Bridges Through Life

The Latest and Best Quarantine Purchases (so far)

July 24, 2020 by Alicia Leave a Comment

I’m sure I am not the only one making some purchases they didn’t expect in quarantine. I will say that the first 2 months of quarantine, I was really good and basically only spent money on food and necessities. My bank account thanked me during that time and it was exciting to see some savings build. Somehow end of June/July I started making some more purchases. Some needed, but probably mostly considered wants. After 18 weeks of working from home and not being able to really travel places when I do have time, you just start browsing and sometimes have to treat yourself right?!

Before I get to the latest purchases, though, I did purchase a new pair of running shoes from Brooks back in May. That was definitely a nice treat and I worked on some running for a few weeks in the mornings, but then my body reminded me that running is high impact and I needed some rest days. The last couple weeks I have been doing 2 mile walks in the morning instead, as walking is lower impact and was a way for me to move daily in the morning and wake me up a bit before signing onto work. This week, my routine changed a little and I will get to the reason for that shortly.

As we planned to go on vacation this past weekend, which didn’t turn out as expected (read here), but I made some purchases for the trip. The first, sunglasses from Goodr. I have read about these sunglasses on many blogs and they are great for running (so I hear, because see above as I “try” to run sometimes). The sunglasses actually took a while to ship so I didn’t receive them until I got back from vacation. The fit is different than my current pair that I love but they were from JC Penny 3-4 years ago (I bought a couple pairs at the time, but now on my last pair). However, I can say from wearing them a few times they really stay on. I got 1 pair that is mirrored which is nice, except if I want to read my phone and walk. My other pair is non mirrored and I haven’t worn them too many times, but love the brownish color. The packaging they arrive in is also super cute.

Shorts!! OK since it started getting warm, I put on my pair of athletic shorts from last year and noticed they do not fit my thighs. They fit my waist fine, but lifting my knees is not comfy. If I remember, I think I noticed this last year and sized up. They are Nike shorts and were a small so I got a medium as well which fit, but just don’t look as flattering. So I have been browsing so many stores online for shorts. I would prefer to shop in person, but dressing rooms are not really open in a pandemic so that’s pointless. So instead I kept reading reviews and then some were super pricey so I was back and forth for a while. Finally, with motivation of going hiking on vacation (which didn’t end up happening), I found a pair of shorts on BackCountry. I was introduced to BackCountry from this blog and have made a couple purchases from them. All that to say, if you have athletic built thighs, get yourself a pair of the Olympus lightweight shorts because since they arrived last Friday, I have basically lived in them. They are super light, great for running, great for when you are sweaty and super comfy. They just sit so well on my waist. Also my old shorts went into the get rid of pile. I have been pretty good lately about if I buy new clothes, I get rid of something.

Sandals!! These are so cute and like fake Birkenstocks (but I have also never owned Birkenstocks). I totally bought these after hearing about them on Janae’s blog and she was not kidding about how comfy they are. I didn’t need these, but they go great with a summer wardrobe and I wear them to walk at lunch all the time.

OK now for the best and least expected….

Hot tub!! Brian has been searching for a hot tub on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for a long time. Personally, I couldn’t justify the cost of a hot tub, nor did I want to keep up with the chemicals, so this is all Brian. One night we almost had a hot tub and then someone else got there first and we were both disappointed, though Brian more so. Then shortly after, Brian got a response to his ad for searching for a hot tub. The hot tub worked, but after manual labor of getting it to our house, realized that the hot tub needed a whole new frame and some minor parts. Brian worked on it for a solid week through and hooked it up and we have been in the hot tub almost every night since. With the 90 degree temps outside, we kept the hot tub to 90 as well so it’s like a heated pool at the moment. It’s a great way to spend time together in the evening rather than turning on the tv with nothing to watch. Also Brian has the chemical check pretty good and has his little kit to check chlorine levels, etc. I leave that all to him.

