Thursday, February 20, 2014

This Isn't a Recap!!!! Or is it...

Did you miss Part 2 of my recovery story? Head on over and check it out, lovelies! 

In the earlier days of my blog, I used to write more "day in the life" type of posts. I've recently realized that for whatever reason, I've kind of slacked off on that element. Maybe it's because I feel like my life is a little monotonous (really, how many posts do you want to hear about how much I hate algebra/lounging around watching tv/homework/etc), maybe it's because I have awesome linkups and surveys that are too good to pass up, maybe it's because I have a really short attention span!! Who knows.

So rather than a full-blown recap, I'm going to try to sum up my trip through a sort of "day in the life" that spans over 3 days. Unless that's actually what a recap is. Whatevs. 

Friday morning, I woke up with the intention of getting the 25485985069834 things I had procrastinated the previous night done. And get done they did. (Did that sound like Yoda to anyone else?)

I was also determined to get a workout in, and I have some sort of freakish willpower so I got that done too. 

It was absolutely gorgeous outside, and I knew I had to warmup outside instead of on a treadmill. I didn't even take any pictures, but it was in the high 40s with snow still on the ground, the skies clear, and the sun shining. Believe me, it was beautiful.



I jogged for about 20 minutes at a warm up pace, and then headed inside for this circuit:



Then 5 minutes of cool down and boom, done. 

I packed in .00096 seconds (Lilly was no help), and was ready to leave. Yeeaaahhh that's not how my family really works...we're not usually on the same page when it comes to "ready to leave." 



I was planning on needing lunch in the car, but my Mom was running behind Rebekah and I, so I snacked on a boiled egg to get some protein in after my workout/hold me over. To be honest, I wish it was more like Amy's epic snacks, but my mind was more occupied on leaving. 



And I finished packing my goodies:



Finally, at around 1, we all managed to be ready. We were planning on leaving at 11 so yeah. 



Believe it or not, we weren't even "on the road" until around 3 because we had to make a couple of more stops (cough cough I drink a lot of water....).

Car lunch:



Yumz I love snacky lunches. Especially when they involve Larabars. 

Other snacking:





I feel like I eat more in the car than I do anywhere else. All I had was food/word search/Pinterest to keep me occupied for 4 hours. 


By the way, I'm so sorry if you follow me on Pinterest - I've probably been bombarding you with pins!!! I feel really carsick when I read books in the car (I know I'm weird), so I just played on my phone practically the whole time. 

We finally made it there about 7, and after hugs/kisses for the grandparents, it was time to EAT. Taco night, ftw. 




It was Valentine's Day, so of course it involved a little bit of looovveee (aka chocolate):


Mommy knows me well. I didn't eat this in bed 2 seconds later pshwhhaattt??

I woke up Saturday morning and had myself a nice yogurt mess. The "mess" came after I took the pic, of course. Vanilla Chobani yogurt, Shredded Wheat Cereal, a banana, and peanut butter. 



Eaten in the company of this dude:



He had oatmeal!!!!!! I made it for him!!! He liked it!!! Yay! He told me he was "choking it down" halfway through, and my yogurt bowl barely held me over for 2 hours. Guys, my appetite has been out the wazoo lately! 

My grandparents are always interested in my food "creations," and we chatted about cooking/my future plans that morning. I love them to pieces - they are so incredibly supportive  and I love them dearly for that. 




After a nap (I was ravenous/tired sooo...growth spurt?! Maybe?!), Mom, Rebekah, Grammy, and I headed out to look at some antique shops. The boys went...somewhere. I'm not even sure what they were doing! Ha ha. 



We came across an antique shopped that looked like a hoarder's house. Seriously, we had to shuffle through the "aisles," aka stacks of random stuff that almost reached the ceiling. My favorite area was the wall of old lunch boxes!



After a few hours of walking around, we headed to a coffee shop called "Elements" that was really cute! I love coffee shops - it seemed like a student/young adult hangout place, and more unique than a Starbucks.




For dinna, we picked up gigantic calzones. Dough. Cheese. Sauce. Win.



The rest of the night we just hung out and watched the Olympics! (P.S. Meryl and Charlie 5eva)

You still with me?! We're on Sunday, almost done! 

We opted to sleep in instead of church, and I made myself the best freaking bowl of oatmeal ever. EVER. Would you like to know the secret to the best freaking bowl of oatmeal EVER?!!



