right now...

Eating... Acai Bowls. I can eat these bowls for every meal. They are so easy to make. I even have all the ingredients, but I don't have the time in the mornings to make it, so I will sometimes get them at the coffee bar downstairs.

Planning... Back to School. Less than two weeks of summer break and I need to weed through CJ's clothes to figure out what clothes I still need to buy her, as well a new backpack. And shoes. And what else...?

Watching... Animal Kingdom & The Olympics.  When I first saw commercials for Animal Kingdom, it was Scott Speedman who I really wanted to see. (ahhh, memories of Ben from Felicity). Then I watched 3 episodes in a row and was obviously hooked. It is riveting and it has a pretty good story line. Oh, and it takes place in Oceanside...that's just up the way. The OLYMPICS!!! I'm going to be sad when its all over. I've gotten attached to the athletes and the competition.

Feeling... Relieved. Our storage unit is emptied and our stuff is now accessible thanks to my hubs for all the moving, organizing and cleaning out. I hate paying for a storage unit and it's such a hassle to retrieve stuff from it. But now it's time to puuuuuurge!

Practicing... Yoga.  I joined a rock climbing gym ONLY for their yoga classes and it is the best. I forgot how much I love yoga. And doing it in my "older years," I appreciate it that much more. Maybe I'll take a stab at rock climbing...

Cooking... Lasagna. I was hesitant to fire up the oven (this heatwave is killing me), but I've been wanting to make a lasagna dish for a few weeks now. I accomplished that last night and ate a piece this morning for breakfast. Lol!

Reading... Sharp Objects. Sadly, I bought this paperback at the airport in November to read while having the chance to relax on the plane and while in Mexico. Didn't happen. It got buried for months and has now resurfaced. This will travel with me in my purse until I finish it.

Listening to... Rebelution. Thanks to hubs, it's all I listen to to and from work. It reminds me of the islands...ahhhhh!

Loving... Capri Blue VOLCANO hand lotion. This is the scent you smell when  walking into Anthropologie. Yuuuuum!

Celebrating... Multiple birthdays and a wedding. August is always busy with birthdays and we just had a fun bbq celebration at my sister's house in Orange County last weekend. A family wedding this Saturday will be a blast, I'm so excited for it!

oh hey, what's up, hello!

Here we are in Summer of 2016 and more than half way through the year.
I've had a MAJOR blog drought; just didn't feel the need to keep up with one anymore.

Today, however, I just wanted to check in, say hello and update you on life.

My little girl Camille is now 7 as of last month. It's so crazy how fast the years have flown by. Her 2nd year of pre-school, a full year of Kindergarten AND 1st grade is behind us. She has tried her hand in a number of activities, but still trying to grasp one or two that she really likes. She was really into kids yoga earlier this year, but sadly the studio she was enrolled in had to shut down. Soccer is coming up and with the new school year beginning, so will Girl Scouts. That will be fun to get into gear for both activities.

May of 2016 marked our 11 year wedding anniversary for the Hubs & I  and we couldn't be happier than the day we tied the knot. That is such a cliche, but true. Yes, those years in between had its share of bad and hard times, but at the end of the day...we really are a content couple that doesn't require very much.

Summer is half way done and it's been too busy & hectic at work to plan a mini-vacay. After over 10 years, my counterpart left the team to be a mom for her three young children. Between day camps, appointments and work, trying to plan a getaway seemed nearly impossible. In the next week, I hope to have something planned. Anything...because this work thing is too much the past month.

It's the weekend and I plan on spending a little time with my family, my girlfriends, practicing yoga & a little bit of decluttering. I can't wait...

Happy weekend to you!!!

August

Every year, August is a month that I brace myself for, so the past weekend was only a taste of what's in store for the coming days. I celebrated two big birthdays, for people who are near and dear to me. And the celebrations couldn't have been more extreme opposites. Clearly, I was cabana hopping!

Cruzie's birthday was spent at the Legoland Hotel--- the first half at the pool in the rain with minimal crowds (looks like the rain scared people off) and the other half in the hotel lobby with hundreds of kids running around being supervised by adults with alcoholic beverages in hand. Mandatory. The rain didn't stop the kids from having a blast in the pool and nor did it deter us from having the normal lunch & cake cutting under the two reserved cabanas. I'm so happy that the gloom and sprinkles didn't ruin Cruzie's 5th birthday. The show must go on...

