Wedding Recap: Gift Opening

Hi!

I was so surprised when I rolled over this morning and saw that the clock said 9am! I'm not sure if I'm still jet-lagged or what, but my sleeping schedule has been so off for the past week or so. Normally I'm up by 6am each day so waking up mid-morning feels a bit foreign to me.

Yesterday morning began with some pumpkin spice pancakes courtesy of Allie's recipe. You can check out how to make them over on her blog! Not a bad way to start a Saturday!

Back on the Healthy Train

The gym at the resort

Oh well, I guess my body needed the rest! Yesterday I headed to the gym to get back into my healthy-life routine and boy, did it feel good! I worked out a little bit on our honeymoon: hiking, swimming, using the resort's fitness center, etc. but nothing compares to a nice strength-training session followed by a spin on the cardio machines in your usual gym.

Yesterday's setup

I enjoy using other gyms but nothing really compares to have a "home gym" that you frequent most. I like visiting other locations of my gym for variety, but when I want a really good workout, I rely on the one that is most familiar to me so I know where everything is and what days/times it is busy.

The machines at the resort's fitness center were pretty nifty--you could plug your iPod right into the machine and browse your music on the large display screen rather than on your device. This made switching songs while running a breeze!

Speaking of running, it was hot in there! I swear I was sweating within the first 3 minutes into my run and the machine was a mess afterwards--ew!

Gift Opening

Last night, Andy and I headed over to my parent's house for dinner. We were celebrating my brother-in-law Andrew's birthday and opening our wedding gifts that my parents had stashed at their house while we were on our trip.

The resort that we stayed at for the week!

It was fun to see everyone and show them pictures of our honeymoon while reminiscing of stories.

I loved this bag!

One of my favorite gifts--Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs

Another favorite--a personalized apron!

(source)

After all of the gifts were opened, we headed down to the kitchen for some delicious homemade apple crisp topped with ice cream while we opened all of the cards we received. I opened one card and as I opened it, a baby-themed Target gift card slipped out. I stared at it in disbelief trying to figure out if someone bought the wrong gift card when I suddenly realized it was a joke. Two of Andy's groomsmen went in on a baby-themed gift card together as a joke. Hahaha, made my night.

Andrew's 21st

My dad gave my brother in law a 6 pack since he is turning 21 on Halloween! I saw this and started cracking up--they're so young! My sister's birthday is in March, so her 21st is right around the corner, too.

Off to go tackle organizing all of our gifts and finding places for them! My next post will be the "getting ready" part of my wedding day--hair, makeup, etc. so keep your eyes peeled! 

Have a great day! 

What kinds of gifts do you usually give for weddings? I usually go the "game" route--either a board game or a lawn game.

Do you like visiting a gym regularly or do you like to switch things up?

Favorite flavor of pancakes? I like blueberry--my grandpa makes the best blueberry waffles!

3 Years + What I Know about Weight Lifting

Good morning, bloggers!

First and foremost, it is our 3 year anniversary of dating today! We're headed out tonight after work to celebrate after running a wedding errand. The past few years have really flown by and I am so thankful that God brought him into my life as my best friend and the man I love. It's hard to believe that we'll be married next week!

Fitness Fanatics

Seeing that I haven't done a fitness post in quite awhile, I've decided to churn one out this morning. Looking for some tips to stay true to your workout? Click here for my other fitness post.

I used to be a fitness fanatic--working out 6 days a week with the majority of my time spent on the cardio side of things. Long story short, things have changed and now I work out 3-4 times a week at a higher intensity. Why, you ask? Because there is more to life than working out. Some nights I just like to come home and sit on the couch rather than swipe a membership card and devote an hour and a half to the elliptical while playing the same episode of Wheel of Fortune for the second time. Believe me, it's not fun when you already know the answers...

What I Know about Weight Lifting

I recently signed up for a couple of sessions with a personal trainer at my gym. I gave this decision a lot of thought and I am so glad that I did it. Working with my trainer taught me new things about lifting, cardio, and nutrition. He helped me customize a plan just for me that would meet my needs and give me the best results.

When he asked about my goal for working out, I presented these things:

• I don't want to lose weight
• Lean muscle gain was my ultimate goal
• Learning how to use the free weights properly was a high priority
• I already get more than enough cardio in on my own

He did a great job of taking my criteria and combining it into a fitness plan that focused on gaining muscle without losing weight in the process.