My grandfather takes frequent mission trips to Honduras (he's an ophthalmologist, so he works with the people who don't have access to glasses/eye doctors), and always brings back cases of Honduran Vanilla.

That, my friends, is the secret to the best freaking bowl of oatmeal ever. A splash of pure Honduran vanilla in anything sweet, and I'm pretty sure you're set. It gives the oatmeal such a delicious aroma and provides a richness. GAH I love it. 

Then I went out on a run! I mean that vanilla did something to me because I haven't felt like running in weeks! 

My grandparents live in a pretty flat area, and the change of scenery was amazing. 



I also spotted Rebekah, who had the same idea! She opted for a walk rather than a run. To each her own. :)



I had only planned on 2 miles, but ended up running 4! I love that runner's high you get! I probably would have lasted at least another mile, but we had more traveling to do! Wow that's a lot of exclamation points!



Check out that hair!!!!! Haha!

We drove to my great-aunt's house, who I have never met, and the ride took about an hour. Can I just say how tired I was of driving/riding in the car?! (By the way, this is after I had eaten/showered...I'm having issues transitioning)

But the drive was worth it - it was so, so wonderful to meet my grandmother's sisters. They are practically triplets, and the sweetest things ever! Rebekah and I decided we wanted to be like them when we get old - they were so cute, joking around together, giggling over old stories and pictures, and teasing each other. 70+ years young, I tell you! 

Aunt Dean, Grammy, and Aunt Betty

Aunt Betty and I

Also, we got to see some really cool pictures of my mom, uncle, grandfather, and grandmother, when they were all young. It was so cool! 




My mama was a looker. ;) We ended our afternoon/evening together with coffee and banana bread. It was such a sweet experience to see them!





The ride home....so long.....we got home, ate dinner, watched Downton Abbey, ate an evening yogurt mess...



And then crashed. 

Monday morning was departure day. I made myself a delicious bowl of steel-cut oats with warm cinnamony pears and homemade almond butter.



We lounged around til about lunchtime, and then I headed out for another 4 mile run!! Again, only planning on 2, thinking about stopping around 3, and then ending up finishing strong with 4! It was one of those runs where at first, I didn't really want want to, but was glad I did.



Bro took a cool-down walk with me, and then I showered, packed up, and headed home. 




Larabar + My Big Fat Greek Wedding to entertain me.


I love that movie. It cracks me up, and reminds me {just a bit} of my Mom's side of the family (yep, the ones we were visiting - haha).

Subway for my hungry tummy 3 hours into the trip.



And that rounds up my recap!!!!!!!! I miss my grandparents like crazy and can't wait to see them again!!! 

6 comments:

  1. UGH I just wrote a whole paragraph and it all got deleted!!! :( Anyway, looks like a SUPER fun trip!!! Your family seems awesome! It's so cool how you met your great aunt for the first time! It makes me wish I had sisters seeing your grandma and hers. Loving all of those yummy eats too!! Hope you're having a lovely day!

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    1. Ugh that happens to me all the time - so annoying.
      Thanks chica!! You have many, many people who love you and that makes up for the lack of blood-related sisters. :)
      Hope you're having a great day too!!

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  2. Fun stuff, girl! So glad to hear you got in some awesome runs! I just got back from a glorious walk outside because the weather has finally started to warm up. I'm praying that the trend continues.
    Food is lookin' great, family is lookin' great, your hair is lookin' great. And now I want some of that vanilla for my oatmeal!!

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    1. I love taking walks in the warm weather!!!! I hope it stays warm too - you Northerners have had it worse than down here!

      Pssshhh thanks girl! I wish I could send you some of that vanilla because it is the bomb dot com.

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  3. Okay, you and your pixie cut are adorable. You are so gorgeous!! (:

    I ALWAYS add vanilla to everything. Your special vanilla sounds fantastic. Vanilla is the secret ingredient to make anything better!

    Nice runs!! :) I love relaxed runs when the weather is beautiful out.

    Happy almost friday!

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    1. Thank you love! I actually had a good hair day for once (along with the help of excessive hair-brushing and a ridonkulus amount of smoothing cream) when I was in the car ALL DAY. Sigh.

      Vanilla is the nectar of deliciousness....

      I love relaxed runs too! Since the weather's warming up, I've been wanting to hit the pavement more often than I have been.

      Happy Friday to you!!! :)

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