My bff's birthday is later this week but on Sunday her hubby and friend planned a day under the cabana (another cabana!) at the Rancho Bernardo Inn for all her lady friends. The lunch spread was delicious and perfect for the hot muggy day that it was. We were able to stay cool with cucumber infused water and margaritas from the bar. While most of the ladies got a spa treatment done before lunch and came prepared to hang out poolside, I simply dipped my feet in and sipped on my margarita. Ahhhh, this is the life...

Happy Birthday Cruz & Cathy, more celebrations to follow!

fitness friday

Because hectic ran my life all of March & April and then drained all motivation out of me for the following two months, I think I owe it to myself and my poor out of shape body to do something about it.

Well, I signed up for a 5K run!

Yikes, the run is in 2 weeks and I've only done a barre class here and there and dabbled in T25/Insanity. I'm in for it, but I'm ready to take it on.

Here's to the start of a fitness trend for me and hoping I will stick to it. 

Have a great weekend all and see you back here soon!

(hmm, I think a new pair of shoes are in order)

blog's birthday

Happy Birthday, my dear Blog.

It's been three years since your inception and I was pretty good the first year, the second year was okay, but it wasn't with out a little bit of struggling and as for this year- I don't know what happened.

I'm sorry. 

And I'm sorry to anyone out there if you are still out there.

Life happens.

I'm running and I'm catching up.

See you soon!

the JT movement

Once upon a time, in my early twenties, a cool boy band came out and caused the biggest stir amongst teens and young adults. I found myself singing along to all their songs and *trying* to learn the dance moves. If they were still a band now, I'd love them just as much. Yup, I'm talking about the talented and high energy *NSYNC. Each album that they released over time, seemed to only get better and better. They definitely ran circles around the other bands/singers (98 Degrees, Backstreet Boys, etc), and in my opinion, it was mostly due to Justin Timberlake's talent and appeal. Okay, so I'm totally biased because clearly he was the fan fav. Not long after their success, JT broke off from the group and came out with two successful albums of his own, and recently came out with a third which has him in the spot light once again.

One of my favorite moments from back in the day was being at Jimmy Love's one night with the Fab Four and getting so excited when the DJ played "I Want You Back". At the time, everyone in that dance club was twice our age, so I can imagine what they were thinking hearing that song AND seeing eager young gals so excited over this newly released pop song. Again, keep in mind... people twice our age in this place were more accustomed to grooving out to "Brickhouse" or "September" or "Let's Get it On." 

JT's solo freshman and sophomore albums were a proven success- Justified & Future Sex Love Songs- and I loved them both! A very fond moment from the Future Sex love Songs era was when I had the chance to see him perform at the House of Blues in San Diego. I don't know how we got news of him performing there, but I'm so glad that we jumped at the chance to buy tickets. I'd like to say that Angie, Emy, Hazel & I were very, very fortunate to witness this show. Now that he is blown up and he has "arrived", seeing him at a small intimate venue like HOB is unheard of. No show will ever compare to that one.We were up close and personal with Mr. Timberlake. The singer, the dancer, the actor, the golfer, the philanthropist, the comedian, the NBA basketball team owner, the clothing designer and most recently, the husband. Waaaahhhhh!

With the release of his latest album, I immediately caught on to a few songs that's been tagged as my favs. He's been promoting the release of his new CD (and pretty much himself): Target commercials, his performance at the Grammy's (wow, that was amazing!), appearances and performances on all the talk shows from LA to NYC. I was glued to the TV for weeks when he hosted SNL and then spending the week hosting with Jimmy Fallon. All of it was DVR'd and just about took up all the memory, kicking off other shows that  were recorded. Every song he performed on Fallon, made me fall for him- this boy can move and groove.  This modern day JT has my heart skipping a beat, I feel so silly being attached to him like I was 5 years or even 10 years ago, but how can I not be so fascinated by this walking legend. 

Despite the horrendous traffic and parking issues we will face at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, I'm so excited to see him perform live. This will not compare to the HOB show in SD, but I'm sure it will be up there, especially since Jay Z will be on stage as well. I will check in later next week to report how it goes.

Eeeks, SEXY is SO is back...

ouch!

Training for a summer half marathon is a son of a biatch. It's hot and the heat just makes me want to laze around. As much as I try to get up early on the weekends to run, it is so hard. So the majority of my runs end up being in the evening 3 or 4 times a week. I try to find every excuse to keep from putting on my sneaks and pounding the pavement for a solid hour, but thank God for hubs who pushes me to get it done. Love him!

