Weekend Wrap Up!

I hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!

Friday started with some lifting at Planet Fitness. I don't run as much as I would like... which means lots and lots of lifting for this girl!

Then we went to my brother and SIL's house for some family time!

My brother built his daughters an EPIC play set. It's one of those things where I can't believe he built it, but I can believe he built it!

 My mom gave me some currants from the push out their house. I never had a currant before! I thought they tasted like raspberries. They were good in my Greek yogurt later on that day.

When Paul and I got home, we watched a million (okay, 4) episodes of Big Brother 11. Yes, that season is from six years ago. Yes, I already saw it twice. Yes, we love it!!!!

I stayed up really late reading in bed. As you probably know, I love true crime and learning about the criminal justice system. I was reading a book about the jury selection process and how the defense and the prosecution try to pick people on a jury that is going to side with them- before the trial even starts. I would love to be on a jury someday, but I am sure it is no as glamorous as it appears in my imagination. I have actually never been called for jury duty.

I rolled out of bed at 11:15. I was immediately disappointed because it was the 4th of July, but it was so dreary out. It hasn't even been really hot yet this summer. WHERE IS THE SUMMER WEATHER!?

For no reason at all, my hip and knee were really sore when I woke up, so I decided to lift instead of go on a neighborhood run. 

That evening we had our friends Bob and Rachel over for game night. It was a celebration because they had just gotten married on Wednesday! We wanted to make their arrival special...

Aren't they a sharp looking couple!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

So I have gotten into this horrible habit of staying up until 4 or 5 in the morning and then sleeping half the day away. I was up until 5 reading but managed to drag my arse out of bed at 11:15 again. Then I went for a 4 mile walk/run.

3 miles of running mixed with 1 mile of walking @ 10:52 pace.

Does pace really matter when it is a walk/run!?

Then I went to the library to stock up on books for our fishing/reading dates...

I am really exited for the Amanda Know book! I remember when she was first accused. I thought she was guilty. But then the more I learned about the crime, I was convinced of her innocence! I am excited to see what I think after I read this book.

That evening, we hung out in the quad at Dickinson College in Carlisle to hear a free Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra concert. Everyone brings long chairs, blankets, food, wine, beer. It's just a great time to hang out outside, celebrate the 4th of July, and listen to beautiful music.

My cute date!

 

Have I ever told you Paul is HILARIOUS? If you know him personally, you know what I'm talking about. I had him take my picture but he kept trying to make me laugh so all you get are outtakes!

We enjoyed a sushi dinner in the quad and then relaxed to the music of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. They played a mix of patriotic music, movie music, and then a random rendition of the Time Warp! Yes, I got up and dance!

On the way home we stopped for Blizzards, because I can't think of a better way of celebrating America than by eating way too much ice cream!

Did you do anything fun for the 4th?
Have you ever served on a jury?
Are you reading any good books?

Fishing/Reading Date

Paul and I go on a lot of dates. You can do that when you have cats, not kids.

Sometimes we go on a date to Wal Mart.

Sometimes we go on a date to the library.

Sometimes we go on disc golf/running dates.

We recently started doing fishing/running dates.

A few days ago, we had a fishing/reading date.

I had already done my workout. I managed to get up well before my piano lessons and bang out 5 miles (thanks to an awesome pod cast). I was stretched, rolled, and full of coffee and generic raisin brand before my first student walked in the door.

Two hours later, I was done teaching and had the rest of the day to do what I wanted. It's a rough life for a teacher in the summer who has cats, not kids.

Paul decided he wanted to go fishing. Sometimes I just drop him off at the creek nearby, but today I decided to bring a lawn chair and a book to read. He was down with the idea. It was a great way to spend time together doing what we each individually liked.

We parked on Sheepford Road at the Yellow Breeches Park. I don't know where the park is because all I saw was grass. We walked back a short trail along the creek. Paul led the way. I stepped carefully, not wanting to step on/see any/think about snakes.

There was a clearing with two crappy picnic tables, a makeshift fire pit, and empty beer cans strewn about. This was the romantic setting for our fishing/reading date. I sat up my chair and started rummaging through the bad 'o fun I brought along. (Pens, paper, books, camera, Garmin... all kinds of things to entertain me for who knows how long!) Paul got his fishing rod ready (I am sure there is a term for that) and stepped down to the creek.

Then we heard it. The sound of an animal crying. It sort of sounded like a bird, but we weren't sure.

