Enjoying the 75 degree day!!

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day!! Sunny and 75 degrees. Sundays are my rest day from working out, we decided to hit the driving range. Bobby got some new clubs yesterday, so he was itching to try them out. 

This is going to be the year that I get better at golf!! I say this every year, but this year is going to be my year. I can feel it. Plus, I'm already off to an early start!!

I sucked it up today, but I did find a sweatshirt that I thought was lost forever. Jackpot!!

After our golf outing, we ran some errands and then came home to take the pup out for a walk. We drove to the park so he could play before we hit the trail for 2 miles. He was worn out after!!

I was too. I took a little nap. (2 naps in 1 weekend!!!)  Then made Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner. 

Veggies (I used onion, bell pepper, and corn, but you can use any veggies) and chicken in the skillet...

I made a sauce with chicken broth, hot rotel, sour cream, and cajun seasoning. Added in rotini and ta-da...

It ended up being super spicy, but delicious!!!

Happy Monday!!

Weekend recap

It was the fiance's birthday weekend so we were out and about all weekend. 

Friday night we went to a Japanese steakhouse and then out to a the new Westport Ale House that just opened. 

We had a good group of about 12 and we were so lucky to snag a seating area at the bar. 

Dancing and basketball made for a fun Friday night!

I got up and ran 10 miles to get in my long run for the week. After the run, I relaxed with some compression and a nap with the fur babies. 

Bobby went golf club shopping. New used calloways for him. He is pumped!! We might hit the driven range today to try them out. Then we met friends out at for drinks and fun again!!

Jell-O shots are a great way to start the night!!! 

I think he had a great time!! Everyone had a fun weekend. 

I hope everyone had a good weekend. What did you do? 

April Cookbook Challenge

Carrots 'n Cake is hosting a cookbook challenge in April.  Head over here to check out all of the details...plus she is doing some giveaways! 

Per CNC: "It’s easy to join! Here’s how: Each week for the month of April, just pick at least one recipe from your cookbooks and make it. Simple as that. The goal of the challenge, of course, is to use your cookbooks as much as possible, so feel free to make more than one recipe! Actually, make a whole bunch!"


I am definitely joining in the challenge.  I am going to try for 2-3 recipes each week.  I think it will be fun!   Some of my favorite cookbooks that I own are:

Ellie Krieger-great healthy ideas

My Mom made this cookbook for me, my brother and sister one Christmas.  It has our favorite childhood recipes.  I love using it for inspiration.  Plus, there are some hilarious pictures of us as kids!!!

I also have one from my Grandma of all of her old recipes.  That will be a fun one to look through!  I haven't checked it out in years. :)

Will you joing the challenge?  Don't forget to go to Carrots 'n Cake to join! :) 

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday!! Even though I had a short work week, it seemed to take FOREVER! I'm so happy it is the weekend!

Let's get started.

#1-It's the fiance's birthday on Saturday, so we started the celebration by having a nice dinner just the 2 of us. We have plans this weekend, so we snuck in a little couple time last night. Michael Smith is a James Beard award winning chef with a creative and delicious menu. It did not disappoint.

We started with a smoked salmon wonton bite. Then I ordered this delicious menu:

I had never tried sea urchin. The spaghetti was so good! Instead of the strawberries, we had a pot de cocoa. It was amazing, but so rich. Bonus-Italian wines were half off!! We picked a great night to go!

#2-I also did a new to me workout from Chocolate Covered Race Medals blog post yesterday.  I think she found it on Pinterest and it is really from Blogilates.  I often find good workouts from them.  Some great barre stuff!!!  It was challenging and fun!  Who doesn't love round numbers when working out??

#3-There are rumors flying all around my workplace that they might be getting rid of our line of business.  This is crazy stressful and we are all just waiting on an announcement.  I'll be on pins and needles until we hear something certain!!  It is making it very hard to be productive and focus in the office.

#4-NCAA March Madness is still going strong.  My teams are all out, but a friend of mine bet on Dayton at 500 to 1 to win it all.  They are still in so Go Dayton!!!  That will be my cheer for the rest of the tourney!

#5-Self Magazine recently posted an article about "lame tutus" in races.  As it turns out, her company, Glam Runner, makes these tutus and gives proceeds to various charities.  Including one for brain cancer...which the girl has and the picture they were making fun of was from her first race after being diagnosed.  Way to go Self Magazine!!  Apparently they issued an apology...maybe next time, just don't make fun of people who are out there being active and having fun!!  https://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/self-magazine-cancer-survivor-monika-allen-181452496.html

This girl is an inspiration and did not deserve being made fun the butt of a joke.  The upside is that the backlash has sent her tutu sales through the roof!  I personally think they are adorable and you should run in them if it makes you happy!

Those are my 5 things this Friday.

Do you still have a team in the NCAA tourney?

Do you like to run in costume or are you a traditional outfit kinda person?  I'm boring, but I love seeing people in costumes!

Finding Balance

I have been a terrible blogger since I went on vacation last week. I got swamped at work when I came back and my scheduled posts didn't go up as planned. So, I appologize for late posts, no posts, and probably sub par posts as well. :)  I will try to do better!!

