Fitness Friday 6/29

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 

Saturday - 5 Mile Run
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Early morning Orangetheory workout - "ESP" - Endurance, Strength, and Power 
Tuesday - 2 mile walk
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - Orangetheory - Power workout combined with a partner workout
Friday - Rest Day


This has been an interesting week to say the least! The heat index is already insane and I am kind of scared to see what August has to bring!

On Saturday morning, Brayden and I ventured out for a 5 mile run. By 8 a.m., the temps were always at a "feels like 95 degrees" outside. What is that, even?!

Despite the oppressive heat, we made it!

...and we saw some chickens along the way!

On Monday morning, I woke up bright and early for an Orangetheory workout.

This workout was an ESP workout which combined endurance, strength, and power all in one. It was a great workout!!

I also might have stopped by PJ's for a "skinny" iced caramel latte!

On Thursday afternoon, I met up with a friend at Orangetheory for an afternoon workout. She was trying OT for the first time and didn't want to go alone, so she came with me!

This. Was. By. Far. The. Hardest. OT. Workout. So. Far.

The class was a "power" one, and I knew when we were finishing up things a little early that something was up. Sure enough, our coach said she had a "surprise" for us...and I knew that couldn't be good. So, she announced that the last 15 minutes of class was going to be a partner workout. I thought I had a partner but for some reason I didn't - it was a miscommunication and I didn't find out until we were already into the workout. This workout was a split between the weight floor and the rowers. After doing one set on the rowers and one set on the weight floor, I decided to just stay on the rowers and I rowed 1500 m instead! By the end of the class, I was done. DONE.

This seriously was a super tough workout. I definitely felt great afterward, though!

So, that was my workout week in a nutshell! I hope to run tomorrow morning, just much earlier than last weekend!

What are your weekend plans? Have a great one!

Three Things Thursday, Plus A Few

After a whirlwind weekend, it took my body most of the week to calm down and refocus on the things ahead. Not having anything to do on Tuesday and Wednesday evening was nice, which meant Brayden and I could stay at home and just simply chill. I took full advantage of it and I loved it!

In the mean time, I thought about writing a "three things Thursday" post, but all these random thoughts kept coming to my head and I couldn't narrow it down to just three, so bear with me as my brain operates on more than one thing at a time (usually on five things at once).

#1 Hello Fresh

I received a really great deal in the mail that I couldn't pass up, so I bit. We've never tried a service like this before but are excited to! Our first box arrived yesterday and I can't wait to dig in! Definitely stay tuned for a review coming soon!

#2 Running Shoes

Mine pooped out on me. I realized my knee was bothering me more than normal and when I counted out the mileage, I realized that yep...it was definitely time for new ones. I haven't yet received mine from our local running store from the race I won back in April (they are on back order), so I had to check the stock pile in the back of my closet. Lo and behold, there was a pair there that I received as a gift from Christmas, just waiting on me. Oddly enough, they are the same exact color as my previous pair, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to not get them confused. Oh well...at least I like the color!

#3 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

So, every time I have Brayden in the car with me, I hear this sweet little voice from the back seat saying "Hot Dog! Hot Dog!" No, he's not hungry for a hot dog, he wants to hear the Hot Dog Song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and he knows it's on a CD in my car. (I mean really, how can I deny him?!) Lately, I've been heading to work (without Brayden in the car) and not paying attention to what's going on...then I realize that the Mickey Mouse CD is STILL playing in my car. Seriously. I made it halfway to work yesterday before I even realized it! (Insert face palm emoji here.) I can't be the only one this has happened to. Anyone else?

#4 Iced Coffee

Know the problem of having a PJ's Coffee very close to my Orangetheory gym?! I can stop in and have an iced coffee in the mornings after my workouts. Ok so that's not really a problem, actually. I really love their coffee and the flavors they offer are so good! It also hits the spot in the summer after a hard OT workout!

#5 4th of July Plans

I'm excited for the 4th of July, although having a holiday smack dab in the middle of a week kinda throws things off a bit. I'm planning on participating in our local 4th of July race and then seeing the fireworks that evening with a friend and our kids! It's shaping up to be a fun day!

Have you ever tried a mail delivery food service? What's your 4th of July plans?

20 Years

I'm a firm believer that honor should be given when honor is due. So, when our children's pastor's daughter (also one of my good friends) approached me about helping her plan a celebration for her parents 20th year of ministry, I knew we HAD to do it!

This weekend was busy, it was full of activity, it was fun, it was exhausting, and it was 100% completely worth it all. I seriously had one of the best weekends of my life!

So, our church has a thing. It's called the "DREAM Team" and it's a junior high and high school ministries team, that help lead children's church, perform at various services and community events, compete in festivals, attend and host summer camps, and the list goes on and on. Our children's pastor's have been with us and have overseen the team for the past 20 years - so, we made our event a "reunion" of sorts - to honor our children's pastors as well as bring back old team members to celebrate with them! 

