How to Re-Subscribe to Boun-See

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

If you haven't heard yet, Google is shutting down its feed on July 1st. That's like, next week. So, if you wouldn't mind, please take a moment to subscribe to this blog via another feed. I just used Feedly to transfer all my own personal subscriptions over. Let me tell you just how easy it is--it's easier than signing into your email or making a bowl of cereal. Really, it is. You simply give them your email address and they'll transfer every single one of your feed subscriptions from Blogger/Google over to Feedly in like a matter of seconds. It's one-click-simple. If you don't want to use Feedly, there are plenty of other news feed options out there you can find with a simple Google search.

So, please take a moment to re-subscribe to my blog via a different feed or another means. I'm also on Bloglovin' (do a search for Boun-See) and you can sign up for an email subscription on my sidebar. I would hate to lose any one of you in the transition.

I truly appreciate every one of you, dear readers. I plan to be around for awhile, blogging about health and fitness, DIY, family and thrift shopping. But most of all, I'm here to connect with and maybe even help you in some way, whether it be with health, family or making each day a little brighter. Let's stay connected.

Thank you!

Weekly Workout Rundown

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

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Monday:
Tuesday:
  • 40 min AM hill interval run, 3 miles
  • 20 min Beach Yoga
  • 25 min PM run, 2.3 miles
Wednesday:
  • 40 min AM interval run, 3.25 miles
  • 20 min circuit training at lunch (my workout)
Thursday:
  • 30 min walk at lunch with mom, 2 miles
Friday:
  • 45 min AM run, 3.6 miles
  • 20 min circuit training at lunch (my workout)
Saturday:
  • 62 min run, 5 miles
Sunday:
  • 45 min family kayaking trip

This was the last week of the Tone It Up Bikini Series. I finally made my #100bySummer miles on Sunday. And as much as I hate for all the excitement to end, I'm excited to change and charge up my routine this week a bit, perhaps trying out a new challenge. Any 30-day challenge suggestions would be well-received, friends.

I've said it before, but kayaking is one of my favorite active things in the world to do. Not only is it active, but it's so rejuvenating and rewarding. In our kayaks, we can get down little shallow channels that other boats can't get down. Which means: 0% boat traffic and 100% natural surroundings. I'm so glad I let Hubster talk me into buying kayaks when we were first married. After kayaking, we hit the beach for a little while where it looked like the whole hot city was hanging out.

Overall, we had fun this weekend. I finally got me a new laptop, made Creamsicles with Peanut, prepped food for the week (menu to come) and gathered some supplies from the hardware store for some more fitness-related DIYs. You'll have to stay tuned for those! They've been cooking in my mind for awhile now, but I finally scoped out and purchased the supplies, working out some of the details by bouncing ideas off Hubster. Let the creativity begin!

What did you do this weekend?

If You're Ever in Door County...

Monday, June 24, 2013

...You must do the following things:

1. You must either tour a winery, taste test some wine, or at the very least peer out the window at all the orchards, wineries and specialty wine shops that you pass by. Wine is kind of a big thing in Door County. I did not hesitate to partake in this little tourism draw. I bought the lightest, sweetest moscato (my pick of poison) ever and Hubster actually found a wine that he enjoyed. Mind you, Hubster has never drank a glass of wine in his life. He's a beer-only guy. The fact that he actually found a wine he liked was jaw-dropping.

My super yummy moscato

Hubster liked the cranberry cherry wine. We're also gonna
give a new beer and caramel apple sauce a shot.
All from Fat Louie's

In addition to every olive oil ever, you can also sample vinegars,
jams, salsas, and other specialty items at Fat Louie's


Photo
Just check out this shelf of preserved goodies

2. Participate in some kind of cookout: The fish boils in Fish Creek are a form of entertainment in themselves and have been going on for decades. Campground fires and freshly grilled fare abound in the summer, so there's no reason to eat "indoor food."  My special birthday request for my mommy was healthy chicken and veggie skewers with honey mustard sauce. It was soooo good. Thanks mom! And thanks dad for manning the grill.



Fish Creek fish boil

Fish boil in action

3. Climb or at least admire the bluffs and shoreline. There are a lot of public swimming beaches and nature pathways to enjoy in Door County. We didn't have enough time to explore more, but we did take walks out onto the docks and took time to admire the beauty around us.


