Pre-Birthday Weekend Fun with Mom

Mom and I had a lot of fun planned for the weekend. Unfortunately, her Multiple Sclerosis had other plans. I really, really want to complain and tell you how this disease ruins everything, all of the time, for fun things I want to do with my mom. It has been this way 9 years now. Not to mention seeing someone you love so deeply in constant pain. I am not going to do that though, it will not solve anything, and at the end of the day, I am thankful my mom is alive and was able to drive down and stay. At least she is staying an extra couple of days since she can't drive home right now. Silver lining, right?

We went out Thursday evening and had a good time. I was off Friday so we slept late; until 10 AM. Mom woke up and not feeling well so she took her medicine and spent the day vegging on the couch. I went hiking. It was a beautiful, warm day, but the hike was hard. I felt more tired than usual after the long week. Though it was difficult, I pushed to the top. As always, it was worth it!

When I got back from hiking, I was pretty tired and looking forward to just relaxing. However, mama was itching to get out of the apartment. I had been wanting to buy a new bag/backpack to use for hiking since the one I had was crappy and bounced off my butt a lot when I hiked (which is so annoying) so we went to the mall. I found one I loved and a Marvel one at that. My inner comic nerd was elated so I had to have it.

We then picked up a pizza for dinner and a couple of Redbox movies. "Single Mom's Club"; boring, I stopped watching after 45 minutes, but mom liked it. We did not watch "Jack Ryan", which was the one I really wanted to see.

Saturday, we slept really late. Mom had a tough time throughout the night. We finally were up and moving around noon and I decided to take her across the street to this really delicious breakfast restaurant. One can eat brunch at noon, right? Ha. I was craving pancakes something fierce. We needed to go out to get mom medicine anyway. When we get to the restaurant, I find out it is closed down. My luck, right? That's the thing about Charlotte, or any big city sometimes, it is hard to have a favorite restaurant because so many businesses come and go. Since breakfast is served all day at IHOP, we ended up there. The pancakes were really good, but nothing like the restaurant that was across the street from my apartment. 

From consuming that amount of carbohydrates for breakfast/lunch, I was really tired after; super full and super tired. We picked up mom's medicine then went back to the apartment. I worked on my book for a couple of hours then went to the gym for 40 minutes of cardio and an upper body weight circuit. Again, it was not the best workout. The gym was too cold - I hate working out and "cold sweating", I hated all of my music, and it was all I could do to push through, but I did. I was over it.

I came back to the apartment, showered, and got decent. I put on my new outfit that we bought Thursday. I am no fashionita and I openly admit it. My style is faded torn jeans and a tank top. 

Once I was ready, I went to go run a few errands and pick mom up her favorite Chinese dinner. A "Big Bang Theory" marathon was on and she had her favorite dinner brought to her; she may be sick, but that can help anyone, right? I made myself my favorite green smoothie to detox a little: fresh orange juice, kale, spinach, chia and flax seeds, pineapple, mango, and a green apple.

Then I went and met my girlfriend Alexis and her husband Daniel at the movies to see "Lucy". I have been waiting a while for this movie to come out and it was freaking awesome. I don't know how else to explain it. It was brilliant. It makes you think a lot about how we got here and the power of the human mind.... and how little we know about everything. If you have the chance, go see it! Oh and I scored a free drink. I love my Regal card. 

Yesterday I decided to go hiking again. It was a non-lifting day at the gym and I love to workout outside when I have the chance. Back to the mountains I went. It started off as a hard hike. I have been out of it these past couple of days, I admit it. I was bloated, tired, and the weather was so humid and sticky, I couldn't breathe -- we had a big storm earlier in the morning. I debated on turning around many times. The thought of climbing to the top made me cringe. I did not turn around though. I made it to the top and it felt amazing. When I was coming down, I felt energized so I jogged most of the way. Not down the big part of the mountain because I would have killed my knees and fell on my face, but the parts that it was a little more even. I was soaked when I finished and felt really accomplished. 

I went home to clean up after and get ready for church. It was the start of "Love Week" and there was a lot of volunteer things going on it. It was also week two of the #DeathToSelfie series. And I have to say, it was one of Steven's most moving services yet. He never ceases to amaze me.

Once church was over, I picked up my mom and she and I went to this really cool restaurant called "Char Bar No. 7". I have driven past it a lot over the years but had never actually dined there. The atmosphere was awesome with live music, an outdoor lounge, and though it was typical "bar food", the menu had a good variety and it was delicious! I had a really good strawberry and mint cocktail. They are just more fun out of a mason jar.

