A Fun February Weekend

I’ve been vocal about February not being my favorite month (because winter) but this was a pretty great/fun weekend. Here’s how we filled it. 

- I squeezed a workout in after work on Friday - the final Epic Heat Caroline Girvan workout. It was an ‘EMOM’ which means every minute on the minute. She had you do a combo of 3-4 moves x 10 and there were 3 sets. It was an effective workout but I was so glad when it was over! 

- On Friday night I made this Asian noodle bowl meal (for Phil and me). I added peppers to bulk it up a bit. Friday was otherwise very low key as usual. We tried watching a show about soccer captains from the World Cup but we don’t like soccer enough for this show to be a fit for us. 

- Once Phil was up on Saturday, I headed to the basement to workout. I looked at the CG workouts you all had recommended and decided to go with the Iron series because Epic Heat End Game has HIIT workouts and I just kind of hate them? And I get cardio from other workouts so would rather lean on CG for strength. Workout 1 was a great lower body workout! 

- We hit up the library and were thrilled to find out that they were hosting a valentine making event! And we ran into our friends! So the boys made valentines while I stealthily made ones for them. The library had so many cool crafty things like feathers and glitter pens and pipe cleaners and such.

- That afternoon, I took the boys to Disney on Ice which was a hit! They both loved it and did so well. There was something for everyone. I enjoyed the Aladdin set and the boys’ favorites were the Frozen and Cars sets.

Selfie with the boys - Taco was not into taking pictures

Aladdin and Jasmine. As a child of the 80s/90s I was here for the Aladdin set.

The boys were tickled to see Sven on the ice!

- On Sunday morning, I did a CG upper body workout once Phil was up and then did some meal prep. I was influenced by Birchie and Elisabeth to make this curry chickpea salad. This will be my lunches for the week. It is so good! I didn’t have chutney so left that out but otherwise followed the recipe. I’m on a long break from taking salads for lunch since I got too burned out on them.  I had been making sheet pan dinners but all the cutting and roasting was so much work! I’m thinking this will be my lunch plan for the next several weeks (I’m a creature of habit and don’t mind eating the same things repeatedly.)

Voila! I enjoyed it as an open-faced sandwich on toasted Aldi’s GF bread.

- Paul had a great swimming lesson on Sunday. He’s made a lot of progress this session. He especially likes the back float part of the lessons (since he doesn’t have to put his head in the water which is something he does not like… yet…). 

- Phil and Taco went to Phil’s moms while Paul had a play date with a friend. They played well on their own so I was able to finish an episode of Lessons in Chemistry (slowing working my way through this show - I have 3 episodes left) and read some of my book (The Whispers by Ashley Audrain - total page turner). 

- We watched the superbowl although I was mostly there for the halftime show. It was equally entertaining to watch Paul try to mimic the dancing!! 

What were the highlights of your weekend? 

A Day of Rest

Good Morning and happy Friday to you all.  It's hard to believe that Easter is this weekend!  Since I am a week ahead of my study schedule, I decided to take Sunday off from studying and will spend it at my parents' lake cabin. I am SO excited to see my family - and I am especially excited to enjoy my 'day of rest' on Sunday.  I typically spend 6 hours each Saturday and Sunday studying, so to have a full day off without studying will be amazing!  At the same time, it makes me feel a little anxious and guilty to take a day off, but I know it will be good for me to take a break.

I'll be heading to my parents' lake home on Saturday night after I wrap up a day of studying.  I'll get to see 2 of my 4 siblings and 4 of my 5 nephews!  I haven't seen 2 of these nephews since New Years, so I am long over due for some time with them!

I am planning on attending the Easter Vigil on Saturday night with my mom - it's one of my favorite masses of the year.  Sunday we'll have Easter Dinner together and then I'll head back to Minneapolis in the afternoon.  It will be a short visit, but it's better than no visit at all.

For those of you who celebrate Easter, I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!  I gave up candy for lent so am looking forward to indulging in some Reese's peanut butter cups.  Yum.  They are my favorite!

What are your plans for the weekend?

Weekend Whimsy

Confession:  when I am in CFA study mode, I kind of get a little down on the weekend.  Yes, it is nice to have a break from work, but my weekends don't 'feel' like weekends during CFA study season as I spend the bulk of each day studying. 

