Things I want to do this summer!

I am fortunate enough to have 10 weeks off in the summer. Obviously there are more good things about this work schedule than bad. Is there anything bad about it? Well, the only thing I can think of is that I have a habit of putting things off until summer... even though there is no reason to put things off! And it's not just unpleasing things like cleaning, organizing, etc. It's fun things... like reading, going to Zumba, doing day trips, etc.

Since I tend to put things off until summer, that means there are A LOT of things I want to do this summer! I'm sure we'll do some of them but other times we'll have something on the schedule and just not do it. We're homebodies.

Anyway, here's a list of a bunch of things I want to do this summer! You'll notice some of the items are from my PA Bucket List!

• Language Immersion classes at The Frederickson Library (to help me practice speaking Spanish!)
• Read more
• Attend Cumberland County Democratic meetings and meetups
• Go to the Mutter Museum in Philly
• Go to the Red Rabbit for my first time!
• Kayak down the Yellow Breeches creek (anyone have kayaks we could borrow!?)
• Visit some new state parks
• Ride our bikes to Mt. Gretna on the Conewago Trail
• Try the mountain bike trails at Swatara State Park
• Visit Long Trout Winery
• Hang out during the day with my SIL!
• Go out for happy hour once a week and try new places we have never been to
• Go see a live taping of the Stephen Colbert (we already have tickets!)
• Day trip to DC w/ Paul (planned!)
• Day trip to DC alone to go to the Holocaust Museum (planned!)
• Go to local carnivals and festivals
• Take advantage of free music in the parks

PA peeps... What am I missing!?

Happy Hour suggestions?

State Park must dos?

Have you ever been to any of these places?
What do you want to do this summer?

Weekend Wrap Up! (Part 2)

Happy Tuesday!

3.5 more days with students!

Yes, I like my job, and if the students were as focused and behaved as they were August-March, I wouldn't be counting down the days!

Here's what we were up to Sunday-Monday!

I didn't get up until after noon! I'm getting into a bad habit here.

We headed to the gym. I had a date with the arc trainer. I got in 50 minutes and it was a great workout.

Then I headed to my friend Katrina's house for another Memorial Day picnic. A bunch of my work buddies were there and we had a ton of fun laughing and talking.

Me and my home girls!

Me and my Shawny!

I got home pretty late, and since Paul was still out with his friends, I finished up another puzzle!

MONDAY

I got up quite early on Monday and headed to Millersburg to go to the Memorial Day ceremony and parade with my parents. My poor mom was sick, but she made it over to the ceremony with her puke bucket hidden in a canvas bag.

Our town has hung veteran banners around the park and on the main streets. My grandpa, his five brothers, and my great grandpa all have a banner. Grandpa's banner and Great Uncle Jack's banner are right across the street from my parent's house.

It was fun to see the high school marching band. Hearing the drum line certainly brought back memories of marching at football games. I hated marching band when I was in high school, but looking back, I wish I would have taken it more seriously.

Before I headed home, I stopped at my Grandma's for a little visit. I showed her all the pictures and video from Tyler's triathalon last week. She enjoyed seeing those!

On the way home, I wanted to stop at Harrisburg's Artsfest but I couldn't find a parking spot. I drove around for 20 minutes until finally I got pissed off and just went home.

I was sort of in a depressed mood when I got home. I was tired and feeling down. This has been happening all too much lately. I basically forced myself to workout and thankfully, the endorphins helped me to feel better. I did two deck of cards workouts that were really intense.

I was in a great mood after my workout. The rest of the day was spent lounging around. There was puzzles. There was cards. There was dinner + Seinfeld! We basically lazed around like these two...

How did you celebrate Memorial Day?
Do you ever make yourself workout to get cheered up?

Weekend Wrap Up! (Part 1)

Happy Monday!

Since it's a 3 day weekend, I figured I'd break my wrap up into two parts! Here's Friday-Saturday!

I hope you are all still enjoying a 3-day weekend!

4:30 is too early to get up, but when I have to squeeze in a workout and a physical therapy appointment before work starts at 7:55, it must be done!

I ate breakfast on my way to work. I had cottage cheese with frozen strawberries. It's totally safe to eat cottage cheese that has been sitting in your car for over and hour, right!?

