Jumping on Wagons

Welp, as my first Maryland snowstorm comes barreling into town, I've just been lounging in bed and figured I should write you people something before I get snowed in, lose power, and starve to death.

Dramatic much? Just trying to spice things up.

Seriously though, we've got quite the snow coming. 

Andrew and I had our final swing dancing class last night. It was awesome. We honestly had such a blast, learned SO much, and surprise surprise, became better dancers. We also got a little reward from the instructors for having perfect attendance and showing up to all 8 classes.

No I did not eat the entire bag of candy on the ride home.... 

We are committed to signing up for part II of the class which begins in April. Hopefully I don't forget everything by then. Is dancing like riding a bike?

In other news, my sister jumped back on the ole' working out band wagon today.

Gosh I love her.

Remember when she wrote that post about how different we are? Nonetheless, I'm super proud of her. And YOU, over there... if you've fallen off the wagon, it's time to get back on. Why? Because swimsuit season is lurking, and it's getting a lot closer than you think.

Speaking of getting back on wagons, I got back on this one tonight:

That's right. I clipped my Ipod to my headband and did some pool running like it was my job. The lifeguard watched me like I was teetering on the brink of insanity the entire time I was in the pool. I suppose she had a right to.

Alright, I'm fading. And running out of witty things to say. And ready for bed. Hope you are all surviving the week so far.

And remember... get back on that wagon! Whatever kind of wagon it may be! 

Unless of course it's a crappy broken down wagon with only one wheel. That'll get you nowhere.

Cheers!

Head Above Water

Have I ever told you guys what the ultimate key to my heart is?

And no it isn’t pumpkin… although that’s probably a close second.

source ... because I ate it too fast to take a picture.

Cheesecake.

Last night my baller boyfriend dropped by my house with a piece of amazingness straight from the Cheesecake Factory, and I have to say, it made my freaking week. Just wanted to share, and make you drool on yourself.

Let’s run through some other important updates, shall we?

I ‘ran’ in the deep end of the pool this morning for a solid 50 minutes. And when I say run, I mean essentially treading water in a running-like motion. I’m pretty sure the swimmers hated me, the pool was completely full by 6 AM, and I nearly drown from the guy who kept blowing past me with his aggressive breast stroke in the lane next to me.

Good times.

Following that gem of a workout I rewarded myself with Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oats.

What’s that, you want the recipe? Certainly.

Combine in bowl/container:

-1/2 cup of old-fashion oats

-Pinch of cinnamon

-1 (softer) banana

-1-2 TB of peanut butter

-Chia seeds/vanilla extract (optional)

Pour in enough milk of choice to cover ingredients and mix it together. Let sit overnight in refrigerator.  Enjoy the next morning!

Other developments… I recently cut my hair. I wanted it to look like this:

 I even showed her this exact picture. She didn’t listen, because hair stylists never listen to me and so I ended up with this:

They are too long to wear like that pretty girl up there wears hers. Maybe next time they’ll get it right. Or maybe my face is just shaped strangely.

In case you’re wondering, those odd pictures of me above are from an outdoor concert we attended this past weekend that actually turned into a rave that night…. Yeah.

In other news, I fell in love with my orthopedic doctor yesterday. She. Is. Amazing. She was super relatable, LISTENED TO ME, and kept me feeling encouraged. 

and i'm officially the creepy girl who takes pictures of doctor offices. 

She referred me to an awesome physical therapist who I called immediately afterwards and begged asked for the next available appointment.  Which I will go to tomorrow. Where I will then run on an anti-gravity treadmill so they can figure me out.

Cool.

Hopefully they need me to run a solid 10 miles to get a diagnosis?

my official papers

Last, but certainly not least… my favorite topic. Pumpkin.

Today at Trader Joes I found this:

And yesterday, my coworker found this:

Life is Good.

How is everyone’s weeks going? What is the key to your heart when it comes to food? And more importantly, have you ever gotten a hair cut that you actually liked? 

(I haven't)

Cheers!

Let's Chat

Let's have a little chat, shall we?

Let's talk about what I just whipped up to take to our small group tonight for a snackity snack:

That's right. Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispy Treats. THE PUMPKIN RECIPES NEVER STOP!!!

PS- I found the recipe here if you're interested.

PPS- Did you see what they now have at Starbucks? I want it so badly, but it was already sold out at the store I was at! Sad day.

Next, let's talk about how it's Wednesday, and how I've been a Weird Wednesday failure lately. And how failure the streak is going to continue into this week due to my current mental unstable-ness.

BUT, I do have one weird pic to offer you all:

no cameras allowed in locker rooms? my bad. 

Who needs a waterproof Ipod case for pool running when you've got enough hair to just clip your Ipod in it? I clipped it in, and wrapped the cord around my bun a few times, and voila! I'm pretty confident the elderly folk in the 90 degree therapy pool I was running in thought I was insane. But who am I kidding?  I am insane.

Anyways, remember last post when I told you about the current state of my knee, and that walk I went on to sit and write? Well here's some of what I wrote about:

If you haven't picked up on it by now, I'm a huge goals person. I typically make monthly goals, seasonal goals, even goals for the year. I have had most of my goals for New York in line now for a couple months, and I already know what some of my spring goals for 2013 are going to be.

I literally just you that I'm insane about two paragraphs up. You're preaching to the choir.

October. A fantastic month. Leaves are changing and falling. Temps continue to drop. Girls and boys alike dress up in skanky fun costumes.

Not me. I was just a cute little helpless blind mouse. 

I decided to keep October simple, for my own sanity that I don't have. 

1. Be healthy. Obviously a lifetime goal that I have, but I plan to refocus on this hard the month leading up to New York. This goes for the food (and drink) that I'm putting into my body, the way that I'm training, preventative actions that I'm taking to prevent (ha) injury and nurse the injuries I (may) already have. Pretty broad, but solid in my eyes.

2. Focus on strength. I've never been a big lifting girl, not my most favorite thing to do. But I plan to be much more consistent with strength training through October. This will also involve DAILY push-ups and planks, because both of those are easy to do no matter where I may be.

3. Be happy. This goes hand in hand with #1, but I sometimes end up separating my mental and emotional health from my physical health, which isn't good. It's a simply idea but lately I've found it hasn't been easy for me. And it's effecting me, and my relationships with people I love. And to be honest, current state I'm not completely sure what it will take to move towards a more consistent happy Kait. But I know I have to make some changes.

Because apparently I haven't been fighting hard enough. Lucky for me, I know how to fight pretty damn hard.

Minutes after finishing The Boston Marathon, April 2012. 

Enough of the sap/goo/emotional throw-up. There you have me, current state. Three simple goals, plugging away on the road to New York. Even if the road is currently in a pool.

Cheers!