Things I Know #7

photo source

I know that, after today’s workout, I’m going to be sore tomorrow! Karena and Katrina sure do know how to kick a girl’s booty while looking all cute and what not in the process (I hate them in that way where I love them to death but only wish I could work out in a place like they do!)

I know I’m missing that beautiful weather we were having about a week ago! This is a picture from then. This is a picture from today:

Okay, so it isn’t that bad. But it’s still been trying to make up its mind between hazy and humid (in which case I feel very so how I imagine food in a pressure cooker feels) and raining without giving me proper time to take Penny outside for potty breaks. Needless to say, it’s been a very cooped up week for everyone in these parts!

I know that all-day babysitting a niece I never get to see is COMPLETELY amazing. But it’s also babysitting an 8 year old. Today was actually pretty chill – lots of computer playing, cake baking, Nickelodeon watching, and pizza eating (her, not me. I had steak and eggs. She asked me what I was eating like I’d dug it out of a dumpster in Chernobyl). But we’ve got four more long days ahead of us, so lets hope the trend continues! lol

I know that I can’t get enough of America’s Got Talent right now! It’s hands-down my favorite summer show (yes, better than True Blood, especially recent seasons. That’s right. I said it.) and it is just the best thing ever to wind down with on Monday night – it airs on Sundays, but without cable, we have to rely on the Hulu gods to bring it to us on Monday! If you don’t watch, it’s basically the best talent show you’ve ever seen in your life – in both the good and the bad ways! As with American Idol, the best parts are usually the auditions because HE-LLO, TRAINWRECKS! But by the time you get to the end, the people remaining really are talented in some crazy ways. Do yourself a favor and watch – you’ll find something to make you say “daaayum!”

I know that I love my poppa very, very much! I wasn’t internet-ready on Father’s Day, so I missed the chance to brag on him to the world, but let me just say that my dad is one incredibly handsome, funny, and kind individual, and I don’t know if I could possibly imagine growing up with a more perfect father! I wouldn’t be the same person I am today without him, and my sense of humor wouldn’t be nearly the gold-level caliber it is on the day to day. So a huge thanks and all the love in the world to Poppa Brown, the best dad, granddad, uncle, brother, son, and general human being of all time

That seems like a good note to end on, don’t you think?

What kind of things do you know this Tuesday? Hardest workout you’ve done lately? How’s summer progressing where you’re at? 

 

 

I’m Baaaack…!

Hey you guys! (who’s with me on that being basically THE best movie of your childhood!?)

I’m back, y’all! I can’t believe I was without you guys for what seemed like practically an entire week (let me tell you, guys, blogging from your phone just is not the same experience! lol) When we got back from the water park on Thursday, I arrived home from my parents to a scene that looked very similar to this one

only the computer in question was my laptop. Mark had to call in the calvalry, basically – our most tech savvy friends Zach and John – because whatever was wrong with my computer was just not bowing down to the power of the control-alt-delete, lol. Whatever they did, it seems to be working now, although I’ve been forbidden from updating my iTunes before checking with Mark (?!) and I’ve had to switch to Google Chrome, which is a bit of an adjustment and was kind of a bummer in terms of re-setting up my bookmarks and what not. I know. #firstworldproblems. But I know one of y’all out there can feel me! So, what have I been up to while not seeing all your beautiful, digital faces?

Mark’s parents bought a new trailer! It’s a pretty nice tow-behind, and they’re planning on taking it on the road for a road trip through the month of July. Mark’s parents are pretty outdoorsy people, so this is actually pretty perfect for them, and the best part is that Mark and I are thinking about taking it out in October (the camper is heated!) for some lake-side camping for our anniversary. We love camping at Clinton, and this just makes it that much easier to camp in style

Yeah, remember how they just finished building a bright and shiny Dunkin’ Donuts like thirty seconds from my front door? Just in time for National Doughnut Day, and remember how they’re also open very day – ALL day – and I’m basically an iced coffee addict who thinks Dunkin’ has the best in-house brand? So…this has been happening a lot. A lot more than it should, but I’m telling myself I’m just getting my kicks now, and soon the novelty will wear off…right… :O

Suushiii….Oh man, talk about a food I could probably eat my weight in every day and always be ready for more! This lovely sampling was snagged from a Costco platter Mark and I impulse bought home during our last trip, and that spicy tuna alone was more than worth it! There were also a couple California rolls and maybe a spicy salmon? Honestly, I don’t much remember and didn’t much care – it was all delicious!