On a run short run the other day, I took a awkward step and knew at that second something was wrong. Almost like I hyper extended the back of my knee. Not a severe injury, but as any leg injury, it needed to be rested, elevated and iced. I took three days off and decided to try my hand at Insanity. Yeh, total blast from the past, huh? It was so weird how I found those 40 minutes to be an easy, but great work out.

Easy, because I'm so used to hour long barre classes and hour long runs. I haven't had a date with Shaun T. in over a year and he was quite pleasant.

Fast forward to 24 hours later, my calves are killing me!!! Yet, we desperately wanted to get a run in and went to the lake the next day despite being sore. Another 24 hours later, OUCH! It's amazing how a few days of rest and a change in workouts make the biggest difference. 

Despite my ouchies I am determined to keep up with my training schedule...4 more weeks! And check this out...I searched high and low for these suckers and found them for the race. Woo-hoo!

birthday girl

As mentioned in a few posts ago, the little girl turned 4 years old this month and we celebrated very quietly this year, with just immediate family. But it's not really a quiet celebration with my family- we are talking over 25 people. However, a beautiful, warm afternoon in the middle of July, food, a pool, sunscreen, a pinata, a delicious cake and the company of family was all we needed to celebrate this 4 year old. 

And she was just fine with it, it was the perfect pool party!

 

JULY catch up

It's July, which basically means we are half way through the year! Can you believe it?

This means my little girl turns 4 real soon, my hubby is turning another year older, summer is in full swing, lots of upcoming beach, pool and outdoor time and it's going to get hot up in here. Hello Summer!

It's been a few months since I've been here and not a lot of changes, but a lot going on. With pre-school ending at the beginning of June, that brought on the end of the first swim session and dance classes on Saturdays. 

It was the first time CJ has ever been in swim lessons, but because of her love for swimming pools and water, it was no problem for her adjusting to learning and actual instructions. Today she starts swim lessons again for 2 weeks straight, and we hope the consistency helps the learning curve. 

The dance recital took place last weekend and I had no idea how hectic of a day that would be. But at the end of the day it was all worth it! Seeing my little girl on stage pulling off dance moves that she has practiced over the last few weeks couldn't make me more proud. Her class was assigned "Circle of Life" from the Lion King movie, so their outfits were to die for. Nude, long sleeve leotard, nude tights, brown tutu, lion ears made on a headband and a tail to attach to the tutu. The proud mom in me yelled her name while on stage and she stopped in her tracks to look for me and waved at us. A typical 4 year old ballerina moment... and that was my typical (Lion) Mom Pride moment, I just had to. :)

We have been hustling and bustling at work, which is a good thing. Balance between life at home and life at work is not an easy task, but I'm managing. Six months from now will be the good life. I put a hold on my barre classes since I'm training for a half marathon this August, and although I miss it training is more important than pulsing and plies right now. Most running days are great once I get past that 1st mile, but this heat will not be helpful. I just need to suck it up and get it done. In line with my training schedule, my long runs are approaching fast- pray for me!

Lots of party/get together planning over the next two months, but who am I kidding? This will be never-ending! I am looking forward to a fun summer filled with lots of relaxing, BBQ's, beach, pool & sun time, running highs (and lows) and quality time with family and friends. 

Thanks for visiting, I promise I will be back soon and more often!

summer music

There are some real good bands touring this summer and I can't get enough of them. Hubby and bro-in-law got me into island mode by introducing me to Island 98.5- a hawaiian based radio station that I listen to through I Heart Radio. Every time we visit Hawaii, Hubs first thing to do when we pick up the rental car is to set the radio stations. We like to explore the islands, find beaches and drive up and down the beautiful coast while listening to local radio stations. It's surreal...too bad we don't have a Hawaii trip planned. 

For now, I've been daydreaming about a Hawaiian vacation while listening and seeing the following artists:

Katchafire started off this whirlwind "summer concert tour" for us. I haven't heard too many of their songs to be a huge fan, but the few I have heard are pretty catchy. Before heading to the show, we had a few drinks and apps at Burlap to meet up with everyone for lil brother's birthday. We ended up seeing a ton of people we knew at The Belly Up when we got there, so between both places, it was a night full of drinking and mingling. 