After dinner, we went back to my apartment so I could rest and get ready for the work week. I am thankful it is only 3 days for me. I am ready for a 5 day break! 

Linking up today!

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Fun in the Sun Weekend Recap (I'm back!)

I think I am finally back to normal. I feel like myself again, so more weird blog posts or writings. Well, who knows about that as I am a weird person at times. Ha. This weekend I basically had a "snap out of moment", which almost instantly brought me back into being my usual self. I was so sick and tired of feeling sad all of the time. That's not me, that is not how I live my life, and the last thing I want to do is derail off of my hard work- be it my blog, the gym, anything. I have really worked hard over the past 9 months and I want to keep going. I just want to be more mindful and not burn myself out like I did a few weeks ago.
Friday after a busy day at work, I went to the gym as normal. I busted through my plateau and now I am at 60 pounds lost since November 25th. It was my favorite workout - legs! Since Saturday was to be a rest day, I really wanted to push hard and I definitely did.

After the gym, I came home to feed Marty and take a shower, then I took off to Greensboro for an impromptu trip to stay with my grandmother. She is taking a trip to Florida this week so I will not be able to see her until the end of the month, plus she had an idea for Saturday, so she asked me to come. Of course I obliged. Once I arrived to her house, we spent the evening chatting in the outdoor room and I was able to get in some good reading time. I am currently reading "The Happiness Project". I absolutely love going to grandparents, that is my home. I sleep the best and relax the best there, which felt like paradise for me after the last few weeks I have had.

Saturday morning we woke up and she took me to a vinegar and oil store. This place was great! I am trying to veer away from using oils when I cook or marinate meats and vegetables. I consume my essential fats through nuts so I don't need oils. This store was so awesome because one could make their own natural vinaigrette or oils! The ingredients are real, raw, fresh, and organic. You know exactly what you are making and purchasing. I opted for a light vinaigrette with pineapple. It is unbelievably delicious, I swear I could drink it. My grandmother made a dark cherry vinaigrette.

After our fabulous trip at the vinegar store, I drove back to Charlotte. My legs were sore from my workout, and all of that driving did not help my energy or soreness. Driving makes me so tired too. I spent most of the afternoon writing. I am happy to say that I am making great progress with my book. I had plans for the evening, but they fell apart. Which was probably the best thing that has happened to me because it woke me up. It was a light bulb moment that really needed to happen. After that, I decided to call it a night early and get a good amount of sleep.
I woke up Sunday still feeling sore but I wanted to spend the day out. I decided I wanted to be happy. It's that simple. I decided to let go of the negative feelings I have been pouring myself into and be "me" again. I made myself a protein packed breakfast, packed my back pack, then drove to the mountains to go hiking. It has been a month since I have hiked! I can't believe it. Since I started hiking 6 months ago, I rarely ever miss a weekend-- but due to my state of mind lately, the weather, and a lot of travel it has been hard. 

The weather was very hot, but beautiful. Once I started on my 10-mile strenuous trail, I immediately felt rejuvenated and energetic. It was a strong hike. Though I have not hiked in a few weeks, I have still been training hard at the gym. Pushing myself on the StairMill 5 days a week has really helped with hiking. I climbed the mountain in record time, both up and down. It was awesome! 

After my hike, I drove back home to take a shower and get cleaned up for church. 

I attend a church called Elevation occasionally. When I was younger, I detested going to church, but when I moved to Charlotte a few years ago, I really felt it on my heart to try this place, so I did. I am definitely not a "holier than thou" person, but this church lifts my spirits and heals my soul so much. I love the loud music, the lights, the band, and the pastor, Steven Furtick (who is a New York Times best selling author) makes me understand the Bible and use God's word in my everyday life. 

I knew I needed to go. I probably need it more than ever right now. As expected, the service was wonderful. Next week the church is starting a 6 week series called #DeathToSelfie, which I am equally curious and nervous about because I am definitely in trouble. Ha!
After church was finished, I ran by the grocery store then went to the movies. I had a free ticket so I decided to use it and see "Jersey Boys". I have to admit I was disappointed. I liked the story and it was a "good" movie, but it was a bit boring. Maybe I felt this way because I do not appreciate "The Four Seasons" like someone who was a die hard fan.