Work was chill. It's the end of the school year. We're playing games and watching some performances on the Smartboard.

Since I forgot to put my lunch in the fridge, I had to have a turkey sandwich made with turkey that had been sitting out for 5 hours...

After work, things were chill. Paul and I played cards and to be honest, he kicked my ass! I took lots of pictures of Chrissy and we had a very yummy dinner.

After dinner, it was DQ time! I got some sort of blizzard with chocolate chunks and hot fudge. It was so good!!!!

Then I started a puzzle. I was determined to make it a puzzle weekend!

I slept forever! Nearly 10:30!

It was time to test my PIMAs. I went for a 5 miler but my adductor started hurting, so I stopped at 4. Then I did a crazy DOC workout that was so freaking tiring!

That afternoon, we headed to Uncle Rick and Aunt Jane's Hiddenbrook Farm (where we got married!) for a Memorial Day Picnic. I don't know how time flew, but before we knew it, it was dark out and time to head home.

 Uncle Rick gave tractor rides!

We got to talk with Mick and Elaine and just laughed and laughed. Mick told us an interesting story about how he smuggled his cat home from Saudi Arabia after being deployed there!

That night I stayed up past 2 working on puzzles! Dang, I'm acting like it's summer already!

Have you ever smuggled anything on a plane?
Tell me something fun you did this weekend!

Murder is Not Entertainment

In about two weeks I am going to CrimeCon and I am very excited. Ever since I discovered Forensic Files and Court TV in college, true crime has fascinated me. I love reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, and watching trials on Youtube.

A couple weeks ago I was listening to an episode of Sword and Scale and the mother of a murder victim began the podcast by saying she was hesitant to even be interviewed because murder is not entertainment.

It made me think... Am I entertained by murders? I mean, yes, I guess I am. I don't like the sound of that, but it is true. No, I don't take joy knowing that someone died or anything like that. But learning about a case, how it was solved, how the trial went... that is entertaining to me.

There are a couple podcasts I have quit listening to because I thought they were being insensitive to either the murder victims or in some instances, even the perpetrator. I think there is a way to talk about cases without being insensitive!

I guess this topic has been on my mind because CrimeCon is coming up soon and I know I am going to be doing some posts and blogs where I am really excited to talk about all the "crime" stuff... Hopefully I can talk about it in a way that is not sensationalizing it.

Any thoughts on this topic?

Weekly Workouts

I ran... 5 miles. Woop-dee-puhp!!!
I lifted... 3 days
I spinned (spun!?)... 1 day
I arc trained... 1 day
I went to physical therapy... 2 days
I rested... 1 day.

I purposefully eased up on the running this week to see if I could get PIMA #1 and PIMA #2 to go away. They are "away" right now but I don't know if they will come back when I start running again.

I am contemplating taking my more week off running. I wish I knew what would help it. I want to start training for my trail race, and if taking another week off would make my PIMAs gone for good, I'm all about that! But I don't know if it will help. Ugh. Decisions. What do you think I should do?

In the meantime, here are the varied workouts I did this week for you to peruse!

Saturday- I started with a deck of cards workout but quit! I ended up running 5 miles. I was really tired at first, but around mile 3 I started to feel AWESOME! Well, awesome except for the PIMA and the pain in my adductor. (Haha which is also PIMA! PainInMyAdductor!) I figured I'd better stop before things got worse.

Sunday- Rest! I got to cheer on my brother at his Half Ironman race! Watching him accomplish his goal was good for the soul!

Monday- Lifting back @ home. I lowered the weight and did extra reps. I also incorporated some plyos, including 100 mountain climbers and 100 burpees!

Tuesday- 45 minutes on the arc trainer. At first my butt hurt A LOT and I thought I was going to have to stop. But then it just disappeared and I did my workout.

Wednesday- 40 minute spin workout and PT. I know, I know, I decided not to spin because it bothered my knee, right? Well I decided I should just not spin two days in a row. That was my hypothesis, anyway. Things felt good, except my adductor and ass hurt later in the day. Great. So I can't even spin??????

Thursday- Lifting chest @ home. And lots of burpees and mountain climbers!

