Top Five | 90's Songs

We've all been there right?

A really great weekend where you've accomplished absolutely nothing except for catching up on sleep, your favorite shows, and all the calories you starved yourself of the week before. Like your ideal weekend. One that's absolutely perfect. You know what I'm talking about. 

Then Monday rolls around and that crock pot your husband promised to clean is still sitting in the sink. So you roll up your sleeves and scrub your life back into order.

It's time like those when music is a must. Especially pop music from the nineties. I mean, it's like blinking and the dishes are done. It's magic. The only words you need to utter are every single word to every single song that comes on your radio. 

I mean, come on. Who doesn't sing along to these songs? I can't be the only out of tune nineties kid that belts out "Killing Me Softly" or gets tongue tied with "One Week." 

Here's my favorites.

Fonts: Bauhaus 93, DK Nanuk, Please Write Me a Song, Love Ya Like A Sister, DJB Lemon Head, Yummy Cupcakes, KB Stick to It, KG Beneath Your Beautiful, and Unfinished Sympahthy

What are some of your favorites? Backstreet Boys anyone?

Fitness Flash

I'm officially running. Like full on running. I love it.

I'm also back into cycling. Like actually cycling. I'm still on those stupid stationary bicycles but I also did a workout back on my own bike in my own den of pain. It's glorious.

Okay and maybe just a bit painful. But in a good way, you know?

On Monday, I'm going to talk to my physical therapist about cutting back on the days I go in. Because as much as I love going, I have a solid plan for getting back up to my old 5k pace and distance, I have a set of stretches that work, and the $40 co-pay twice a week is starting to add up.

This week felt busy but I think it's a step towards how our triathlon training is going to be. Here's how it shaped up:

I love that I'm doing training workouts on my own bike. It's been so long and I felt like I was going through withdrawal. I know Ryan's tried some other GCN workouts but I've only ever done the one. I'm going to bother him about trying some of those other ones this week, though. 

What are your plans for this week? Are you trying anything new?

My 2015 Resolutions

I know, I know. It's February.

People generally have their resolutions together by now. And I did! I do. I've had them for a while.

This year, I'm feeling ambitious. REALLY. Ambitious. I know I mentioned one of my resolutions before. But I have like five other ones on my radar too. And I am really looking forward to the stuff that happens along the way.

Fonts: Sweet Pea, Words of Love, KG The Fighter, Webdings, KG Two is Better Than One, KG Hard Candy Solid, Sorry... We're Closed, YummyCupcakes, and LillyBelle

Clearly they're not going to all happen right away. That's the point though, right? You've got an entire year to check 'em off. With all this snow we're getting in the Northeast, it might be a while before I get to a few of them.

It's shaping up to be a great year though. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Fitness Flash

Can I just say I'm glad that Valentine's Day is over?

There was so much fooooooddd. And I ate it all. Like all of it. Every last delicious bite.

That's what I did last week. Clearly, the three pounds I gained was an indicator I should have done more. I mean it's not like I could've eaten less. That would've just been impossible...

Why is there so much good food? And why is it all fantastically photographed and put on Pinterest? Don't you people know I'm on a diet! The struggle is real.

Happy Love Day

I think baking's my favorite.

I mean, besides Ryan. Ryan's my favorite. But baking? It's a close second. I love it. I like trying new recipes. Because what's not to love about baked goods?

The only problem is that all these recipes are for like entire cakes and it's just Ryan and I. Two people trying to lose weight and train for triathlons don't need to eat entire cakes. I mean, it's tempting, but no.

So I make all these things on Thursday and bring them to work on Fridays. I have all my coworkers trained that Fridays I bring in baked goods. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. One week I didn't deliver and was asked where the Friday treats were.

This week I really wanted to try this frosting recipe and I knew I wouldn't have time on Thursday night to make it because, clearly, my priorities.

So I woke up early on Thursday morning and baked German Chocolate Cupcakes. Then I ran home at lunch and made the cherry frosting, leaving the clean up to Ryan. Seriously, I left him this Thursday afternoon.

After about five hours of sleep, I woke up early again on Friday and frosted said cupcakes. Since I had extra time, my mind went into overdrive and I made heart-shaped bunting! I was so excited I woke up Ryan early to see it. His sleep-deprived state of impressed wasn't exactly the level I was looking for, but he did help me carry all the cupcakes down to the car. I call that a win. 

The real win, though, was finally coming home to Ryan after a really long week. Pizza and deep-fried oreos didn't hurt either. The crispy M&Ms waiting for me to open are just the sugar-coated candy (literally) on top.

So Happy Valentine's Day. I hope yours is full of love.

And maybe cupcakes. They're pretty good.

Dirty Little Secret

I have a confession.  

Like a ridiculous one. Are you ready for it?

I'm obsessed with Fifty Shades of Grey. I've literally read all of the books four times. FOUR. And I don't re-read books. I read it for a second time, you know just in case I missed something. Then came back to it again and again. 

