Really, I have one biological sibling. That would be Hermano. He was my 4th birthday present (pretty cool, huh?) and I love him like crazy. He was my date to my friend's wedding a couple weeks ago and it was a blast to have him there :)
Have I mentioned that I have the cutest siblings ever??? In case I haven't, I'm just going to show you how stinking cute they are!! Really, I have one biological sibling. That would be Hermano. He was my 4th birthday present (pretty cool, huh?) and I love him like crazy. He was my date to my friend's wedding a couple weeks ago and it was a blast to have him there :) My other sibling is my "little sister" Caitlin. We've pretty much been siblings since she was born but it took a while for her to get to Tejas and join me :) Her 21st birthday is in a few days and she went home to Arizona so I sent part of her bday gift to her house there. Last night, she got it in the mail and texted me. Cutest pics ever (like every other pics she sends me) All of this is just to say that I absolutely adore my siblings. Have a terrific Tuesday. Then end ;)
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This weekend, Max and I took my mother-in-law on a 4 mile walk. I'm trying to encourage her to start working out and we both had the itch to go for a walk Sunday morning. It was great to get out... not so great to get out around noon in the middle of a Texas summer...
After 3.5 miles, poor Max decided his fur coat wasn't doing it for him any longer. He found a shady spot in the grass and was out for the count. Luckily, his grandma ran home to get the car and we shuttled him home. He tried soooo hard to make it but he just. couldn't. do. it. My poor little boy! Anyway, I took advantage of the time with him and we took some pics together :) (He doesn't look like he's about to pass out, does he? Such a good model!) This weekend's events reminded me of how important it is to take measures to stay cool during your summer workouts (especially in temps teetering on triple digits!!). Here's a list of 8 Ways to Stay Cooler During Summer Runs that I found in my Runner's World magazine. It's just a few but every little bit helps!! (I also copied the info from the RW page so there are some helpful links you can check out). And, just remember, it's more important to stay safe than it is to finish your run. If it's between you finishing the run and passing out, it's a heck of a lot easier to make it home when you're conscious... 1. Run when the conditions are coolest. Take advantage of long summer days to run when the mercury is lowest, ideally in the early morning or evening. (Getting it done in the a.m. can boost your mood for the day, too!) If you've got a key workout on the schedule, consider taking it indoors so you can push harder without having to fight the heat. 2. Hydrate properly before, during and after your run. Warmer temps mean upping your fluid intake. Before your run, try to drink at least eight ounces of water or sports drink every hour so your perspiration systems are in tip-top shape. Consider bringing fluids with you on the run in a water belt or pouch, or map out a run that hops from water fountain to water fountain. (Gas stations, schools and city parks are often good options.) If you don't like to carry fluids, stash bottles along your route for longer runs. Replenish post-run with an electrolyte-filled sports drink. Check out this tag page for more tips. 3. Run near water. Rivers, lakes, and oceans usually create slightly cooler, breezier conditions. (And afterward you can reward yourself with a postrun dip!) ...4. And on grass in the shade. Asphalt retains heat and radiates it back upwards. If possible, find a park or trail with tree cover. 5. Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothes. Reflect the sun's rays away from you (rather than absorbing them with dark gear), and avoid tight attire that won't allow a breeze to get through. Steer clear of sweat-soaking cotton; instead, wearing moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics. For some runner-tested options, check out this list. 6. Grab the sunscreen. Not only will you avoid harmful ultraviolet rays, but a layer of the stuff will keep your skin and body temperature lower. Don't forget to apply on overcast days as well. Use SPF 30 or higher. 7. Pick the right headgear. You lose much of your body heat through your head, which is a good thing during the summer. Don't cap it off with a snug, thick fabric hat. Instead, opt for a visor or roomier lid with breathable mesh. 8. Try precooling. Lowering your body temperature in the hour before you run in the heat slows the rate at which your core temperature rises once you're out the door. That translates into being able to run farther or faster than would otherwise be possible in the heat. One review of research found that precooling improved hot-weather performance by 3%. In addition to wearing a commercially available "ice vest," you can sip cool beverages and sit in an air-conditioned room. I don't know about you, but this week seemed to take Foooooor-evvvvv-eeerrrrr. It could be because I went to sleep late every single night for one reason or another - oops!!