A few weeks later, we headed to Solana Beach's Fiesta Del Sol to meet up with friends, family and their kids. And even better- they were holding free concerts! This worked out perfect because yet another island music artist was performing- Anuhea. She is a female artist born in Maui and her music is so soothing and it is such pleasant island music to listen to. It was very nice seeing her live and the kids had a great time playing and dancing around.

The Green is an "up & coming" band from Hawaii and I can listen to their music over and over and not get sick of it. I think they are that good! Just like Katachfire, we saw them at the Belly Up and they killed it! My friend was there that night and since she isn't that into them as much as I am, she was talking to me the whole time and I tried my best to listen to them and chat with her simultaneously.

There may be a few more "Island Style" music shows that will be added to our list before summer is over, but what I'm really getting excited for is the JT/JayZ concert coming up at the end of July. Although I know that parking and traffic at the Rose Bowl are going to be hell, I've been looking forward to this show ever since we bought our tickets back in March (when the album came out). I don't want to let that keep me from having fun, because regardless I know it will be a siiiiick show.
I mean JT AND JayZ? Seriously!

our weekends

I love my weekends!

How I wish they were longer so that I can fit in all my errands, my workouts, my chores and spend more time with my family and friends. We do what we can to make the most of it, so I was so happy when Barre added a 7am class on Saturdays. What a great way to make use of dead time! Not only am I getting my work out done, but I come home energized and start making big breakfast- one of the things we can never do on the weekdays as a family. Bacon, eggs, fried rice, toast or croissants, and of course coffee... morning coffee on the weekends are the BEST! For a while, hubs was making trips down the street to grab donut holes and old fashion donuts at the best donut shop ever. Coming home to sweet and sugary deliciousness after a rigorous work out wasn't ideal; I had to put a stop to that dangerous weekend tradition.

Fortunately we haven't been too busy with much, so our weekends have consisted of last minute, short trips to random local places. We checked out another part of Balboa Park and I wasn't in the mood to lug my camera around, so no great shots. Originally I wanted to spend some time in one of the museums, being that it was February and most, if not all, museums were 1/2 off admissions (museum month). But I was dragging myself around the Park as it was, I didn't want to pay admission and have to leave after 15 minutes. Those early morning barre classes have been catching up to me by mid-day.

Balboa Park, by the rose garden

rock climbing

Another weekend was spent in the East Village. This was the 3rd year going to Padres Fan Fest and although it wasn't that great of a turn out, it was a good time. We hung out on the field, something that can rarely be done and I chased the little girl around to try and tire her out. We waited in line to get a cheesy Hello Kitty painted on her face that I probably could've painted better. And we strolled through the park a bit before having dinner at Basic Kitchen- my favorite!

this location would be nice season ticket seats

Our first weekend in March was ruled by Disneyland. We drove out on a Friday afternoon and stayed until 10 and went home. Early the following day, we were the first to arrive at the Disney store which gave Camille the opportunity to turn and unlock the big Disney lock with the big Disney key. Did you know about this little event that they hold? My sis had done this a few times and I didn't realize what big deal this is. After Camille turned the key to unlock the store with a nice applause to follow, it sent a little girl in a tantrum wanting to unlock it. Sorry, sweetie! THEN on Sunday morning, we headed back up to Disneyland to spend the first half of the day there. I'll save that weekend for another post, but we were certainly Disneyed out.

on the tram heading towards Disneyland

the key to unlock the Disney store

Hazel and I ran a 5K race in Solana Beach that was pretty fun. The gunshot start was a little wild & chaotic- overly excited dogs, people stumbling and tripping on leashes, etc... And since it was a race to support the Helen Woodward Animal Center, Cloie got to run with me. Last weekend we ran another 5K and did pretty well. It was a fairly easy course but going forward I now have a new PR to beat. Sweet! That race has given me the run bug and I'm seriously considering a half marathon in a short six weeks. Future blog posts about those two 5Ks coming up.

With birthdays galore coming up I know for certain there will be a lot to talk about in the next few weeks. And there you have it, my weekends. Summarized in a few short paragraphs.
And guess what? It's Friday...the weekend is here!!!

5Ks

Another year, another list of races to run.

To be quite honest, I had not run at all since Thanksgiving Day at the 10k Run for the Hungry. And since then, I've only been committed to barre classes. Barre, my one and only source of exercise, got me through my first 5k of 2013.