I was off of work today since I am working summer hours-- three day weekend and four 10-hour work days throughout the week. When I woke up this morning, I was the sorest I have been in months. I never want to go a month without hiking again; my legs are paying for it.
I pushed myself to clean my apartment then I laid out by the pool all afternoon. Today was actually the first pool day I have had all summer. Now I can't wait to have more. It was so much fun. I made a delicious cocktail, which I call "The Fitness Blondie Cu-Come On Over Summer Cocktail". It is 1 1/2 shots of Skinnygirl cucumber vodka, fresh sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup of lemon seltzer water, a dash of lime juice, ice and then blended together! It's refreshing, light, and keeps you hydrated. I sipped on my drink, read on my Kindle, played in the pool, got some good sun, and made a new girlfriend. (Hi Alyssa, can't wait to hang out more girl!)

The Hump Day blog hop will be back Wednesday along with the magazine giveaway winners, plus my Weekly Training and Nutrition Plan. Thanks for sticking with me through this time guys!

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The Girl Who Runs Through Fire

It was a hard weekend. If you read this post, you know that I had an extremely busy week. It was a good week; very productive, but it took so much out of me. I am a giver. If I love someone or something I give and give and give. Sometimes you give so much, that there is nothing left in you. On Friday evening when I was finally able to leave work, I was exhausted. I planned to take Saturday off from the gym, but decided to take Friday off instead. I came home, cleaned for an over an hour, picked up dinner, and played my guitar for a few hours. By 10 PM I could not keep my eyes open any longer so I went to bed.

Friday night I had a really bad dream. I woke up Saturday morning with tears in my eyes. Waking up crying is probably one of the worst ways to start your day. It did not set a good tone. My body was aching; as was my heart and soul. I was empty. I was exhausted. 

I took the day to myself. I felt that I needed to be alone and regroup. I played my guitar, went and got my hair done, ran a few errands, and watched a movie. I thought taking time to myself, cutting myself off from the world, and trying to rest up would help me feel better. It did, but not a lot. 

Yesterday I awoke feeling better. I knew I planned to spend the day hiking, which makes me really happy. I got dressed, packed my backpack, and I was off. I still felt fatigued and tired, but I knew I needed to go. I arrived to the mountain and prepped to start my dual trail. I had a 4 hour hike planned - 10 miles. The Monday before last, I planned to do that, but I only made it 8 miles.

I started my dual trail. Spiritually, I was motivated, but mentally and physically, I was not. Nonetheless, I started my brisk walk. After a couple of minutes, this beautiful woman with gorgeous, long legs walked past me like I was a slug. I watched her walk like she had a motor in her backpack pushing her along. She inspired me.

She inspired me to push harder and make myself do a good job. Happiness is a choice; I firmly believe and and tell everyone that. I felt sorry for myself, dwelled in my apartment, and it was time to let my pain go. I approached my first big hill on my trail. I thought I would try and run it. I have been extensively training for a couple of months now with hiking, plus increasing the intensity of my cardio in the gym. Now would be a great time to add running into my hikes. So I did. I reached the top and thought I would be completely out breath, hunched over, and exhausted. I wasn't. I was liberated. I instantly felt my soul coming alive again. So I kept going.

Almost every single hill I came to while hiking the mountain, I would run it. I would catch my breath, speed walk for a while, then get back to running. I could not believe that I was running parts of this mountain. This was the mountain, that a year ago, I could not even walk without stopping every 10 minutes. A year ago, I was doing a shorter trail there and crying out of frustration because I could not believe how hard it was to do. 

By the time I reached the last 1/2 mile, which is an incredibly steep incline that leads to the very top, I thought I was not going to make it. Damn, it was hard... but I kept going. Slowly, I walked. I never stopped though. I put one foot in front of the other; sweat pouring off of me like I was a water faucet, and I kept going. 

I reached the top of the mountain and I don't think sitting on a rock ever felt so good. The sun warmed me; which felt like a hug from nature and the light breeze was the perfect "you did it". 

In my short 24 years on this earth, I have learned two things about pain: you can let the fire define you and drown in it OR you can walk through. You can walk through the flames, let it burn you (because it will) and if you just keep going, you will eventually come to the end. At the end, you will become a stronger person. 

Life has thrown me an abundance of change over the past 6 months. Majority of the change has been the best thing to ever happen to me - but it is not easy. However, only over the past month have I been battling emotional emptiness and pain; which to me, is the worst. It's hell on earth. But every single day, I keep going. 

