a scrapbook post

I think I've mentioned before that I really use my blog these days as my scrapbook.  After I left NE and my scrapbooking support group, I just don't have motivation to scrapbook...so here is a random post scrapbook post for you.

January
Mike participated in Tough Mudder in Phoenix, AZ ~ a 12+ mile obstacle course with, as you probably guessed, a lot of mud.  He was part of a team so there was a group of us spectators that were able to be at a handful of the obstacles.  It was a wonderful day and really fun to watch.

Mike was part of the 'Super Troopers' team.  :) Mike is standing all the way to the left.

This is right after he got through these huge garbage tanks(those huge ones that they use in construction) filled with water and ICE.  Literally, they were using a front loader dumping ice into these things. 

Army crawling through tubes of mud.(Mike's in the middle)

More mud.

 Trying to miss the wires that have 10,000 volts floating through...seriously, many of those strings are wires with 10,000 volts.  Crazy!

Finish line - a well deserved beer and orange sweat band!  :)

February
Mike turned 30 years old in February so we took a trip to Estes Park, CO.  A few friends from NE met us there...two of these said friends actually got engaged on this exact trip.  How fun!  Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park was amazing ~ we snowshoed for the first time & love it, we went on a horseback ride(I rode Baby and Mike rode Gus), saw tons of elk just hangin' out on the side or directly on the road, & enjoyed being with friends and in the amazing view!

March
I went on a 'Girls Trip' in March to Breckenridge, CO - I met two of my very favorite ladies(aka Jen and Emilie) in Breck and we had an amazing time.  We skied, had some late nights, and TONS of girl talk.  I've said it before and I'll say it again ~ there's something so amazing and refreshing to spend quality time with girlfriends!!  I think all three of us needed this trip!

April
While Mike travelled to AZ and NV for his work, I went to NE for two weeks in April.  It's always so crazy when I'm in NE because I'm working full-time and also trying to see as many people/friends as I can.  A few highlights - hanging out on the farm w/ Dad/Barb(+Barb's kids), doing a mini winery tour with my Mom & Sis, spending Easter w/ family, watching one of my nephew's baseball games, touring my brother & sister-in-law's new house, enjoying my favorite food spots(good thing the 5 lbs I gained is gone), and spending some great time with family and friends.  Fantastic.  We'll be back in NE in June for the wedding of our friends who were engaged on the Estes Park trip.  :)

Mike has been working the AZ/Mexico border for almost a week and a half but gets back laaaatttteee tonight.  We have a couples spa evening planned for tomorrow and then we leave soon for vacation to Sedona, AZ.  Since Mike and I have basically been together one week of the entire month of April, I'm SOOOO excited for vacation and spending quality time with JUST Mike...no dogs and no work!! 

Hi!

Same story, different day ~ hate blogging from this ancient computer!! But I do have some catching up to do so hopefully I'll grow some patience during the weekend and blog.

For now, here is my contribution for the day. I've decided that I prefer working either my upper body or lower body for each workout instead of 1-2 body parts per day. If I miss a workout, working 1 body part a day just causes me to be thrown off my schedule. If only I was as committed as the hubs.

So - here are the workouts I'll be trying out starting tomorrow. Would you like to join me? Besides my commentary, all of this comes from a workout by Jamie Eason(surprise, surprise) in magazine Fitness Rx February 2012 edition.

Upper Body~>
Seated DB(dumbbell) press - 3x10 (3 sets of 10 reps each)
Skull crusher, superset w/ narrow grip bench press - 3x10+10
DB lateral raise - 3x10
Cable chest flyes - 3x10
Rear delt cable flyes - 3x10 (I'll probably use dumbbell's for this one)
Wide grip lat pulldown - 3x10
Reverse grip pulldown - 3x10
Alternating DB curls - 3x10
Bicycle crunches - 3x25
Basic crunh - 3x25 (I'll probably do a crunch on a ball-feels better on the back)

Lower Body~>
Leg extensions - 3x10
Single-leg BB(barbell) squat on bench - 3x10
Walking BB lunges - 3x10
Leg press w/ narrow stance - 3x10
Stiff-legged deadlift - 3x10
Sumo BB squat - 3x10
Seated leg curl - 3x10 (our gym only has the laying leg curl machine so I'll be using it)
Standing calf raise - 3x10 (will be doing 45 degree calf raise instead)
Seated calf raise - 3x10

