Exercise!

So, this post is about getting jacked and everything that comes with it! I was training to run a half marathon& also test my skills at a triathlon and then I had to stop. First, I ripped a ligament in my foot and that took forever to heal. Shortly after being able to move my foot again, I tore my rotator cuff. That sucked and hurt WAY more than my foot ..and my foot hurt a lot :(

So, now I'm all healed up (thanks, chiropractor! You rock) and am back on the exercise train. I am restarting Insanity this evening and I took advantage of the nice-ish weather this afternoon and went for a 25km bike ride. I LOVE my bike. Seriously .. it is easily my favorite form of exercise. It doesn't even feel like I'm exercising.

I can't wait to get back to my former jacked self. I am going to lay off the crappy eating& start back up on yogurt& fruits. I genuinely feel so much better about myself when I am exercising& eating well. Some motivation to get back in shape? Me, semi-jacked after P90X. Hello, abdominals! I've missed you in my life. Time to see you again. I really wish I'd taken more photos along the way ..oh well!

So, now that the weather is getting nicer& there's bikinis / swim trunks in your future ... what are YOU doing to get in shape? Any favorite activities or healthy foods to eat? Feel free to post recipes in the comments .. I'm always up for new healthy meals :) Enjoy your Thursday!

PS my day 89& 90 of Project 365!

An ear& forelock from Dewey <3

Keeping it real with 2 different colored eyes! Penny hates me :(

Almost Easter!

Poor Saturday. It's the only day in this magical weekend that doesn't have a designated day. It's just the day between Good Friday& Easter Sunday. So I woke up determined to make it awesome.

I woke up .. changed into clothes that were somewhat suitable for being in public, grabbed my dog and off we went to the back beach. We had a fun walk .. the dog ran in so many circles that I'm surprised he isn't asleep or sick right now! I didn't take my camera though, so there are no photos from that adventure. I will, instead, show you an old photo of my dog that always makes me laugh.

Tuckered out after his birthday celebrations!

Then he refused to come inside so I stuck him on his outdoor leash& got myself ready for a bike ride. First one of the year and it was short. 17km. It still felt great though! Especially since I didn't even come close to almost being run over. Always a perk :)

After that, I came in .. drank some water, ate a Nature Valley bar (peanut butter ..mmm mm) and Mom comes in and says, direct quote, 'Hey, I'm going to wash the Mini but want to attack Dad& Blaine with silly string first?' HECK YES. So we do. I took the camera so there'd be some awesome photos.

Mom& I: 1. 

Dad& Blaine: 0.

So then I came back inside and decided to update my blog. Before that, however, I took some photos of the eggs we painted last night! Garret's eggs won by a landslide. But I don't care .. or at least, I'm trying very hard not to. I SUCK at arts& crafts :(

These are my eggs. Aren't they just so cute& clever.

Or something ..

Garret may be a tad more creative and better at egg decorating than me.

Whateverrrr.

So, that's all for now. There are a lot of photos here .. check back later for my photos of the day. They'll be up in the evening. I think .. I owe you guys 5 days worth, so as long as I find the motivation to edit them.

Enjoy your non-themed& unnamed Saturday!

Bicycling

Bicycles are awesome. I'm sure most people who know me in real life know of my love for the bicycle. As soon as the weather gets nice enough, I hop on my green Devinci and off we go. I have my water bottle& my iPod and usually I'm gone for about 2 hours. In those 2 hours, I'll cover 50 - 60km. Sometimes I'll go for longer .. there's just something so nice about being on my bike and not having to deal with anyone. Except when I get almost get killed.

I am a good bike rider. I ride on the shoulder on the correct side. I go with traffic. All I ask is that you don't kill me while I'm trying to do something I love. Just pull out& pass me wide or slow down to 25 - 30km ("OH MY GOD. SLOW DOWN? I'M IN MY CAR. BITCH PLEASE. MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP ENJOYING THE DAY." I think this is how most people feel when I suggest this) and wait until you can pass without going to jail for attempted murder. I don't think the judge will care when you mention it would have slowed you down for 3 seconds.

I figured it was time for this post since the sun is starting to shine& in some places, it's already bike riding weather. That makes me sad. In Cape Breton ... I'd be biking in mittens& a face mask.
When it does warm up, however, I would enjoy if drivers everywhere took a moment out of their day and realized that we, as bikers, don't want to be on the road fighting with cars anymore than the car wants us there. Until there are bike roads for us, though, we're there. So suck it up, jackass. Seriously. Get over it. I actually have the right of way on my bike ..the only reason I'm letting you go before me? I'm concerned if you're stuck behind me you'll run me over just to speed up.