Hazel & I ran the Puppy Love 5K race that supports the Helen Woodward Center for orphaned animals. The race took place in Solana Beach along the 101 and we were allowed to have our furry friends run with us. The sponsorship this race received was incredible- people must really love animals! And the race was pretty cool, although it was a little weird to do the same loop within a loop. The last part of the course was a gradual uphill, which didn't help my time. And speaking of which, when I crossed the finish line I noticed it was my worst time yet. I was considering all the factors (aka, excuses lol!)... running with Cloie, the repeating loop, the cold & frigid morning weather, the uphill finish--- only to find out later that the course was not measured accurately. I felt something was off and it was definitely longer than a 5k, so I'll take that into consideration. I was really beginning to question my endurance, wtf?! :)

More recently, the San Diego Half Marathon/5K took place and it was an awesome race. For this race, I rolled deep and rallied up my peeps. There were six of us and it was a lot of fun seeing everyone run in, one after the other. Makes me so proud, even Glen who ran it practically drunk. He had quite a few beers the night before at a friend's 40th birthday party and with the time changing forward, he still managed to cross the finish line before the five of us. Geeeez!

my drunk man & I

As I mentioned, this race was awesome for many reasons- mainly because I got my PR and ran it under 30 minutes, when I was only focusing on finishing it just at half an hour. This just sets the bar now for my future 5K runs and actually inspires me to run a half marathon that is coming up very, very soon. I haven't signed up (committed to) it yet, but I am so close to hitting the register button. A separate post will let you know soon! Anyways, the race was from point A to point B (Hillcrest to Downtown) and I love when races are set up that way, there were no hills, a medal at the finish line, a scenic run and it was extremely well organized. Probably the most organized race I've participated in. From signing up to crossing the finish line, they had everything coordinated to a tee! I would surely run this race next year, however I'm hopeful that I can step it up and run the half marathon!

Go Team!

all things Disney

With two weeks left on our Disneyland annual passes, we were scrambling to find the perfect time to visit The Happiest Place on Earth. On Friday we decided to pack up and spend the 2nd half of the day there and catch the fireworks show. After having our passes for a year, it's kind of funny how we did a few different things this time.

- Contrary to a previous post, we parked in the structure and took the tram into Downtown Disney.

- We stood in line (less than 25 minutes) for the Jungle Cruise.

- We all rode the Go Gadget Roller Coaster in Toon Town a few times.

- We walked through Tarzan’s Tree House.

- We ate a candied apple from Pooh’s Corner Bakery, which wasn’t that great and also disappointing because they don’t cut it for you. L

- We got a closer view of the fireworks show, which meant fighting the crowds. But it was worth it.

And after a long day at the park, we headed home. Yes, at 10:30pm and I took the wheel. That was tough, next time we crash at sister’s place!

I rolled out of bed Saturday morning and went to barre class. I don’t know how I did it after that tiring drive home, but I did! And I don’t know what came over us, but we were determined to get to the Fashion Valley Disney Store to find some highly coveted Sofia the First items. While waiting in line for the store to open, I suddenly felt like we were in a Princess line at Disneyland. Since we were first to arrive, Camille got to turn the giant lock to open the Disney store. It was ultimately the coolest thing for her to do. If you ever get a chance to do that while your kid is still “a kid”, you must! They give an exclusive Disney key to keep as a souvenir, but the entire experience itself is unforgettable and will be with them forever.

kids were envious of Camille, lucky girl!

 We weren’t quite finished being Disney losers, as we headed back up to Anaheim early Sunday morning. I was surprised to find us in the park 15 minutes after they opened. That has never happened all year (again) being pass holders and I wish we had been more on top of it. I guess being pass holders come with a much less urgency to get to the park. It was awesome though… characters were everyone at the front of Main Street for photo ops. We waited 5 minutes, I repeat 5 MINUTES(!), at Pixie Hollow, 10 minutes in the Princess line and a host of other attractions were easy to get on throughout the morning since we got there early. We treated ourselves to Mickey Mouse-shaped beignets and mint juleps- again, never have done that all year. LOL! It was so much fun, and how sad is it that this was our last day until the fall?

I’ve had enough Disney for a while, and this post is proof of what fanatics we were this weekend. It’s okay for Camille to be a fanatic, but us? Well- we do it ALL for her, so we get a pass. J While I’m certain we will get the Disney blues in a few weeks I think we will be okay staying local and visiting the animals at the zoo, hitting the beach this summer and keeping busy at my sister’s pools.

Disney overload!

music

A part of me misses the "twinkle twinkle little star" days.

