I Can Hardly Contain Myself

So I found my new favorite store. I was in Los Angeles this weekend and had a few hours to kill before meetings. Lucky for me there was a shopping mall within walking distance from my hotel. My motto when I'm outta town is: I will not shop in a store I can shop at in Salt Lake. What's the point? I'm not going to tote Gap & Express bags around with me when I need precious hang strength for all the Crate & Barrel, Sephora, & H&M bags. Anyway, as I was walking across the street I noticed on the upper level of the mall was a store I had heard of a few times so I headed up the stairs to check it out. To my amazement and utter excitement I entered

-THE CONTAINER STORE-

Instantly I fell in love. Organization galore! They have boxes, hangers, tupperware, shelves, garbage cans, hampers, media storage, gift wrap, etc, etc. I'm talking Office Max meets Target - but better! This store has it all. What I loved most is all the creative storage supplies and fun little accessories you don't find in everyday stores. I bought the coolest container to take cold cereal to work. I has a bowl and a topper that not only holds milk but keeps it cold (and a portable, bendable spoon) - so neat! I no longer have to resort to oatmeal packets and stealing spoons from the cafeteria.

I didn't have much space to take a lot home but I called Cardy and made sure they have a website, sure enough, they do. Believe me...I will be ordering from home!

Street Fighter 4 Cardy

Ever since Street Fighter IV came out Cardy has been begging me to dress as one of the characters. Tonight when I was blogging he thought it would be perfect to fix my hair and take pictures...for the blog, of course. I tried to tell him that no one reading this blog (well, maybe 1 or 2) knows who Chun Li is.

Needless to say, here I am with my hair in two buns posing in fighting form for my husband. I think it looks like I have two marshmallows on my head, he thought it was fantastic.

I guess it only takes a little to make my husband happy. Love you babe, here they are.

Music

Cardy told me if his name is going to be associated to this blog, I MUST have cooler music. Therefore, he added several new songs. Enjoy

Party like it's your birthday!

My birthday was on Thursday, the 19th. I'm a firm believer in having your special day off, so I took the day off work to spend my whole day doing whatever I wanted. I had only a few things planned but having the day to myself sounded delightful! Here's what I did:

-slept in (for a Thursday, anyway)

-went to the spa for a little waxing

-worked out at the gym

-went grocery shopping (not typically something one might do on their birthday but I actually enjoy it and lucky me...I ran into my good friend, Katherine which is always fun!)

-met my mom & brother for lunch @ Red Butte

-went with my mom for pedicures

-cleaned my house

-had my family over for cake, ice cream & presents

-went with Cardy for pizza (my fave!)

I had such a great day!

Training update

So it's week 4 of my training and I thought I would post an update. Here's what I've discovered so far:

-Running is still a challenge. At this point in the training, I'm still doing a walk/jog combination to increase my stamina
-Everyone on a treadmill at the gym appears to be running at great speeds with complete ease. Everyone except me that is. I'm still a beet red, sweaty mess.
-I do like the feeling I get once I'm done. My profuse sweating makes me feel like I've done a body good.
-I'm a little disappointed in how long it takes me to complete a mile. I'm slow but I don't wear out as quick if I keep a slower pace. Fast = tired. I had a chat with my self and this is not a race, it's a competition to complete my goal, slow is okay with me as long as I finish.
-Taking breaks while training your body to run longer distances is a no-no. This weekend I skied and did the elliptical for cardio. Tuesday was like stepping back in time a week.
-Talking and running...not easy. My cute friend, Alex is also my gym buddy. We keep each other motivated and we love to chit-chat the whole time. This is difficult for me while running.
-My goal this week is to work on my breathing and focus on finding a rhythm that works for me.

Winter Fun!

This winter I was lucky enough to get a season ski pass to Park City. My Dad, my Uncle Steve and some friends (Bruce & Brett) all have season passes as well. It's been a fun time and I've really enjoyed spending time with my Dad. He's a great guy and a pretty awesome skier and I always have a fun time hanging out with him! This bunch is keeps me laughing, never a dull moment with these guys.

I've skied since I was a kid but I usually only make it up to the mountains a couple times a winter so I've really enjoyed having this pass. I'm working on my skills and skiing with an all guy group has forced me to increase my speed. I'm hoping we get more snow so I can have a couple more months of winter fun!

Carbonation - Not for me anymore.

Yep, I gave up carbonation. No more fizzy sodas, throat burning sensations, or icy cold brews (not that I drink that much beer, ask my husband!). Actually, I came up with the idea of giving up carbonation after talking with my nieces and discussing what they were giving up for Lent. They each gave up their favorite food: Chile gave up bacon & Sage gave up hot cocoa (both staples in their diets). As of last week, I hadn't decided what I was going to forgo...in fact, I hadn't given it much thought at all. I even contemplated not giving up anything. As my week went on and the more I thought about it, the guiltier I got. I figure if my nieces can give up their most favorite food for 40 days, I certainly can come up with something. CARBONATION.

I wouldn't say I'm a total soda addict but I do drink my fair share during the week (especially if we go out to eat). It's probably one of a few things in my diet I can stand to cut back and who knows, it might make a difference in my 5K training (no bloated belly for me). Therefore, I'm cutting all carbonated drinks out of my diet for the next 38 days (I started a few days after Ash Wednesday, what can you do?).

So far, so good. We'll see what the rest of the month brings.