 

Running, running, running! I’ve found that new ‘thing’ that keeps me sane on the treadmill - Gossip Girl (you can kind of see Ed Westwick’s beautiful face hidden behind my awkward picture-taking reflection). It’s trashy, it’s rich, it’s beautiful teens with soap-opera problems – and it’s completely, startlingly addicting. I mean, don’t get me wrong – treadmill runs are still long and can still drag sometimes, but having a few more seasons of this show definitely lessens the dread! Also, my distances are slowly getting longer and longer (hitting 5 miles this week, and hopefully almost 7 by the end of July) which is TOTALLY awesome to see happening! But I’m also needing a change to the plan for this summer (see, folks, that’s why we reevaluate our goals every so often, note to future self ) which I’m excited to talk about Thursday of this week – stay tuned!

What were you all up to while I was gone? Big milestones? Major life revelations? Snap judgments  I’d love to hear whatever you have to tell me! 

 

Its Water Park Day!!!

Didn’t want you guys to think I’d just disappeared, but today my niece, mom, dad and I are heading to the Coco Keys water park! Bummer is that Mark can’t come, but we’ll try and get along without him

I’ll be back with photos, I’m sure, but I hope you all gave a simply marvelous Thursday

Favorite summer activity? Are you a water park person?

WIAW #2

Hey folks! For those of you still following along, the Lady Outlaw (that’s me, lol) is still computerless, and let me tell you – its shockingly less fun to spend the day browsing the internet from your phone! Lucky for us, though, today is What I Ate Wednesday (HUGE thanks to Jenn, as always, for hosting!!!) and I keep pretty much all food related pictures on my phone so shall we fest or eyes upon some of lately noms? (guys, why am I talking like that? Internet deprivation is really starting to mess with my mind, lol)

Breakfasts

Green Machine and a Red Delicious apple

Strawberry breakfast smoothie: frozen banana, strawberries, spinach, 1 stevia packet, almond milk to get it moving!

Peanut butter and banana bread-less sandwiches

Lunch

Cheeseburger mac and carrots

Turkey sausage, egg, potato hash

Half a Costco turkey and provolone sandwich – gotta love that garlic mayo

Dinner

Gyros and fries (okay, like, half the fries)

Salad bar…mmmm…..

Pasketti and meatballs (I ate the actual food before the picture. Oops. Lol)

Other

Because who doesn’t need another picture of that beauty?

There you go guys! I skipped snacks because, well, I figured you had an eyeful of that last week! Another successful phone post: check

How’s your hump day heading? Don’t lie – did you giggle when you read that?

PS: its getting more and more dangerous to show people the truth of their food. Sad day, guys – PLEASE do me and you a favor and get educated about where food actually comes from!

Things I Know

I know I’m still blogging from my phone on this bright and beautiful Tuesday morning, so this isn’t going to be quite as long as I hoped it would be :/ but never let the little bumps get you down, right?

I know we’re it of Green Machine, and we only had enough for one glass. Which I gave to Mark. Best wife ever award right here, lol.

I know the real reason I gave Mark all the juice is because I had this hidden in the fridge for breakfast

I know yesterdays run was a NIGHTMARE in terms of actually getting out to the gym, but once I was there the run itself went pretty quickly! It was just one of those days of the endless nap you can’t pull yourself out of, so I’m still kind of impressed I made it at all, lol.

I know I have yet to find a wheat pasta I like. I know, I know! I’ll take recommendations if you have them but last night Mark and I tried this, like, hybrid pumped-up white pasta and it wasn’t perfect, but it’ll do until something else goes on sale.

I know Penny is adorable. And I love her. Very much.

What do you know today? Would you selflessly give your juice to your significant other (I’m having a little trouble letting go, lol!)