The days when my sub one-year old Camille would hold up her chubby hands and close and open her fists whenever she would hear that song. Then she got into the Veggie Tales easy-sing-along CD that my bestie got her. A few of those personalized songs called her name out and left her a little bewildered. That stayed in the player for a good 6 months. I'll always miss those early days, but as far as her interests in music these days, things have changed. 

Sadly, she fell victim to Justin Beiber's "Baby" song (and the darn video, too), but I have to admit- she was so stinkin' cute singing it. And knowing the lyrics and how to sing it at the ripe age of 18 months was pretty impressive. Our bad.

Then came the Disney Princess CD that ruled all of our road trips. Long or short, she wanted the hear that CD and she wanted it started from the very beginning--- every time! It was played so much that songs would constantly be playing in my head as I worked throughout the day. It's still a hit in the car and also when we pop movies in the DVD to watch. All little girls need their princess moments for a solid 5-6 years, right?

Now at the age of three and a half years young, I have my daughter requesting music in the car or when we are in the living room having the occasional dance party.

"Mommy, can we listen to Bruno Mars, #1? And after that, Oppa Gangnam Style. And after that my princess CD. Okay?...Okay?...Okay?"

(if she only knew the meaning of her favorite song by Mr. Mars)

(he's creepy, I'm glad this phase didn't last too long)

Hang on, one more...

Here is the scenario at home: 

Camille shouts excitedly, "It's my song!"

She runs into the living room in front of the TV and happily dances and jumps up and down to Flo Rida's "I Cry" video. Mmmmm kay.

This three year old absorbs more than we think. The conversations we have, the activities at pre-school, the music we play (apparently), the names of all the Disney characters, recognizes places we go. But for her to know these current pop songs and want to sing a long? I don't think we/I play the radio that much?!

No matter how hard we try, we just can't escape it. And as usual, I know this is just a phase but I can't get over how a three year old makes music requests that her parents don't even know. I'd like to remain cool parents, ya know. ;-)

la jolla outing

Over the last few months, we've driven into La Jolla but spent time in the shopping area if anything. I'll give you a hint, it starts with Lululemon. :) Well the weather here in beautiful San Diego got a bit warmer, so we ventured out to La Jolla once again, but spent time more along the water. It was a gorgeous day and there were a ton of people out, which was expected. We haven't taken Camille out to see the seals that are perched out in the Children's Pool, so we did just that.

Hence the name, it was originally an area for kids to wade in, but for a while now it's been a huge ongoing issue for the community- whether that area be for the kids or the seals. The seals seem very content where they are and really, "the ocean" is their home. And with plenty of beach north and south of the Children's Pool, why not just leave them where they are. That's where I stand... but I may not be privy to all the arguments out there. Not to worry though, I'm not as passionate as others when it comes to this controversy.
You can the seals behind us in the picture below.

(iPhone pic)

I'm glad that I brought my camera because it was a photographers dream kind-of-a-day. The water was an amazing blue hue, and the sky was clear. I'm far from a professional photographer, but I snapped some great shots of Camille while she climbed and played around a sizable tree. Cloie got some good shots in too, I only wish they could've been in the pictures together. It was awfully nice be out in the coastal open air after hours of being cooped up indoors.

(iPhone pic)

What will our next outing be...hmmmm?!

(Canon pic)

balboa park

Last weekend I got a last minute text from some old friends saying they wanted to hang out and since we had no plans the entire weekend, we had them over for a little football and it was a good time- especially for the girls. Other than that, my Saturday consisted of barre, taking Camille to dance and a trip to Trader Joe's. From noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday, I was depriving myself (and poor Camille) of much needed vitamin D and fresh air for an entire 24 hours! I didn't leave the house once, not even to grab the mail or take Cloie out to potty. This frigid weather has brought out the chicken in me, blame it on the weather. Brrrr...

By Sunday afternoon I was tired of  watching football and sitting in front of the TV, which resulted in a serious case of cabin fever. To help cure that, we all packed into the car and headed south to Balboa Park. Mind you, this is a San Diego landmark that is probably on all tourists' bucket list. And I take it for granted way too much and don't visit this place enough. There are so many new things to discover each time you visit, and how shameful is it that I was at Balboa Park for several races last year and didn't bother sticking around to enjoy the beauty and diversity of it. All the architecture, gardens, museums, walking trails and the people (!)...Balboa Park is such a wonderful place to escape to.

