MIMM: Typical summer weekend?

Friday
My #yogainspace challenge has stalled because no one will take pictures of me anymore.

I tried to take some MARVELOUS ones of my own.

On bad days, I remember that I'm strong, talented, and full of passion and love for those who are worth it. Emo much? MARVELOUS? Yes. :)

 

 Case in point:

Mom: "Go get the bag of rice."

Thanks CrossFit. I actually went on Friday for kettlebell swings, lateral jumps, and pistols!

Friday was literally and figuratively the longest day ever. I despise office work.

First real meal in days pre-"Man of Steel" at Mother's Market. I ate the sandwich open-faced and it was MARVELOUS!

"Man of Steel" was long, not the best superhero movie and I didn't think the actor was hot either. You?

Saturday

MARVELOUS 3.8-mile Saturday morning hike with some new friends and some rocks to climb.

Escondido Falls in Malibu was rather dried up though.

The MARVELOUS lemongrass chicken salad sans dressing at Greenleaf Chopshop

We headed to a Korean spa to relax. It was definitely not what I expected. We showered, sat in the hot tub, and tried the "ice room."

We spent a few hours there then got a message about some beer pong and fun.

I played 7 games and only lost one! Return of the beer pong queen?!

My partner was the guy in red for 4 games. 

I took the girls home then returned to continue hanging out.

Always a MARVELOUS time with these guys! The guy in blue and I beat the two guys in black twice!

 

Sunday

I managed to wake up for power yoga with my MARVELOUS instructor, Robert.

 

Excuse the dirty stovetop - my mom bought me a MARVELOUS new pan. Not as pretty as my old one, but it works!

I immediately used the pan. I hadn't eaten since that salad yesterday at 3 P.M.!

Post-yoga breakfast: oatmeal protein pancakes with banana slices. Prettiest I've ever made them!

Guess I had too much fun and beer to remember to eat!

With that said, it's time to get to work and prepare myself for some interviews! Eeek!

What's your favorite superhero/superhero movie?
How did you celebrate summer solstice?

What I learned at Blend 2013

The Blend Retreat officially ended, but I got to hang out with the roomies for a little longer.

We started off at Trolley Square.

 

We had lunch (+ beers) at Desert Edge Brewery

I wanted the chile-rubbed chicken - not a fan of tostada though.

The Mexigarian and I headed to downtown Salt Lake to see the famous temple. I drove so she took pictures for us (to be seen later).

We had to stop by the Great Salt Lake on the edge of town. Thankfully it wasn't too far.

 

Back to the land of palm trees

When I came back on Sunday night, I realized I had NO food so I drank a CorePower protein shake. It was perfect.

I didn't take a picture of my swag bag since I got in late.

 

Unpacking and organizing

What I learned at Blend:

• Iowa gets snow. A lot of snow. Don't I feel dumb. Thanks Alex!
• I'm a beast/I'm stronger than I think.
• I like to talk to everyone.
• I will talk to everyone.
• Be open to everything.
• I drink and eat fast.
• Why did I ever give up Greek yogurt? 
• I feel okay not being Paleo.
• People are nice.
• You don't need to be a pro blogger to go to Blend. We don't talk about blogging all that often.
• BAMR bands actually stay on my head.
• I love the mountains more than the beach.
• I want to hike more, but I need to bring sunscreen.
• I should stick to skirts and dresses.
• Sundays are not the day to be out in Salt Lake City.
• I can get attached to people in just 2.5 days! I miss the ladies!
• I need to work on my blog!

Week in review & gearing up for Blend

Happy Wednesday Friday! I had this post all ready to go on Wednesday, but the day got away from me. Looks like I only have time to post on Fridays now.

Attempted to go shopping for clothes on Sunday and no luck. I did get hungry and ate The Caveman from Meat Headz Sandwich Shop, my new go-to.

 

Because it was Mother's Day, I got some cards, champagne, and nail polish for my aunts.

Mom in jewel tones

Mom and I finally made and drank sangria using $1.99 Charles Shaw wine from Trader Joe's, some frozen tropical fruit, and oranges from the backyard.

Yoga in the afternoon after sleeping in

Back to work on Monday and an early meeting.

Tuesday 6 AM WOD that included all skill work: pistol squats, handstand push ups, and Turkish get-ups. I can only get pistol squats if I hold my leg like the ladies on the bottom left.

Also on Tuesday: 2 meetings. I'm almost done with them!

Wednesday 6 AM WOD, work, and night class. Plus, more Caveman with roast beef. Yum.

Thursday standardized testing went well I provided my kiddos with gourmet bagels and got some reading done for class. Then I headed to my other work where they're holding an Anatolian Festival this weekend. It's a little cheesy for my taste.

