Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend and were able to spend time with friends and family. My weekend was a great mixture of walks, a BBQ, time relaxing and reading, and even going outside my comfort zone a bit by going to a Match.com Stir event on Friday night. While I’m glad I had the experience, it was clear to me that I’ll never attend another one of those events. The word I can use to describe it was awkward. People were standing around not talking to each other, and when I tried to start conversations several times with “starters” (being the teacher that I am), people responded with one-word answers. Yikes! Plus, the people there just weren’t those I’d be interested in hanging out with. I decided that I’d much rather take my chances going to a local restaurant or bar with girlfriends than attend another one of those painful events. Still, I’m glad I tried it, otherwise I’d never know. But let’s get one with today’s FMM.
Sarah over at Losing Weight and Having Fun is hosting FMM for the time being, and I’m excited to discover her blog and meet a bunch of new bloggers.
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: Losing Weight and Having Fun so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
FMM: Let’s Get Sporty
1. Are you following the World Cup? If so which team are cheering on?
No. I don’t watch soccer and haven’t caught any of it. If pressed, I’d say that I’m glad the Italian team won against England (sorry Sarah), and of course I’ll cheer for Team USA.
2. What is your favorite sport to watch either on TV or in person?
I love baseball and football. Baseball is definitely something I prefer to go and watch at the ballpark, but football is something I’ll watch any which way.
3. Which local team (regardless of sport) do you support?
I’ve been a huge fan of the SF Giants and SF 49ers since I was a young girl. More recently I’ve really gotten into going to the local San Jose Giants games, too, because so many of the players end up heading up to the SF Giants. Plus, the SJ Giants games are really inexpensive ($10 each), very family friendly, and you can often get free tickets from local stores.
4. What is your favorite sport to play?
I’ve never really played a sport, because growing up I wasn’t athletically inclined. Now I love fitness, but still haven’t tried my hand at a group sport. I’ve enjoyed playing badminton at family reunions, and I think volleyball is fun, too.
5. Were you ever in a sports team?
As I mentioned in #4, I’ve never played a sport. One time in 5th or 6th grade I tried out for the volleyball team, but didn’t make it, and I guess I felt so discouraged that I never tried again. Growing up I was much more into riding bikes than I was into group sports.
6. Have you ever traveled a long distance to see your team play?
I never have, but I would be willing to, especially to go to The Superbowl.
7. Do you have a favorite stadium/sports venue you have been to?
I absolutely love going to AT&T Park, where the SF Giants play. It’s a gorgeous stadium where there isn’t a bad seat in the house. I’m also really excited that the new Levi’s Stadium for the 49ers is going to be right in my backyard (about 20 minutes from home), in Santa Clara.
8. What is your favorite food you associate with sporting events?
The food at AT&T park is amazing, and like Sarah, I love the garlic fries.
9. Do you have a favorite sporting song?
Nothing comes to mind. I think it’s fun that they play Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline at Boston Red Sox games, but since that’s really not my team, I’m not sure if that applies.
10. Is there a sporting event you would like to go to in another country?
I’d love to go to the Olympics someday.
Now it’s your turn to answer the questions! And also be sure to go back to Sarah’s blog and leave a link to your FMM post in the comments! I really encourage you to comment on as many people’s posts as you can – I’ve met some fantastic people through FMM. You never know who you’ll meet today.
As you guys know, I’ve been loving the ToneItUp‘s workouts since mid-January. I’ve done them 5 days a week, every week since I began, only missing while I was on vacation in Hawaii. (If you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend you do. It’s completely free, and they have a fun community, full of supportive, motivating people who cheer on every workout you post about).
They’re about to launch their new #bikiniseries this coming Monday, which will run for 8 weeks, until the official start of summer. Karena and Katrina put so much into the daily workouts they design, and the best part is, the whole thing is free. All you need to do is sign up for the #bikiniseries and you’ll get reminder emails, weekly workouts, fun giveaways, yummy recipes, contests, etc.
I like the approach that Tone It Up takes toward living a healthy lifestyle. Not only do they include workouts and nutrition, but they also concentrate on mindset. Take yesterday’s challenge, for example:
The challenge asked participants to create their own summer must-do list. Beyond workouts and eating right, what were things that we wanted to make sure to fit in this summer? I loved this! Any time I can make a list and get creative with my summer plans, I’m all for it! As a teacher, lots of people ask me, what do you do all summer long? My answer is always the same – anything I want to! 🙂 This summer, I really want to concentrate on enjoying each and every day. I didn’t include all of my plans on my list, but I did include most of the things I’m hoping to do:
The photo I used is one that was taken for me by a Danish tourist while I was riding my bike at Kailua Beach on Oahu. She worried that I would be upset that so much of it was in the shadows, but I assured her that I actually liked the way it turned out. It was the perfect photo to use for this assignment because it has an artsy feel right off the bat. I like the way I’m in silhouette with the bike, but the ocean and the beach are in the bright sun in the background.