And finally, the best and latest purchase, a 300 lb Olympic weight set. I am just literally going crazy with 18 weeks without a gym and no date. Last Friday night, Brian found a listing on Craigslist for weights as we were searching the internet for squat racks, bars and weights. Of course all these things are backordered or sold out. The Craigslist listing was set at a reasonable price and was in Syracuse so we met the guy when we stopped at the Syracuse mall. Everything was brand new in the box as well. He mentioned he found the set at Dick’s Sporting Goods (not sure which one) and he bought one for his brother and picked up another set, knowing he could sell it. I don’t know how much he paid for it, but his listing was reasonable enough for me and for my mental health. We are now making room for a small gym area. Right now I cleared off the back patio more and hope to get a couple mats soon for it. Mats are also hard to find. I am still debating ordering a squat rack even with a 5 week backorder period because right now there is no open date for gyms and I plan to force Brian to clean a spot in the garage for the weights once it gets colder. Honestly, so far, this is probably the best money I have spent in quarantine. I didn’t want to have to buy all my own weights and gym equipment, but I really need it as I said for my mental health. Walking 4-5 miles a day, doing yoga, doing HIIT workouts now and then were ok, but I miss my weights.

weights2 — back patio cleared spot for the bar

Between the hot tub and new weights, our back porch is getting more use than it ever has in the 2 years we have lived here. It used to be so buggy (well I am a bug magnet when I step outside). I think the hot tub actually has helped keep some bugs away, so there is a plus.

What are some items you have found yourself purchasing in quarantine?

Thousand Islands Mini Trip

July 22, 2020 by Alicia 1 Comment

Hello there friends! It has been a while, but my weekends have pretty much been homework and sitting around in this quarantine time. This past weekend we finally had a trip on the calendar to Kentucky with a couple friends, but with COVID cases up, we decided not to join our friends and instead went on a mini trip to Sandy Pond and the Thousand Islands area.

So Friday night we just hung out, picked up Panera for dinner because that was the plan when we were going to go on the road Friday night. Then we ate at home and watched the first half of Hamilton.

panera1 — got a cookie for me and Brian and they accidentally gave us 3, no complaints

Saturday morning we ate breakfast and shortly after got on the road. We first stopped at Trader Joes, which was the most empty I have ever seen it, considering it was 11am on a Saturday. Then we headed to the mall to grab lunch. Cantina Laredo was closed unfortunately, but we had PF Changs instead. After having the lettuce wraps for an appetizer, we were full after eating half of our main meals.

It was so weird to see the mall so empty. Who knows what the future will be for malls. It was interesting though to see all the 50-60% off sales at the mall. I think you can actually get a better discount at the mall than online right now, when it used to be opposite. We didn’t buy anything except for lunch at the mall and mostly just walked around during this strange time.

After that stop, we drove up to Sandy Pond, Brian’s aunt’s cottage. Brian’s cousin was there and I tried out her blow up paddle board. With all the boats around though, creating waves, it was definitely a challenge to balance on and I went down to my knees to paddle a bunch. It was calming just relaxing in the water though on the paddleboard. Shortly after I came back, Brian’s cousin was getting ready to leave and Brian cooked up hamburgers for dinner. I also assembled the most amazing Trader Joe’s arugula lemon salad. It was so delicious and something different.

After dinner, we drove to Southwick Beach Park to check it out and find out the time they open in the mornings. Apparently they had closed around 10:30am Saturday morning after meeting capacity, so we knew we had to get there early Sunday. We walked the beach and then we came back, showered and I read for a bit before needing sleep.

Sunday the 19th

Sunday morning we were lazy about getting up. I eventually got up around 6:45 (which is sleeping in when you are used to getting up at 4am and 5am). We headed out the door shortly after 8 and were some of the first people at the beach. We enjoyed laying in the sun. I read my Kindle book for a bit and just enjoyed listening to the waves and water. After about 2.5 hours, it was getting busy and we decided to head back for lunch. Leaving the park just after 11, we saw that they were turning people around and full to capacity. It was perfect laying on the beach early in the morning before it got too hot. It was a 90 degree day so the afternoon would have been really hot and we don’t have a bench tent.