Cardio

I learned that strength training ultimately is your best choice when you're looking to gain muscle. If you need to lose weight, it is important to do a lot of cardio in your routines, but if you do too much and are not looking to lose weight, it can cut down on the amount of muscle that your body builds. Sometimes weight loss is necessary in order to see muscle, too.

Protein

When I used to slave away on the treadmill each day, I built a lot of endurance but never really saw any results. My weight stayed the same and I didn't gain much muscle. Working in the strength training department and really upping my protein intake helped my body build lean muscle faster.

Consistency

Change doesn't happen overnight. It's important to switch up your workouts so that your body doesn't plateau at one point and then stop gaining muscle. You need to challenge your body--forcing it to adapt, recover, and rebuild--resulting in you becoming STRONGER. It is also important to take rest days so that your muscle tears can heal before you work them again. I like to switch up my strength training for this very reason. Arms and chest one day, legs, back, and abs another. I also switch up between strength circuits, free weights, and the cable machines.

Circuits

Circuits are generally done with lighter weights with more repetitions. I used to think that these were bogus workouts and that they were a waste of time. Ha, was I ever wrong...these things kick my butt. I am usually drenched in sweat by the time that I complete all of these. Circuits are a great way to switch up your routine from getting too boring and to make sure you hit a variety of muscle groups.

So, what exactly does a strength training circuit look like? Here is just one of the workouts that I complete 2-3 times each week:

Circuit 1

Pushups with taps - 3 x 30

Squat to Row - 3 x 30

Side to side weighted lunges - 3 x 30

Circuit 2

Squat to press - 3 x 30

Ab rollers - 3 x 30

Chest presses 3 x 30

Circuit 3

Deadlifts - 3 x 15

Lateral raises 3 x 15 

Lying leg lifts 3 x 30

Circuit 4

Band walking - 3 x 30

Shoulder rotators - 3 x 15

Lat pull down - 3 x 10

I usually wrap this routine up with 20-30 minutes of light cardio before heading home to refuel with a protein shake. You generally have a 45 minute window after a workout to refuel so that your muscles get what they need. On days that I'm in a time pinch or if I'm headed somewhere after the gym, I'll pack a protein shake (powder, then just add water and shake) or Power Bar in my gym bag to make sure I get something within that window of time.

That being said, I also must share some of the strange things I've seen at the gym--seriously, I can't be the only one who thinks these behaviors are odd:

On Appearance

• Polos and khaki shorts (are we going golfing after our treadmill session?)
• White yoga pants and bright-colored underwear
• Complete sweat suits while running on the treadmill for an hour (how do you not sweat to death?)
• Flip flops while walking at an incline
• Perfectly straightened hair and tons of makeup...at 5:30am
• Mesh shirts and pushup bras
• Pants that are two sizes too small (how is that comfortable to move around in?)
• Denim anything
• Knee-high socks 
• Button-down shirts

On Behaviors

• Riding the elliptical for 5 minutes and then leaving (that's all they did?)
• Bringing 3 books to read while on the machines
• Staring at the same magazine page during your entire run (literally staring...not "oops, forgot to flip the page")
• Sweating like a banshee and not wiping down the machine afterwards
• Sniffling every. three. seconds.
• Not wearing deodorant
• Drying, straightening, or curling your hair in the nude
• Sitting on the locker room benches without anything on (another reason why I don't put my bag on the bench!)
• Drinking protein shakes while working out 
• Extreme grunting/yelling/cursing while lifting
• Singing along to your headphones while you run

Photo Challenge Day 9: Faceless self portrait

This photo represents a lot about me: first of all, it has my name in the background, and on top of those boxes is my first half marathon medal. Cups from my favorite coffee shop house my markers, since coloring/drawing is another hobby of mine. Front and center is a delicious homemade iced coffee, next to my MacBook Pro, where all of the design magic happens. 

Off to go deal with my hair! See ya!

What are you favorite routines to complete at the gym?

Any strange behaviors that you've witnessed?

What are your current fitness goals?

Bags, Boot Camp, & Bagels

Good morning!

This morning I woke up with my contacts in and makeup still on--yikes! I must have fallen asleep while catching up on Grey's last night. Luckily I woke up feeling well-rested and ready to start this Friday!

So, once in awhile I check my blog stats just for the heck of it. I was amused to learn that this week someone found my blog by searching "butter biscuit designs?" Awesome. They might not have found what they were looking for, but hopefully they had fun visiting!

