Monday, September 9, 2013

Wanted: A Day of Ridiculousness

This weekend's event couldn't have been more crazy. My friends, S & J, and I did something impulsive and signed up for the Bubble Run 5K a few days before the event. S needed some ridiculousness in her life right now, so I agreed to do it with her and J said "I can't think of two other ladies I'd rather do this ridiculous event with." And so it happened.

S, me and J before the bubbles
I think that if they has for feedback, we all would agree that starting a 5K at 9am on a blistering 90 degree day is NOT ideal. Granted, we didn't have to wake up super early, but still, I would have preferred it to start at least an hour earlier. Of course, we loaded up on sunscreen. Standing in the sun for an hour (with no trace of shade) before the run is definitely the way to get burnt. Luckily we were smart.

It was very exciting once it actually started. Crossing the start line looked a little like this.

A bubble-y start

Normally I don't like to get my clothes wet if I'm not wearing a swimsuit, but this was a god-send. Walking through the wall of bubbles was so refreshing. I really wanted to just turn around and stand underneath the bubble machine. But that would cause a traffic jam and I'd probably get pushed.

There were more of these bubble stations (pink, green, blue, yellow) strategically placed throughout the 5K. Pink was the first and we came out with it all over our clothes, body and hair. It was awesome.
Me and J with pink shoes!
This definitely wasn't a competitive race as there were no timing chips, but I saw it as a race to what little shade there was on the course. "Let's run to the shade," I suggested. And then we walked slowly in that before braving the sun again.



Green wall of foam
If you were wondering what it looked like walking through the bubbles, now you know. And then you come out with it all over, which is pretty cool (pun intended).
J is a little green
You would think that they'd have more than one water station for races that are on super hot days, but it's hard to predict what the weather will be like when you're in the planning stages. A lot of people were pouring the water on their heads to cool off. I just drank 2 cups. I'll just run to the next bubble station. Blue.

I think the best part about this one was that I got to see parents push their kids in strollers through the foam. They came out with a stroller full of bubbles, no children in sight. This one woman had to shovel out the bubbles to free her kid!



Lost baby
Found baby!

Surprisingly, the kid wasn't crying. I think he actually enjoyed it.

And then there was yellow. So many people had been going through there, the bubble wall was non-existent. There was a pile of bubble, but the wind was pushing it out of the machine to the right, so unless you wanted to wait for people to walk through that side... 

Mellow Yellow
but somehow we managed to still come out with yellow on us, if only on the feet.
 
S has yellow feet

Crossing the finish line, we entered into a bubble foamy awesomeness party. Which is where we hung out for a while to cool off from the sweltering heat.

S and me cooling off
Me and J standing in the bubble wall

drowning in bubbles
Best bubble bath ever!

Even though my feet were swimming in my shoes, my clothes sopping wet, and my body dyed with color, the question I ask myself is, would I do this 5K again? For sure.

A hot mess, but loving it!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

The How-To Crew: How-To Use Vinegar {30 Tips and Tricks}

I was just randomly browsing the net and I found this article. It's pretty cool the different ways you can use everyday household items like vinegar.  I just might have to try a few. :) Check out the link below.



The How-To Crew: How-To Use Vinegar {30 Tips and Tricks}: I have loved finding new ways to use everyday items around our house.  We had such a great response from our post,  100+ Uses For Baking So...

Monday, August 19, 2013

Beware of the brown bear

This is what 5:30am looks like in Colorado. 

"Be on the lookout for the brown bear," A's brother warned us last night before we went to bed. There's been one wandering their neighborhood and since we are leaving before there's light, just gotta be on the safe side. 
It was funny. A opened the front door and turned on his phones flashlight to make sure there was no brown bear waiting for us out on the porch. No bear. Phew. We are safe. But wouldn't that be something, to see a brown bear at your front door?

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Weekend Getaway in Colorado

So here it is, Sunday night and I'm all packed and ready to head home. The bf and I took a last minute flight after work on Friday to head out to Colorado Springs to visit his brother and help celebrate his 40th birthday. 
I love these kinda of trips! We spent the weekend in a beautiful house with a forrest-like backyard running around with A's little nieces and nephews. We definitely had a blast. I'll write more about the trip later, but had to share the backyard view. 

They've set up a zip line for the kids. A place to practice archery and of course the playhouse. You can't see the giant trampoline on the right side of the house. I totally want one of those. 

I'm sad to leave this place. I would totally move to CO in a heartbeat if the opportunity came up. 

Anyways, I gotta head to bed. We've got an early morning flight since I actually have to go to work tomorrow. It'll be a short work day as I'll be wiped out, but deadlines have to be met. Sigh. Why does work always get in the way of a good time??