We ate our leftover PF Changs for lunch, along with some chips and an amazing Trader Joe’s kale pesto dip. We watched a bit more of Hamilton then Brian took a nap. I caught up with my sister and did some reading. Later in the afternoon, Brian and I played Mexican Train for a few rounds. Then we headed out to the store to get smore’s stuff and stopped at Dunkin for iced coffee for Brian and iced tea for me. A little pick me up and a nice cold beverage for the hot afternoon. As we drove back, we thought we were going to get a bunch of rain, but it only drizzled and seemed to pass us.

Sunday dinner was quick and easy since we had just enough hamburgers and salad left. Since the rain passed, we made some smore’s for dessert after. We ended the evening watching a bit of Ratatouille and then quickly fell asleep.

Monday the 20^th

Monday morning, I was up at about 6:45 again. After having a laid back morning, we left shortly after 9am to go to Boldt Castle in Alexandria Bay area. We stopped on the way for gas and I had the most delicious cinnamon roll which I was later glad about to keep me full a little longer since we had a late lunch.

We headed over to Wellesley Island and by the time we got there, we had just missed the first ferry over to the castle. We hung out at the Boldt Yacht House for a bit and enjoyed the beautiful morning.

Over at the castle, we spent almost 2 hours walking around the different floors and the surrounding area. It was amazing to see the place restored. The third and forth floors still have a lot of work to be done and it’s incredible to see how they are able to transform the rooms to the time period when the castle was built.

Boldt castle 5 — the pool in the basement

After the castle, we headed to Alexandria Bay for lunch. Grabbing a late lunch, I was getting hungry and I was disappointed in the slow service. After nearly an hour we finally had food. After quickly eating, I was ready to head back and relax in the afternoon. Alexandria Bay is usually quite a tourist area, but with COVID, it is just not as booming and we didn’t have anything else to do.

Since the outside temperatures finally cooled off some, we enjoyed sitting on the back deck, doing some reading. For dinner, we just assembled a salad and grilled some corn on the cob since we had a late lunch. It was just nice to not do anything and not think about work or school for the time being.

After dinner, we decided to head back to Southwick Beach Park and go for a long walk on the beach. We walked quite a ways down and even on a little path to a swamp area where I saw a frog.

After getting home, my feet were tired. Over 13,000 steps for the day. I pretty much got ready for bed and then we watched more Ratatouille before sleeping at 9pm.

On Tuesday morning we packed up the car and headed back home. It was nice to get away for a few nights. It was also nice that we didn’t have such a long drive if we had gone to Kentucky. We had the afternoon at home to unpack, do some meal prep and get ready for the remainder of the week, back to reality.

Black Bear and Shopping During COVID-19

June 15, 2020 by Alicia 1 Comment

Hello! It has been a while. My weekends haven’t been too exciting lately with school in full swing and many papers for Ethics. Even though most of the papers have been short, I feel they have required quite a bit of research time. The weeks certainly have been flying by and I’m not sure how I feel about already being in mid June. It is week 5 of 12 for classes for me and going into week 13 of work from home. I am still not sure when we will return to the office, but New York entered phase 3 on Friday and I was able to schedule a massage appointment the first week of July so that is nice. Just another 2 weeks until I can hopefully get back to the gym and I can’t wait.

This weekend I felt like I was ahead enough on homework that we were able to get away for a day trip. I have been really wanting to get out and go shop so we headed to PA and an outlet mall near the Poconos. When we arrived in the area, it was lunch time and Brian picked Barley Creek Brewery to eat at. They were serving outside and the sun felt amazing. Since the high for the day was 70 degrees, it was perfect for a drive and the sun made it warm, but not too warm.

We got the avocado fries to start and they were the best avocado fries we both have ever had. They stayed together, had a good spice mix and the creamy avocado taste made them delicious. I decided to get the ceasar salad with a beyond burger on top and it was delicious as well. Lunch kept us full the remainder of the day as we just had a snack for dinner once we got home.