4. Visit a few specialty shops. Almost every little town in Door County is littered with the cutest specialty shop you could ask for. You'll find a collection of bookstores, clothing shops, cooking stores, art shops, and so much more at every corner. You will find nary a Walmart or McDonald's in the "thumb" of Wisconsin. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were up there, even nabbing Hubster a pair of deerskin summer riding gloves.

Artist at work painting mural

Only in Wisconsin are the flamingos still wearing winter boots.

 Even the hardware shops are charming.

5. Try the ice cream and coffee. Likewise, ice cream parlors and coffee shops abound. Not only was Fat Louie's a specialty wine and olive oil shop, it also had the cutest ice cream parlor connected to it. Yes, we had ice cream for lunch. Don't judge. It was my birthday weekend after all.

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We also stopped in the Linger Coffeehouse for a little pre-dinner snack. We all ended up full on their fresh bagels and cheese and fruit platter. You should see how they brew their coffee. Talk about fresh-brewed. I don't even know what this process is called, but they put the coffee in these specialty filtering cones, poured hot water over the top, and let the coffee drip directly into the coffee cup. Cool!


A corner of the Linger coffee shop holds a guitar signed by
Keith Urban!!! It said "play me." I thought, don't mind if I do!

Fresh bagels and pastries

Our generous cheese and fruit plate that filled us up.
6. Go to an outdoor movie: Outdoor movie theaters are getting pretty rare these days, as would be expected. However, one totally retro one is still in operation in Fish Creek: The Skyway Drive-In. Although this was in our itinerary to do, it downpoured on Saturday night, keeping us indoors for the evening. I have been to this theater in the past as a kid though, so I know what a great old-school experience it is.


For our overnight trip, we stayed at one of the cabins at Beantown Campground in Bailey's Harbor. Beer fest was happening in Bailey's Harbor, which we happily lingered through. Watch out for those sea gulls though. Bird poop in the hair is not fun. Just sayin'. Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies were playing when we were there. They are the cutest, most folksy bluegrass band I've ever heard at a local festival (well, with the exception of The Pegs). I've been listening to them on Spotify ever since. Look them up!


I bought Peanut a mini guitar. Ok, I admit, I'm harboring four guitars in his large closet already because I don't know where else to store them. However, I'm super protective of them because Peanut, well, he's 4. He's not as gentle with them as I would desire. Now he's got one that fits him just right and he can do what 4-year-olds do to it.

He just adores his brand new guitar, and I couldn't be any more delighted. He played around the campfire for us and even played outside of some of the shops while grandma browsed. My little street singer even got claps from passers-by. Adorable!



Bridge in Sturgeon Bay

cool aptly-decorated beach deck

Random tree

The kayak tours were luring me.

Bailey's Harbor had some neat public fish scale bike racks.

We saw a band of turkey vultures sitting on a fence that almost didn't look real.

My Peanut

Old barber's chair


This little weekend trip was brought to me by my parents for my 30th birthday. Thanks mom and dad!

On Turning 30

Monday, June 17, 2013

Today, I woke up and I was 30. And I'm ok with that. I sort of have neutral feelings about the number. I didn't dread it like some people do. I didn't mourn the loss of my 20s. In fact, let me tell you about why I'm going to be lovin' on turning 30 today:

A cake: that was Peanut's idea

I have never felt so strong and healthy in my life as I do right now. I work my behind off (literally!) every day to stay strong, vital and disease-free. I like feeling this way. Instead of focusing on all the progress that could be made, I like to think of it as having more opportunities in the future to get even better. It's not all downhill from here, and I take pleasure in knowing that.

I have never felt so completely sure of what I want to do in this life. I'm sure this vision will morph and I will always feel some level of self-doubt, but up to this point, I have never had such a clear picture as to what I was made for. Even just recognizing the desires of my heart as I grow older is so reassuring. If you had asked me what I wanted 5 or 10 years ago, I would've had some wavering answer about some fleeting thing. Or I may have said something about how I just didn't know and I'd wait for the greatest opportunity to present itself to me. I probably wouldn't have even been able to tell you what I wanted for my birthday, let alone my life. Through trial and error though, I've come to know that some passions are just hobbies, some depend on mood, and some...oh those beautiful "some" are delicious. Those are the passions that you just can't get enough of. That your mind wanders to when it wanders. That your whole body vibrates for. Never have I felt this so strongly as I do right now.