Friday- Lifting back @ home and PT. Pull ups were HARD this morning.

Should I take another week off!? It's not like I'm not working out, I just wouldn't be running... Is that being extra cautious for no reason?

Friday 3! (Vacation Dreaming!)

Hey all! I am linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 5 2.0!

For some reason, I have spent much of this past week VACATION DREAMING! I haven't been dreaming of the extravagant vacations that will cost a substantial amount of money to save for (Example: Hawaii, Australia, Alaska Cruise, etc). But I have been dreaming about the more "doable" vacations in which we could do 1-2 per summer, depending.

Today I'm going to share 3 places I'm dreaming of going on vacation! They won't be happening this summer, but I am hoping some of them can happen next summer and/or fall.

1. Cape Cod. (7 hour drive) My wanderlust for Cape Cod began when I was researching a New England trip. 

The reason I was researching New England was because I needed to find a reason to get Paul to go to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast with me. (I don't want to stay overnight, I just want to tour the house. I would stay overnight but I'd have to share a bathroom with strangers. No thank you!)

The more I researched Cape Cod, (this site was helpful!) the more I realized that we could easily spend about four nights there and just make it a stand alone vacation. 

My big idea is to do this next summer for our 10th wedding anniversary. I think Cape Cod would be relaxing and we could stay at a resort that's a little nicer than we're used to. I think that would be very special! This is my first choice to stay but it's A LOT out of our price range. This is a place that I think would be more affordable. I was thinking we could spend two nights somewhere fancy like that and then two nights wherever. Still pondering that one...

2. The Great Smoky Mountains. (8 hour drive) How did I not know about the Great Smoky Mountains? When I googled "Best Places to Visit in North Carolina", I found this article and discovered so many cool places in the Great Smokies.

I would love to do this next summer and maybe stay for just 3 nights. This wouldn't be an expensive vacation since we'd be driving and doing a lot of outside/nature stuff that would be fairly inexpensive. Plus we can stay at a cheap hotel somewhere.

3. Charlottesville, VA. (3 hour 40 minute drive) I went to Charlottesville once, but it was right after I graduated high school. Paul has family there, I know there is a cute downtown area, lots of wineries, cute bed and breakfasts, and also Monticello. I really want to tour Monticello. Luray Caverns is also nearby, which someone recommended to me.

I know I only listed 3 places... is there anywhere else you think is worth looking into that is a 10 hour drive or less? (I'm in Central PA)

Have you been to any of these places?
Tips? Suggestions?

I feel like my body is falling apart and I have a "race" in two months!

On July 22^nd, I'm running the Table Rock Trail Race in Stinson Beach, California. This race course goes on some of the most beautiful trails I have ever been on. Paul and I explored some of these trails when we were in Northern Cali several years ago but I have always wanted to go back and spend some more time on them. THIS IS MY OPPORTUNITY AND I AM SO EXCITED!

I signed up for this race in February and opted for the 30k. There is also a half marathon and 10k option. It was never my intention to race this race, just simply go out and have fun!

The “fun” is likely going to last 4-6 hours! The climbs are pretty significant. The first 2.5 miles are uphill. Later there is another 3 mile climb and then a shorter 1-2 mile climb.

WOWZA.

Since my training for this is going to be minimal, I envision myself walking during a lot of these climbs. Plus, there gets to be a point where you can walk up a hill just as fast as you can run up it.

Why is my training going to be minimal?

Because I feel like my body has been falling apart!

I have barely been running any miles! Sure, I have been lifting, spinning, arc training, and doing PT exercises out the butt... but I haven't been running much and it seems to not be making any of my problems feel much better!

Here are all my problems...

1. ITB. My normal ITB woes aren't bothering me at all. PT is supposed to be helping that, and it feels fine now, but I don't know if it feels fine due to the PT or just because this is one of those times that it normally would have cycled around to feeling good. So the verdict is still out! If it's not “fixed” this will just go back to being my “Chronic Functional Injury” (thanks for the moniker, Lisa!) and will not deter me from training/running for a “fun” trail race.

