Life – Page 20

PA Grand Canyon, Summer Weather, Fall Colors

October 9, 2017 by Alicia 1 Comment

Happy Monday!! This time I think it’s actually a happy Monday, because I have gotten past my cold and feeling better. Oh yeah it’s Columbus day too, but I have work. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends though!!

Brian finally came home Friday evening after being away for a month. It was nice to be reunited and have the house to ourselves for a bit this weekend. Since Saturday was forecasted to be the best day weather wise for the weekend, we took advantage of that and headed out to the PA Grand Canyon. I forget the name of the exact park we were in.

The drive was about 2 hours and by the time we left, it was a good idea to stop for lunch first. Brian knew of a restaurant in Mansfield, PA called Cast and Crew with some good food. I opted for a burger and sweet potato fries. We then split the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert because it sounded awesome. It also looked awesome, but it was heavy on the cream cheese for my liking. I picked around and ate pumpkin pieces and the delicious crust, while Brian enjoyed the cream cheese portion. Oh and we did not finish it. It was super large.

Now that our bellies would be full for hours, we headed to the park to do a couple 1 mile hikes. We both realized how out of hiking shape we are. During our travels through New Zealand, that’s about all we did was little hikes. I missed being out in nature. It turned out to be a beautiful day. The fall colors are at their peak I think and the weather warmed up to nearly 80 degrees so I was able to dress lightly. I dug out my hiking boots and I was glad I did. I still think those are the best investment I made recently. Proper footwear is essential.

On the second trail, we came across the million dollar view that made our trip worth it. Walking down to the edge of the cliff and looking out at the canyon was amazing. Watching as the birds soared below us and looking at the bicyclists down on the path on the East side [we were on the west]. We hung out there for a bit. Brian even was offered a free beer from a guy hanging out there before we got there. He enjoyed that.

After that view we took the loop around back to the car. By this point it was just past 3pm and we decided to start driving back. Throughout the park, we noticed that the water fountains had been turned off, so we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts on the way back to help our thirst and got unsweetened iced teas. We then decided to make a quick stop at Wegmans for some ready to eat sushi and enjoyed that at home on the patio for dinner.

frankenstein pumpkins — how cool are these pumpkins at Wegmans (on another note I would never spend $40 on it, but it’s cool)

The weather was amazingly beautiful and there was a light breeze that seemed to keep the bugs away which was what I needed. Hiking was the much needed escape I needed this weekend. There are honestly so many places within a 2 hour drive we could go see. We just need more weekends together, but they are rare occurrences with Brian’s job.

I was pretty tired towards the end of the night, but I made it through another episode of This is Us. I just started watching season 1. It’s nice to have a new show to watch for a bit. I think about an episode a day is what I will do until I am caught up.

Sunday was a less exciting day, but it was exciting in the fact that I was finally back to weight lifting after a two week hiatus. The weights certainly felt heavy and I’m sure I lost some muscle over the last couple weeks, but setbacks happen and I know I will be able to get back to where I was and hopefully continue to improve from there. I think my body really needed the time to recover and now I just need to lay out a new workout plan.

What’s your favorite part about Fall?

October Goals 2017 and September Recap

September 29, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

September seemed to fly by and again I am ready to move to the next month. I am once again hoping this month will be better than the last. I do have to say that I had some great times in September though. I was happy that the weather warmed up. I know everyone has been in Fall mode, but I was happy to have some 90 degree days before the cold returns. This weekend is supposed to be a bit cooler, in the 60-70 degree range, but that weather is still beautiful for outdoor activities.

Honestly, this month I did not do most of my goals, but I did accomplish the most important one to me: SELF CARE.

Self care – I cleaned up my diet and began cooking and doing loads of meal prep again. My face definitely cleared up. I also got a haircut, 2 massages and treated myself to a few items.
Apple picking – still hasn’t happened, hopefully in October?
New York state parks – Brian has actually been working for 3 straight weeks. He has had a few breaks, but not long enough to drive home and back, so I haven’t seen him most of the month and I didn’t get to any state parks

One goal that wasn’t listed that I did do in September was go to Animal Adventure Park.

I was happy that I finally made it there since they are only open until mid October or so. That was fun to get out with a new friend as well.

October Goals

Moving onto October…I was having a tough time figuring out what I want to do. I want to keep it simple, so here are my goals.

