Get Outside Monday #8

Last weekend Nick and I ventured over the east side of the mountains for some much needed time with friends and family - and a wedding!

It was awesome.

We took our new car on it's first long trip - yay!

Some of you around this area may know about the wildfire that's tearing up the Wenatchee area.  We didn't think we would get affected by it on our trip out there, but we sure did.  Wow.

We got to the top of the pass and all the way down the pass into Ellensburg there was smoke.  THICK smoke.  Let me just say that Wenatchee is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the freeway that we were on.

We got into Ellensburg on Friday and hung out with a few of our good college friends that are still there.  It was a lot of fun.  We tried to walk around town, but the smoke was so thick that I got a headache after about 15 minutes and Nick's eyes started burning a bit.  Not fun.

Star Wars moon anyone?

On Saturday we spent the day with the in-laws.  It was so much fun.  We ended up playing tennis for about 2-3 hours at a local park.

They ALL creamed me.  

Sunday afternoon was the wedding ceremony/cake reception.  It was beautiful.

The reception was at a winery somewhat closeby and we spent a few hours there with family and friends before we took the long drive home.


These past two weeks I've been still trying to keep up on training for that half-marathon - keyword: trying.  It's a work in progress...

How did you get outside?  Link up with me!

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<a href="http://lifeoftwosokools.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Just Sayin'"><img alt="Just Sayin'" height="142" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/blondeqt9112/GOM212.jpg" width="200" /></a>

1.  Write a post about how you got outside this past week (you can even tie it in with your weekend recaps)

2.  Grab the button

3.  Link up
4.  Get inspired by (and support) other outsiders!

Sunday Social

I haven't linked up for a good Sunday Social in quite awhile.  Why not now?         1. What do you miss most about being a kid?  Living stress-free and being able to play all those "kid-games" without seeming like a weirdo.  Hide-and-seek, red rover, tag, coloring books?!  I still do them.   
2. Did you have a nickname growing up? What was it?  Ali was my main one.  Actually, throughout high school my best friends all called me Ali.  No one ever called me Alison.  Now it's the total opposite!   
3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess? SWING!  My friends and I were always on the swings at recess.  We'd usually try and swing sideways on the swings and bump each other.  Quite fun (and we often got in trouble if we got caught).

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?  I had my phases.  Usually it was a teacher.  Although I did want to be a librarian and pilot at one point. 

5. What was your favorite toy?  My baby blanket I slept with until I went to college.  Still have it in a box somewhere. I also loved my barbies.  My sister and I used to build big shopping malls or houses for ours.  When my brother would play with us, he would take his cars and they would be our "pets".  Sometimes we'd use his little pokemon figures as well.  Good times...

6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about? I used to eat green beans right out of the pot... on the floor.  Usually with our cat who also liked to eat veggies.  What a weirdo, haha.
When my younger sister was born I called her "enemy" because I couldn't say Emily.  I still call her that from time to time, but in a good way, haha.

Fill in the Blanks Friday

1.  My first memory is    very hard to think of, but I do have flashbacks of when I was in a car accident at the age of 4.  I remember someone helping me with a washcloth to help my wrist  .

2.  My first love was   not really love.  More like 5th grade "love" plus a few others after that.  Actual, legit, full-on love?  My husband.  Hands down :)

3.  My very first favorite color was   blue. I don't know why, but I never really was a pink girl.  I've warmed up to it nowadays.

4. The first time I really felt like a "grown-up" was when     I had to deal with financial issues at college.  Like paying bills, dealing with groceries, etc.  Nothing like some financial hard times to get you feeling like an adult.

5. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is   go to the bathroom.  Then I definitely brush my teeth because we all know how bad morning breath can be.  Especially if I plan on kissing my husband soon after waking up (he won't let me if I have bad breath).

6. The first CD (cassette tape, record, etc...) I ever bought was    probably N*SYNC, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera.  I honestly don't remember, but I'm sure it would've been one of those.

7.  My first car was   a dark green '95 Honda Accord.  Complete with terrible window defrosting.  Seriously.  In the winter you could drive for about 30 minutes before the defroster/defogger would even START working.  Other than that, though, it served it's purpose very well, carting around all of my friends throughout high school .

I wonder why

NPR has an "I Wonder Why" series once a week and I was inspired by that to do one of my own.  Be prepared for some random ramblings.


I wonder why...

Yawning is so infectious.  Seriously.  I was driving and saw a guy yawn in the car next to me and I totally yawned right after.  I wasn't even tired!

Source: themetapicture.com via Christina on Pinterest

Weddings tend to be so expensive.  I understand the need for glamor and perfection, but I don't understand the need to spend $10,000+ on a one day event.  I'm not saying that if you spend/spent a lot on a wedding that you're wasting money, but it's just not me.  Oh well.

People in the U.S. have different accents.  There are accents for every part of the country!  Chicago accents, NY accents, southern accents (even different types of southern accents), California accents, and even Pacific NW accents!  Crazy.