After lunch, we drove up Camelback mountain to the lookout point. While driving up, I had to stop as a black bear was casually crossing the road. It was definitely a surprise as I was not expecting that. First time I have seen a black bear in the wild and crossing the road. Brian took some great photos. I was a little worried he would come towards the car, but like I said, he didn’t even pick up pace, he casually walked across the road and once he was across, I continued up.

We pulled into a parking area near the top and it was funny as the car behind us, they were like, woah, that black bear!! They weren’t able to get a picture as he was across so Brian shared his photos with them and we chatted for a bit. Then we took a walk around. I enjoyed the views and took some photos before we headed back down the mountain.

Next it was time to hit up the outlet mall. It was definitely busy and due to all the precautions with COVID-19, it was a different shopping experience. For one, most of the stores had dressing rooms closed, so no pants buying for me because I need to try those on. Stores also had limits on the number of people in the store so some stores, like Old Navy and Nike, had HUGE lines to get in. We were not feeling like waiting in lines, so we walked around and went in stores that didn’t have lines. I felt like it might be a failed shopping trip, but I was glad we had lunch and the detour beforehand, because that made the trip worth it.

I ended up getting some shirts from New York and Company, a button up I could try on without a fitting room and then a shirt at Banana Republic Factory. Some stores did have fitting rooms open and had a person sanitizing the surfaces after each person. I wasn’t a person who loved shopping before all this, but with all the precautions, it makes me want to order online, except I never know my size so basically that means I won’t order online unless I am desperate LOL. I am concerned for the stores and staying in business. I know many people order online, but for me and I am sure others, I prefer to try things on and only buy it if I really love it. We noticed a lot of the shoe stores were closed at the outlet. That’s another item that I prefer to try on and maybe it’s due to so much human contact with the workers and bringing shoes, that they are closed. I think it will definitely be a while before shopping can return to somewhat normal. We wore masks while shopping and the workers all had masks on. Brian enjoyed chatting with the workers, asking how it has been, the workers said it depends, sometimes they are really busy, but the stores we went into they said it wasn’t too bad yet. I hope people are being respectful, keeping distance and everything.

Overall, I was happy with a few new shirts I purchased. By the time we finished shopping, it was already 3pm. We took a trip to the Delaware Water Gap overlook, though I have to say, I think the unplanned detour up Camelback mountain was my favorite, as was dining outside for lunch. It would be nice to go back to both the Delaware Water Gap area and Camelback mountain to hike, but we weren’t dressed or prepared for that. All day I kept commenting how the weather was so beautiful. I wore jeans and started with a sweatshirt on, eventually was comfortable in my short sleeve shirt, but overall, the temp was perfect for the drive.

We got home around 6pm, snacked on some things for dinner and then I worked on my homework for a bit. I was happy when I got the solution for half of my business analytics homework so I was satisfied enough to head to bed, even though I was oddly full of energy after the day. Just getting out in nature and getting out of the state for a drive was so wonderful.

Sunday was back to homework day. It took me a while to figure out this week’s analytics homework, but I managed to solve it in the morning and submit. Then I decided to take a painting break. We bought the porch paint last weekend and I have slowly been working on it. All the little spots and details will take some work. I find working on it for an hour or so at a time is nice and that way doesn’t seem too overwhelming. It was only 65 degrees outside Sunday so it was a tad chilly, but good for being out at noon to paint. We haven’t even put in our AC unit yet as we just deal with the hot days and it cools down so much, we don’t need it.

Entering Week 10 Work from Home

May 25, 2020 by Alicia 1 Comment

Hey there!! Still counting these weeks. I can’t believe I am entering week 10 working from home. So happy for a 3 day weekend and beautiful weather.