Sadly, I'll be missing the homebrewer competition this weekend though.

And now it's Friday and the Blend Retreat! I had to change my flight to a later time so won't get there till later. I'm super nervous about being late. I am also just half packed and have to leave right after work... Somewhere someone wrote a list of what to pack and I need to find it ASAP.

I'm not bringing my laptop with me on this trip, but will have tons of pictures when I get back (I hope!).

What's keeping you busy this weekend?
Have you ever gone to a blogger conference/retreat? This is my first one ever!

High Five Friday: San Francisco Part 3

This is part 3 of 3 of my trip to the Bay Area and constitutes Easter Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

HIGH FIVE for Easter Sunday dim sum at Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood.

I don't like dim sum, but it was on the water.

We sat at home to relax with David's roommate then ventured out again. It was overcast and started to rain so we headed to the Oakland Museum of California. We saw the art and history exhibits.

We wanted Nepalese food, but it was closed so we walked down the road for Indian food at the Chaat Cafe. I got the chicken tandoori. The chicken was okay and the garlic naan was too crispy. :(

HIGH FIVE hot yoga at Yoga to the People. The space is much bigger than the Vinyasa studio and I was able to shower there.

I got home, did the dishes, vacuumed, and ate some shirataki noodles with some spaghetti sauce in the fridge, all without knowing that David's roommate was home. Good thing he slept through the noise.

HIGH FIVE for tarte Asian yogurt for breakfast. The nutrition label looks identical to Greek yogurt.

HIGH FIVE the Mission District. First stop, Tartine Bakery. The line was out the door. Instead of sweets, which wasn't impressive actually, I got the open-faced croque monsieur with turkey and asparagus. The bread still managed to be crunchy even with the bechamel. Not the best I've ever had though.

Down the street is the Bi-Rite Market that is crammed with goodies.

I walked across the street for famous Bi-Rite Creamery.

 

HIGH FIVE for ricanelas ice cream with cinnamon and snickerdoodles.

I walked up to Dolores Park with my ice cream. The view here was gorgeous.

The Mission District was by far the nicest neighborhood I encountered in San Francisco.

HIGH FIVE more ice cream at Humphry Slocombe. This is the secret breakfast, bourbon and cornflakes. There was definitely more bourbon than cornflakes. I didn't like it as much because it was super soft.

Philz Coffee does single drip coffee. They have nice, spacious divey spot in the Mission.

I stopped by the Civic Center while searching for a bus.

I quickly headed to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Presidio in order to get back to the house on time.

I stopped by San Francisco CrossFit to get my coach a shirt. The box is big and has tons of equipment. Ours is pretty large too though.

That evening, David had to film a magician for the Coast Guard so I went to Yoga to the People again and finally tried Nepalese food.

So Nepalese food is pretty much Indian food. I went to Taste of the Himalayas in downtown Berkeley.

Vegetable momos, which David polished off when he got home.

HIGH FIVE for chicken tandoori again, but this was huge and cooked so well that it was buttery. Even the plain naan was amazing! The leftovers constituted breakfast on Tuesday.

Afterwards, I hung out with George and Dave, and by hanging out, I mean we sat around on our laptops. George played a game and Dave watched sport highlights.

HIGH FIVE for George who took me to the train station and I carried 30 pounds of luggage to the Embarcadero again. I picked up baked goods to take home:

Macarons from Miette

Gluten-free cinnamon roll from Mariposa Baking

My second stop was the 24th and Mission and then walked to Dynamo Donuts and Coffee. It was closed yesterday! They have a spot to sit inside thankfully because I was super tired.

HIGH FIVE for maple bacon apple, apricot cardamom (favorite!), orange ginger, and peanut butter banana, which ended up being my least favorite. They were so good as was the coffee. I've had lots of coffee in the Bay Area and this was the best.

I got to the airport an hour early and checked my e-mails - I have to make some adjustments to an assignment. :( By the time I got home and did some grocery shopping, I had some time to finish up my assignment and realized how crappy my day will be tomorrow:

• 6-7AM - CrossFit
• 8-12PM - Job #3
• 1-9AM - Job #2

So I didn't quit Job #2 yet because I haven't been there since I took an extension in Job #1, and I suppose I need to work there at least an extra week or two to replenish funds.

HIGH FIVE for a great trip. I explored all the neighborhoods of San Francisco/Berkeley/Oakland, ate tons of good food intuitively, walked many miles, and fell in love with the Bay Area. If only it wasn't so expensive to live there.

What's your favorite American city? San Francisco has taken over my love for Atlanta.
If you've been to the Bay Area, what do you like/dislike about it?