I'm completely obsessed. I'm almost embarrassed. 

But then they went ahead and made a movie?! I could not have been more excited to hear that. Then the trailers came. Then I bought tickets for the Thursday night showing. And then I read the first book for a fifth time. Then I watched all the trailers again. I'm on a whole new level of excitement.

It's getting a little crazy. 

And I think Ryan might just think I'm certifiable. As much as he loves it when I read the books, because clearly he benefits, he can't stand the idea of going to see the movie. I can't imagine why....

But luckily, I have a girlfriend from high school who is just as obsessed as I am. I haven't seen her in forever and I'm so happy we're going together. Apparently her husband doesn't want to see it either. What gives?! Pfft, guys.

If this movie is anything like the books, I'm sure I'll go see it again and again and again. 

Would four times be too much? It wouldn't, right?

Fitness Flash

Sometimes, my life is crazy. 

This past week kind of reinforced that. It was full of snow, work, family, and more snow. I mean, it's crazy, in a good way. If you can imagine that.

And there was lots and lots of driving. Like LOTS of driving.

During the week, I led a résumé and cover letter workshop at my alma mater, SUNY Potsdam. I was really nervous. I was incredibly nervous. But it was awesome and I think the kids got a lot out of it. The ten kids who showed up got to hear me ramble on about résumés, one of my favorite subjects. Seriously, I love talking about résumés. I think it's a problem.

I really love visiting Potsdam and giving back. I mean, they gave me a husband and a good education. The least I can do is come back and talk.

Unfortunately, Potsdam is 200 long miles away. Our normal three and a half hour trip took four and a half with all the snow that's been coming down. Don't get me wrong, it made for pretty landscapes but terrible roads.

Fortunately, Potsdam is a hop, skip, and jump away from Norfolk, where Ryan's parents live. So we were able to stay and spend time with them. We even got to hang out with his sisters and our nephews.

It was a fantastic way to end the week.

Even with all this craziness, I still got my work out on. My physical therapist had me run on Wednesday, which was the first time I've run since like Thanksgiving. It still hurts, but I think it's a different type of pain. I just hope it all gets me back to running with no pain. 

Here's how I shaped up this week:

Sometimes I feel like I need to zone out from weeks like these. Even my mom told me I should slow down and take an hour to myself. But man, what a great, crazy life I live.

DIY: Tablet Holder

The other week, my absolute favorite cutting board broke. 

It was like losing an arm. I almost wanted to give it a funeral. Almost. Until I realized I could finally make myself the tablet holder I've been dying for.

I mean, even before Ryan was amazing enough to buy me my awesome tablet, I dreamed about making a tablet holder. Once I finally had the tablet, I was on the hunt for the perfect cutting board.

Turns out I had it all along. Right in my cabinet. Now, fully broken in. No Pun intended.

Most of the ideas you find on Pinterest involve Scrabble tile holders or other wooden parts. I looked for those in Hobby Lobby and Michael's but didn't turn up with anything. Instead, I found a mini easel, meant for canvases, that I could use to prop up the cutting board and tablet.

For $1.79 I couldn't go wrong.

I used Gorilla Glue and my wood clamps to piece my poor cutting board back together. Because glue expands as it dries, I was super careful to wipe up the foam when it seeped out.

I love the texture the board has from being well used and it's a beautiful background for my tablet.

Since I had the glue and cutting board on hand, the only damage was the easel. Which is always a plus for the budget conscious Ryan. Instead of buying a pre-made tablet holder from the craft store for $19.95, I'm only out $1.79. And I think this looks much better.

But I could be biased. I mean, it's still my favorite, now non-functional, cutting board. 

Top Five | Workout Songs

Mustering up the motivation to work out is tough. Especially with a fitness plan like Ryan and I have. I mean, sometimes a girl just wants to be lazy. And sometimes a girl just wants to be lazy in pajamas with a bowl full of ice cream.

Fuzzy purple pajamas and coffee ice cream to be specific. I mean this looks delicious, right? What could possibly be wrong with this?

Well, for starters, the size of my ass. It does not need the smooth, creamy, perfectly flavored ice cream from Battenkill. Then, topped with rolos? It just takes the cake. My willpower is nil, honest to God. That bowl full of heaven up there is what brings me to the gym. So I can inhale indulge in tasty things.

On those days, when the last thing I want to be doing is working out, I turn to music. It makes everything better. It has these mystical powers where you're out in la la land jamming to your song, and the next thing you know, time's up on the treadmill. Thank you Yeezus.

I created a workout playlist on Spotify and have my favorites on it so far. Just as a heads up, there's some explicit songs. Nothing too too bad, there's just some curse words. Here's my top five that get me in the mood.

The workout mood, you perv.

Fonts: KBSticktoIt, Sweet Pea, and DJB All Cool Chicks

What's on your list? What gets you pumped?