Pardon the interruption

When I turned on my computer this morning, this is what I saw

So…no idea why that happened or what it means! Needless to say I’m phone blogging at the moment while the hubby takes a look. Also needless to say, phone blogging sucks, so this will be only “real” post today, here’s hoping I can be back tomorrow with a real update!

How was your weekend?

Friday Favorites #6

Happy Friday, you guys! I kind of can’t believe that it’s already Friday – this week seemed to go by rather quickly, which has been kind of awesome It might have something to do with the fact that, starting Monday, I get a nice little five-day vacation from work! It wasn’t intentional or anything, there have recently been a bunch of new-hires and they’re using the shift time to train them, so I’m just going to take a deep breath and kind of plow through until then.

This afternoon my grandparents are coming in to town to meet-up with my parents before all four of them head on to Chicago tomorrow to see my sister, her boyfriend, and my AMAZING niece! I’m kind of sad I can’t go with them, but they’ll be back by the end of the weekend and they’re bringing my niece with them! So, basically, as of Monday I get to spend the next few weeks with the most adorable little girl on the face of the planet In case you couldn’t tell, I’m super excited for this to happen! Anyway, let’s get on to some Friday favorites shall we?

POP Pilates for Beginners Calendar @ Blogilates: You guys know I love Cassey Ho like woah (yeah, I knew that was going to rhyme. #brownhairdon’tcare). I mean, I mention her name at least a couple hundred times a week on this blog, and any time I’m trying to just mix things up and get re-inspired, I head over to her blog/twitter/instagram and feel instantly refreshed! lol. And I’m excited times approximately one million for  her newest calendar, because it looks like the perfect routine for those who are new to exercise in general, new to pilates specifically, or even those who may just need a refresher and to take it back to the basics. Those of you know know Cassey’s calendars know how amazing they are – and those of you who don’t, you’re about to find out!

Tips for Running Faster @ Fitnessista: Who doesn’t want to run faster? I mean, even perennial turtles such as myself occasionally feel the need. The need for speed. So when the mood strikes, what’s the best way to indulge it safely and effectively? That’s where Gina’s amazing post comes in! While there wasn’t necessarily information I hadn’t read somewhere else, hearing it come from Gina’s point of view put a wonderful spin on it that made the advice feel much, much more personal. The post was put up in honor of National Running Day earlier this week (ironically enough, National Doughnut Day is also this week) and has some really great tips from Gina’s readers in the comments. All in all, definitely a post worth checking out!

HIIT that SH*T – A New HIIT Workout @ Fit.Fun.Femme.: Sarah and Natalie, in case you didn’t know, are the tops. They are one of my top two favorite fitness-blogging duos (the other being the hilarious girls over behind fitnesscrEATures) mostly because they’re CRAZY hilarious, but also because they do things like coming up with this ass-kicking workout. Yeah, I did it. And yeah, it was TOUGH. I had to scale down for my turtle self, and even so. Damn! Plus, the girls do this really cool feature where at the beginning of every week they dedicate a post to “say it, do it” and then hold themselves accountable every week. I love that they hold themselves up there like that – it’s very, very cool. But not nearly as cool as this workout!

The 3 Best Butt Exercises @ Fit Bottomed Girls: Oh, FBG. You’re there every day in my Feedly, your three or four stories that I always read, even on days when I don’t read anyone else’s blog. FBG is like my one-stop-shop for all things fitness: interviews, reviews, give-aways, and the three authors are constantly sharing about their personal athletic lives, which satisfies the voyeur in me Plus, every now and then they’ll throw up a top three or top five or top ten list of exercises… Also, this my very well be a TMI, but I love my butt and my husband loves my butt and I’m all about working out my butt. Especially since these exercises look so basic but so intense!

How to Run a Fast 10K, Crazy Running Girl Style @ Crazy Running Girl: I know we’ve already talked a bit today about how to run faster in general, but seeing as how I’m working towards running a 10K sometime at the end of summer/early in the Fall, this post full-on caught my eye. I LOVE that Lora even broke the 10K down by mileage and kind of set the stage on your pacing in terms of what “stage” of mileage you’re in – setting a foundation in the early miles, picking it up as you continue, etc. – it’s kind of a visual way to think about it that works well with my brain. Hopefully it has some helpful tips in there for you as well!