Full Body Circuit~> (perform each exercise consecutively then repeat)
Wide squat stance w/ DB shoulder press - 15 (15 reps)
DB lateral raises w/ alternating lunch - 15
Stiff-legged deadlift w/ BB row - 15
Glute bridge on floor w/ DB chest press - 15
Bench dips w/ bench crunches/tucks - 15
21's w/ BB (curl bar half way up, then curl from middle to top, then curl the entire range of motion for 7 reps)
Decline push-ups w/ stability ball ab tuck - 10 (not sure I'll be able to manage all the push-ups after completing everything above)
1-minute jump rope

Our gym has many pre-set bar bell's starting at 20 lbs but you can likely substitute dumb bells in some exercises. The circuit kind of conerns me but I have to think about a lot @ once and certainly want to make sure the form is correct. Most of the exercises are fairly self-explanatory but you can find video demo's of many of these at bodybuilding.com. As a side note, I'll be using as heavy of weights as I can handle. Hopefully Mike will be there to spot me. ;)

I'll probably incorporate two days(maybe three if I'm feeling ambitious...which is unlikely) of cardio. The recommendation out there these days is to always do your cardio AFTER your strength training so you have as much energy as possible for the strength. I typically leave the gym w/ a protein shake. It's important to consume protein(in whatever form you choose) within 30 minutes of the end of your workout. I use a shake because it's simple and I don't have to think about it. :)

The "schedule" goes like this:
Day 1-Upper; Day 2-Lower; Day 3-Rest; Day 4-Upper; Day 5-Lower; Day 6-Circuit; Day 7-Rest

Ultimately that means I have to get to the gym 5 days a week which hasn't been typical for me lately but we'll see what happens.

Anyone want to join me in a new challenge?

a few items I'm currently obsessed with

-Our new king-size bed ~>
Our weekend trip to Phoenix(more details on that trip later) set Mike over the edge. We got home Sunday, went to pick out and buy the bed Monday, & we were sleeping in the bed by Tuesday evening. I didn't realize how much I'd like having a king bed...when you have a husband that thinks his "side" consists of 3/4 of the queen bed and I get 1/4, I guess a king size really does have its benefits.

-Starbucks grande skinny caramel latte ~>
I've raved about this deliciousness before and it never gets old. Yum!!

-Jamie Eason ~>
She is beautiful inside and outside and is such an incredible motivator in so many aspects of life. She is a fitness model and spokesperson for bodybuilding.com. Her spiritual connection with God is increible and she is more than willing to share her advice, whether it's fitness related or otherwise.

-Unsalted Raw Almonds ~>
So yummy and it's a perfect snack to run downstairs from my office, grab out of the pantry, & run back upstairs if I only have a few moments to spare.

-Stuart ~>
I have to get Stuart out of our bedroom at night. I have realized lately that every movement Stuart makes wakes me up. Not that I feel un-rested but I know I'd sleep even better if he wasn't in our bedroom. This could be a rough transition. ugh!

There you have it - hope you have a great day!

Do you ever really like...

an item that seems a little odd to like? Well...I REALLY like writing with mechanical pencils. I rarely write with a pen but when I do I like to use the Pilot Easy Touch ballpoint pen med point in black. I'm not that particular about my mechanical pencils but maybe some day I'll find a favorite brand.
Anything you like that might seem a little odd to like? :)

2012??? for real?

I forgot how much I enjoyed blogging and staying updated on my fellow bloggers...so...I'm back for another post. :) I didn't log off work until about 5:30(I typically log off around 3:30/3:45) so I'm a little pooped and could use some blog therapy.

I can't believe it's 2012 already. Wowsers!! I looked back at my first blog of 2011 and it looks like I did accomplish one goal(running 2 half-marathons) last year. Go me! Hmmm...what should 2012 bring for me?? Improving my snowboarding is still on my list of goals but that'll come eventually.