We were blown away by the response! Over 20 years, we've had over 100 DREAM Team members and about 90ish former team members and spouses registered for our reunion dinner! 

The room was decorated with the intention of stirring up old stories and memories over the past 20 years. Each table was full of pictures, "candy grams", and the entry table had a tshirt from every single genre of team members.

At each function we attended, our children's pastor's wife would give us candy grams each day, so we incorporated those into the decor!

My "baby" was the video that was played during the reunion. I worked weeks on that thing - going through old VHS footage from the early 2000's as well as DVD performances that were more recent. It was so much fun to reminisce and put the video together. I'm not a master at it, so I was incredibly nervous, but I LOVED how it came together!

Our gift to them was a tshirt quilt, made out of all of the team tshirts and polos over the past 20 years!

Seeing everyone from past and present so warmed my heart. The entire evening was perfect and everything flowed so smooth! I love these people dearly and can't wait for the next one!

 

On Sunday morning, we also had the entire church service to honor our children's pastors!

I also mentioned on Friday that I was asked to help host our "announcements" segment that plays during the Sunday services. Well, I was super nervous as to how it would turn out but it wasn't bad at all! (I was mostly worried about my super "magic" hair that grows with the humidity!) Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as my mind made it out to be, but isn't that how it always goes?

We also performed a song that was a complete surprise to our children's pastors. We picked a song that almost every single team from the beginning of time knew (Testify by Avalon). The current team started out on stage to perform and as a surprise, the old team joined them midway through the song. I LOVE the visual it made, showing how far and wide of a reach our children's pastors have made over 20 years! It turned out so well!

This weekend made me cry, it made me laugh, and it definitely warmed my heart. Sometimes we need weekends like these to remind us of where we've come from and just who helped us get there.

Happy 20 years, Pastor Darrell and Mrs. Gwen! I hope the weekend was all you dreamed it would be and more! We love you!

Fitness Friday - 6/22

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Unplanned Rest Day
Tuesday - Orangetheory - Strength Workout
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - Early morning Orangetheory workout - "ESP" - Endurance, Strength, and Power
Friday - Rest Day

Another busy week in my neck of the woods here...hence the reason the blog has been so quiet! I hope to change that next week!

I attended Orangetheory twice this week. I'll admit I do miss having the extra day I had the past two weeks, but I also want to have the opportunity to get in an outside run, so only going two days a week works perfectly for me!

Tuesday afternoon's workout was an awesome one! I left feeling amazing and knew I had worked hard!

We also had lunch at Great Harvest Bread Company and it was delicious! I LOVE their grain bowls!

On Thursday, I learned a valuable lesson when it comes to Orangetheory. I did not think that our classes were booking up already, but on Wednesday night...SURPRISE! The 6:15 a.m. class for Thursday had a wait list! With Jason's work schedule and the way my weekend is planned,  I knew my options for a 2nd workout this week was either 5 a.m. or 6:15 a.m. on Thursday morning and that was it. I woke up at 4 a.m. on Thursday morning, hoping something had changed but nope...the 6:15 a.m. class was still full. What did I do? Instead of taking my chances on something opening up at 6:15, I got ready and made it to the 5 a.m. class! Now that is what I call determination!

I am SO glad I went! This was an awesome ESP workout and my upper body is definitely sore today! Although I didn't accrue as many splat points due to the weight floor section, I was still happy with everything overall! This was also my first time with a different coach and I loved her class! YAY!

Post Orangetheory 6 a.m. sweaty selfie!

For the rest of the week, we also celebrated a birthday with a friend at a local Mexican restaurant and I spent a lot of time at church working on the Saturday and Sunday programs for our Children's Pastors!

I just LOVE this outfit from Carter's and I'm so glad Brayden still fits in 24 month clothing because this outfit didn't go up any higher in sizing!

Our church does a weekly news recap and this was my first time to record! I'm super excited to see how it looks!

Apparently I'm too short and needed a box to stand on. HAH!

Anyway, the remainder of my weekend will be spent at church, honoring and celebrating our children's pastors for their 20th year of ministry! I've been very close to them and their daughters over the years and can't wait to see how everything turns out!

I also hope to get a run in on Saturday morning, so we shall see! It'll be my first outside run in 3 weeks! Yikes!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Father's Day Weekend 2018

Our Father's Day weekend this year was spent in the hill country of Texas! My brother and sister-in-law recently made a move to the hill country (literally last week) and they invited us to spend the weekend with them. Jason was scheduled to work nights on Father's Day Weekend (sad times), so he wasn't able to join us.

We had so much fun on our Texas adventures, I wanted to share them with you today!