Never have I felt so sure of who my friends are than I do now. In high school, friends are fickle. In college, friends move away. In your 20s, you find your place in the workforce and community and begin to make new connections. In parenthood, you find that your lifelong friends are the ones who forgive you for being late or cancelling when your kids are moody. The ones who are still there...those are the ones you keep close to your heart.

The most perfect card from my sweet co-workers. See, at work, I'm the birthday banner lady:)

Never have I felt more secure in my marriage. Like they say, those first few years are really rough. Any good family psychologist would probably have suggested a separation. But that's not what we do. We work through those pains, put pieces back together, and make sure they're super-glued this time. We've built a family, we've merged dreams, we've chipped away at our fixer-upper home, we've combined our efforts to make our little world better, and we've learned to value one another. I'm sure this part will only get better and I look forward to that, but I can tell you that we've already come a long way.

Flowers from my sweathearts

My spirituality has never been quite so intimate as it is today. So many things about God had seemed obscure to me growing up, but make so much more sense now, especially with more experience. It's something that is difficult even for this writer to explain and so intimate that I don't know that I'd be able to. This is another relationship that I know will only get much sweeter as I grow older, and I look forward to that. In fact, I thrive upon that.

My biggest tangible goal for turning 30 was to earn my personal training certificate. It's not just an end in itself. Although I plan to pursue this passion on the side, I have deep-seated desires to make something happen with this. I want to share what I know and help other people live with more vitality and rigor. This was one of those deep-seated passions that I just didn't want to shelve or ignore. That's how regrets are born. My first passion has always been writing, which I do for a living. But health and fitness needed their own place in my repertoire. I take the CPT exam in less than 4 weeks and I am so proud of myself for following through on this dream of mine instead of taking the "easy" way out and ignoring it.

In my next 30 years, I hope that my family has expanded whether it be with new in-laws, dear friends, children or grandchildren. I know now that this heart of mine has room for whomever and whatever it is blessed with. There's no limit to the amount of love that it can handle. I hope to be able to see even more of this Earth than the scant territory than I've been exposed to already. I hope to be able to spread my passion for fitness and personal strength to as many people as I can. I hope to use those talents that have been graciously given to me to the best of my potential. I hope to give God an even greater percentage of my focus than I do now, as He so deserves, and grow more deeply in love. I look forward to this next season of my 30s to establish an even firmer base in this world (and derriere) and expand my existence. I'd like to give as much as I possibly can.

I'm lucky to be here in the first place. I'm lucky to have made it to 30. And I look forward to how these next years of my life will transform me even further.

***Also, my workout buddy and I are taking a day off from the gym to have cupcakes for lunch. Now that's a good friend:) I am also soooo looking forward to that!

Chicago Part Two: The City Scenes

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Hubster doesn't like the big city. The air quality was getting to him, the traffic was making his blood thicken, and the sheer number of people put him on edge. He's a country boy, through and through. I, on the other hand, am completely energized by the big city. The lit-up city skyline makes the place seem magical to me.


Friday, we left home early and got to Chicago by about 1pm. After checking into our hotel, we went to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. Our EAA passes got us into the museum for free. We did end up paying $20 for parking in the ramp though. There is other free parking nearby that we didn't know about until we left. Parking in a high-security ramp is always a safe bet though.

We only went for general admission, which was definitely more than sufficient for us. That's not to say I wouldn't have loved to see the Animals Inside Out exhibit though. Interactive weather stations, business-building kids' workshops and medical exhibits were more than enough to keep us busy and enthralled. In one of the hands-on biology labs, they were even dissecting cow eyeballs! Our little city life just doesn't compare sometimes.


Light spectrum piano


Use the wind to keep the balls in the air


Classic static moment


Mini Chicago




Look, they even had a model UPS truck, where Hubster works




We had dinner at a White Castle. We'd never been to one. They don't exist in Wisconsin. We just watched an episode of Undercover Boss involving the CEO of White Castle, so it was even more interesting to experience the place first hand. I am not exaggerating when I say Hubster ate about 15 sliders. Eating at a White Castle was on his food bucket list, mostly because of our limited exposure to it in Wisconsin. Ok, maybe it's because he's a fast food addict, but I digress. Either way, we checked that classy, super-healthy item off the bucket list (sarcasm anyone?). On the way back to the hotel, we caught a glimpse of the Jennifer Hudson Weight Watchers studio, which is very inspiring to someone such as myself.