ANYWAY, I wanted to wish you all a happy Friday! Hopefully you have something exciting planned for the weekend! I'm hoping to catch up on some of the sleep I missed this week - wish me luck! Saw this list of 20 Things Texans Like to Talk About and thought I'd share it. If you're from Texas you will totally get it and if you're not, you've probably met a Texan and this may help you make a little more sense out of what they are talking about ;) So I normally am not a big TV fan. When Hubs is out of town, I will go an entire weekend without even touching the remote. I always feel like I should be doing something else like reading or working out or pretty much anything other than watching TV. I do, however, keep up with some shows that I watch with the hubby and enjoy them but I could live without them.... except Suits. I LOVE the show Suits. I mean, I've been counting down the days till the new season starts (tonight!!) and all day, I've been giddy about the idea of watching it tonight. Yesterday, I received my newest Birchbox and was stoked to see that they mentioned Suits as their inspiration for this month. I mean, really, it's like they were in my head! Since I couldn't hope to describe the series in such enticing yet concise language, I've included the description that USA uses to explain the show: Even the best lawyer in New York City can use some help. If you haven't seen this gem of a show, I highly recommend you catch up, stat. Having gone to law school, I can relate to a lot of the expectations put on the characters and I feel like it has a fairly realistic portrayal of life in the legal/big firm world. Of course, the characters are great (Donna is my favorite character but who doesn't love a smart, funny, fashionable red-head who is always going to tell it like it is). This show provides the right amount of drama and character support to make a truly wonderful series. Check out the preview for tonight's show below and then go rent seasons 1 and 2 so you can truly get all that is going on! Saturday evening, we cooked and had our next-door-neighbors over for dinner and games. (This pic is a week old but I didn't take one on Saturday night). It was so much fun to hang out with them and when Karen won (that's right I announced it for the world), I think all of us ended up clapping in celebration!! I had Sunday lunch with this cutie this weekend. Her dad is my dad's Godson and it had been 4 years since I saw Isabella. Last time I saw her, she was half this size and hadn't lost ANY teeth yet (notice that little gap on the bottom of her smile? She lost that tooth while we were at lunch). I love seeing her family and it was great to see her again! Thank you to my friend Kristen for letting me use her picture :) Sunday night was filled with amazing Texas thunderstorms. I didn't want to go to sleep because I just love the sound of rain falling. It was wonderful This was the precursor to the full family-snuggle-during-a-thunderstorm time. After this, we had all the animals on the couch snuggling with us while we turned off the TV and just listened to the thunder crash and the rain hit our roof. I didn't want it to end. P.S. Look how cute my baby boy is all curled up with Daddy :) I hope all of you had a lovely weekend! Can you believe the year is half over?? Where does the time go???
So I made this for lunch over the weekend and it was amazing. So amazing that I brought it for lunch today! Except today, I added a little bit of quinoa to the mix to change things up a bit :) It takes about 10 minutes to make and fills you up for hours! Plus, it's easy to change the seasonings to fit your mood. I used the ingredients below but you can use whatever you feel like to flavor it!
Ingredients: 2 stalks of kale - leaves torn off into smaller pieces A turkey burger Avocado Olive Oil (enough to saute your kale to the consistency that you like) Spicy Italian seasoning salt (just a pinch) Chile powder Lime juice Onion powder garlic powder Directions: Saute the kale in olive oil and season, to taste, with the seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder and chile powder. While the kale is softening, cover the turkey burger in lime juice and chile powder (I like a lot of flavoring so I added quite a bit...). Cook the turkey until it is cooked through and put it aside. When your kale has sauteed to the consistency you like, cut up the turkey and mix it in with the salad. Dice pieces of avocado to add to the salad and voila! You have a delicious and healthy meal! So it's been, ohhh, three months since I last wrote here. That's only like a quarter of a year. Or a whole season. Guess I just needed to take a little time for myself before re-enetering the blog world. So much has happened over the last couple months that I don't even know where to begin. I thought about going through long, drawn-out updates to let you know exactly what the last 12 weeks were like but I realized that would probably put you to sleep and since it's still the beginning of the week, it would just be mean to put you through that. Instead, here is a recap of lessons learned/realizations:
Ok, so all those things sounded better in my head but, hey, at least it's a start! I'll try to get things back up and running over the next few days. Before you leave, please check out my friend's sad story and sign this petition to support more responsible gun handling/decision making by off-duty officers. **My dear friend Kim lost her family dog, Gunner, this weekend when he ran out of the yard to follow Kim's 12 year old step-son and 5 year old son after they hit a baseball over their fence. When the boys were looking for their ball, Gunner saw a neighbor walking their dog and went up to say hello. The neighbor's wife tripped and said she was scared for her life, so her husband, an off-duty officer, immediately shot Gunner at point-blank just feet from the 12 and 5 year old boys. The boys were devastated as they watched their 4-year old dog take its last few breaths. It's absolutely horrible that someone can be so quick to shoot an animal, ESPECIALLY right in front of children. The fact that he was an off-duty officer makes it even scarier. He is someone we trust our safety with but it doesn't comfort me to know that he is someone who will pull and discharge a gun in a residential area with no hesitation and questionable threat. Check out Kim's family's story right here. It is one of several news reports from the Houston area. |
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