Chocolate Cherry Fruit and Nut Balls (Homemade Larabar Laraballs) @ Peas and Crayons: I couldn’t leave for the weekend without giving you guys something delicious to make/look at longingly! Plus, when it comes down to delicious-sounding recipes that also mimic my favorite (but far too expensive) grocery store treats, I’m all on board for that! Also, for those of you who are looking for a way to use up those dates, this recipe sounds like a yummy way to do that. If you guys haven’t spent days of your life lost on the Peas and Crayons site (no? just me then?) you don’t know what you’re missing! Beautiful photos, healthy and creative recipes, an adorable family – it’s everything you could ask for in a food blog!

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope its a great one!

Plans for the weekend? Favorites for the week? 

An Afternoon Check-in

Hello, dears! How have all of your mornings been? I’ve loved getting the chance to check in with most of you already before adding my own little piece to the blog world for the day I’ve spent the morning doing a little shopping, picking up a treat, and now I’m taking full advantage of this momentary lull for lunch-digestion to get this blog post up and running

Let me tell you guys a little secret – I have a very, very deep and abiding love for Dunkin’ Doughnuts iced coffees (with skim milk and extra ice. Naturally.) This girl knows what I’m talking about. So you may have noticed the occasional mention of the Dunkin’ Doughnuts they’re building just seconds from my apartment. Well, friends, that day has come and the building is finished at last! This weekend is their opening weekend, and I was fully willing to oblige the ridiculously long wait inside – the drive through just wasn’t happening, ain’t nobody got time for that kind of line – to pick up an extra treat while I was out picking up the supplies for breakfast today

any guesses as to what breakfast was? Any of you who read Cassey’s blog or are big on the Pinterest scene can probably spot two-ingredient pancakes from a mile away! Who knew that two large eggs and one big banana, mashed together, could end up being so damn delicious? I defrosted some frozen strawberries, and let the juice from that serve as the syrup – kind of like a poor mans fruit compote. It wasn’t the most indulgent breakfast ever, but it definitely satisfied the pancake craving I’ve been having lately! While I was out and about at the store, I also managed to pick up some lemon, limes, and mint to make the water you can see in the first picture. It’s been chilling in the fridge and I’ve been sipping out of it, and let me tell you – its good. Not great, but definitely good enough to keep me drinking more and more water! Plus, I’ve been inspired to try some strawberry/kiwis and watermelon/cucumber/honeydew combos. Now THAT sounds good!

Lunch was that bad boy of an egg/sausage/potato scramble, so clearly I was still after the savory portion of breakfast. But whatever. Luckily I have a husband who is totally on board eating breakfasts at almost any time of day (other than dinner. He’s weirdly opposed to eating brinner, which is almost blasphemy in my opinion. he bravely sacrifices from time to time). I’m just giving it it’s due time to digest before hitting the gym – on the schedule today is another four-and-a-half mile run, and while the sun is finally out, the humidity is out right along with it. So the gym it is! What can I say, I’m a total wuss when it comes to weather.

Are you a good weather-handler – does rain/humidity/snow/darkness/too much sun keep you indoors running, or even indoors doing something else? Also, where do you stand on breakfast for dinner? Please say yes, or I don’t think we can be friends much longer! 

 

 

 

What I Ate Wednesday (Here Goes Nothing!)

Many of you may not know this, but I’ve been debating whether or not to start participating in What I Ate Wednesday for a couple of weeks now. Not because I don’t think it’s an AMAZING idea for a weekly idea round up (after all, we all eat, and we’re all secretly fascinated by what others are eating. You can admit it, I won’t judge) but because I’m absolutely awful at remembering to take pictures of my food before I eat it! I’m usually too busy inhaling the food, for one thing, but its also just a habit one needs to get in to. So I’m going to try and get in to the habit, and I’m hoping WIAW can be just the motivation I need to do that (and I don’t just mean taking pictures of my food. It’ll start there, but I’m hoping this makes me more camera-mindful in general). PLUS, June is all about sensible snacking, and I love snacking! Snacking’s my favorite!