All day Saturday, I spent at John Hall Studios for my NASM live workshop. You can read about my experience here. Meanwhile, Peanut and Hubster played in the pool, visited the Toys R Us a few doors down (I was the first victim of the water guns they bought), napped and just took it easy. Peanut wasn't feeling the greatest when we left on Friday, so the slowed-down pace was just what he needed.

After the workshop, we ate at a place called Mattson's Bar and Grille, which was two doors down from our hotel. We weren't sure what to expect, and the process was sort of like half fast-food and half hometown restaurant. You order your meal at the front, kind of like at a fast food place. But they bring your freshly cooked food to you at your table. There was a full fresh salad buffet--that's what I had! Hubster ordered the flatbread beef sandwich but didn't have room for it after his buffet run. Leftovers! It was an interesting place. A warning though, they charge you just to walk in the door. We found that we had a $2.00 charge just for dining there. I'm sure this is to supplement tips and such, since they really didn't have waiters.



Interesting mural over the ordering area

Beautiful stained glass around the building. Cell phone pics do no justice.


On our way home on Sunday, we stopped at an Oasis over the freeway just for the experience. Not a huge deal for most people, but for us (especially Peanut) it was something new. It's not every day that we get to order a smoothie from McDonald's while watching traffic pass under us.

We also made a short stop in Port Washington to visit a family friend on our way home. Port Washington is one of the most amazing Milwaukee-ish suburbs. You could almost describe it as a quaint little resort town. Fresh fish is in abundance and if you ever stop by on Fish Day, you'll see one of the best parades and festivals you've ever seen in Wisconsin. Even the public restrooms down by the pier were nicer than some restaurant restrooms I've seen. It's pretty much a prerequisite in Port Washington that you must visit their historical lighthouse.






We ate dinner at Tello's Grille and Cafe in Port Washington before making the rest of our 1+ hr trip home. Tello's offered an interesting mix of Greek and Mexican food. It was like a Greek and a Mexican got married, decided to open a restaurant, and couldn't decide on what type of food to make, so they made both. After digging deeper, the story is much cooler than that. Check out some of their history here. The interior was segmented between a dining area and a bar area with a small dining section in the middle. This worked well since there was a graduation party going on, and we didn't feel like we were imposing or interrupted by it at all. The restaurant also had a cute outdoor setup, where a couple was dining with their pup. It's one of those quaint little settings that looks just as cute in person as it does in pictures.

I thoroughly enjoyed this giant Greek salad

The architectural details in Tello's are beautiful

It's always amazing how one short three-day trip can re-energize a person. I need to keep that in mind when I start to feel overwhelmed and wanderlust-full. Just a few simple three-day weekends sprinkled throughout my mortal days are enough to give me a jolt of renewed energy.

This coming weekend, we're already taking another trip to a cabin in Door County Wisconsin. My parents are treating us to a weekend getaway to celebrate my birthday (which is Monday). Hopefully I'll be back with some fun stories about that.

Weekly Workout Rundown

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

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Monday:
  • 45 min AM Bikini Cardio, 3.7 miles
  • 15 min Surfer's Paradise x 2 in PM
  • 15 min ZWow workout in PM (killer, killer, killer!!! Check out Zuzkalight.com if you dare)
Tuesday:
  • 35 min AM run, 2.75 miles
  • 18 min Pura Vida arm routine x 3 in the PM
Wednesday:
  • 35 min AM run, 2.5 miles
  • 20 min circuits I created
Thursday:
  • Rest
Friday:
  • Rest (travel day)
Saturday:
  • All-day NASM workshop, interspersed with workouts throughout
  • 30 min Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout
Sunday:
  • 45 min Jillian Michaels Hard Body workout

Well, I didn't follow my Tone it Up schedule very well toward the end of the week due to travel interruptions, but I did do my best to keep my healthy habit going--as if I could give it up! Don't worry though, I was in good hands with Tracy and Jillian. I don't have a good gauge as to how long I worked out on Saturday during the workshop, but let me just tell you how sweaty I was. We did speed and agility drills, burpees, supersets of everything and so much more. Foam rolling has got to be my new obsession. I have yet to buy a real foam roller. Meanwhile, I've been using one of our foam pool noodles to work out my kinks. It does the job alright.

