had my cupcake earlier in the day, I didn't really crave anything sweet, but usually I have dessert at night too. A girl gots to have her chocolate!

Do you follow an 80/20 plan?

Do you have dessert every night?

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Happy Thursday everyone!

Praying for Oklahoma

For almost 3 years, I worked for a Congressman from Oklahoma. I spoke to Oklahomans daily, met with them in our office, and visited the great state. Oklahomans are strong and resilient people with profound faith. Watching all of the news coverage, I cannot even imagine what the people of Moore are going through, but I do know one thing. They will persevere and rebuild. Oklahomans do not give up, and they are fighters. Along with the rest of the US, I will continue to pray for everyone affected by this tragedy.

Source

#oklahomastrong

#prayingforoklahoma 

Weekend Recap: Birthday Bonanza

Another workday and another dolla, but at least I can relive the weekend through my blog. Here goes:

After a quick stop at a work happy hour, Josh and I met up with all of our CrossFit friends for some NON-paleo beverages...at least I had non-paleo (beer). Some people were drinking wine and tequila (Paleo). We stayed for a few drinks and all discussed our favorite topic...CrossFit. Later that night, Josh and I stuck with the non-paleo theme and ordered pizza from Lost Dog. Nom nom nom! Best pizza in the DC area in my opinion!

Carrie and Me at the CFA Happy Hour and Lost Dog Pizza

The next morning I went to CrossFit for the Saturday WOD:

3 Rounds of:

800m Run

12 Push Jerk (115/85)

12 Pull Ups

12 Box Jumps (24/20)

12 Power Snatch (115/85)

Snatch is a move I definitely need to work on, and although it was still tough as hell, I felt more comfortable with the movement than I did during the CrossFit Games. Yay for improvement. Snatch video below in case you have no clue what I am talking about:

After my WOD I did a bit of product placement...please excuse my creepy smile :)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I purchased a Boston Strong BIC Band. 100% of the proceeds goes to The One Fund that helps families who suffered from the Boston Marathon tragedy. Get yours here: BIC Band

Later that day, I picked up some Nutella Lattes for Josh and me. They were scrumdidlyuptious, but I found the coffee sleeve a bit strange. It was advertising for Kitty Litter. Not exactly what I want to think about when enjoying my cup of Joe, but alas the cat was super cuddly. While I read my new book, Josh did a one legged workout of hand release pushups and situps. I was super impressed. We were both starving by 6pm and feasted on tortellini with homemade pasta sauce (recipe to come).

Latte Advertisement, Cute Kitty Cat, Josh working out, Satisfying Pasta Dish

After dinner, Josh and I got ready for our night of birthday parties. Our first stop was for my friend (and fellow book club member) Bethany. We sang happy birthday, drank some beers, she blew out the candles, and then we started playing Survivor Flip Cup. When I am 101 years old flip cup will still be fun. Thank you Mr. Flip Cup for creating such a fantastic game. I raise my Red Solo Cup to you!

Book Club Ladies, The Birthday Girl with her cake, Ag Committee Pic

At about 10, Josh and I made our way to birthday party number two. This one was in honor of Andie and Anne Marie. We started off at Bull Feathers, and then ended the night at the infamous Capitol Lounge. We had fun reuniting with old friends, and several people posed with Josh's scooter. That thing is rented but maybe we won't give it back after all. It was the LIFE of the party (insert sarcasm).

Josh with Birthday Girl Andie; Andie on Josh's scooter; Phil on Josh's scooter; Josh with Birthday Girl Anne Marie 

The next day it was rainy and nasty. Josh and I had a lazy morning, and caught up on a few episodes of Mad Men. Texas A&M got a shout out in one of them and I let out a big WHOOOOOP! I love when my incredible school makes cameo's in TV shows and movies. Gig 'Em!

Later we went to church and then had a date at Pho Golden Cow, my favorite place evaaaaa!

We splurged and got egg rolls! Yummy!

How was your weekend?

Do anything exciting?

Happy Birthday Bethany, Andie, and Anne Marie!

And...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK TO MY MOMMASITA!!!!

5 Things Friday

Today's 5 Things Friday has a theme! 

5 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I absolutely adore Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel body cream. The vanilla fragrance is strong without being offensive, and I feel like a freshly baked sugar cookie every time I put it on. B&BW only sells it at Christmas time so I stock pile it at that time. I buy about 6 bottles and use it throughout the year!

2. I have an unhealthy fear of worms specifically earthworms. There is just something wrong about being pointy at both ends. Give me a spider or scorpion any day, but keep the worms FAR AWAY.

I couldn't stand the thought of
1. looking up a picture of a worm
2. putting that picture on my blog
So I decided I would add a picture of me running at crossfit instead :)

3. In college, I used to HATE when people put there feet on my bed. That has now transitioned into a compulsion where I do not want to walk on my carpet after it is vacuumed  I practically climb on my furniture to avoid making foot prints in the fluffy, vacuumed carpet, and if someone else even tries to walk on it...well you don't even want to know what I might do. 

4.   I am obsessed with my Lint Roller. It gives me great pleasure to remove lent from my clothes. I lent roll EVERYTHING from work clothes to swimsuits. No lint on this girl! 

I should buy stock in this brand and not only because it is America's #1 selling Lint Roller . It the one I use too.

5. Although I have a few talents like singing and dancing, drawing is not one of them. This is a self portrait I made in 7th grade that one of my teachers recently sent me. She still has it hanging in her classroom. My skills have not really improved since. I do feel proud that she kept it for so long. 

I still draw people like that. Check out that awesome scrunchie!

What is something people might not know about you?

HAPPY FRIDAY!