This is going to come at you crazy-collage style because, well, some of these pictures are older and when it comes to any given day, the snacks I choose are as random as the day is long!

                            

1.) Pretzel chips. The best of both worlds, and strong enough to dish up that delicious Laughing Cow.

2.) Chips and guac. The chunkier and spicier the better. Enough said.

3.) Fruit bowls. At least a few pounds is preferable, but either way I’ll cradle it like a small child

4.) Kale chips! SO easy to make!

5.) Clementines – they just go with everything.

6.) Cereal. As you can see, a proper bowl is entirely optional.

7.) Those granola bars are probably nutritionally negligible. Don’t care – they’re delicious. Also, clementines!

8.) Mmm… Strawberries…

9.) Homemade chocolate-covered caramels don’t get made often, but when they do, you gotta make them last. Oh, and sea salt is a must.

10.) Veggies and hummus is ALWAYS a go-to. Seriously, it’s a never fail.

11.) Dates! Kind of like raisins, but bigger. and chewier.

12.) Again, this is one of those “not great but works in a pinch” – the beef jerkey comes in a two pack so Mark and I end up splitting it and it’s basically just straight protein!

13.) Smoothies!!! Especially now that it’s summer

14.) I’m out of this dark chocolate peanut butter. And this picture reminds me that I need more. Immediately.

15.) Who doesn’t need chocolate? And when it’s as dark as this chocolate was, a little dab will truly do you.

A huge thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons, as always, for hosting this great round-up, so go check out what everyone else has been snacking on recently (seriously, the ideas there are great!)

What’s the yummiest thing you’ve had to eat this week? 

Things I Know

I know that this gangster lady just turned eight, and OH MY GOSH I can’t even believe she’s already that old! She’s basically the light of my life, and I think she’s just the most amazing little lady and I’ve been so blessed to see born, see her grow, and to see how cool a chick she’s turning in to. So HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, AUBREY!!! Your Aunt Chelsea loves you TONS.

 

I know that I finally took my sorry feet to the actual streets yesterday and the run was B-E-A-UTIFUL! I hit about 4.5 miles, and the middle 1.5 of that took me through my favorite patch of local trail, up some dapple-shaded trails and under a cool bridge or two. It’s uber-relaxing. Until the rest of the 3 miles, which is basically all road-side and seems about 25 degrees warmer because asphalt is hot. Which is lame. But still!

 

I know that Summer Shred ’13 is a few days under way and is so far, so good! There are a couple of REALLY great and supportive “challenges” going on this summer (Cassey’s got a great one, and of course there’s Gina’s Shape Up that I mentioned yesterday) and I’m trying to work a lot harder this time to rely on all that great social media that I’m obsessing over all the time anyway, and while it’s only been three days, I’m keeping my motivation high and loving seeing all those great pics and tweets from others who are in the same camp I am! I’m not the greatest at having my phone/camera handy, so this may get to be a bit of a challenge as time goes on, but I’m definitely going to try

I know that a very dear friend of mine is getting ready to come in to town today, for the first time since she graduated college, and while we haven’t done anything to regret yet, the day is still young. See above image.

I know that right now my head is still exploding over Game of Thrones! Don’t get me wrong – I read all the books and TOTALLY saw it coming (I mean, hello) but still, to see all that craziness go down on screen, I literally did this weird mixture of crying, incredulous staring, and telling Mark to shut up even though he wasn’t talking. Any watchers out there? I’m still looking for someone to talk to about it who didn’t know it was going to happen because for. real. Mind blown.

Lastly, I know that today is the first day of my weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited to take these next couple of days to get the house in shape and the refrigerator full!

What’s on your mind? What do you know today/this week? Are you a Game of Thrones watcher? If not, what’s your addicting TV of choice? 

PS: I was just about to hit ‘Publish’ and then I saw this:

There is a sriracha documentary coming out later in 2013. Oh yes, this is a thing. You’re welcome!