Make a new workout plan or get an online trainer – I’m not a personal trainer (maybe one day), but I am still learning about how to put together a proper workout plan. I love powerlifting and want a bit of guidance on my workouts so I am thinking of investing a bit into an online trainer. I have one in mind to try out and I think October may finally be the month to do so.
Save more money – I went a little overboard on treating myself and then the unexpected visit home definitely cost some money. I feel fortunate that I have savings that I was able to go home as it was a choice, not mandatory, but I was happy to go and support my family. Hopefully nothing too crazy unexpected occurs in October and I can focus on necessities and save up more.
Anniversary dinner with Brian – October is our 8 year anniversary together and all I asked from Brian was for a nice dinner, wearing clean clothes (even if that means we have to buy new clothes for him…anyone else struggle with boys??). It’s not a big request so I’m hoping to make it happen.

engagement photos — one year ago we took our engagement pics, I think we’ll need to do another round of pictures soon since the wedding is a bit far away

I can’t believe we are entering the last quarter of the year. I am already thinking back on this year, everything I accomplished through the highs and lows. All I can say is that keeping a gratitude journal of some sort really helps your attitude and has helped me in these tough times and is also something I can look back on and think, wow, look at all that I have.

What are you hoping to accomplish in October?

A Funeral, Chicago and XO Marshmallow

September 27, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

If you saw any of my posts last week, you know that I headed home for another funeral this weekend. As unfortunate as the visit was, I made the best of my time at home by getting together with a friend and enjoying the beautiful 90 degree weather. Yes I did just call that weather beautiful. I will soak up all the 90 degree days we get as winter is always long and summer was nearly nonexistent with all the rain.

I covered Saturday in my post on Monday. Sunday was mostly a day out with one of my friends from dance class. We started with the new Pure Empower class which is basically Pure Barre but with more squats and less pulsing. You also use ankle weights either on your wrists or ankles and use a step stool. The class is only 45 minutes, 15 minutes shorter than the usual Pure Barre class since it is a bit more intense. I liked that it was a shorter class, even though it costs the same amount to drop in. Since I hadn’t taken a Pure Barre class since April when I was last home, I noticed a HUGE different in how much stronger I was since I started weight lifting again in May.

After Pure Barre and changing our clothes, we hopped on the train to Chicago. We had some lunch at Heartland Café in Rogers Park. I got the delicious quinoa salad. My only complaint was that the service was very slow with our food and check.

After eating a healthy meal, we headed over to my friend’s XO Marshmallow shop around the corner. I have been following her business since before the kickstarter and loved that I got to finally see her cute little shop space in person. She was working hard in the back making marshmallows but we got to chat a bit before she got called away again. I ordered the classic s’more and a variety of 12 marshmallows: green tea, caramel, vanilla and Harry Potter Butterbeer.

You guys, I have never had a homemade marshmallow and it was sooo delicious. I loved the fluffy texture of it. The s’more was also amazing. I love how they use the little torch to toast the marshmallow. I also love the color scheme of the shop. Even my sports bra I wore that day fit right in. Of course I had to get a few photos around the store and I can’t wait to stop by again. If you are in the Chicago area, definitely check out the store, but if not, she also takes online orders.

With it being a beautiful, hot, sunny day, we had to stop by Loyola Beach to test the water. The water wasn’t bad and there were plenty of people laying on the beach and swimming. This is so rare for September. Even the bathrooms and water stations were closed for the season. I’m sure they close them right after Labor Day. It was nice to have my toes in the sand again for a bit before we headed back.

I got home around 3, which was perfect so I could shower and change for dinner. We left around 4:45 and arrived in time for 6pm dinner with a total of 19 people, all family in town for the funeral.

dinner outfit, loved that it was warm enough for dresses and shorts on my visit

My sister and I began with an appetizer of chips and guac and then I got the half rack of ribs, which were messy and delicious.

By the time we got home, my sister and I curled up in bed with our own laptops watching different shows. We have to share a bed at home since my bed is gone. It’s a bit tight…

Monday morning I was still awake around 6am Central time. It’s fine that I didn’t adjust too much to the central time zone as I knew I had an early wake up call Tuesday morning for my 8am flight. After reading in bed for a bit, I got up and made a little breakfast and watched HGTV.

Eventually I decided to get outside and enjoy the morning weather. It was weird watching all the cars drive by, people dropping their kids off at school and heading to work while I was walking around the park. I enjoyed doing some yoga around the park and just getting some fresh air.

When I came back, I slowly started to get Theresa up by bringing her the kitty, Skittles, to cuddle with. Me, Theresa and my dad headed to brunch at Walker Bros. I decided to change from my usual pancake order, to French toast instead. It was delicious and filling; since I knew we wouldn’t be eating much until dinner.

