Sun and Snow

 I am in such a great mood right now because my S#1FUBF, MDR keeps sending me videos since she recently downloaded the Marco Polo app while she's riding the train home from work. :)

  My hyped up excitement for health and exercise from the previous related posts has toned down since the steps challenge was finished at the end of February. I wasn't even wearing the Hey Band for a couple days last week. But I was very proud that I had the most steps in our group for the second and fourth weeks (so I got free breakfast by the group member who had the lowest steps that week!) and I think our group placed 12th out of all the groups in our county. There were maybe 40? I can usually get 10,000 steps on work days if I walk on all four breaks, but today and yesterday I enjoyed car naps on my 30-minute break, so that takes off about 3,000 steps.

  Mia and I have been leaving each other tons of voicemails for months (maybe more than 6 months?) so we have been staying very informed in each others lives. A few weeks ago she told me about going to the gym after work and how she would do the rowing machine and hike the trails of New Zealand, via the eliptical. She was gearing up and letting all her red blood cells pump oxygen into her muscles for her ski trip with a bunch of people from work. I am so proud and in awe of her "everything is an adventure" outlook. I do not have a desire to do anything that I don't think I would be good at. But sometimes we don't know that we are good at something until we try it, like it, and practice it. She had a blast and made more new friends on the Colorado ski slopes!

   I have been going back to the basics of eating my few good things often ~ scrambled eggs or attempting an omelet with tomatoes and chicken sausage, greek yogurt with fruit or granola, Triscuts and meat slices from the Publix deli, banana and peanut butter smoothies. Tonight I picked up stuff to make salads tomorrow from Aldi and I got really excited to make another "Healthy on a Budget" post to break the whole "it's so expensive to eat healthy" excuse, but I'll have to call it something different and make it last about a month. Keeping track of how much I spend at Aldi versus how much each item would cost if I only shopped at Publix.
   I thought it was super kind and generous that my sister-in-law saw my posts about hiking/ walking a lot and sent me all these great products that the dermatologist recommends. She says some of them are even gentle enough to use on Emma. She did great labeling them for me! Thank you, Meredith!

  I don't have many food pictures in this post because I took so many nature photos while on that one trail I really like behind that fancy neighborhood with the $400,000 houses. But after this walk I went to Yellow Dog Eats which I had not been to in a long time and I got the soft tacos. I really love the coleslaw stuff that they put on it, as well as the cranberries. It gives the barbeque a sweet, fun taste. The orzo was really good too, but I didn't care much for their penne pasta. I was excited to see chips and salsa came with my meal too. Next time I need to try to go during the week since I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was super busy and crowded.

  Using the treadmill at work on our lunch break the day of Block Training (for a whole 45 minutes! and mostly with a 3% incline and at 3.2mph most of the time), during the super long week where I had to work 6 of the 7 days. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We're taking Emma on her first vacation to the mountains soon and I feel like I'm dreading sitting in the car that long. I'm estimating 10 hours for a 7 1/2 hour trip, but with naps I'm sure it will be a good drive. When Michael and I went there two years ago, the drive didn't seem as many hours as it was. Good company I suppose! ;)