"What was that?" I asked.

"A bird, I think," Paul replied.

We heard it again and I mimicked the sound.

Then I looked across the creek- it was quite wide, deep, and flowing fast. I have really bad vision when it comes to things far away, but I thought I saw something moving on a log in the water that was right next to the bank on the other side of the creek.

"Look over there. What's that?" I pointed.

Paul studied it. "Wow, it kind of looks like a chipmunk, but bigger," he said. A few seconds later, "Oh no, it's a deer!"

It was a deer. A little baby deer stuck in the water making that now horrible sound! He was struggling to keep his head above without getting swept downstream. Luckily the log was sort of helping him stay in one place. He was trying to get his front feet up on the embankment, but he couldn't because not only was it really steep, but it was really slippy and muddy. The little guy was struggling for sure. And every once in awhile, he would make that horrible crying sound.

"What do we do!?" I asked, panicked. I love animals and I couldn't stand to see the little guy in peril. "Should I swim across and help him up?" I asked Paul.

"No, no. He could kick you or bite you or kill you," Paul said.

"Well we can't stay here," I said getting up and putting my things away. "I can't sit here and watch this."

"Oh, believe me, I don't want to stay here either!" Paul said.

We were out of there pretty quickly. Back at the car, I wondered if there was someone I could call. The township? Fish and game commission? An animal search and rescue operation? There had to be someone who could help.

I knew what to do. I texted my friend, Tammy. Tammy's husband, Jeff, (who's number I didn't have), was a conservation officer. I knew he would have the answers. I have run with him a lot in the past, and he was our running group's resident expert on nature and wildlife. He was the person who would answer my question, "Will there be snakes out today?" upon embarking on a trail run.

Tammy gave me Jeff's number, and luckily, he picked up the phone. I quickly explained the situation and he assured me that the deer's momma was probably nearby and would help the little guy as soon as we left. The mom was most likely scared to come help because Paul and I were around. So the best thing to do was to just leave and let the mom take care of things. He said deer are very adaptable.

WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hearts still racing, Paul and I drove to a different fishing spot down the road. We needed to relax. We talked a little more about the little deer, but decided to put the topic to rest, and that the momma deer had surely rescued it and they were frolicking in a meadow right now.

Source

All set up at our new location, we were just settling in when I heard it-

WHUMMMMMF!!!!

Paul's feet had slipped right out from under him in the slick mud (picture a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel) and he fell right on his ass.

"I'm okay!" he assured me. His whole left side was covered in mud. I of course jumped up to make sure he wasn't hurt, only embarrassed.

Then we laughed. Hard. What else was this day going to throw at us!?

Luckily, nothing. He fished (although left side now covered in mud) and I read Amy Poehler's book (loving it so far) for the next two hours.

 Paul's good side.

Doesn't she look fabulous!?

"You having fun, babe?" he'd ask me every once in awhile.

"Yeah! Are you?"

"Abolutely!" he assured me.

I love our boring life!

Weekly Workout Recap!

Not much running and lots of lifting is what happened this week!

Chest/shoulders/core at Planet Fitness. Paul went with me!

It was our first Planet Fitness date in a couple years!

Oh, I also threw an 8lb medicine ball at the trampoline and caught it 100 times!

 

5 miles. KNEE BE DAMNED! HIP BE DAMNED! I AM RUNNING!

My hip was a little right after and my knee felt fine. I wore my brace.

Back at Planet Fitness. 

PLANET FITNESS TWO DAYS THIS WEEK? WHAT THE HELL!?

5 neighborhood miles. 5 miles is tough for me these days! The only way I got through it is by mental tricks (only 3 miles, okay 4, okay 5) and an awesome pod cast.

Chest at home while watching Big Brother highlights on Youtube. It is the perfect thing to "watch" while you lift because you don't really even need to watch- just listen.

The lateral raises are always really hard because I save them to the end. I also challenged myself with the 25lb shoulder press. Sometimes I get lazy and only do 15-20lb. When I go 25lb, I have to really engage my whole body- core and glutes especially- to get those suckers up!

Picmonkey has been pissing me off... hence the photographs of me simply writing out my workout.

My adventure on the arc trainer, which you can read about here.

And core, stretching, and medicine ball throws.

Back day! I love back day. But I hate Picmonkey, so I have to type out my workout...