This Saturday is the beginning of the 5-Day Slimdown everyone at Tone It Up is doing together. I'm hoping I can do as much of the plan as possible. It will be a little difficult since we'll be travelling again and my mom is taking care of all the food (so nice of her!). I'm not too worried about it though. I requested chicken and veggie skewers with honey mustard on the side. Sounds pretty healthy and clean to me.

What are you doing this week?








Chicago Trip, Part One: The NASM Live Workshop

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in an NASM Live Workshop, taught by Cindy Powell. The class was held at John Hall Studios in Chicago. Cindy was an amazing instructor. She was very hands-on, informed, passionate, and interested throughout the whole session. I give her an A+.

The trainers that were working at John Hall Studios on Saturday, Saddi and Sherwood, were also super helpful and informative. While we were practicing moves, they came around and gave us tips and pointers. We also had a great discussion about nutrition and overall wellness with Sherwood on our lunch break. I tried to soak up ever morsel of their experienced wisdom that I could. It was like we were fortunate enough to be given three teachers for the price of one.

I'll share one tidbit I learned from Sherwood: You can do the plank or you can really DO the plank. Try keeping your feet fully flexed. Squeeze squeeze, squeeze and remind yourself to squeeze your glute muscles the entire time. Keep the tummy tight (navel to spine) and make sure your elbows are directly below your shoulders. Now try and hold that for 2 minutes. It makes a world of difference when you're actually doing the move correctly.



The drive of all the students attending was truly energizing in itself. Like Cindy said after we all gave our introductions, none of us stood up and said we were there because we wanted to make millions. Every one of us had a virtuous reason for being there, whether it was because we had lost weight and wanted to help others do the same or we were chasing our passions or we had a desire to bring health awareness to places where it isn't accessible.
I have to admit, I did have a moment where I wondered if I had taken the wrong class. Yes, I signed up for this particular class, my name was on the list and everything, but I learned that there was also a test prep class in Chicago that same day. In the short term, I feel like a test prep class may have been beneficial. After all, I'm anxious about the upcoming multiple choice I have to face. In the long term however, I know that this workshop will be invaluable. There's a ginormous difference between reading about an exercise in a textbook while practicing it in your bedroom and having an instructor guide you through the moves with all the proper cues that they don't teach. Not only that, but I'm sure this workshop will help on the test as well. Actually performing the moves, performing the overhead squat assessment, and reviewing the progressive stages of training can't hurt my test score.

I'm so glad I purchased the workshop with my NASM package. I'm glad we got a good workout in at the studio too. Since Thursday was a rest day, Friday and Sunday were spent travelling, and the treadmill at the hotel was out of order, I needed a little sweatiness to make me feel like myself again.

The workshop got out just a tad early, and Hubster hadn't left the hotel yet, so I took that opportunity to run over to the two-story Target store a block away. Sure, we have Target stores in my town, but not ginormous two-story ones. I was going to buy a foam roller due to my renewed faith in them (after foam rolling in class, my achy hips stopped aching), but I passed them up for two new workout DVD's and three new shirts. Those are my Chicago souvenirs, ok? Ha! I'll ask for the foam roller for my birthday;)



With my new Target purchases, I was also able to sneak in some Tracy Anderson workouts in the hotel room. When I got home on Sunday, I also busted through a new Jillian Michaels workout I bought at Target. That way, I only took two rest days instead of four in a row (heaven forbid!). I'll have to post some video reviews of those soon.

Later in the week, I will be back with Part Two of our Chicago trip to take you through our sightseeing adventures and local food experiences.

What's Happening

Monday, June 10, 2013

As I told you, I was in Chicago this weekend for an NASM live personal training workshop, so it was a little quiet around here as our internet connection was touch-and-go and we were enjoying our mini vacation. I will be back tomorrow with Part 1 of the trip and give you a lowdown on all of that. Then, Part 2 will come later in the week. I have so much to share!

For now, I just want to say how excited I am to have been featured on Totally Tutorials. With the number of submissions TT receives and the rules you must abide by, I'm honored that my yoga mat holder tutorial made the cut. It totally made my weekend!




Happy Monday!