Along similar lines to staying alive -crude comments. Please, keep them to yourself. There is no need to yell 'Nice ass' while I'm biking down the road and you pass me in your car. How crass. My ass may be a work of art, but we don't yell at works of art. Think of museums. We admire quietly& from a distance. This is how I'd like you treat me while I'm on my bike. Oh, and people who feel the need to yell things like 'Go a little faster' ..would you like to bike my 55km route? I'd like to see you go up some of the hills I do. Maybe then you'd have a nice ass too. As far as I can tell ..you have a fat ass. Cape Breton, get up off your asses and do some physical exercise.

It'll give you a nice ass yourself, so you'll be less inclined to word vomit about them. It'll give you a release for all your anger, instead of killing the people biking. It's also good for your health.
Moral of the story? Don't kill me .. don't scream at me. Look, bikes and cars CAN peacefully coexist.

To help you coexist with your local bicycle-riding friends, here are some tips I've compiled:

1. If you drive an 18-wheeler, be super cautious. The wind from that can tip me under your wheels. At which point, a helmet won't do much.
2. If you're texting and almost careen into me ..you'll get a fine for texting while driving AND be in jail for murder. That sucks.
3. Same with talking on the phone.
4. If your baby is crying in the backseat, please pull over before attending to him/ her.
5. If you're in too much of a rush to be bothered slowing down to avoid killing me, leave earlier.

Thanks, folks.

Wednesday!

It's a Wednesday .. I'm not in classes. Life is good! If you're wondering where last night's blog post was, I didn't have an internet connection :( I sometimes hate our wireless. Oh well. My day wasn't super exciting, I did Insanity& went to work. At work, lots of things happened that made me an angry worker, but by selectively forgetting I have maintained both my sanity and free from jail. Mostly, one thing get spoken to me SO much that I wonder, do these people really think they're clever?!
1. "Oh, I didn't think anyone was working."
Yes, because we frequently leave the store wide open with absolutely not a soul in it. We turn off the cameras and do a count before we leave and after. This is a check to see how honest people are. Was anything stolen? Was enough cash left for the amount stolen? ..does this seem like reality? No. It's not. Of COURSE someone is here to take your cash and keep you honest. God.

So, now that I have vented about how much I adore my job and my internet connection, I will discuss yesterdays workout. Yesterday I repeated Plyometrics, it was still super exciting and I am consistently getting to do more and more of the program. It was awesome. I feel great after finishing a day, like I can still keep going. That is PERFECT when you consider that most days after a workout, I'm heading to the gym to rock the bosu ball and also run a few miles. Today, I'm headed to the gym with Marg but .. it's a day off from Insanity! I LOVE rest days :)

So, Meg and myself are going to run an 8k in Louisbourg on March 5th. It's called the Slush Run and I'm so excited to do it and keep moving away from 5k into my real preferred distance of a full marathon. I think having that date looming over me, I will manage to pound out a few 10k runs on the treadmill. I reallllly hate running on the treadmill and did manage to run outside for as long as possible. Now, though, the sidewalks are covered in ice and snow, so outdoor running is impossible. It makes me sad and also makes me anxious for spring to come. With spring, comes fresh new sidewalks and outdoor activities. Also, in the spring, I will be breaking out my bicycle and encouraging my boyfriend to come for long rides :D He loves his bike ALMOST as much as I love mine, so it won't be difficult. Speaking of the boyfriend, I am super proud of him starting P90X. You go, Garret! I will be kicking your ass in the spring on the bike though.

So, now the only thing left to discuss is my THREE DAYS worth of photos. I have 2 of them taken (obviously) and today's is still to be determined. So, I apologize in advance for another photo of my dog and here they are:

For 3 days ago, which is photo 18 (I think ..keeping track of these things via day is so hard!), I couldn't decide between just the dinosaur or Garret and the dinosaur. I opted to include Garret. I love this photo because it includes a bunch of my favorite things:
1. Snowy weather
2. Late night drives
3. My boyfriend
4. A dinosaur
5. Adventures due to late night drives
6. Anti-smoking campaign!

