good feeling 19

today i realized that i've been unintentionally participating in no shave november. yeah- oops. now the question is do i just keep it up or..... yeah, probably not shaving anytime soon. that, my friends, is the beauty of winter and tights.

day nineteen- so this summer i got into spinning. it's great. nobody can see you sweating your brains out, you're encouraged to scream and hoot and holler, and its kind of your own tailored workout. i like it. this morning was no different on the cycling front. the instructor today was like a walking talking tabloid, wearing a cheetah print top and donning a full set of extensions in a ponytail all tied up with a bow. all through class she gave me the lowdown on the kardashians, beiber, nordstrom, etc etc. we all need those little escapes, no?

good saturday. i'm gonna faceplant into my bed, goodnight

i am not one of those pretty runners

especially in the july heat.
one hour in the sun leaves me beat red with my shirt soaked through and through. (note to self: stick to light colored tanks)
sometimes i feel bad for the people that have to pass me. but hey at least i can give them a good laugh and something to tell their friends about when the conversation dies down (oh by the way you should have SEEN the sweat pouring off of this chick i saw running on university ave today...)
regardless, i don't really care.
especially since i downloaded this playlist from blogworld, as recommended by emily. get it and get running... dolly parton was never more entertaining.

in other news i got back in to yoga yesterday... if you can call it that. i don't know if it's just poser yoga they offer at golds, because i am pretty sure in a legit yoga class you wouldn't hear basketballs bouncing off walls and see sweaty muscly guys checking themselves out in the mirrors every time you came up for a sun salutation, but ya know, whatever. namaste and stuff.
really though, it was awesome. people say things like "oh yoga is so energizing!" and "yoga helps me really connect with myself", however, it did neither of those things for me. after our curly haired, barefooted instructor wearing a t-shirt proclaiming something about Saigon and beer finished his shpeal on breathing into your stretch and whatnot,  i just felt like a limp noodle and completely drained of all energy and connection.
i've got a ways to go. but maybe it will be an excuse to buy some new yoga pants? (i think i'd fit in better clad in some of those. they're all the rage with the males of the group... heh heh)

this morning i was all excited to make some rad granola because i finally finished off my last batch.
i burned the whole thing.
the pan resembled a mix of charcoal remnants and the crumb catcher underneath a toaster.
i suck at ovens.

can't wait for san diego in a couple days

via pinterest

but is it wrong to say that i am secretly most excited about this?

trader joe's, we shall meet soon.
and you better be all i have been dreaming you up to be.

so, what are you doing?

currently i am about dead on the couch. cause of death? death by delicious food. let's get to our favorite things as of this week, shall we?

1. this soup. this delicious gingered sweet potato concoction that forced me to pinch myself to make sure i was still living. i eat soup in the summer and i like it that way. seriously though, easiest soup to date. if you're interested i went off this recipe

2. mason jars as drinking glasses. as i type this my loyal friend is right here beside me. it's always great to drink out of a jar that has your name embossed  across the front, yeah?

3. old navy credit cards. i'm just trying to build a mountain of credit, okay? ha but really. i got a sweet deal on some new runners this week from piperlime, cuz you can use that card for all old navy, gap, banana rep, athleta, and piperlime purchases. and i got twenty bucks off. some new mizunos for like 60 bucks? my feet say thank you very much.

4. the girl in my cycling class today that was wearing high heels. imagine this now. you look over during warm up, and the girl in front of you is latched in and wearing some three inch stilettos. i knew cycling could make you crazy.

5. nerts. nerf. crazee six. whatever it is called it's fun. we played on sunday and me and my partner (who i like to call the silver fox due to his gray patches) won. i never win cards. it was kind of awesome.

well friends, strangers, family, i hope everything is great and that july is treating you like it would want to be treated. time to do dishes and find books to read for my long trip to CA this weekend. it's gonna be goooooood.

do a little good

done any good in the world today?

if you're like me on most days, the answer feels like a no


BUT. you can change all that right now if you click here.

Now I Can is a provo based organization that helps children with club feet and other physical ailments get the therapy they need. tonight a group of girls in my ward went there to learn a little about their program and help out their cause.

vivint, another provo based business, is holding a contest here, and to make a long story short, the charity with the most votes wins. so vote for Now I Can! it's easy. click the link. log onto facebook (like you aren't already logged on) "like" vivint and vote for this charity.

you can do so every day until august 27. help them win 250,000 bones to help children get the physical therapy they need! it's worth it. it'll make you feel good.

and happy first day of summer. how did you celebrate the summer solstice? i got yogurtland, then ate a sizable amount of pineapple. mmmmmm. i also tired out "turbo kick" at gold's... not for me. i left early. even the elliptical is better than pretending to punch air.

going home tomorrow and gonna have to make a conscious effort not to speed, i just wanna get there asap.

one two step

welcome to my Friday night. Friends are playing, fun is brewing somewhere, and I am sitting in the kitchen studying for my accounting test. Yes. Anyways, amidst all these dividends and such I just decided I had to share a really great story that happened to me. Here it goes:

As most people know, I make an effort to get to the gym every day. Working out makes me feel a little better, gets my mind a little clearer, and makes me feel a little less guilty when I've just GOT to make a 50 cent Macy's ice cream cone run. Most mornings I make it, but Fridays are especially hard for me because I've got to be out the door for work by 8. That means early gym time... which takes me back to the good ol' days of Fitness 19 with Mom at 4:45... oh I do NOT miss those early mornings. Anyways, this morning I got up at 5:30, suited up, and went to Gold's with the intention of sweating it out at step class- the only class offered at 6 AM. I figured it wouldn't be that hard... I kind of remember my Mom doing step in the wee mornings of the early 90s, and from what I remembered, well, it wasn't anything I wasn't capable of. I got there in good time, found some space in the back corner, and sized up my competition. Meh- it was a handful of women in various walks of life, most 40s or 50s, and without a second thought I stretched out a little and prepared for what I thought would just be a nice little routine.

I was wrong. 

Stepping is a cult. I don't know where these women learned it, but they  were INSANE and I just stood there looking like a fool trying to mimic their footsteps as they did all these ridiculous moves and fancy footwork on that dumb bench. On a break one lady even turned to me and was like, "oh is this your first time? Don't be intimidated, just follow the footsteps.. you'll get a hold of it!" 

I did not get a hold of it. I was almost crying with embarrassment, the hilariousness of the situation, and the fact that the stupid step was kicking my butt. Why the beep was I even here? I could tell all the women around me were pitying me... they didn't look directly at me, but conveniently the walls at Gold's are full of mirrors, therefore the graceful steppers watched me just trip over myself in the back corner. However, I was determined to stay the whole 45 minutes. I was determined not to relive the "hip hop class" incident of many moons ago. 

But I am not that strong, turns out. After a big enough dose of embarrassment I stepped it right out of there with a "thanks for coming!" hollered at me from the instructor as I ran out of there, throwing back a big "ol' yeah..... you owned me" grin as I ran away.

You will find me at the treadmills from now on.