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?

...2012

2012 was a great year of memories to look back on and it only makes me look forward to the 2013 year. As I sit here and reflect on the past year, it's very easy to say that it was much better than the previous year. We came across a few struggles, but nothing that we could not and would not let get in the way of moving on. Life is too short and we need to live in the moment.

My goal a year ago was to keep a blog and *try* to post everyday. Of course, I fell waaaaay short of that but I did what I could. And who can blame me, I know you all have a life too. :) At least my sporadic blogging focused on some great highlights of 2012. 

Our winter trip to Mammoth in February with a big group of people helped kick off the year. 

We renewed our Disneyland passes and made many trips to see that smile on Camille's face. 

Plus she is still free, so we need to milk that as long as we can.

Birthdays come every year, but this year was the BIG year for my sis, my bro-in-law and my husband. The three of them turned 40 in March, July & August respectively and we celebrated big...at least for the OC-ers! Glen?...well he is so not being center of attention. 

This year was also a big year for G & C as they celebrated their 10 year anniversary and "forced" us to go to Vegas as they renewed their vows. 

A totally different trip to Vegas than it was before having a baby, but a fun trip nonetheless. 

My big girl started preschool last year and suddenly she was 5 years older. 

It's these very moments that make life bitter sweet. 

She loves it and seeing her happy is all I want.


My sis & Ro added to their family with a 3rd child, making it the 12th grandchild for my parents. What made it even better, it was a girl. 3 girls & 9 boys...Camille was thrilled.

Of the years we've been taking trips to the islands, we've always said we'd go to the Big Island and we never did for whatever reason. Last year we did and it was the best vacation. Ever. 

I want to go again...soon!

Runs & Xtend Barre sessions became a regular routine for me. While I didn't reach my weight goals, being active helped me feel healthier and stronger as the year passed. As I strive to reach weight goals year after year, I know I will never be a 100 lb. stick, nor would I care to be... I'm not a young twenty year old, and in my adult age I know what I want to consume and I know how I want to stay healthy & strong. Above all, I know what it takes to be happy. 

The holidays of 2012 came and went and it was the best one yet spending with family and friends. Before we know it, it will be back...and it will be even better. 

Goodbye 2012....great memories!!!

thankful

Year in and year out I find myself thankful for so many things in my life.

I have a wonderful husband who never holds me back from anything and he puts us, his girls, before anything.

My daughter and loyal dog are my pride and joy, I can't get enough of them.

The family I'm surrounded by are the best, most caring people I know.

And I have the best of friends that share in life's bliss and sorrows.

Eight years ago, I made a trip to NYC with my younger sister and my parents to spend Thanksgiving with my dad's brother (one of my favorite Uncles) and his family. At the time I was two months engaged and I was reeling. A month after being engaged, my dad was diagnosed with late stage prostate cancer. It was a dark time for the entire family, an unknown that we all had to face. But we all got on it and started him on treatment right away.
We all went on as a family and helped our dad and each other out.

That Thanksgiving was bitter sweet, to say the least.

I will never forget spending that time with my parents, who acted like they were in love all over again, while leaving all the problems and worries in SD and exploring another city. It was like the bad news from the prior month only strenghtened the 40 years of love they had for one another.
Angie and I took them into the city, rode the subway, shopped in China Town, visited Ground Zero, lunched in a little cafe, took a walk in Battery Park, and viewed the Statue of Liberty from there.

Spending that time in the city with them was the BEST.

We didn't have the traditional turkey meal at my Uncle's house that year. He & his wife cooked a hearty Filipino dish for the adults. As for the younger folks, my little cousins and others that celebrated with us, well we had the most unforgettable Thanksgiving meal...

White Castle burgers, we ordered 35 of them suckers - how great is that???

Here we are eight years later and while I'm thankful for so much, the one thing I am most thankful for is my brave & courageous Dad. Though he isn't the same person he was eight years ago, he has battled on and continues to live like there is no tomorrow. These days he doesn't say much- rather he observes and watches his children & grandchildren enjoy each other and life. Yet he really doesn't need to say much... he knows he has done his job as a husband, dad and grandfather.
And will continue to do so through his relentless strength.

races

It's kind of weird...I've signed up and ran more races this year already than I have ran collectively in the past 5 years. But the quantity of races I've run doesn't necessarily mean they have been quality runs.

March- Hot Chocolate 15K

April- La Jolla 5K

May- Bridge Run 4 miles

September- Run to Remember 5K

October- Light the Night 5K

November- Breast Cancer 5K

The 5Ks are definitely fun runs and I don't mind running them. Three of the runs mentioned above were sponsored by H's company. Great practice runs and of course for good causes.
I blogged about the first four races, so feel free to check it out on the links above.

Light the Night 5K race that I recently did was pretty fun...considering that I've never done a race in the evening. With the weather being so warm for almost 3 months straight, I was glad to run an evening race with out Mr. Sun present. Since the run was the weekend before Halloween, costumes were encouraged. More notably the run was to honor law enforcement and make tribute to those who have helped out in communities to keep everyone safe.
It was a good cause, and I was glad to have participated.