This study season is going better than last year's did, but it's still challenging.  So to dodge the weekend blues, I'm trying to focus on the small things I can do each weekend to make them a little bit more fun and restorative.  I want to find whimsy in the small things.

This weekend will be brightened by the following...

- Tonight, I am meeting up with Marisa!  She recently moved here from Des Moines and I can't wait to show her my favorite spots!  I might start by introducing her to cucumber margaritas - that's my drink of choice as it's so delicious and refreshing!  I earned a drink because this is my first night off from studying in 8 DAYS!!!  And Marisa got a job!  So we have lots to celebrate!

- Tomorrow night I get to catch up with this lovely lady.  I am so thankful for google video chatting!

Amber & I in Seattle in fall of 2010

 - On Saturday night, I will try out this recipe for fish tacos.  Mmmm...

- Lastly, tomorrow I should finish the first half of the CFA materials.  I am ahead of schedule, which is good because that means I can use the following week to go back and review some of the areas I am struggling with.

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Race Week

Greetings readers!  I haven't mentioned it this week as I have had other topics to write about, but this is race week for me!  I am super excited for my trip, but am a bit bummed that my race week is falling so close to when I was sick.  I've pretty much been sick for the last 2 weeks, but have been on antibiotics for a week now, so I am feeling much better. 

So what does this mean?  It means I probably need to adjust my expectations for this race.  I still plan on running a strong race, but I am mentally preparing msyelf to not make my sub-2 hour goal.  I will work my butt off on race day, but we'll see how it all comes together.  I ran with my run club last weekend and finished the run with a doctor; he told me that after you have a cold, it can take up to 3 weeks for your respiratory system to fully recover.  So while my legs might have a sub-2 hour 1/2 in them, my lungs just might not.

And that is ok.  There will be other races.  I know I will make this goal eventually.

With that said, here are my A, B, and C goals for the race.

A Goal:  Finish strong and with a smile on my face.  This is obviously an achievable goal.

B Goal:  PR, which means running faster than 2:04:24.  I think this is doable as well.

C Goal:  Finish in less than 2 hours.  This will be a challenge, but if I feel good on race day, I think I can do it.

Whatever happens on race day, I know I am going to have a fabulous time!  I can't wait to rendezvous with Amber, Lauren, and Leigh!  We are going to have so much fun together. I am sure that Amber will be blogging about our trip, so hop over to her blog if you want to see what we are up to! 

I fly out this afternoon and come back on Monday!  Have a great weekend everyone!

First Family Visitors!

Happy Friday, everyone!  Woo hip!  It's the weekend!  Mine is jam-packed full of all kinds of fun stuff, but one thing I am very excited about is the fact that some of my family will see my new home for the first time!

On Saturday my brother, his wife, and their 2 boys will be coming over.  We are going to walk the 2 blocks to the farmer's market, check out my neighborhood, and then grill up some lunch.  I have been on the receiving end of COUNTLESS meals at my brother's so I am very very excited to reciprocate - albeit a bit nervous that I may not come close to living up to the meals they make for me!  I may have my brother help me man the grill as I am still learning how to grill...

The plan is to make hot dogs for the kids and brats for the adult which I will likely purchase at this local polish deli that is walking distance from my condo!  And then for sides, I'll probably do rosemary baby potatoes and probably green beans, both of which I purchased at the farmer's market this week.  Dessert will probably be grilled pineapple for the adults and popsicles for kids (and heck, probably a popsicle for me as well). 

I am super excited to show them my new home, which I love and adore.  Plus the boys have not come to see where I live since like 2007 so they are always quite confused about what I mean when I tell them I have to go 'home' when I leave their house.  Now they will get what I mean by 'home' and I hope they will be frequent visitors! 

What do you have on tap this weekend?  If you had family coming over for a bbq lunch, what would you make?  I am doing a simple menu as I have run club on Sat am so won't have a ton of prep time.  I definitely want to do something a bit more refined next time they come over!

Weekend Preview

Oh my this has been a long week. It's been a good week, but it's been a full one. I pretty much wasn't home before 8 all week, except last night when I got home at 7:30. So I was gone 12+ hours of the day. You would think that would leave me exhausted which = Lisa sleeps like a baby?