Sexism is such a common unconscious thing.  Someone was showing me how to use a gas grill and he said "but I'm sure Nick knows how to do it".  It's silly because I know how to use a gas grill just as well as, if not better than, Nick.  It's just silly.

Source: emmyc.tumblr.com via Susan on Pinterest

Spacing is such an undecided/mixed up thing.  I was taught, since elementary school, to put two spaces (when typing, two finger spaces when writing) after a sentence.   Why is there a weird thing going on where some people say to only put one space, but some say two?!  I'll just stick with my two space habit, thank you!

I keep going through weird blogging ups and downs.  I don't mean writing posts, but, for example, when I see that I've lost a follower I get a little bummed out.  I sit and wonder, "did I write about something wrong?  Maybe I'm too boring?"  BUT, I just have to keep telling myself that the reason for this blog is not to gain followers/readers.  It is cool having lots of followers, but seriously, do they ALL read my blog?  Does it really matter?  As long as I'm writing, it doesn't matter.  I'm writing for me (and the readers that I do have).  Do you go through this, too?

Cartoons have changed so much.  While nannying I get to watch an array of cartoons (the older girls pretty much control the TV when they're home).  Cartoons are crazy/random/silly nowadays!  Whatever happened to the simple Rugrats or Doug cartoons?  Nothing too crazy.  Now, like Adventure Time or the Random Show, etc. are all so random!  Random creatures appearing out of nowhere.  So weird and crazy... and sadly addicting.  This does, however, keep me up-to-date on the latest trends and fads with kids - haha.

via

Honeymooners: Day 6, 7 & 8

Read about day 1, days 2 & 3, and days 4 & 5. 
Click any picture to enlarge it.

FINALLY finishing our honeymoon series!  It shouldn't have taken this long to finish, sorry!


Day 6:

Today we conquered part of the Na Pali Coast.  It is one of the most beautiful trails in the entire world.  It is also, according to Backpacker Magazine, one of America's top 10 most dangerous hikes.  The hike itself, the Kalalau trail, is 11 miles one way to a beach that you can only get to by foot or boat.  We didn't hike the whole thing because that would require backpacking (maybe someday!).  Instead, we hiked 2 miles in to a very nice beach (Hanakapi'ai) and then 2 miles inland to a very famous waterfall (Hanakapi'ai Falls).
 

 We left Haena Beach for Hanakapi'ai.  It wasn't too intense of a hike (just some slippery rocks at the beginning), but just look at what we found at the beach....

Isn't this the scariest sign you've ever seen?!  We even saw people swimming in the water...

Anyways, we then left the beach and hiked inland to go to Hanakapi'ai Falls.  This waterfall is made famous from Jurassic Park!  If you've seen it, then you know that when they first land on Jurassic Park they fly down a waterfall with the helicopter.  Well, that scene is THIS waterfall!  SO COOL!

The trailhead marker said that this hike was only 2 miles one way, but it definitely felt a LOT longer than that.  It involved a lot of mud.. a lot.. and climbing over rocks, fording rivers and getting very dirty.  But, it was a beautiful hike into the jungle.

Complete with bamboo!

After a long, long, 2 miles we made it.  It was amazing!  300 ft of just water falling.  

 

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Day 7:

We had the choice of staying 7 or 8 days before our return flight, so we chose to stay 8, duh!  But, we couldn't get condo that long so we decided that we would just camp out one night.  Plus, we didn't want to spend extra on an overpriced hotel.

We chose to campout on the south/southwestern side of the island and explore that area.

Kauai is seriously night and day on different parts of the island.  Northern/eastern is all wet, beachy, and foresty, while the southern end has a huge dry canyon.

Waimea Canyon is beautiful. 

We wandered around the trails and just soaked in the beauty of the island.

Later we went to explore the city of Waimea.   
And that's all I've got to say about that...

Just kidding.  There really wasn't much in Waimea.  They had a few little shops (same merchandise as most of the other places) and some very nice... sculptures.  

Just a little weird, right?!

Anyways, after being creeped out, we went to the "park" that we were camping at.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the area that we stayed at, but it was a fenced-in baseball field with an eating area and beach nearby.  Not really the most romantic spot, but hey, we were camping in Hawaii!


We found out when we got there that there was a homeless camp right next to the park and you had to set up your tent in the baseball field and park by the beach.  I felt a little weird leaving all of our stuff in the car, which was parked pretty far away from our tent, so we actually ended up sleeping in our car.  Thank you fold-down seats and not so awful leg room.

We only woke up with little leg cramps and little sleep, but hey, we had a long flight ahead of us, so we were going to get our sleep in somehow.


We took an uneventful plane ride home (THANK YOU for nothing crazy happening) and thus concludes our honeymoon.

Thanks for tagging along :)

Get Outside Monday #7

Nick and I signed up for a half-marathon.