Hazel, Char and I dressed up similarly and sported some bat wing headbands and custom-cut Batman shirts... because I'm such a big fan of the Batman movies! It was super fun dressing up and seeing all the other costumes, but it also caused some distractions during the run. I don't like to carry anything in my hand when I run, I prefer to have my iPod/iPhone strapped to my arm. And somehow I found myself running with a glow wand, along with glow sticks & glow necklaces around my neck that were bouncing in my face during the run. Thankfully the three of us decided against glow face masks, it was making us dizzy while testing them out in the car...lol!

The race started at the old Naval Medical Center parking lot near Balboa Park, went up Park Blvd, and back down to the same parking lot. And that's it! Suffice to say, the run was easy & fun, but I know I could have done better!

One week later we did The Breast Cancer run/walk...

Thank goodness we planned to get there early and seek out parking in the neighborhood, rather than shuttling it, which can sometimes be a pain in the a**. I have never seen so much pink in once place at one time, ever in my life. It was certainly a beautiful, pink Sunday morning and I was loving it!

We were surrounded with so much positive energy by happy, hopeful people, this was definitely a race that had a different sentiment to it. Fortunately I have not been affected by breast cancer, nonetheless a different kind of cancer has stricken a loved one, so I was more than happy to be here and support survivors and honor those who have passed on. <3

We were kind of late to the start line up, so the 5 of us (H, Kurtis, Char, hubs & myself) found ourselves blended in with all the walkers. I would say that 75% of the people at this event were walkers, so you can only imagine how difficult it was to get through the thick crowd of walkers. (element #1) Everything was fine & dandy until we reached the Quince Street exit and it was literally an uphill battle, which was figuratively downhill for me. (element #2) And if it couldn't get any more difficult, the sun was continuing to beat down on me as I dragged my a** up the hill. (element #3)
It was comical how the finish line was right there once you reached the top. Imagine that!

The race itself was not one of my better ones, but we were there for the cause not for the PR, right?

Great run for a great cause, please pardon the excuses elements mentioned above, just making myself feel better.

Wish me luck on my Thanksgiving Day 10K run.

10K, yes I will need the luck!!!

barre benefits

A little while ago, I purchased a membership to Xtend Barre and told myself that I would commit to classes at least 4-5 times a week once I started. I also looked at it like this: purchasing my membership upfront and committing to classes x amount of times a week will lower the cost of each class. My first month is barely over, so a class that is normally $20 is currently costing me $7.50 per class! And yes people, that's because I am doing my best to go as much as I can.

Saving me money AND getting in shape...a win-win!

 

Almost 1 month has passed and I'm pleased to state that I've been a regular at my local Xtend Barre studio. I'm seeing a lot of the same faces, testing out the different instructors and getting very familiar with the moves that were once so difficult for me to do. I am hooked on this stuff and I'm loving it!

The instructors are great, they have amazing bodies- I can only hope that I look like them one day.

It's also worth mentioning how it feels like I walk into a Lulu outfit competition at every class. I will admit, I've become addicted to Lulu also, but I am not all clad in Lulu attire at every class.

Too funny, but it's all good- I get it!

 

 A mother can't help it, but I experience serious Mommy Guilt when I leave for that 1 hour away from Camille. So much thanks to hubs for allowing me to go, especially when he is not getting much exercise himself other than walking Cloie. But at least they are both getting out; there were days when I couldn't even find time to get exercise in. The combination of daylight savings time and cooler weather has limited my outdoor runs, so hitting the studio for barre has been the perfect solution. And speaking of which, we are running a 10k on Thanksgiving morning and I've ran zero miles the past 2 weeks. I hope barre is setting me up to test my stamina.

 

Barre updates to follow...

present day

Now that I've caught up on our Big Island vacation posts, I can sort of continue where I left off with my blogging...even though we are almost three weeks post vacay. However, within those three weeks, so much has happened and so many events flew by and I don't want to let it pass with out mention. Birthday parties, the start of Xtend Barre, Halloween, Election Day, pre-school events, shopping obsession, two 5Ks in a row, holiday decor. 

Other than what I have planned to blog in the coming days, I am currently thinking:

...the holidays are approaching and I'm already getting antsy. My Christmas shopping has a deadline this year, as it does every year, but not 2 days before Christmas. I started a bit last night at the ever-so-trusty Target. I need to stay away from my favorite stores, or I'll never get it done.

...along with the holidays, cold weather is upon us. The weather is a nice change and I whole-heartedly welcome it. Bring on the boots, heavy coats & jackets, scarves and umbrellas.

...finally Election Day has come and gone. I hope the political banter can come to a calm and people can resume their friendships with the opposite party. 

...there is constant complaining about pharmaceutical companies making big bucks and charging a sh*tload for the public to purchase. Right now, I am thankful for them. Life is good for us.

...Camille is growing too fast. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Her height surpasses a lot of the kids in her class. I think she is taller than all of the boys in her class, and prob the 2nd tallest. It's def not my genes. :)