1) I've been working really hard at the gym lately. I'm not really focused on losing weight(however, I certainly wouldn't complain) but I am really "into" growing my strength. I've learned quickly I'm not a fan of the mentality of lifting 5lbs for 100 reps(what a waste of time!!) - I love lifting heavy(let's go 50 lbs for 6-10 reps) and see how my strength has increases. I've done ZERO cardio for the past 5 weeks or so and focused solely on strength training. I've added cardio back in starting this week. My goal is to continue this drive into 2012 and beyond. Strength training is SOOO critical to a woman's health so I would encourage all of you to give it a try. There are tons of resources out there to help create a plan for you!

2) A half-marathon might be on my list of goals for 2012...haven't decided yet.

3) I need to take better care of my teeth. Went to the dentist last Friday and have to get five fillings. WHAT?! I was about in tears at my dentist office. Luckily, Mike needs four fillings too and for some reason that fact makes me feel better. I told Mike my goal was to, on average, brush my teeth two times a day, every other day. Let's be honest - I certainly have not been brushing twice a day or flossing and I'd be kidding myself if I said I was going to start brushing twice a day, every day.

4) Exercise Patience - take a step back and try to look at a situation rationally & objectively before choosing my words and actions. Is there really a point for me to be "snappy" about something when it really doesn't matter? I feel I am a fairly patient person when it comes to my work but I sometimes have little patience with Mike and the pups. How about I pick the "battles" that are productive, instead of all this little, pointless, not life changing stuff!!?

Well - I don't think I can say that these are only 2012 goals but it's a good way to start the year and hopefully continue to develop some good habits.
Happy New Year!!

the truth is...

I really dislike blogging from our old, very slowwww laptop. I also dislike blogging from the iPad and feel blogging from my work computer probably isn't a good use of my WORK computer. So - here we are...I haven't even opened my blog or kept updated on others blogs since I last posted. UGH! I have a lot of catching up to do. Here is a short continuation of my previous post:

My mom came to visit and I ran my 4th half-marathon here in Santa Fe, NM.
San Diego was quite enjoyable and a nice break, even though Mike was sick part of the time and it rained for two days straight.

Temecula wine country!!

Here are some pics of the fabulous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta when Mike's parents visited.

A pic of Justin, Stacey, Mike, & I at the end of our very long and strenuous hike. 20 minutes before this picture I was nearly in tears because it was so difficult. I couldn't go 10 steps without having to take a break. It was that steep and I was lacking a little oxygen at 1200 feet.

We took a mini trip down to Carlsbad, NM, where they have a riverboat light cruise on the Pecos. Unfortunately, we had to drive back to Santa Fe in white out conditions...but only ended up adding an hour to our overall drive time.

We were able to come back to NE for Christmas this year. It's been three years since we've been in NE for Christmas. It was so wonderful but went way too fast. I think this picture pretty much summarizes everything. :) Let us open the presents already!!

Cute little Stu! ~ well not so cute on Christmas Eve when he jumped onto a chair, then onto the buffet style table at my mom's to grab a chicken wing before I could get to him...then to do it again 10 minutes later from a different chair and grab a cookie. Seriously!!

Merry Christmas(a little late) from the Carpenters!

things have been a little crazy lately

Well - I hope to do a bunch of blogging this weekend but just wanted to touch base. Mike and I have had a busy month or so...my mom visited for a week and then we vacationed in San Diego for almost a week. When we returned from CA, Mike's parents were already in town and stayed for a few days. Mike's parents left Tuesday and then friends from NE came to visit the following Saturday-Tues...which brings us to today. More chaoes will be entering our lives soon but more on that later.

A few highlights:
Mom's Visit - we did a lot of driving while my mom visited. Took some amazingly beautiful scenic drives.

San Diego - we visited the San Diego Zoo and visited the Temecula wine country 3 days in a row...guess we like our wine.

Mike's parents visit - we attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. It was amazing!

Stacey & Justin's visit - We hiked for 2'ish miles and we started at 8500 ft and ended at 12,000 ft. Not going to lie...it was super duper tough but well worth it in the end when we picnicked at the top of a mountain with beautiful views and coming across a momma big horn sheep with her baby. They were literally within feet of us.

Today - well, Mike had to travel overnight for work at the last minute so Boulevard, Stuart, & I are just chillin' tonight. I may crack open a bottle of wine or maybe a skinnygirl margarita.

Stay tuned this weekend for pictures...