Oh no, sirree. Sleep continues to elude me. I am this close to going to the doctor for the sleep meds, but I just don't want to have to medicate myself to sleep... but, I am taking Benadryl every night, so I guess what's the difference? I already take meds for my face (have acne prone skin), meds for my acid reflux (attempted to ween myself off this summer, total fail), and meds for my allergies (seasonally). If I get another prescription, I feel like I am going to need a days of the week pill box. Which basically makes me a senior citizen.

If anyone has some fabulous natural ideas to get me to fall asleep more easily, I am all ears!

Anyways, enough whining. It's Friday! I have a busy weekend ahead of me with plenty of fun things! Here's a list of what I've got planned for the weekend, bullet point style:

• Tonight I am going out to dinner and then heading to an Oktoberfest celebration at a local German bar (weather permitting, it's an outdoor event). I'm a German girl so I feel it's my duty to attend this celebration each year... I can't drink beer (most have gluten) but even if I could, I wouldn't because I have never liked it. So I will be the outcast drinking a Vodka Tonic.
• Tomorrow morning I will probably work... we are swamped and they are offering Visa Gift Cards based on the number of files I review and it's just too good to pass up. I figure the Visa Gift Cards will come in handy when I am traveling next month!
• Saturday afternoon I am shopping with my best friend! I am hoping to find some fall boots, a pair of jeans, and a pair of fun flats.
• Saturday evening I have a date with 2 boys... My nephews, of course! I can't wait to hang out with them for the evening! I hope they are excited to see me as I am to see them!
• Sunday Morning I will do my last LONG run of the training cycle! Hal calls for me to do 20, but I think back-to-back 20s would be too hard on my body, and I don't want to risk an injury so I am planning on doing 16-18 miles. Then the taper begins!! Woot woot!

So there you have it! Saturday is a little bit packed, but Sunday should be a low key day. I might actually cook something for the first time in like 4 weeks. We'll see. I have pretty much been living on baked potatoes and microwavable Amy's GF meals. Fancy, huh? That's what happens when you get home at 8 pm and are exhausted. Those are nights where I'd like to hire a husband that likes to cook. Ha.

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Upcoming Product Review & the Upcoming Weekend

Happy Friday, dear readers! Back in May the fine folks at CSN Stores sponsored a giveaway and next month they'll be sending me a product to review. CSN Stores has 200 stores with all kinds of items from dining room tables to kitchen gadgets like the waffle maker that J won in May to wine racks. It's fun/dangerous to click through all the options of things to buy. Even though I've lived in my condo for nearly 5 years, there are still plenty of things on my want/need list!

So next month I will be reviewing this Cuisinart Blender!

You can bet that one of the first things I'll be making is a Green Monster. Not sure what that is? You can read about it here. It's all the rave, especially in the runner community. In fact, just this week, Sassy made a Green Monster smoothie-in-a-bowl. Green Monsters intrigue me. I am also looking for filling breakfast solutions so can't wait to give them a shot!

Now, moving on to the upcoming weekend! First off, I have to say TGIF. I've had a great week, but it's been one of those I'm-so-exhausted-I-collapse-into-bed-each-night kind of weeks. The kind of week where unopened mail is piling up and my mental to-do list is a-growing. Besides catching up on sleep and relaxing a bit, I am looking forward to:

• Staying in tonight. I plan on watching the movie, Valentine's Day, while working on a crochet project that I won't be able to reveal for quite a few months... What am I making? A couple of you know, but the intended recipients don't, so you'll just have to wait until later this year!
  
• A date with my boys. I'll be babysitting for my 2 nephews on Saturday night so my brother and his wife can go out for dinner to celebrate my brother's birthday, which is tomorrow! I think I am as excited for a night in with the boys as they are with a night out without the boys! It's a win-win situation for everyone involved!


• A short long run. This week is a 'step back' week for marathon training, so my long run is only 6 miles (it was 9 last week and will be 11 next week). I love the build, build, step back approach of Hal Higdon. It's lovely to get an easier week every 3rd week. Although I do wish this step back week fell on the weekend of the 4th! Oh well. Marathon training is all about dedication - and that means running on National Holidays like the 4th of July.

What's are you looking forward to this weekend?