I forgot all about Starbucks' Treat Receipts in the summer! A coworker gave me hers on Tuesday morning and I was so excited to swing by Starbucks before heading to pre-marital counseling for an afternoon pick-me-up. The treat receipts let you purchase any grande cold drink after 2pm for only $2.00! Normally I stick with my tried and true iced coffee, but this time I cashed in the blue slip for a delicious iced soy latte--one of my favorites! 

Does anyone else feel like they always have a million bags to carry out in the morning? Usually I try to stash my gym bag in the car the night before to avoid carrying it in the morning, but still! A lunch, purse, and bag of toast gets hard to juggle while walking down steps in high heels! Maybe I should try putting my lunch in my purse...

After work on Wednesday, I had some time to kill before I met up with my friend, Danielle. Since there was a gym nearby, I decided to head in for a workout and shower before grabbing coffee with her. I was surprised to find that this particular gym had a track inside! After completing a strength-training session, I ran laps on the track while blasting the iPod and before I knew it, I was sweating like crazy! Almost ready to call it a day with working out, I glanced at the clock and decided to take a class since I still had an hour an a half before I had to shower and head over to Starbucks.

I saw that there was a boot camp class starting in 10 minutes and thought I'd give it a whirl. I told myself that if I didn't like it, I could leave. I figured it would be fun--jumping through tires and doing push ups...

This class was no joke and completely kicked my butt. We lifted this huge brick things and as we were lifting, the instructor walked around and added more weight to them! Ahhh. I wanted to die in the first 15 minutes of the class haha.

After the lifting, we headed outside and ran to a nearby elementary school. We used their playground, track, and parking lot to complete and hour and a half of insane exercises. Pull-ups, push-ups, sprints, running with resistance bands on our ankles, crunches, and running up hill while a partner put a rope around your waist and pulled backwards to make it harder. 

OH. MY. GOSH.

I thought I was somewhat "in-shape"....

Apparently not, as I left that class sweaty and exhausted! Since I wasn't planning on going to a class in the first place, I didn't even have a water bottle on me! Yikes!

After showering, I swung by my favorite bagel place to grab dinner before meeting with Danielle to catch up. Whole wheat toasted with peanut butter is one of my favorite combos! You'd better believe I chugged the water and iced tea that I ordered as soon as we arrived! 

Danielle and I go way back--we attended the same church when we were younger and were in the same dance class for a couple of years. She's married now and has two adorable little boys and a little dog! It was so much fun catching up with her and reminiscing over past memories. I'd definitely looking forward to seeing her again this Fall at my wedding! 

Lately I can't seem to get moving in the morning and breakfast has been enjoyed either in route to the office or at my desk. Lots of smoothies make it possible to get enough nutrients in the morning to start my day. I love bringing my cups home and reusing them for portable smoothies. I can just toss them when I'm done and there's no dirty cups to wash! 

Favorite snack as of lately? These cinnamon raisin pretzels are amazing! They taste just like a cinnamon raisin bagel! If you have not yet tried these, you are missing out! They're so delicious! 

With that, I'm off! I'm heading in early to proof a flyer that I got back from the printer yesterday and then wrapping up a website that is due on Monday! I'll be in and out on the blog this weekend--I've got my first bridal shower tomorrow morning! 

Favorite snack as of lately? 
Do you ever have to go into work early or stay late?
Favorite bagel flavor or combo?
Ever taken a boot camp class?

Seventeen Point Six

Good morning and happy Monday!

This weekend flew by super fast! We sent out our invitations and we are so excited to find out who can make it to the wedding! It will be great to have so many family members and friends celebrate with us on that special day.

Can you guess what Andy received as an early birthday gift?

After hitting up the gym on Saturday, I texted Andy "Bikes, Bikes, Bikes!" and he responded back with the a-okay! As soon as he arrived at my place, we jumped in the car and headed to Target to pick up our bikes! Purchasing bikes is something that we have been talking about all summer long and we finally decided to bite the bullet and choose some. We actually ended up getting the ones that we had been eyeing earlier in the summer!

His and hers, respectively. 

The verdict? We absolutely love them! We went for a short ride on Saturday evening after stopping off at my brother-in-law's house to drop off a wedding invitation for him and his new wife. They live across the street from me! It was fun to catch up with them since we don't see them very often even though we are neighbors.

After leaving Tory's house, we set out to test drive our bikes. We headed down to the lake, stopped at McDonald's for a milkshake and a movie, and then rode around a smaller lake before heading back home. It was so fun to ride together since we got to be active and spend time together (two of my favorite things).