A HALF-MARATHON!

What have I become?!  If you would've asked me 2 years ago if I wanted to sign up for a half-marathon, I would have laughed at you.

Now?  Well, we're going to be part of an awesome race.

13.1 miles of running next to the ocean.  That's the Birch Bay Marathon.

I don't plan on running the whole thing.  Oh no, I'm not up to that point.  Although, my husband is seriously considering it.  Woohoo for him!  Also, my mom, brother, and possibly sister and future brother-in-law are possibly doing it!!

 My good friend (who will have an almost 3 month old baby by this time) and I are planning on doing it together.  Maybe running a bit and walking the rest or doing a mix of jogging/walking the whole time.  Who knows.  All I know is that I'm really excited.

I also know that this means that I need to train.

Even if I plan on jogging for a few miles, I need to get my body up there because right now I can only stand jogging a little more than two miles at a time.  The marathon isn't until February, but you gotta start planning now!

This Get Outside Monday post is dedicated to some great training plans/workout ideas and maybe even some items I'll be needing.



This is an awesome training plan.  I won't get through all of it (I don't plan on running the whole thing), but I can definitely use this as a starting point.

Source: mybetterlifeblog.blogspot.com via Alison on Pinterest

This website has A LOT of awesome tips and resources for running.  I'll definitely be checking this out.

Source: greatist.com via Alison on Pinterest

Gotta know my stretches.  I hate having tight muscles.  Not one of the best feelings in the world.

Source: felttip.com via Victoria on Pinterest

Here is my want-list of items for the race!

 

Source

Source

And some inspiration for me!

Source: wanttobehealthynhappy.tumblr.com via Christin on Pinterest

Source: facebook.com via Christin on Pinterest

How did you get outside?  Link up with me!

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<a href="http://lifeoftwosokools.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Just Sayin'"><img alt="Just Sayin'" height="142" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/blondeqt9112/GOM212.jpg" width="200" /></a>

1.  Write a post about how you got outside this past week (you can even tie it in with your weekend recaps)

2.  Grab the button

3.  Link up
4.  Get inspired by (and support) other outsiders!

Pesto

Nick and I LOVE pesto. 

If we had to choose one pasta sauce to eat for the rest of our lives, it'd probably be pesto.

We're apart of a local community garden and they have a section in the greenhouse that has many gigantic basil plants.  Well, what can you do with a buttload of basil?!  MAKE PESTO!

Here's what you need (for about 2 1/2 servings of it - and by servings I mean pasta servings):

     ► 3 cups of Basil leaves
     ► 6 Tbsp. of pine nuts (we used cashews, but you can use walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.)
     ► 2-4 cloves of garlic  
     ► 3/4 tsp of sea salt 
     ► Dash of pepper
     ► 6 Tbsp. of olive oil

Throw everything into a food processor (a blender works, too) and let it go!

Make sure to scrape the sides down while it's going so you don't get any surprise chunks of garlic or basil.

 

Serve right away (on a pasta or even pizza) or make loads of it and freeze it in ziploc bags.  If you do freeze it, add a little extra olive oil to the bag to help it thaw faster and not solidify as much. 

We put enough for one meal of pesto pasta in each bag.  If you squish it down to make it flat, it freezes incredibly small in the freezer and doesn't take up a lot of space.

Fresh pesto is also amazing as a dip with Crostini or a nice baguette!

Enjoy!

Linking up with Angi!

Get Outside Monday #6

We had a pretty great week/weekend.  I have nothing to complain about (except that it was too short, of course).

One.
Nick is able to rent a paddleboard from REI for free, so of course we took it out for a test spin.

 We invited two of our friends, C & J, out to try it out with us.

I'm impressed at how not too difficult it was.  We went to a quiet lake and I think next time we're definitely taking it out on the bay.  It'll be much more fun/intense!

Two.
Saturday was spent exploring the awesome area of Fairhaven (in Bellingham) and cheering on my husband while he was racing in the Bellingham Traverse on team REI.

The transition/trade-off!

The Bellingham Traverse is a 5-part relay race consisting of road running, mountain biking, road biking, trail running, and kayaking.  Nick competed in the kayak portion of the race.  It was a lot of fun to watch!  I love race atmospheres!

Afterwards the whole team has to run to a local brewery and there is much celebrating (as well as prizes) at said brewery.

Overall, we had a pretty fun weekend.  Minus the fact that Nick destroyed me when we played Monopoly.  

Not bad iPod, not bad.

How did you get outside this week?  Link up with me!

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<a href="http://lifeoftwosokools.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="Just Sayin'"><img alt="Just Sayin'" height="142" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/blondeqt9112/GOM212.jpg" width="200" /></a>

1.  Write a post about how you got outside this past week (you can even tie it in with your weekend recaps)

2.  Grab the button

3.  Link up
4.  Get inspired by (and support) other outsiders!