I thought I’d elaborate a bit on each of these summer plans…
Mid-morning swims: One of my favorite parts of summer is being able to swim at the pool at my parents’ townhouse complex. More often than not, if I get there by 10:30 or 11, I have the entire place to myself, and I’m free to swim laps to my heart’s content. Sometimes my dad and I meet there and swim together, and it’s a nice way for us to connect with each other as we update each other on the latest family happenings while we’re drying off in the sun. It’s also a great time for me to be alone with my thoughts and just let go of all worries and stress. Swimming really soothes me, and I can’t wait to start my almost-daily swims.
Daily doses of laughter: Whether it’s retelling a funny story, joking with my nieces, or watching Sofi do something goofy, I want to appreciate all the little moments of laughter that are part of my daily life this summer. Laughter is good for the soul and the spirit, and I want to make sure I’m enjoying it all the time.
Hawaii-themed party: Since I had such a fun time in Hawaii, I figured it would be fun to have a party with a Hawaiian theme. I’m still deciding if I’ll combine it with a Silpada party that I’m planning to have, or if it will be more of a traditional party. Either way, I have plenty of fun outfits to choose from.
Coffee chats: I live really close to Starbucks (doesn’t everyone?!), so close in fact, that I can walk there with ease. It’s become a habit with three or four of my friends that we meet up there and catch up about all that’s going on in our lives. It’s the perfect place to get together because I can get a calorie-free passion iced tea, or a caffeine kick with an iced cinnamon dolce misto. As far as I’m concerned, coffee is the perfect drink any time of day, so it fits well with a more carefree summer schedule.
SF (and SJ) Giants games: I love supporting my Giants, and plan to go to as many games as I can afford to this summer. One that I know I’ll go to is the Italian Night at the Giants, where a really large group of family and friends all get together. It’s so much fun! The tickets at AT&T Park are expensive, so lately my friends and I have been opting to go to the SJ Giants games. Not only are they ridiculously inexpensive (less than $10 per game), but they’re a lot of fun. Very family-friendly, with lots of activities for the kids to participate in between innings. My friend Di and I are even signing up to do the Giant 5K, which gets us into the game the evening of the race. I’m actually going to an SJ Giants game this Friday with my sister and nieces, which will be tons of fun. Bring on the baseball!!
Going on dates!: I’m actually really looking forward to this one. Assuming of course there are men to go on dates with. I was only on Match.com for about 2 months back in November/December, and I have to say, I was pretty underwhelmed. I got lots of winks, emails, and nudges, but when it came time for the guys to just make the move and ask for my number so we could move it to the next level of texting/talking on the phone and then hopefully soon afterward meeting up, they never pulled the trigger. Even when I directly said, “here’s my number, I’d love to figure out a time for us to meet up for coffee or something.” They disappeared quick. I’m not one to go into a long and drawn out relationship online via email, or text, for that matter. If you’re interested, you think I’m cute, you want to get to know me better, then let’s do that – let’s meet up and see if we hit it off. Because we can have all the chemistry in the world online, we won’t know if we’re really going to be attracted to each other until we meet up. I’m hoping that this time of year will be easier to connect than it was around the holidays. One of the major takeaways I had from my trip to Hawaii was that I’m really ready to be in a relationship, even a more casual one. Hopefully I have a bit of romance in store this summer.
Leash-free beach trips: Last summer I had a blast taking Sofi to a lesser-known beach where she could run off leash. We have the best time when we go – she loves running along the shore, but is afraid to get too close to the water, so I don’t have to worry much about the waves taking her. We both get in a great walk, we get some sunshine, and I get to read and relax. What could be better? Besides just that particular dog-friendly beach, I also hope to hit the other local beaches often this summer.
Long walks w/ Sofi: I take Sofi on walks almost every single day, but in the summer it’s so nice to be able to wake up and take a nice, long walk before the temperature heats up too much. I love exploring all the different streets around my neighborhood with Sofi. She loves when I find new places for our walks, so that’s definitely on my to-do summer list.
Reading: I’m not off to the best start so far this year in terms of my reading goal on Goodreads, but I did get quite a bit of reading time in when I was on vacation in Hawaii. My goal for the summer is to fit in at least an hour a day of reading time. I enjoy reading so much, and I want to make it a priority during the time of year when I have so few responsibilities pulling my focus from the things I enjoy.