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tuesday with the bestie

Today was Tuesday night with the bestie. Totally unplanned nights are the best. I came home from work and she suggested we go get our toes done. Why not? Great idea. My feet needed that :)

And top it all off with some froyo from Yogurtland. That's the icing on the cake. I loves me some froyo! 

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Monday, April 15, 2013

Praying for Boston

My heart broke after hearing the news of the bombing in Boston today. I couldn't believe it at first. Spectators were injured, dead, or became amputees in the blink of an eye. And at a marathon, of all places. Is there no place that's safe anymore?! Friggin' terrorists.

Sending prayers to Boston.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Happy Sibling Day

Apparently it's sibling day. So I want to say I have an amazing little sister. She's finishing up her third year in vet school while battling MS. I'm so proud of her!

Love you little sissy!


Monday, March 11, 2013

Off to the gym

I got my new Sweaty Band in the mail today! And just in time before I left for the gym. I love that it has little alligators on it!

Off to work on my strength training. Getting stronger and my endurance is getting longer. Relay is gonna be a piece of cake!


Friday, March 8, 2013

Relay Soiree Success

This past Sunday, our Relay for Life community put together a free event for cancer survivors and caretakers. It was amazing. I meant to write about this on Monday, but a little life got in the way. It actually was good though that I waited because I have a couple pictures I can show you! :)

Since our Relay theme this year is International, our Survivor Soiree was too. Imagine a room full of finger foods, desserts, a photo booth with props, international dancers, and music, all to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors and the people who cared for them in their time of need. Those of us on the committee got donations from various restaurants for finger foods or we made something ourselves. There definitely wasn't a lack of food, though some types of food ran out faster than others.
 So what did I do? I helped check people in as they arrived. Then I was able to enjoy the night. My mom (who helped plan the event) woke up with a fever that morning so she unfortunately couldn't make it. I felt so bad. My dad took her place though. He played "customs officer" and made sure everyone had a name tags (meaning that they checked in to their respective tables - survivor or caretaker).
I believe that everyone who attended had an amazing time. The raffle prizes were donated by a lot of our committee members. Last year, my mom won 3 of the raffle prizes and I won one. Unfortunately for me, I just wasn't a winner, but my dad won the raffle prize themed from Germany. He was very happy. My friend, Jessica and her daughter, Julia, made out like bandits. They won 3 baskets, and 2 of them were Dr. Seuss themed. Needless to say, Julia was beyond ecstatic. Jessica told me that before Julia won, she said, "Mama, I feel lucky today." She's just too darn cute!

I'm so blessed to be a part of this organization even in the smallest way. It's events like this that can truly put a smile on a face. I know it did for mine.

Our photo booth pictures - lots of fun!
Me and Ronnie, our resident photographer
Where in the world are you from? Place your pin. :)

Philippine dancers
Philippine dancers

Leo, some Polish dancers, and Carole

Julia helping pick the raffle ticket winners
Cancer Survivors

The German basket my dad won

Julia's hiding behind her new Cat in the Hat


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Last Day of No TV

So here we are. I have survived my No TV/VIDEO GAMES challenge for the past 28 days. It definitely wasn't easy, but I did it. I did realize that when I'm bored, rather than read a book or work on a project, my go-to was the TV. This challenge forced me to get out there and actually do something. Go for a walk, or finally finish a project I'd been meaning to for months. I actually found myself wanting to be outside of the house with no TV temptations. It was hard with a roommate who watches the television ALL the time. But she was kind enough to mostly watch in her bedroom rather than out in the communal area where A and I would hang out.

My DVR is on overload. Thankfully my roomie would tell me when something would be close to getting erased so I could pick and choose what I wanted to keep. I think there's only like 10% left, but with tomorrow being March 1, I can help alleviate the problem and actually WATCH some of them before they get deleted.

It's been nice though, without the TV on. There have been more dance parties in my kitchen while I'm cooking. No one sees them, but I enjoy it. :) I decided that since we're at the end of this challenge, I think I might challenge myself to something different. My grandmother gave me an old crock pot that still works, so I think I might start trying new recipes weekly. Since I've been working out, I'm more conscious of what I eat and try not to eat too much crappy food. I don't want to ruin all the gym time I'm putting in with super unhealthy food. So we'll see how it goes...

Besides something for Lent, have you decided to take something out of your daily life for a 30 day trial?

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Boob Tube

That's what my father calls the TV. Not sure why, you'll have to ask him.