 

It seemed a lot of people had the same idea as us, and everyone we passed had a camera in their hand or strapped around their neck. It's no wonder there are so many weddings, family shoots, etc here at Balboa Park--- there are so many photo opportunities. We barely covered the park and decided to go back to the Spreckles Oregon Pavilion to sit and listen to the mini concert they were holding. Camille loved it there and we plan to come back again in the next few weeks, and also because we are finally going to purchase our San Diego Zoo passes.

 

This was quality time at a beautiful San Diego landmark and we look forward to coming back soon!

happy friday morning

Yippeee, it's Friday!

 

The past few weeks have been uneventful, but it's been back to the grind for Camille with school, soccer & dance...all started up last week. She looooves preschool, it's the best decision we've made for her. And even though I don't volunteer in the classroom often, nor am I able to pick her up, hearing her talk about her classmates more and more is my indication that she is becoming comfortable and getting to know her classmates a lot better.

 

Camille enjoys soccer but it's still a bit of a struggle getting those drills down, however we can't expect much from a three year old. Talk to her dad about that one, I'm okay with it.
She loves dance, especially because she made friends right away, and so glad we put her in again.

While we are mainly busy keeping CJ busy, I have managed to stay on track with barre classes, aka my "me time." It's so necessary and it keeps me in line with the rest of life's juggles.

Keeping up with one of my New Year resolutions to cook more is exhausting, yet more rewarding if anything. Last night I made a huge pot of sinigang and packed it in with veggies and hubs was happy! Our recent menu items have also included homemade pizza, pork chops, banana bread, snicker doodle cookies, spinach artichoke dip, casseroles, smoky chicken fried rice. It's a short list, but far more than what I'm accustomed to--- and hey, we are only half way through January!
That reminds me...I need to find the lid to my slow cooker.

 

I'm so excited for the long weekend, that will include a hair appointment, followed by a pizza dinner in uptown, furniture shopping, as well as "other" shopping, some barre classes, some cooking, relaxation, the zoo (finally getting those passes!) and much, much more! What's even better is the cold weather has let up, and we are expecting some fabulous temps!

 

Have a super great weekend!

something new....check!

We are barely into the third week of January and I'm happy to say that I already "tried something new." It's not to say that I will be stopping there though. I tried out an exercise class called piloxing, that has been on my radar for a while. They offer it at the barre studio I work out at and every time I would sign up online for my normal xtend barre class, the piloxing option is always so tempting to choose. 

 

Well last week I switched it up and signed up. There were only four gals in the class; plenty of space for me to screw up, yet a small amount of people to witness me make a fool of myself. One of the harder, yet also one of my favorite instructors was teaching the class, so I knew I was definitely going to get a good work out in. I thought I kept up pretty well for being a brand newbie, and I'm certain that if I had the gloves to complete the whole ensemble, I would be hurting even more. Yes, I was feeling it the next day!

 

I've been really good about attending classes 3-4 times a week the past 3 months. I can't even believe it myself. And just when I was starting to get into it, my three month member ship is coming to an end. Barre has grown on me and I think it is actually addicting...a pure adrenaline rush once the class is over. So will I be renewing? Most definitely, although I will be taking a two month break to focus on training for a March run. This is a run I haven't done yet; so another check for my resolution to "try something new!"

 

I'm on a roll. Ha ha!

2013...

You knew this post was coming, right? :)

 

As I reread my 2012 resolutions last night, I would say I didn't do too bad with sticking to that list. Yet, of those ten items, I was beginning to see that half of them are essentially everyday lifestyles. Shame on me!

 

This year I want to change things up and accomplish things that will allow me to think outside of the box AND allow me to better myself, my family, my surroundings...my world. So a few days into the New Year and after putting a lot of thought into it, here is my list.

 

BE (MORE) GREEN

recycle, reuse, conserve & preserve, whatever it may be

PROJECTS

come up with projects from tedious to creative and stick with it until the end

COOK MORE, TRY OUT RECIPES

this will allow us to cut down on eating out and more important, eat more healthy

READ MORE

repeat of last year, but I need to read more novels, short stories, news articles/stories, blogs and more books to Camille

 

SELF-MAINTENANCE

hair, nails, waxing (tmi), massages and any of those things that ladies need

TRY NEW THINGS, VISIT NEW PLACES, MEET MORE PEOPLE

I'm such a creature of habit, I need to branch out more

 

There you have it...what fun & exciting things do you have planned for the upcoming year?