So, that's one day done. Now, onto the next. The next photo is one of my dog. Sorry, but let's be real. He is the sweetest little dog you've ever seen. Today, my camera is coming to the gym with me / random other places so hopefully we'll be back to getting some more variety! Like I've mentioned before, I really need more work on portraits so I need to get over my weird thing about asking people to be photographed. I'm not even talking strangers, I'm talking friends and family. So, if anyone is reading this and is interested in a photo of yourself .. please, drop a line. I need help ahaha

And now, today has been productive. I have blogged, eaten a healthy breakfast, reminded myself I need to go buy some yogurt and fruits and made plans to go to the gym with Margy :) I hope you have a fabulous hump day!

Oh, and before you leave my blog .. I will encourage you to check out this lady (Jenn Grant) and her fabulous new song (Getcha Good)!

Busy days ..

So my grandmother passed away on Tuesday, almost immediately after I submitted my post on that day. Sad days and busy days filled with pity hugs and looks. So thankful the being on display part of that is over. My two baby cousins were so sad it would break anybody's heart.

Phemia passing away led to quite the adventure for Garret and I on Tuesday evening though. Matthew left STU and got the bus to Truro, where Garret and I picked him up. Now, if it were any two other people in the world besides myself and my boyfriend .. this trip would have been smooth sailing. Due to it being us, however, we encountered a massive amount of snow and ice. It started in Baddeck and progressively got worse as we traveled. We went between 50 - 60 the whole way .. it was us in the Civic and transfer trucks. The roads were a mess .. we left at 7.30PM and arrived at the Truro bus stop at 12AM. After that, we turned around and drove home. We arrived home at 6.20AM. So yes, that would be 10 hours and 50 minutes to get to Truro and back. It was, needless to say, painful. It was also, however, a recurring trend in how Garret and I travel. Allow me a quick review of trips in storms:

1. Truro to get Matthew: Snow storm.
2. Halifax for Alicia& Nick's wedding: Rain and wind storm.
3. Halifax for shopping: Rain / sleet / snow storm.
4. Halifax to catch plane for Cuba: Massive snow storm.
5. Halifax with Rob to pick Garret up: Rain and wind storm.

And really, that is just what can think of off the top of my head. We have probably only traveled 3 - 4 times where the weather wasn't absolutely terrible. It would be funny if it wasn't so not funny. It is like God sees us get in vehicle to travel more than 40 minutes and BAM. Storm .. just in case we were planning on enjoying our drive. Thanks, God.

We did survive the drive, and everyone slept peacefully and for a long time. Except me. I slept for 1.5 hours. Since Wednesday morning I have added 5 more hours of sleep to that. Fabulousss.

So then on Wednesday we did a whole lot of nothing .. and then Thursday, A.K.A yesterday, we went to the wake for 2 hours and I could not go back from 7 - 9. Instead, we went out to Don Cherry's where I had a delicious chicken quesadilla and Cherry chips. Yum.

Easily the highlight of yesterday? Baby Grady and baby Finn, Garret's nephews. They are so sweet and so I spent all evening giving kisses to Finn and pretending to steal Grady's toes (a much more humane version of what was done to the children in my family ahahah). We ate some ice cream .. watched some X-Weighted and Last 10 Pounds and then Garret and the kids went to bed, so I went home ahahah.

Now, it's Friday. Tonight I am planning on doing nothing . if I could sleep, that would be wonderful. As it stands, I will probably lay awake and watch Big Bang Theory until early hours in the morning. Then, I will text Margaret and we will go to the gym and break a sweat. After that, I may or may not shower before heading into my favorite place in the entire world: COGANS! YAY. If I smell, perhaps fewer customers will try to engage in prolonged conversations with me. This is a theory definitely worth testing out.

The thing I am looking most forward to in the coming days is, quite obviously, my very first ever attempt at hot yoga (Bikram) on Monday! I was alright at yoga in my P90X days, however .. it has been months since I've even really bothered to stretch so this will be an adventure. Thank goodness for Meghan, who will probably kick my ass but at least we will be able to laugh about the whole thing. I'm just praying I don't pass out or do something else equally awkward.

Long life update #1: Complete.


Quick update to this update: I have officially started Project 365. Welcome to your first installment of photo I've taken+ written words. I present: A flower. Hopefully my creativity will increase or else you folks are getting a lot of flowers and puppies over the next 364 days!