I heard NYS is aiming for phase 2 by June 1^st, but I am in that ‘believe it when I see it boat’. Meanwhile last week was my first week back to school with summer classes beginning and we just jumped right in. Summer classes are 12 weeks instead of 15 and Ethics hit me hard this week with the assignments all due in one week. The first week during a typical semester is usually syllabus week and introduction and gives me some time to work a week ahead if I want, but in the summer, that is different as they have to cover the same material in less time so it was stressful. I actually took a half day on Friday just to work on some assignments and it was much needed and I had a very productive afternoon. So, 1 week down and 11 to go with summer classes. Not that I want to rush summer, but I can definitely tell it will be a busy semester.

I never did a currently post for May and this is the last week…whoops. I don’t know where the month went honestly. I did finally treat myself to some new Brooks shoes after thinking about it for a while and knowing that I probably won’t get the chance to try on shoes in the store for a while. I decided to get the Adrenaline GTS 20. My first love with Brooks was about 2 years ago and I got the Adrenaline GTS 18. Since I loved the shoes so much, I had bought a second pair when they went on a Black Friday sale later so I haven’t bought sneakers in nearly 2 years. I know, crazy! I actually did get some Asics shoes right before quarantine started so finally getting new sneakers. The GTS 20s are definitely a different feel than the 18s, so it wasn’t love at first try, but I am breaking them in and reserving them for my walk/runs as the weather warms up. Since the gyms will likely not open until July (at least that is the soonest I have heard), I need some activity.

Brooks shoes — GTS 20 on the left and GTS 18 on the right

I have to say I was into this whole staying home and not going anywhere for a while because I mean, I pretty much don’t go out much as it is. However, I miss just strolling the mall and such. I tried to buy some jeans online recently because they were 60% off, so it was a good deal and I went based on my size I still wear from the same company, but purchased nearly 3 years ago. Umm they didn’t even get past my thighs so those were returned the next day. Now we get to see how long it takes for the return credit because I know the processing of returns is taking longer. Some places are not even accepting returns right now and I am careful to check that before I order. So then I said I wasn’t going to buy clothes online and then I ordered some tees and tanks from Gap and Old Navy. Sizing at both of these stores I find is always changing, but I have better luck with tops so hopefully they fit. Otherwise I can return and honestly most of the shirts were $5 or $10 a piece so not too bad. I just hate shopping online because you think it looks good and then you get it and it doesn’t fit right or looks horrible. Honestly I love Stitch Fix and I would do it more, but you also don’t get sale prices with that so…it’s a once in a while thing.

Enough of my shopping ramblings, meanwhile I will be reading Ethics for a while so no current books for fun.

Brian and I have been dreaming of island vacations maybe in the Fall? Honestly, I just want a getaway (as I am sure most people do) and if I have to plan a week away while I have classes, just give me WiFi and a pool to lay by. I usually like somewhat adventurous vacations, but right now I just want to getaway and do nothing. I don’t know when traveling will be allowed again or what it will even look like if we want international travel, but I hope we can go somewhere later this year.

throwback to beautiful beach in Bermuda 2015

In terms of workouts right now, I just finished PIIT28 a week ago. It took me 2 months to get through as I did the workouts every other day or every 2 days. I also skipped the cardio day as I did Zumba some weekends and lots of walking. I can’t say I have results with all the sugar I ate in the beginning of quarantine. I am eating a little better now, but definitely more carbs/crackers than I know I need. I know that once I get back into weightlifting, it will get better. Nothing replaces my heavy lifting. I feel ready to be focused on that again, even with the stress of school. It will be a while still. I decided to sleep a bit more this week and have more chill mornings with some stretching or short yoga routines. I usually walk on my lunch break. Right now I am just trying to do more yoga, mobility work, walking and trying to run a little.

Oh I do have a couple new tv shows I am loving, Sweet Magnolias on Netflix and Upload on Amazon Prime. Check them out if you are looking for something new.

And that’s about it for now. Happy Memorial Day and I hope you guys can get outside and maybe see some family or friends from a distance.

Have you done any quarantine shopping?

Are you dreaming of a vacation somewhere when this ends?

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