Pull Ups (overhand)- 1x4

Asst. Pull Ups (overhand)- 3x10

Inverted Rows- 3x10

Lat Pull Down- 3x10x80lb

Cable Row- 1x15x50lb

Asst. Pull Ups (neutral)- 4x10

Bicep Curls- 2x15

Cat Camel- 3x10

Bird Dog- 3x10

Bicycle Crunches- 4x40

Stretching/Rolling- LOTS!

Tell me about your best workout this week!

Adventures on the Arc Trainer.

Paul and I go to Planet Fitness together now! We don't workout "together", but we drive in the same car to get there. It's more fun being there when I know he is there too. And one of the perks of having the summer off is that you don't have to get up at 5am to beat the crowds! Yesterday, we rolled in at the lazy-ass hour of 1:30 and it was pretty empty.

I decided I would try the Arc Trainer because I wanted to see if it bothered any of my "tender" body parts. I thought it might bother my knee but would be easy on the hip. But there was only one way to find out.

I hopped on my machine and after 3 minutes, I could tell it wasn't going to be great for my knee. But obviously, since I decided I was going to do 30 minutes, I pressed on. (Ha.) I slowly increased the incline and resistance but didn't go too hard. I really hate machines but I had a good Big Brother pod cast so that made the time go by a little more quickly.

Finally, I was done. Knee was feeling pretty weak. I should have worn my brace. I feel like it would have given me a lot more stability.

Can we just talk about how I totally did not burn 400 calories in 30 minutes? My guess is more like 250.

When I stepped off the Arc Trainer, I felt like if I had started running, my knee would have collapsed. Damn! It never felt weak when I ran. This Arc Trainer is no joke!

Oh, did I mention that my back was KILLING me!? I got my period that morning, and for the first 18 hours of my period, my lower back hurts so bad. When I stepped off the Arc Trainer it hurt EVEN MORE! Uggggggggh being a woman of menstruation age suuuuuuuuuuuucks.

I went over to the room with the mats and floor space to do some core work and stretching. The more I stretched, the stronger my leg felt. I got it to the point where it felt pretty normal. (I even iced it when I went home and it felt so-so.) My back also felt a little better after I stretched but not great. There was just so much pressure there. I needed a massage.

Right when I laid out my mat for core work and got into cat camel position, I started to get REALLY MAD. I felt so mad I wanted to PUNCH someone. You know what was making me mad?

My face felt disgusting because I had worn makeup to the gym. (Not my usual style but I had already had it on for piano lessons and I didn't want to wash it off and look all splotchy at the gym because Paul was there.)

. 

My shorts were a little too big so I could feel them. You know what I am talking about?

I wore a cotton tank instead of a moisture wicking tank. It felt so gross.

Yah, that's why I wanted to punch someone out. Don't worry, I didn't. Instead, I did a bunch of  core stuff. 

Here's the core work I did. It's just the usual stuff...

Cat Camel- 3x10

Bicycles- 4x40

Bird Dog- 3x10

Stability Ball Pass- 3x8

Plank w/ Knee Tuck- 3x20

Plank- 6x45 sec

Captain's Chair- 4x15

Throw Medicine Ball At Trampoline- 3x50 <--- no not core, but remember I said I felt like I wanted to punch something?

I normally do core only on the days I lift, but I had 13 chicken nuggets from Wendy's and Kraft mac and cheese for dinner the night before. And since I have been pretty happy with how my stomach has been looking lately (even though I eat Twizzlers every night), I kind of felt like I wanted to keep up with it and keep "honing in on the abs". It is bathing suit season, right!!??

Do you ever use the Arc Trainer or other cardio equipment besides the treadmill?

Tell me your period woes!

How often do you do straight up core stuff?

RANT!!!

I did not tell you about a really annoying incident that happened while we were in San Diego. I like to keep my vacation posts light and fluffy, but this incident on the San Diego boardwalk made me feel gross. 

The day we arrived, we went to Mission Beach and had pizza on the boardwalk strand. We didn't eat all of it, so they gave us a box. It looked like one of those big see through salad containers that you get at a salad bar- which was kind of strange- but it closed nicely around the pizza and we carried it into a couple shops.

The thing in San Diego, I guess, is that the clerks in the stores sort of follow you around. I couldn't take it! I just wanted to browse without someone up my butt. (Mom, you would have HATED it!) 