Our little bear wanted to come too

After our ride, I was so tired since I had already worked out that morning at the gym. On Sunday morning, I didn't wake up until 10:30am! That is unheard of for me since I'm usually up and at 'em around 6am even on weekends.

Yesterday, Andy came over for a taco lunch before we headed out for the bike trails. We ended up covering 17.6 miles over the course of the afternoon. The weather was perfect and so was the ride! We stumbled across some fun neighborhoods with big, fancy houses along with some smooth, scenic bike trails.

We stopped on the way home to take a few pictures of these pretty trees that we passed by! Can you tell that we're both photography lovers?

The weather was cool but we were sweaty when we finished riding!

We were both exhausted by the time we arrived home and crashed on the couch while watching a movie and eating some dinner. As I made dinner, Andy pulled up Google Earth to plot our route and figure out how far we went. Looks like we ended up covering over 17.6 miles! Not bad for our 2nd ride on the new bikes!

Off to work I go! Have a great day!

Does your butt get sore from bike riding? We got gel seats but ow....I'm still feeling the burn!
Do you have a bike?
Favorite milkshake flavor? I like chocolate best!

Invitations Out the Door

Good morning!

I took the day off from blogging yesterday since Friday was such a busy day! After work, I headed up to my step-grandma's house so that she could work on altering my wedding dress. Sine I'm such a shrimp, a good chunk of material needs to be cut off before it can be hemmed. After trying on the dress and pining it to the right height, we played around with bustle ideas and then headed upstairs for dinner.

It was great to catch up with her and my grandpa, since although they live right by me, I don't get to see them very often. My step-grandma is an awesome seamstress and has a little sewing shop set up in her house! I am so thankful that she is able to help me out with the alterations!

After saying goodbye and heading back home, I popped in a movie and waited for Andy to arrive. He got to my place around 10 and we started putting postage on all of our wedding invitations. We also assembled all of the invitations since we needed to include an invite, an RSVP card, and a smaller, stamped envelope for our guest to send in their RSVP card.

We finished the first round of invitations around 2am! It was a late night for this girl! Around 12am, I headed to the couch and assembled the invitations while laying down and watching another movie since I'm normal in bed by 10:30 each night!

The next morning, I dropped off the invitations at the Post Office and they are out the door! Friends and family should be receiving them this week! This was a major wedding to-do and it feels great to have it complete! Now we will just wait to receive the response cards!

We're getting married in 61 days! Ah! I remember for the longest time that that number was well over 200 days! Now it is so close!

After the post office, I ran and errand and couldn't help picking up some of these. Since I'm not going back to school this Fall, but still wanted some new supplies, I purchased some markers for my desk at work! I'm excited to use these tomorrow at the office!

Of course I put my name on them just as I would have done for school. ;-)

I was surprised when I took the larger markers out of their box and found that the barrels were black! I had never seen this before! After looking at the back of the box, I soon learned why!

After running my errand, I hit up the gym for a sweaty workout to start the day! This past week, I was chatting with Allie about strength training. I've always used to the weight machines, but recently started using free weights.

This intimidates me like crazy since I don't know much about free weights except what I learned in dance. My studio required us to do a lot of training on top of dancing (lifting weights, sit ups, push ups, running, etc.). Since I knew I wanted to step this area of my workouts up a notch, I bit the bullet and signed up for a few training sessions with a personal trainer at the gym. My first one is this week and I'm excited but also a little nervous! I'll let you know how it goes.

Upon returning home from the gym, I cooled off with a shower and a delicious protein-packed smoothie!
It definitely hit the spot! After awhile, Andy came over and we headed out to get his birthday gift a little early! I'll reveal what it was tomorrow! Last night, we were wiped after our late night the night before, so we cooked up some turkey burgers and settled in on the couch while enjoying a movie that we picked up while we were out. I had heard that it was a great movie from a few friends of mine, and they were right!

(source)

It was very uplifting and had a great message that was woven throughout the film. Bethany Hamilton endured so much yet remained optimistic about it all and in the end, so much good came out of her tragic event. I would highly recommend it!

A sure sign that you need to run your dishwasher? When you're sipping iced coffee from a mug since all of your drinking glasses are dirty! 

I'm off to start the dishwasher and hit the shower before heading out to spend the day with Andy! Have a great Sunday!

Do you use free weights or the machines? 

Ever worked with a personal trainer? 

What was your favorite thing about going back to school as a kid? I loved new backpacks and art supplies!