biggest loser treats a la runner's world

a few weeks ago when the newest season of the biggest loser began, trainers jillian michaels and bob harper yelled at america.

you know, that we all needed to stop being so lazy, get off our butts, move, eat fruits and vegetables... you know, the stuff we all already know but for some reason most of america has a really hard time with...

and then bob yells: it's never going to happen if you're sitting on the couch eating ice cream!

pete and I looked at each other. we were both sitting on the couch eating ice cream. we just got the smack down from bob harper.

see, it sounds kinda ironic and all, but we love our treats when we sit down to watch this show.

so the next week I made these sinfully delicious red velvet cupcakes. but hey, I got the recipe from runner's world so they must be good for me, no?

no? oh, well at least I got rave reviews from peter's coworkers the next day. bake yourself up a batch for tonight's episode--you won't regret it! {but your thighs, might. unless you go for a nice long run. I'm just sayin'}

voluntary simplicity

do you ever wonder how our earth-home will be for the future generations? for your kids? for their kids?

are our habits sustainable? are we consuming too much? do our lives of privilege and convenience come at a cost?

is it possible to slow down? to take a step back? to realize it's not things, but people that matter?

{photo | 2009 eco-lutions}

follow your bliss

"if you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all along, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. when you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open the doors to you."

--joseph campbell

strengthening my resolve

I was told the other day that a person is 43% more likely to keep a resolution if it is written down.  I've been mulling around the things that I would like to do {or not do} as this new year rolls around.  the clean slate that january brings is always full of so much potential.  in all of us is the ability to change.  but we have to want it.  and we have to be willing to work for it.  

* * *

:: chew my food ::  I resolve to eat more slowly, to let the enzymes in my saliva break down the foods so they are more easily digested and the nutrients more readily available to my body

:: read books ::  I resolve to read more instead of wasting time on the computer or watching television just for the sake of something to do

:: blog more ::  I resolve to consume less and produce more.  there is a lot of inspiration and creativity out there, but I need to remember to document my thoughts, feelings, et cetera as well

:: eat closer to the source ::  I resolve to be more conscious of my foodshed.  where it comes from, how it was produced, how it got to me.  more whole foods.  more local foods.  more organically grown foods

:: be more social ::  I resolve to get out of my comfort zone in social situations.  I have a tendency toward non-social behavior.    I need to get over any awkwardness, which really just stems from a lack of self confidence.  I am an interesting person.  I just need to believe that

:: create ::  I resolve to make things out of sticks.  or fabric.  or paper.  or anything that my little hands can get on.  I have grand ideas and little follow-through.  those projects will become reality, hopefully in a timely manner

:: document my life ::  I resolve to put pen to paper and write for me.  I am losing the details that make my life what it is.  the personal things.  the thoughts.  the feelings.  the special moments.  the hard moments.  the daily decisions that lead me through life

* * *

if you're having trouble coming up with your own resolutions this year {come on, isn't lose weight and eat healthy so overkill by now?} check out this list I stumbled across:  fifty things everyone should know how to do.  pick one or two and resolve to learn some invaluable skills this year.

photo via.

returning to the light

...at winter solstice,
Sun is at its lowest point:
the longest night,
the most profound descent
into the dark,
and a subsequent turning
of the cycle,
a return to the Light...










one of my favorite days of the year is the summer solstice. the daylight is long and endless, leaving its warmth and slanted angles long into the evening. it is something to be celebrated. but I am always left feeling a little tinge of sadness; the light will soon fade into increasing darkness. my days will get shorter, little by little, until we are plunged into endless night.

but there comes a time where night is at its longest, and the light will be reborn. our days will become longer. and life will eventually start to grow once again.

how fitting that this event happens at this time of year. we need not despair, or be engulfed by darkness. there is Light.

we just need to turn to that Light.

it is a thing to be celebrated.

{photo | quote}

twelve

if you haven't heard yet, design mom is holding a fantastic holiday giveaway over on her site.

you could have your chance to win one of twelve very cool prizes.

so hurry on over and throw your name in the hat. you have until midnight{PST}, monday, december 15th so go! now! win! {may the universe aka the random number generator be smiling upon you}

a diy white board for the environmentally conscious workin' gal

{via}

okay, so I just made my very own little white board here in the office. it was ridiculously easy and cuts down on paper usage when taking messages and writing down quick notes {or to do lists} that you don't need permanently. now I can get rid of that unsightly stack of used and reused post it notes cluttering up my desk. everyone wins!

plus crafting during working hours is always a fun time.



step one: get yourself a transparency sheet.

step two: get yourself a piece of paper. (mine is recycled, yours could be too... I'm just sayin')

step three: get yourself some tape.

step four: now this is the hardest step. tape the paper to the transparency sheet, with the unused side of the paper peeping through the clearness of the transparency. (because y'all should have used recycled paper like I told you)

step five: pilfer yourself a set of dry erase markers in various colors from the supply closet

and then ta da! you are done! {you could also use a clear plastic page protector too, I suppose}

if my phone would have not been cranky, you would have seen the lovely, high
quality photo I took of my brand new diy white board with the following to do list:
work
be productive
focus
don't blog!

an ode to the decemember'ish weather while on a four mile run

big, fatty, flurry flakes
fluttering from the sky
I am running
they are falling
falling in my eye

* * *

this is as far as I got. I had to turn my concentration from composing poetry on the run to not getting hit by anything but snowflakes.

new find

{photos via the tin angel cafe}

lunched at the tin angel cafe. loved the food. local ingredients. go support.