Well, I went into a store to look for a t-shirt for my brother and the clerk in there was a young guy. (Paul was outside.) The guy could have been 21 or he could have been 26- I really could not tell. I turned down an aisle of clothing racks and he stopped at the end of the aisle and put both hands casually on opposite racks as if to "trap" me. 

"Okay, I'll make you a deal," he says, all friendly. "I'll let you carry the pizza in the store if you buy a shirt." (I hadn't even told him I was there to buy a shirt.) I was EXTREMELY annoyed the way he had sort of blocked me in. He would never have done that to a GUY, nor would he have done that if Paul was in there with me. But because I was a GIRL, it was okay, and it was okay for him to "make deals with me." 

I stared at him with a dead panned look on my face. "Is there a problem with me carrying my pizza in here?" I asked, exasperated. 

"Ehhh we'll see," he says all chummy. 

I rolled my eyes, turned around, and walked straight out of the store. He called after me, "I was just joking, ma'am, I was just kidding." But I left and I felt VERY GROSS. I hate how guys think they can treat girls however they want.

AND DON'T CALL ME MA'AM!!!

Can you relate to this situation? Where men treat you differently just because you're a girl? It happens all too often, in my opinion. I mean, even at the gym, men I don't know give me unsolicited advice. I don't see them giving GUYS they don't know unsolicited advice.

Randomy Randomness

1. Running makes me HUNGRY. Before vacation, I had been doing a lot of walking, a lot of lifting, and minimal running. But on vacation, I did all the runs I had scheduled. MAN was I HUNGRY! I forgot how hungry running makes me! Just a few days ago I did a really hilly 6 mile run while Paul was fishing. I accomplished a huge hill I hadn't run in quite a long time. I thought if I ran up it, I would feel like myself. Well, run up it I did (albeit slowly!), and now for the rest of the day I was a bottomless pit! It sure was a good feeling. I'm not afraid of eating when I am hungry. If I am hungry, it is for a reason. And I love when that reason is because of a RUN!

2. Many of you asked whether the CBD patch I bought in Colorado helped with my knee pain. I didn't use it until a couple days later. I put it on halfway through our drive from Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon. My knee generally hurts while I drive and it was hurting that day. The patch didn't make the pain go away but it did seem like it stopped it from feeling worse. I did notice that the patch chilled me out- much like an Ativan. Remember, there was no THC in this patch (the compound that makes you high), just CBD. In my opinion, in the situation I used the patch for, an Ibuprofin for the pain and and Ativan to chill me out would have worked just as well as the patch. And since the patch was $16 (one time use!), obviously Ibuprofin and Ativan would be way less expensive! It was cool to try, though.

3. The "unfollow" function on Facebook is one of the best things ever invented. In the past, I have gotten in trouble for unfriending people on Facebook. But if you simply "unfollow" them, you are still their friend, you just don't have to see all the annoying shit they post.

4. We eat at Wendy's now. I wasn't much of a fast food eater (If I craved a burger and fries I wanted "quality" from an actual restaurant), but we had Wendy's on vacation and twice since. That's three times in less than two weeks! I like getting a junior cheeseburger deluxe, a 6 piece nugget, a couple of Paul's fries, and a diet coke. Yup, I am a pig!

Come on, this looks super appetizing...

5. Big Brother has started! Do you watch that show? We have seen every season and are loving this season (17) so far. It's on 3 times a week, plus Big Brother After Dark each night (2-3 hours)... then there are the message boards and of course the pod casts. Yeah, I get really into Big Brother during the summer!

I'm rooting for...

Jason, the PeeWee Herman-esque guy from MA who lives in his mother's basement.

Johnny Mack, the crazy dentist from Scranton, PA

And Da'vonne, the funny new mom who I basically want to be best friends with.

Go them!

6. My garden is fuuuuuuuuuuuucked. Everything is huge and falling over. I had to keep the tomato plants up by tying them to the fence with Christmas ribbon. I got some good peppers so far but only a couple green tomatoes are popping up. Some of the tomato plant's leaves are dead. But I have a shit-ton of cilantro. It's the biggest bush of cilantro I ever saw in my life and I don't know how it happened. So everyone reading this... if you need cilantro, just come over and take it!

LOOK AT ALL THE CILANTRO!!!

7. And now, pictures of me and Jelly. Because.

I can't get any internet-ing done with Jelly on my lap!

Do you like fast food? From where?
How's your garden doing?
Do you watch Big Brother or something equally as silly?
Tell me something random!