It's day 19 of my no tv challenge and I'm DYING!! At least today, I am. While I have been finding ways to stay occupied (i.e. shopping, board games, reading...), there are days that you just don't feel like doing anything and THAT was what today felt like. I just wanted to veg in front of my tv doing absolutely nothing. *SIGH*

I think I felt this way mainly in part because I worked my butt off at the gym yesterday and my entire body was aching. Plus the cold rainy weather always makes me feel like I need to curl up in my pjs with a blanket and just relax. I drank about 18oz of coconut water, took my vitamins, and had lots of protein when I woke up thinking that it might help the sore muscles. If I don't move, I don't hurt. Isn't that how it always is?

So what did I do to ignore the cravings:
  1. I turned on the kitchen radio to dance and slide around in my socks and pjs (cause I could)
  2. I pulled out my bread machine and baked some whole wheat bread.
  3. Cleaned up the kitchen.
  4. Continued working on our family haggadah
  5. Ran over to the library to get a new book to read
  6. Went to the gym
That last one nearly killed me. I must have been crazy. My body was already aching. But I said I would meet some friend for Zumba, which I had yet to try. Verdict: It's a lot of fun! My quads were screaming for the entire hour of dancing, but I endured it and LOVED it. There's another class on Thursday, but I think I might try yoga instead. Tomorrow is a strength training day again and I might just want to do a day of stretching after that. We'll see...

So here it is, after midnight (technically the beginning of day 20) and I survived yet another 24hrs of NO TV. Only 8 more days to go. I can do this!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Mother/Daughter Day

That's exactly what today was; mother/daughter day. It started as early as 8:30am and ended around 4:30ish. I was originally just expecting to spend a couple hours with her since she signed us up to take this "Make your own Haggadah" class. But then the class ran late so there was no time to take me home before her next event - brunch with her BCO (breast cancer.org) friends. They meet once a month and celebrate their lives and help each other through tough times when needed. Before I even got there, I felt like I would be intruding on their special time, but I was warmly greeting with smiles and hugs. These ladies are a riot! It was a lot of fun chatting with them. They are all older (50+) and have such amazing spirits. One woman has been a survivor for 15 years! My mom is one of the babies. She's on her 4th year of survival. So proud of her and I'm so happy that she found some amazing ladies to relate to and keep her thriving.

For those of you that don't know, my mom is in her late 60s and LOVES technology. And I mean LOVE. When something new comes out, she wants it and usually gets it. Of course, she doesn't get it right away and saves up for it. But she'll get it. Last night I was given her old iPad since she got the iPad mini. And before that, she gave me her 1st Kindle after she got a new one. I'm not complaining. I love technology but my mom is like a technology whore. And she knows it. We laugh about it. It's one of the many things I love about my mom. I love that she can laugh at herself and the silly things she does. A good sense of humor goes a long way.

All in all, we didn't go out and do a lot, but the quality time we spent together meant a lot.

What do you do with your mom?

Mom and me (3 months) in West Orange, NJ

Friday, February 8, 2013

It's Snowing in San Diego


The east coast may have found Nemo, but San Diego seems to have found some snow! My sister lives a little over an hour away and she got snow that stuck around. While it didn't snow in my neighborhood, we did get hail. It's kinda like the same thing only you don't want to stand outside with your mouth open to catch it.

The house was nice and toasty this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was venture into the cold and windy outdoors. But I had to get my last workout of the week in. I've gotta log my miles for Relay. Though I won't be walking all 24 hours, I do my fair share of track time - at the least I get in 6 miles. There was one year I actually walked the length of a half marathon. My feet were definitely feeling that.


I wish that I'd had firewood lying around the house. This would have been the perfect night for it. Instead, I just turned the heat up a little, sat at a table and did a little valentine nail art. I'm not super good at it, but it's an enjoyable way to wind down for the evening, especially with some tunes playing in the background.
my valentine nail art

See, it's cold and rainy nights like this that I would snuggle up in a blanket on the couch and watch a movie. This challenge has really made me think of alternative ways to keep myself mildly entertained. What would you do if you couldn't watch tv? How would you spend your time?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

28 Day Challenge - The first 6 days

If your significant other challenged you to 28 days of no TV or video games, would you accept?
I did. I accepted his challenge well aware of how much I would probably miss my TV shows. And do I? YES!!

We just finished day 6 and can I just say, I MISS MY TV!! While I don't miss it all the time, I do find myself craving it occasionally when I'm eating lunch or dinner by myself. The house is so much quieter. The first couple of days I was so crabby; snappy, even. It was like going through a detox. I kept telling myself "I'm bored. There's nothing to do." But it wasn't true. I have a lot of things around the house that could occupy my time, but I "needed" my TV. I needed the tv, not because I had to watch it, but because I couldn't. I'm perfectly fine reading a book, browsing the net or even finally getting to that project I've always been meaning to start/finish. TV was my background noise.