I am exhausted.

one impromptu marathon last week

plus one week of holiday goodness {mostly eating}

plus dog sitting a rather old chocolate lab

plus running a post marathon ten miler this morning

plus dabbling in some holiday decor

plus cleaning the whole house

makes a girl very, very tired.

I think I just might go to bed and it's only eight o'clock!

it's always early, and I'm always one step behind

missing the bus, everybody's doing it.

woke up this morning thinking it was saturday
slept longer than I should have
rushed around trying to get everything together
missed the bus

love my life

my lil' book club's selection this month is the book thief, by marcus zusak, and as always there are no copies available at the public library. . .

so I'm throwing this out to the bloggernet. . .

does anyone have a copy I could borrow?



{book club is november 20th, I need to have it read before then.}


UPDATE: my cutest mother bought the book for me. isn't she nice? that's why we love her around here {because she's so thoughtful, not just because she buys us stuff} LoVes + avalanches, mamma!

'tis the season

while on my run this afternoon I saw, through snowflake-filled eyes:

someone cross country skiing through sugarhouse park
friends getting together to do some snowboarding via the hike method, I'm sure
a guy with snow shoes in hand, hopefully headed out on an adventure

thank you, lake effect, for bringing the fluffy white stuff coming all day.

now for the big news:

peter can hardly wait.

star{fish} crossed lovers

{photo credit}

you might run the fastest, but that doesn't mean you'll win

as you may or may not have heard, the woman who ran the fastest time in sunday's nike women's marathon in san fran didn't actually win. whaa?! but how could that be, you might be wondering? a technicality. some dumb rule the race organizers won't let go of.

arien o'connell {a twenty-four year old fifth grade teacher from new york city} ran the 26.2 miles in 2:55:11 {a PR of about twelve minutes!}, beating the official race "winner's" time by 11 minutes. eleven minutes?!

so why didn't she win? she wasn't registered as an elite!

{true story. the same thing happened to another guy who came in 4th place at the chicago marathon.}

so I'm thinking the USATF should rethink this little rule of theirs. they say the rule is in place so the elites know who they are racing against, since, you know, they're so nice and give them a head start and all {in the nike women's marathon they gave these ladies a twenty minute head start, which I think is ridiculous! the men's field is not that deep to necessitate such a huge gap in start times} but I say if they really are elite they'll prove it out on the course. no matter what. guts + glory to the finish line.

it's sad, though, because nike could have really done something with this story. built a really awesome marketing campaign around it.

normal, average girl wins marathon. beats the elite pack.

instead they just pooed in her face. "we've already declared our winner" and even though you ran the fastest, you're not it. booh.

{read the full story HERE}

proof positive: the tetris is true.

for all those who think my husband plays tetris all day at work, you may just be right. here is a little convo we had today via the internet:

me: yo

Peter: yo

me: there's like a billion kids for this fall break camp and I don't know if I want to deal with it

Peter: woah

a billion? that's like the entire country of china!

me: I know!

Peter: do you have enough counselors?

me: yeah, I guess technically we do...

so I really shouldn't be stressin'

Peter: so aspen digital doesn't have to take kids?

me: didn't I set up that field trip with you?

all one billion will be coming to your office to learn about the science behind the digitalizing

Peter: woah, i don't think we have that many nintendos

totally crinked

so earlier today I was taking a big swig from my water bottle, as I am often want to do, and I suddenly felt a very severe pain running through the left side of my neck. I thought to myself, wow, that was weird. I tried drinking again, the same pain.

it all seems so silly. it was such a benign movement. but now I have limited range of motion when turning my head to BOTH sides! sucks to pinched nerves.

the update: so far, so good.

day one of the plan? check!

day two? double check!

not only did I go running this morning, but I pulled through with the meal plan tonight too. in fact, I improved upon it to make it even better. peter couldn't stop raving about the rotkohl (aka red cabbage) and the potato slices (sans cheese; I decided to go in another direction). and I can't stop raving about fresh corn cut off the cob in salads. seriously, such a tasty flavor.

if you're following along at home, please try these two recipes.

red cabbage {I didn't have any allspice or cloves, so I just added nutmeg}

crispy garlic potatoes {the thinner you slice them the crispier they are}

planned eating

I feel like I've really let myself go. no, not in the I'm fat sort of way. {though I have let my running fall by the wayside} but my life has just gotten in the way of the things I used to be so good about. but I can't blame my life. I just need to step it up. basically I want to get two parts of me back on track. yes, one of those is my running life (which also happens to include swimming + spinning). and the other is my cooking life. more specifically meal planning.

it's always nice to have a plan. so below is what I've come up with for the week. of course, all meals are subject to change. especially since I'll be getting my very last csa goods for the season tomorrow. so here it is, enjoy!

m: delicata squash soup + crusty bread

t: fresh garden variety salads + cheesy potato slices

w: pasta w/ a zucchini and tomato sauce

h: spaghetti squash medley

f: spicy sweet potato wedges + chicken something? {that means I can't forget to defrost the chicken!}

s: dinner a la pete

so what's on your plate?
{for inspiration visit: this week for dinner.}

what have we been up to?

I've been seriously spoiled. first there was the european honeymoon extravaganza. then the first anniversary costa rica adventure. how could the second anniversary even compare?!

well, thank you peter for the best anniversary present ever: the new house.

I can't even imagine what next year will bring.

{more photos + stories to come}