Posts Tagged by pinterest
Blogger Love: The Liebster Award
| July 14, 2014 |
I love meeting new bloggers and reading other blogs. But lately, I find myself browsing Instagram a lot more than I do the web. That’s when I found Lauren Lives Healthy. Her Instagram is very similar to what I post: yummy healthy food & fitness.
Lauren nominated me for the Liebster Award! What’s that you ask?
Liebster – adjective: meaning dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant… (I think you get the idea that it’s pretty flattering to be nominated)
The Liebster award is an award BY bloggers, FOR bloggers. It’s a way to get to know other bloggers and a way to share the love and let them know, “I think your blog is cool.”
Lauren asked me to answer 10 simple questions. Here’s a peek into me and my current favorites:
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose to live and why?
I would love to live in Hawaii. I used to go there every year as a kid on vacation and I have some family out there too. I wanderlust over the photos they post sometimes. A lot of people say I’d get island fever or get bored but everything I enjoy is there in abundance. I love to swim and hike and kayak… I would miss my regular trips to Disneyland but with a backyard that’s the ocean, I wouldn’t complain.
What’s your favorite website right now?
Oh Pinterest. How did I ever live without you?
Could you ever go a month without your phone and internet?
Yes and no. I would love to go on a month long vacation and purge myself of all outside connections. I’ve done it for weeks at a time. But as long as I’m home and everyone around me is using the phone and internet, I think this would be very difficult to do and I probably wouldn’t last more than a few days.
What’s your all-time favorite meal?
All time favorite meal is hands down the old fashioned burger. If you hadn’t noticed, I LOVE burgers. Sure, I could eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner … and I crave pho on a daily basis. I have some pretty tough competition for my favorite food, but at the end of the day, the nostalgia of a good juicy burger is always welcome to my tastebuds. I know it’s not the healthiest, but it’s sure tasty! (ps. Did I make your mouth water?)
What is your favorite quote and by whom?
“You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” -Annie, the broadway musical
It was the quote I put next to my picture in my high school year book and it’s still relevant. I just love to smile, but more than that… when I’m happy I feel so good about everything in life. I feel like I can do anything. I make better diet decisions. I am more social. I am overall a better person. Smiling and happiness come naturally to me. I hope its true that smiling is contagious 🙂
If money were no object, what would you do all day?
If money were no object, I’d move to Hawaii and buy a house with plenty of yard space to raise chickens and grow my own vegetable and fruit garden. I’d wake up and hike in the mornings, tend to my garden and house during the day and go for a swim in the afternoon. Then cook dinner with my freshly harvested veggies and read a good book next to the fire. Sounds like a dream. Hopefully when I retire, I can make it happen.
What’s been the biggest challenge since you started blogging?
Balancing time. Between working full-time, blogging, going to the gym, regular house chores, friends, family… my schedule is fully booked. I’m often blogging at midnight after my long list of to-dos is done.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be and why?
I would love to play the piano. I have always loved singing and there’s something magical about singing with a piano. I’d love to play and sing along all day. I actually took lessons when I was younger but was never serious enough to practice. I recently started picking it back up in hopes that I might be able to teach myself.
What’s your favorite way to unwind?
A bottle of Stella Rosa and a good book. Bonus points for a view of the ocean added to the mix, but there’s no drinking at public beaches in SoCal so that only works when I’m on vacation.
Describe your personal style in 3 words.
Casual. Comfy. Athletic.
Now it’s my turn! I am nominating: Alanna (Eats Real Food), Lindsay (Lindsay Living Vegan), Erin (The Almond Eater), and Parita (My Inner Shakti) for the Liebster award. I can’t wait to get to know you more! Here are my questions for you to answer:
- What are your top 5 workout playlist songs?
- What’s one food you wish you could learn to like?
- Your biggest pet peeve.
- Your go-to snack.
- Your favorite quote.
- What is one thing you try to do every day?
- Name one TV show you feel guilty or embarrassed to admit you actually like.
- How and why did you pick your blog name?
- What is your favorite workout? (Running? Yoga? Crossfit? Kettlebells?)
- Who inspires you?
Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013
| January 16, 2013 |
2012 was a BIG year for me! I tried so many new things and really got out of my comfort zone in all categories. First things first, I owe you the links to the recipes that I got in the mail from The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Sorry, I have been neglecting my blog for a bit. What can I say? I don’t think I am the only one that slacks a bit during the holidays.
Peppermint Pinwheels from Wanda, My Sweet Zepol
Molasses Cookies from Faith, The Stirring Place
Chocolate Turtle Cookies from Sam, Yankee In Nashville
***Quick note: Absolutely LOVED that the bloggers sent me these cookies in single serving packs. The cookie pops were individually wrapped keeping me from over eating them. The molasses cookies were wrapped in about 3 cookies per bag so they were easy to grab for my lunch. The turtle cookies were so decadent, one was plenty to satisfy a craving. Great tip for resisting cookies during the holidays. If you are tempted to eat a ton (let’s be honest, who isn’t tempted?) then bag them up for lunches in single serving zip-lock bags.
Next up, 2012 year in review. Broke so many PRs and really embraced my goals and what I wanted to do. Here’s a few highlights of my year…
Let’s talk 2013. This year will be bigger and better! I have already started studying to earn my Certified Personal Trainer cert with plans to earn a cert for nutritional counseling as well. (I am addicted to learning. Before I die I bet I’ll have a million certs and degrees for anything and everything.) I also have my Tinkerbell Half Marathon on Sunday (YIKES!) and I have signed up for the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare in September and plan to sign up for the Walt Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon to earn my Coast to Coast medal. I might even add a little Tough Mudder to the mix but I am still not sure. The thought of getting shocked from live wires doesn’t sound too fun to me.
In addition to all my planned runs (and my unplanned runs), I am going to focus a lot more on my diet. Less healthier and more healthy, so I hope your ready for all my recipes. I have also decided to drink less (alcohol). I have decided I will save all my drinking for special occasions like birthdays, vacation, the 4th of July… no more drinking-because-its-fun type of nights. With alcohol, you are drinking pure calories, encouraging blood sugars to spike, and when you drink enough (enough for the fun to begin) you weaken your immune system. It’s just not a good thing to be drinking in excess.
I have also been inspired by all those before and afters on Pinterest. If they can do it, so can I. This past year I have being going at a slower pace in reaching my goals. Yes, I am getting there but why not light the match and get there a little faster?
Here are a few things I plan to do for 2013:
- Alcohol should be enjoyed at a minimum
- Exercise 6 days a week
- Eat better
- 8 hours a sleep a night
- 1,000 miles run total
- Get my CPT cert
- Get my Nutrition Counseling cert
- Pledge not to use the elevator at my work (stairs only!)
…and I am sure there will be many other things I will add to this list as the year goes by. But that’s what updating my blog is for 🙂