No trip to Texas is complete without a stop at Buc-ee's! This "rest stop" seriously has it ALL including home decor, clothing, and food!

We also got to meet the "real" Buc-ee and Brayden gave him a high five! :)

On Saturday, we spent the morning at the San Antonio Zoo! It took us about 3 hours to walk all around and see everything the zoo had to offer. We also arrived just as the zoo was opening, so it wasn't terribly hot and the animals were all out for us to see!

This was also Brayden's very first zoo experience! Fun times!

He LOVED the fish!

Randomly, we saw that one of their elephants was named Karen! Of course, I had to take a picture!

We arrived at the giraffe area, just in time to feed a few of them. It was so cool to take part in this "extra" experience and see the pure joy on Brayden's face. He LOVED it!

 This really was a super cool experience and totally worth the extra money to participate!

One of the giraffes was named Brayden, so we (of course) had to take a picture with his sign!

Birds are also another favorite of Brayden's, and he loved seeing the pink flamingos!

After the zoo, we cleaned up then had a Father's Day dinner of BBQ to celebrate my dad.

The brisket was melt-in-your-mouth kinda good! YUM!

It was a delicious meal!

 

Sunday was travel day, but we still spent the morning exploring the surrounding areas around my brother and sister-in-law's home.

This pancake at Granny D's was seriously as big as my child!

The downtown area of Gruene is precious! We walked through a flea market type area and a few of the downtown shops. We also explored the oldest dance hall in Texas, the Gruene Hall! (This is where George Strait used to play, back before he was discovered!

The river was also pretty busy over the weekend...campers and tubers were all over the place!

It really was a beautiful weekend with perfect weather! The view from my brother and sister-in-law's back porch isn't too shabby, either! :)

Our weekend ended at In-N-Out Burger, something I only get to have when I travel to California and it had been YEARS since I'd had a burger from there! This place always reminds me of Disneyland!

I might have also purchased a burger for Jason and surprised him with it! :) 

That pretty much sums up our Father's Day Weekend in Texas! I loved spending time with my family (minus Jason) and can't wait to do it all over again! We are already planning our next trip! :)

How was your Father's Day Weekend? Did you do anything extra special?

Fitness Friday - 6/15

Currently Training For:

• Dopey Challenge 2018 - Walt Disney World
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon 2018 - New Orleans, LA 
• Contraband Days 5 Miler 
• 4 on the 4th
• Rock n Roll San Antonino Half 

Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Orangetheory - Strength workout
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - Early morning Orangetheory workout - "ESP" - Endurance, Strength, and Power
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Orangetheory - Strength workout 

It's Friday! I am so excited for this weekend because we are traveling to Texas to visit with family in their new home in New Braunfels! I've been to San Antonio but never explored the surrounding area, so this is exciting!

This week of workouts was exciting, too! They mostly took place at Orangetheory and although I'm only on a 2 times per week workout rotation, Monday's workout "didn't count" because the Grand Opening hadn't taken place yet! In total, I was able to attend four "free" OT workout sessions which is awesome! (This is also the reason I've been taking full advantage of my OT workouts these past two weeks and haven't done much else!)

So, Monday afternoon's workout included a lot of strength and crazy inclines on the treadmill. After Monday's workout, I realized that I would NEVER have the drive or determination to do these kind of workouts on my own at home, so that's why a class like this is good for me! It forces you to push yourself!

Tuesday was an exciting day as it was the Grand Opening of our gym!

They had all kinds of delicious catered food, they took people on tours of the facility, and it was fun to mingle and meet a few new people!

We might have taken a selfie with the mannequin! HAH!

 Speaking of friends, my friend Melissa joined Orangetheory, too! I'm so excited to have a buddy to workout with!!

The food was delicious, too!

For the remainder of the week, I worked out early morning (the 6:15 a.m. class), then took a shower and went to work!

Wednesday's morning class focused on all three areas - endurance, strength, and power! It was a TOUGH one but I loved it! As you can see, I was able to get my heart rate in the orange and red zones much more often than Monday!

Friday morning's workout was another strength one and by accident, the timer didn't get turned on until several minutes into class, so our calories and splat points aren't correct. Whoopsie oh well. That's growing pains, I guess! I wasn't too upset, it was still an overall GREAT workout!  

You sick of hearing about Orangetheory yet? Well, now that the Grand Opening has taken place, I'll be on a two workout per week schedule which will allow me to run outside at least once a week (maybe twice if I'm feeling it). This heat though, y'all. It's rough.

...but for real, how cute is this?! Just a boy and his dog! She LOVES him when he has food! These happened to be orange cheetos. See what I did there? Whomp whomp.

I hope you all have a great Father's Day Weekend! Follow along on my instagram stories to see all of our adventures in Texas! :)  Happy Friday!