Riding roller coasters: This is a huge one for me! It will definitely be its own blog post when it happens because it will be a major NSV. I love going on roller coasters – the wilder and faster the better. I haven’t been on one in I can’t even remember how long because of the time that I got on one and almost had to get off because the safety bar wasn’t going to close. I pleaded with the kid running the ride to let me stay on it, and he did. After that I only got bigger and knew that roller coaster were way out of reach. I didn’t ever want to risk the embarrassment of being asked to get off before I was able to ride the ride. So, this summer I plan on going to Great America and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk to ride as many roller coasters as I can. Can’t wait!!
Family BBQs: I love grilling any day of the week, but getting together with my family and friends and sharing a meal as easy as BBQing is something really look forward to. Sometimes it’s as simple as bringing my meat over to their house for an impromptu BBQ; other times it’s a more planned affair, like for Father’s Day or 4th of July. Either way, I can’t wait to fire up the grill and get cooking!
Cocktails: Summertime is a great time to relax and let go a bit. While I usually only drink on special occasions because the alcohol has empty calories, there is something to be said for enjoying a nice glass of white wine or a Swirl (local peeps will know what time talking about) with friends. Any afternoon or evening becomes more of a celebration when you add a cocktail.
Bike rides: I love riding my cruiser around, and now that more of my friends have bikes, too, I hope to get out and go on rides all summer long. Half Moon Bay, Morgan Hill, and everywhere in between. I love the freedom I feel when I’m riding my bike, the sun shining on my face, the wind in my hair. There’s nothing in the world like it.
Backyard lounging: I have this great Adirondack chair that I bought a few years ago that’s nicely weathered now. I adore sitting in it and enjoying the peace and serenity of my backyard. Looking at the garden and seeing the flowers and trees. Watching Sofi cavorting in the grass. Reading, listening to music, or just trying to keep cool on a warm night. Sounds perfect to me.
There are a lot more things I could add to my list, but I’ll save those up until I have enough to create an entirely new one. This was such a fun exercise, and I’m really glad the Tone It Up girls gave this assignment. It put me in a great mood and gave me some inspiration to get through these last weeks of my school year.
Now that you’ve read my list of how I’m going to create my summer, I’d like to challenge you to write your own list. Either in the comments or by joining the TIU challenge. Post a pic on Instagram with your list. Tweet about it. Write your own blog post. It was a fun activity that really put me in the mindset to enjoy myself this summer, and I can’t wait to read about your plans.
Happy Friday! Today is my last Friday of summer vacation! I wish I could tell you I was typing this from some amazing location, like the beach, but alas, I’m sitting on my couch in the living room. I did want to make sure to make today really count, since it’s the last Friday I’ll have off in quite some time.
1. I started out today with a Zumba class. My first time taking Zumba since surgery, and it was fantastic! The teacher was super energetic, and really fun. I noticed that I was able to really increase my intensity with the moves like never before. For example, in the past when the class was doing jumping kicks, I’d just keep my feet on the ground and kick. Not today! I was jumping and kicking right along with them. My cha-cha-cha and my meringue probably looked a bit rusty, but I was keeping pace with the rest of the class, which just shows me another NSV – my fitness level is so much stronger than I was before surgery, and it’s only going to get better from here. I decided today in class that once I’m able to fit into the sizes, I’m buying myself some Zumba pants to wear.
2. Speaking of buying clothes, this week I hit another fun milestone – I’ve lost enough weight that I’m able to justify buying bras from Victoria’s Secret. For so long my band size was too large to find anything nice at VS, but now that I’m measuring a 38, there’s so much more within reach. I treated myself to a couple of fun, sexy bras, and I can’t wait for them to arrive.
3. Wednesday evening headed to Italian Heritage Night at the SF Giants, and had a great time. But what is sort of amazing to me is that when my friend snapped this photo of me while we were waiting for the train, I didn’t immediately feel the need to crop the photo so that it only showed my body from the waist up. In fact, when I looked at it again yesterday, I realized just how much smaller my hips/thighs are now. Those are still (and always will be) my biggest problem area, but my body is really transforming. It was really cool to notice it from this photo.
4. School is about to begin, and next week I have two teacher professional development days that I’m attending, which isn’t something worth writing about, except for the fact that this year, the district bought every teacher an iPad! I’m so excited to get mine and try it out. I’m a huge Mac fanatic, but couldn’t see spending that much money on an iPad, when I have a MacBookPro and an iPhone. But since the district is giving us one, hey, I’m all for it. The PD day is supposed to show us some interesting uses of the iPad in the classroom. Yay for free Apple gadgets!
5. Since today is my last Friday, I want to do something fun, so I think I’m going to head to the beach with Sofi so we can both enjoy this beautiful day.
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Bella on the Beach 