By the time we ran a couple errands and came home to change clothes, it was time to head to the funeral. We gave an ETA of 12:32 while on the road and arrived right on time. While all the family was there, we took a family photo. The calling hours started at 1 and there was a nice slideshow of photos that was put together by my cousins and aunt.

in memory of my uncle Jim (me and my cousin Chris)

The service was beautiful and there were some great stories shared. We then headed over to the cemetery for the burial. Since my uncle was a veteran, there was a beautiful flag service performed by the US Army. That was really nice to watch. It was also nice that the cemetery set up a tent for us to have some shade on the warm day.

From there, we headed back to the church for some refreshments and mingling before we said our goodbyes.

On our way home, we hit a bit of 5 o’clock traffic (the things I don’t miss) and picked up dinner and dessert. We didn’t really need more dessert, but Theresa had a coupon at Nothing Bundt Cakes. Their special was the confetti cake, which made a perfect after dinner dessert.

The rest of the evening was relaxing as I had some time to write, watch the rest of the Fuller House episodes and pack up for the flight back.

Fall Favorites

September 21, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Here I thought September would be a better month, but this weekend I will be flying back to Chicago for my uncle’s funeral. It will be nice to see some of my family though and also maybe catch up with a friend or two in Chicago in my short visit home.

Anyway, on a happier note, I wanted to share a few recent favorites. I definitely have been treating myself a bit the last month or so. I will be cutting back as the holidays approach and just trying to save more. Sometimes you just can’t help to buy things spur of the moment and other times, it’s nice to try something new. Here are some things I have been enjoying lately.

This massage oil smells amazing. I bought it kind of on a whim after Brian’s dad died and I was just feeling like I needed something to calm my anxiety. I had listened to Davida’s podcast episode with the founder and really liked his descriptions of the oils and how they helped him and others. When I heard about a stress relief one, I had to get it and I love it. Just a little dot in my palm and rubbing it on my neck at night or in the morning recently and inhaling that scent. So amazing.
Breakfast cookies. It has been a good 4 years or more with oatmeal for breakfast and I am getting kinda tired of it, but don’t know what else to eat. Cereal occasionally is good, but higher in carbs than oatmeal so I don’t like to have it too much. I can’t eat eggs as sometimes they just don’t agree with me so I limit them to once a week in protein pancakes. I also have been wanting something cold instead of hot recently. Keeping these cookies in the fridge is perfect.
Vital Proteins. I got a sample of this at Blogfest and I have to say, I am in love. I was drinking it about every other day, just half a serving (1 scoop) and my nails were looking great. Then I stopped, get stressed and went back to biting my nails. Now they don’t feel like they are growing as fast, so I’m jumping back on the Vital Proteins train and drinking a glass with breakfast. It’s great since it forces me to drink more in the morning and also works great as a bit of protein.
Thred up. I purchased my first Thred up order this month. I was really looking for work pants and with 40% off over a recent weekend, I bought two pairs of pants for under $20 each. The thing is, neither worked out and I returned them. The purchase wasn’t totally unsuccessful though as I bought a Lululemon top and that fit! What I loved about Thred up, besides the cute packaging, was how easy it was to print off a shipping label and return. I returned for store credit so I will again hunt for pants. My biggest issue is sizing because I can be anywhere from a size 2 to a size 8. Same body…all those sizes. Any others understand this issue? Why is womens sizing so difficult? This is why I often just buy things right at the store, hope for a sale, but if there isn’t and I really need something, I will spend the money if I know I will get good use out of it and it fits. Hopefully I have better luck with my next Thred Up order and eventually understand my size with different brands.
100% pure eye cream. OK I’m not a make up person, but I want to learn how to do simple make up and just have it available for events. Besides that, I have noticed that my waking up early for the gym and sometimes getting only 6 hours of sleep leads to darker circles under my eyes. I have been wanting to buy the mascara from 100% pure for a while and since they also had an eye cream, I finally made the purchase. I bought the tiny tube of eye cream, but honestly I think it will last for quite some time. A little dab under my eyes in the morning and it seems to be improving. It also smells amazing. Caffeine for your eyes.
Speaking of caffeine, I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love green tea. While traveling, I had tea with my oatmeal each morning. I learned it helped to get things moving in my digestive track. When the weather turned cold a couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for green tea again. I noticed when I drank a cup in the morning, I felt more alert at work and less yawny. Coffee is usually a bit too much caffeine for me (gets me shaky), but I think the green tea is perfect.