Today I want to talk about life balance.  How do you balance your healthy lifestyle?  Living a balanced life to me is about finding a way to be happy with your life and still be healthy for the most part.  I go out with friends, go on girls trips and other vacations, drink (probably too much) and eat (probably more/worse than I should).  I try to balance this by being active at least 5 days a week and eating home cooked healthier meals most days during the week.  Weekends are a whole 'nother story!  ;) 

Another part of balance is work/life/spiritual balance.  I try not to stress about work-I don't love my job, but the perks make it worth it.  Having a flexible boss means everything!  I struggle with not saying no to activities.  (Anyone else?!?!?)  I end up playing in too many volleyball leagues and going out too much at times.  This is fun for awhile, but I usually end up run down and burned out after awhile.  Must learn to say No!!  I don't talk about it much, but God and church are a big part of my life.  My fiance is a preacher's kid, so we attend his dad's church.  It is a great place to worship and praise.  There is always room for improvement in your spiritual journey (no matter what it may be). 

When doing a little research, I found this great blog post from Little Miss Runshine that has great tips! http://www.littlemissrunshine.com/2013/04/living-a-healthy-balanced-life.html

Back to the Real World

I worked from home yesterday to recover, do laundry, clean and spend some quality time with the pups. Lots of snuggles, playing and a walk were included in our day.

I managed to squeeze in a 45 minute bike ride before our 30 minute walk.  Kept it short yesterday because stupid winter came back for a few days in KC!!  I want spring to come and stay.  I LOVED walking around in flip flops every day in Vegas!

After biking and walking, I treated myself to a Vanilla Macchiato from Starbucks.  If you haven't tried it, they are delicious!

Being back at work is no fun after a few days off, but I found some fun stories to share to brighten my day and hopefully yours too!

Dog alarm clocks are actually the best alarm clocks...  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/dog-alarm-clock_n_5028989.html?utm_hp_ref=cute-animals  I totally agree.  My dog wakes me up 2 minutes before my alarm every day!

You know you watch too much tv when... http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/us-germany-corpse-idUSBREA2O1N520140325

Probably going to be the coolest kid!  http://www.eonline.com/news/524214/mila-kunis-debuts-tiny-baby-bump-shops-for-groceries-with-ashton-kutcher-as-pregnancy-news-breaks

The newlywed wants to withdraw her guilty plea for pushing her new husband off a cliff.  Hmmm?!?!
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20800341,00.html

Happy Hump Day!!!

Vegas Recap

What a great long weekend in Las Vegas. I definitely didn't want to come back!! 

We surprised the birthday girl with a limo ride from the airport to the hotel. 

Complete with champagne. 

We settled into the hotel and headed out for the night. A great dinner at Joe's in Caesars and then gambling and some more drinks...

Mexican food, more beers and basketball were on the agenda for day 2!

The whole bar erupted when Mercer took Duke down. 

This tv was barely big enough for me to watch Texas get their booty kicked!!

After the loss we decided to go to the comedy show for some laughs. 

More gambling and drinks ensued...it was Vegas after all!!

Definitely not more winning for me. 

We took in some sights...aka walking around and people watching. Also, stopped by the volcano show at Mirage. 

All in all a fantastic girls trip!! Laid back and so much fun! 

Five Things Friday-KC Edition

This Friday I am doing a Kansas City edition. If you are ever in Kansas City, here are some of my favorite spots and activities!!

Top 5 Local Restaurants-This one was hard.  I love so many restaurants around town for various reasons. 
Rye-A twist on comfort food.  Their shrimp and grits with pulled pork is amazing!!

Oklahoma Joes-you can't beat barbecue in a gas station!!  This joint is famous across the country for their delicious barbecue.

Cafe Trio-upscale and trendy fun spot with amazing food.

BRGR-if you want a good burger, this is the place to go.  I love their traditional burger, but they have the best salmon burger that I have ever eaten.

Tannin Wine Bar-good food, great wine, and close to lots of fun spots!

Top 5 Free Activities
Nelson Atkins Museum-free and fun to walk around and see the changing exhibits

Running on the various trails-the trail system is great around town.  There are so many choices and you can always find friendly faces out running, biking, walking, etc.  One of my favorite photo collages from a recovery run in the fall.

Botanical Gardens-the first time I visited was for my 30th birthday.  It is fun to walk around the gardens and venture off to "hike" as well.

Farmer's Market (sort of free-I always buy something!!)-I love going to the farmer's market from spring through fall.  It is a great way to walk around after a run.

Walking around the Country Club Plaza (also, sort of free---there is shopping, so you can choose to spend $$)

Favorite Sporting Events:
There are several sports teams and events around town.  In 2012, we even got the MLB All Star game.  I got to go to the celebrity game.  It was a great time!

The Chiefs and Royals are the biggest pro teams around and my personal favorites. 

Sporting KC is becoming a big deal in the soccer world.  I am not a huge soccer fan, but the games are fun to attend.  The atmosphere is amazing!!

The Big 12 basketball tournaments are here each year as well.  The Sprint Center is located right next to a fun bar area, so they have pep rally's and fun activities all weekend!

I don't know anything about NASCAR, but I know we have a track here.  It's called the Kansas Speedway.  I did a bike race there a couple of times.  It is a cool place, but I don't think I will ever attend a NASCAR event.

Have you ever been to Kansas City?  What was your favorite thing to do/see/eat/drink?

What are some of your favorite things about your town?