**Pics 1, 3, 4 are all courtesy of the amazing Google images. 
***Photo 2 is the work of the talented Keith!

Back when I was 13...

Lately I have been thinking about things I loved when I was 13...

Sweet Valley Twins Books

I actually tried to find them at the library the other day because I wanted to reread one. Did you read the series? If you are one of my few male readers, the series was about a set of twin girls. In a nut shell, Elizabeth was a nerd, Jessica was popular, and the story lines were all about them navigating middle school. They also had a High School and College series. I loved Elizabeth the most, but I loved Jessica too. I would be a divergent mix of the two. Who wouldn't want to wear purple everyday or date Todd Wilkins? Sigh...

Jelly Sandals 

I think I had these in every color and a high heeled version (all from Payless). The made a come back a few years ago, but they were never as awesome as when I wore them in 7th Grade. Man did they make your feet sweat though!

TGIF 

I was a loyal watcher all through childhood. There were so many great shows, and when you are 13, what-else do you have to do on a Friday night? Since I have recently come to accept my true homebody self, I need Friday nights to have consistent television programming like they used to! Step-By-Step was one of my faves as was Boy Meets World.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Where did he go? He was so cute. I wrote a letter to his fan club and sent him a picture of me with dreams that he would write back. He would say that he thought I was the most gorgeous girl in the world. Then he would have his mom (who coincidentally would be in South Texas too) drive us to Pizza Hut for a date. Glorious!

What things do you miss from when you were 13?

Are you an Elizabeth or a Jessica?

Have you ever written a letter to a celebrity?

**All photos were found on Google Images :)**

Weekend Recap: No Plans= Spectacular

As I mentioned Friday, Josh and I both had absolutely NO PLANS this weekend. I was so excited. Without having anything on the schedule, it opened lots of doors for spontaneity and relaxation. 

We started off the weekend with a seafood feast, and Josh did all of the cooking. That scooter of his is amazing, and it enabled him to make the most amazing meal of boiled shrimp, king crab legs, corn and potatoes. The grand finale was some indescribable gelato. If you can find Talenti in your grocery store you HAVE TO TRY IT. Although it is a bit pricey, it is well worth the cost. Josh had the German Chocolate Cake flavor and I had Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. Both containers are now empty :)

The Master Chef with his new red cast; Our seafood feast; and the best gelato in the WORLD!!!

The next morning I went to CrossFit while Josh got his oil changed. The WOD this weekend was running heavy, and it took a lot out of me:

200m Run

100 Russian Twists (20/15)

400m Run

90 Air Squats

600m Run

80 Sit-Ups

800m Run

50 Over-Your-Slam Ball Burpees

1000m Run

10 Handstand Push Ups

Russian Twists
Photo courtesy of CFA and Keith!

I recently got handstand pushups, and this enabled me to Rx the workout! My final time was 36:26 and I made the leader board too. Woo hoo!!!

As a reward for a great workout, Josh treated me to a delicious brunch at The Carlyle. We had lil donuts to start and then I had french toast with eggs and bacon. Yummy!

Scrumptious!

It turned out that our gym was hosting a Battle of the Box competition. After brunch, Josh and I decided to check it out. There were three different WODs and two different boxes competed, ours (CFA) vs CrossFit Ballston. All of the top athletes at our gym competed and they were incredible. They won all three events and ended up winning the entire competition. They now move on to round 2! Go CFA!!! I like to think Josh and my cheering helped a bit ;)

Overhead Squat, Double Unders, Cheerleaders, and the Partner Carry

We left the gym at about 3:30pm, and then ran some errands! My favorite! When we got back to my place Josh watched the baseball game, and I went to the library. I needed a new book since Divergent took me a split second to read. They didn't have Insurgent, the second book of the series, but I was able to order it and hopefully it will be there tomorrow. In the mean time I selected a book about an illicit affair, and I am already almost finished. It is called Indiscretion and it is STEAMY. A book review compared it to a modern day "Great Gatsby". I thought it was fitting to read it this week since my book club is going to see "The Great Gatsby" on Thursday!

Later that night, I made Blueberry Balsamic Pork Tenderloin with veggies for dinner, and Josh and I watched Silver Linings Playbook. I ADORED IT. I laughed so hard, and I thought the entire cast was phenomenal.  Highly Suggested! Josh liked it too...so a good date night movie perhaps.

Gorgeous flowers on my walk to the library; sweaty happy pic in the library; pork tenderloin, fresh corn and sauteed spinach and mushrooms; Silver Linings Playbook...a must watch!!!

Sunday morning Josh and I had a lazy breakfast, and then went on a "scoot" to Eastern Market. On our way there was a little girl that tried to race Josh on her scooter. I tried to get a picture but she was a bit camera shy. It was hilarious though. The highlight of the trip was running into our friends Pelham and Patricia. They just had a beautiful baby girl and we got to see sweet lil Cate. She was napping peacefully!

Josh on a mission to beat the Lil Girl and Sweet Baby Cate

Despite the sun shinning and it being a beautiful day, the wind was strong and the air was chilly. We spent the rest of the afternoon at home. Josh watched the Nats game, and I read my book. After church, we decided we needed some Sunday Funday. We purchased a case of Strawberry Beer-rita's, and then Alycyn, Josh and I watched Zero Dark Thirty. It was also really good, but it is intense and leaves you anxious. I needed that Beer-rita to help calm my nerves! 

Bud Light Strawberry Beer-rita. If you haven't tried these yet you are missing out. Also notice that Josh's scooter photobombed the picture :)

It was a great weekend all around, and it was so nice to do whatever I wanted. 

Did you have a good weekend?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TOO!!!!