Here are a few things I've done since the TV has been off:
1. I've listened to my music a lot more in the last 6 days than I have in the last 6 weeks.
2. After 8 years of shelving a story I was writing, I finally pulled it out and started to finish it.
3. Took my dog, Zoe, to the dog park. She's in heaven.
4. Finished a book in 4 days and started reading another.
5. Walked to the library and spent my free time browsing their vast collection.
6. Actually used our Thai cookbook and tried my hand at Asian cooking. I made a fish curry. It turned out well enough that I would make it again!
7. Went roller skating. I haven't done that in years!

So I'm being a little more productive. I think I just need to make that list of all the projects that I've wanted to start or finish and pick something every day to accomplish. I've found that as long as I keep myself busy, I don't feel the need to watch TV or play video games. Being out and about makes this challenge a lot easier. It's the getting home and feeling the need to jump back into my old routine of vegging on the couch that has made this a little difficult. But I'm hanging in there and craving the TV a little less every day.

My original plan was to blog at the start of this challenge, but somehow that escaped me. So I will do my best to keep you all updated on the rest of my TV detox. Here's to weening off the things that rot my brain...

Friday, January 18, 2013

Horror Movie Junkie

I admit to loving horror movies. Mama comes out today, so as it is a friend's birthday and he LOVES horror movies just as much as I do, guess what we're doing today for his birthday?! That's right, going to see a horror movie. His girlfriend doesn't like that genre, so it's become our thing. My boyfriend will watch them with me, but he's been working like crazy the last year, so I had to find a new buddy.

So Happy Birthday, S! Let's so get scared! :)

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Newborns make everything better

My friends, H & M,  had their baby yesterday afternoon. A healthy baby boy, born at 1:11pm, weighing 7lbs, 6oz. He is so adorable. I just want to put him in my pocket and carry him everywhere!

I spent the day at the hospital with them visiting and taking pictures of the little man. You can't have a bad day when sleeping newborns are in the room. He's just too precious.

Welcome to the world, Justin James!


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Giant Headache

Have you ever had one of those headaches that just come on so quickly and out of left field and NOTHING seems to make it better? Yeah, that's what I have. It totally sucks. I took some Tylenol - that didn't help. I tried drinking some caffeine - that didn't help. Dehydration perhaps? Maybe. I've been drinking water all night and it's still killing me.
I got a hair cut today and my headache started there at the salon. So maybe it was the color treatment fumes from the lady beside me. Not sure. In any case, this headache is killing me.
I'm off to bed early to see if I can sleep it off.
Hope you all had a great day.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Winner

While my day may not have started out great - I woke up super sore from my intense workouts the last few days - it ended kinda awesomely. I got a free cupcake at Sprinkles and I got a call from my gym saying that I won a free month for their Member Appreciation Week. How amazing is that?! Going to the gym the last 3 days has totally paid off. Not only am I making myself healthier, I'm being rewarded for it! Generally when I put my name in one of those jars to try and win whatever they are offering, nothing ever comes of it. I can't say that anymore. It definitely was a good ending to the day.


So go to the gym! Maybe it'll pay off in good ways for you!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

New Year's Resolutions


1st New Year's resolution: update blog more often. (we'll see how long I can keep this up)
2nd New Year's resolution: actually exercise and shed these 30+ pounds my meds made me gain.  (I have friends to go to the gym with, so it might actually happen)

I'm back into the +American Cancer Society's Relay for Life mode. The new season has begun. Thus kicks into gear my exercise regime to ready myself for 24 hours of awesomeness! And you all get to be a part of it here.  My team (all 8 of us) did amazing last year and I'm sure we'll keep up our awesomeness again this year. I'm not so thrilled with the theme this year; Passport to Relay.  Each team chooses a country to represent somehow and on the day of the event, people will get a passport of some kind to go around and get stamps to visit said countries. I think it'll be a challenge, but I'll find some way to make it work. I heard that another team has already chosen Israel, which is the country my mom will want. If not Israel, I vote for Belgium. I like their waffles. :) I'll see if the team is on board.

I got roped into being on the committee this year. I don't know how that happened. I've been asked to be the Team Captain mentor. I know that they want me to take over Leo's position as the TC Coordinator, but it's not my thing right now. Though I'm happy to help in this way. So I'll mentor the team captains and share my secrets to being awesome. :) As much as I may complain about it, I actually enjoy the company of all the people in the committee. They have become my extended family. So here's to good times ahead!

And on that note, I leave you with the silliness that ensued after dinner tonight.