2. Pinched Nerve. The original reason I went to PT was because of a pinched nerve in my leg. My pinched nerve has gotten significantly better but it is not “better”. I don't even notice it unless I touch it. Running doesn't bother it and it never has. It's just a really weird feeling and I wish it would go away. I don't think this particular issue will interfere with me doing the race in July, as long as it doesn't decided to get worse. But having a numb portion of my leg is unsettling!

3. PIMA #1 (Pain In My Ass). From time to time I get a pain in my right butt cheek. I have it right now and it hasn't gone away yet. All the other times I had it, it has just gone away on it's own so... hoping it goes away soon.

4. PIMA #2 (Pain In My Adductor). I've had adductor pain before and when I have had it, I just rest 3-4 days and it went away. Well I have tried the 3-4 rest days and it hasn't helped. In fact, after I rested it, it was WORSE. WTF????

You see why I feel like I”m falling apart? Honestly #3 and #4 worry me the most because they popped up during a week I only ran like 15 miles. So they popped up when I was barely running and now, a week and a half later they are still there even though I am barely running. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. Things that don't make sense annoy me.

I feel like I am a mess right now and for no reason. It's frustrating.

I'm not sure what the point of this post was other to tell you I'm excited for my race but right now I am not running much because I want my aches and pains to go away and my body to feel STRONG. I guess I shouldn't worry too much. I can always walk a bunch of it if I need to or do a shorter distance. Tons of options. I just want to run, be in nature, and enjoy the trails in Northern Cali!

I quit a workout!

On Saturday afternoon, I decided to do a deck of cards workout. This is what I came up with:

I dusted off my jump rope and took all my equipment outside.

I flipped over the first card. 4 of clubs. Okay, push ups, that's fine. I flipped another card. 10 of clubs. 10 more push ups. The next card was a 7 of clubs. What the heck!? It was getting kind of hard to do the push ups. Next, the queen of clubs. OMG!!! MAKE THE MADNESS STOP!!!!

Then it was 6 of hearts. Burpees. No problem. I felt wobbly on the burpees.

Then, an Ace. Yay, jump rope! I have missed the jump rope. I chose the ambitious number of 200 jump rope rotations. I figured that would be doable. That's probably like 90 seconds of jumping rope, right? No problem.

Except it was a problem! Almost right away, jumping made my ankles hurt! I got in 30 rotations, then took a little break to stretch my ankles. I did 20 more rotations and gave up. My ankles hurt too bad.

I only got through 5 cards and my ass was kicked. This was BULLSHIT,

I put all my equipment away and went for a 5 mile run.

I don't often quit workouts. In fact, I can't think of the last time I quit a workout. It made me feel weak. Even my run started off crappy. I was tired. But around mile 3, I got a little pep in my step and kicked it up a notch.

Have you ever quit a workout?
Do you jump rope?
What's your favorite type of circuit?

I used to listen to music!

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love podcasts and I never listen to music while I workout. I don't even listen to music while I drive!

Can you believe it? A music teacher who doesn't listen to music!

It's just that I listen to music, play music, or sing music all day long! Sometimes I am not done teaching piano lessons until 7:00. There is only so much music one can take.

But, before I was a music teacher... while I was student teaching... I listened to music during all of my runs! (Because podcasts weren't invented yet maybe!?)

Today I will share some of the music that was on my mp3 player that I would listen to while running. I'm pretty sure I downloaded the music off Limewire. This was circa 2004, mind you.


Goodnight Moon- Shivaree

Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand

Modest Mouse- Float On

Bang Bang- Nancy Sinatra

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood- Santa Esmeralda

Cecilia- Simon & Garfunkel

Blister in the Sun- Violent Femmes

The next song is MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SONG IN THE WORLD!

I love to sing along and harmonize.

James- Laid

Student teaching was one of the worst times of my life. I was so unhappy. When I used to listen to these songs, they reminded me of that unhappy time and it would depress me. But now I can listen to the songs and just feel relieved that I am well past that point in my life. Hopefully I will never be that unhappy again!

Oh wait, I lied... THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG IN THE WORLD!!!! Paul and I sing the SHIT out of this in the car and harmonize the living crap out of it!

Are there any songs that give you unhappy memories?
Does any of this music surprise you?