I did my 10 miles today. I finished in 3 hours and 56 minutes. My Polar band decided to stop working, which irritated me (I would have loved to have seen the total caloric burn and where my heart rate stayed towards the end), but I kept going. I was thankful the mountain was not crowded today because when I finished, I collapsed by my car for a few minutes. I just had to stop and rest. That hike was physically the hardest thing I have ever done. 

I think I told myself 50 times "you did it Liz". A year ago, this girl could not even walk up a mountain. I was 45 pounds heavier, cringing at my reflection, at a staleness in life, and I was losing my drive. I was losing my positive, wild spirit. And now here I am. I am alone, but it is a good thing. Pain can bring out the best in you, if you choose to see it that way. That is how I view hardships now in life. I will take the pain, accept it, and no matter what happens, I will keep going. 

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A Weekend of Happiness, a House Party, and Hiking!

What a great weekend! It was busy and super fun, just how I like it. Friday I thought they day would never end. It was a long, long day. I went to visit on my doctor on my lunch hour for my B12 injection and to weigh. I weighed exactly the same this week as I did last week, however, I did lose 1.4 pounds of pure body fat. That is incredible and made me so happy. My training has been extremely intense lately so I'm building muscle and dropping the fat. For now, I am still at 40.2 pounds lost since November 25th. After work, it was my rest day from the gym so Kelly and I did some last minute shopping for Drew's birthday party, then we all went to dinner uptown at this restaurant called "The Liberty". We split appetizers and even had dessert. It was so good! We ended up staying there talking and laughing for almost three hours.

Saturday I was up pretty early and I cooked for Drew's birthday then took off to Crowder's to go hiking. I was rested and ready for a challenge. I decided to do the dual trail that I did the first time I ever went hiking there which was exactly one year ago. The first time I went it was with Kelly. We did not really know what we were doing. As our luck would have it, we picked the dual trail, which is one of the most strenuous and longest trails. It was so hard. I slowed Kelly down a lot, I was constantly having to stop, and I was in tears because I was getting so frustrated. I did not enjoy it. Over the past 6 weeks that I have been regularly been hiking, I have done a lot of trails, but not the particular one that I did the first time I ever went. I decided that it was time to conquer it. It is 10 miles total. And I did it! I did a fast walk up the entire time and I did not stop once. It was incredible. I cannot believe how much my body has improved. That difference astounds me. I was so proud that I was teary eyed at the top of the mountain. I would have loved to see how many calories I burned, but my polar band has decided to stop working, ugh!

After my very long hike I finally arrived home around 4 PM. I was out of my mind exhausted, however there is no rest for the wicked. I took a shower, got glamorous, then took off to Drew's friends house for his birthday. Kelly is my best friend and Drew is her boyfriend. Drew is also a close friend of mine. He and his friend Andrew had a joint birthday party for their "dirty 30". It was the best night; a house party total 1999 style. I haven't been to a house party in forever. We listened to 90's rap, played pool, drank, ate delicious food, danced, talked - I loved it.

Today I have been exhausted all day. Plus I am so sore. My hike has really caught up with me and I am paying for it today, but it feels great. I have stayed home most of the day and scrubbed my apartment and food prepped. I did rearrange my dining room... again. I think this is the third time in a month? Ha.

How was your weekend?

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Sprang forward into an amazing weekend!

Hey guys! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend, and if you live in a state that lost an hour of sleep today (I do), I hope that it is not effecting you too much. I for one have had the best weekend! My work and training are my two priorities throughout the week so on the weekends I like to really make the best of my time and go have fun!

Friday when I went for my B12 injection, I weighed and lost 1 pound! Normally I would bummed with one pound, but last week I lost 5.2 so I knew this would probably not be anything, so 1 pound was a welcome surprise, especially with my RLS complications. Once work was over on Friday, Kels and I went to the mall then uptown with her boyfriend Drew to the Epicenter. We went to "Studio Movie Grill". We had a glass of wine before the movie at the lounge and once seated, we ordered dinner and the wait staff brought the food during the movie. It was an awesome time, I have only done something similar to that one other time. I loved the way the theater was decorated! There were pictures of famous movie stars everywhere. I had to snap Marilyn!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early. I had an awesome work out. I did 50 minutes of cardio and upper body weight circuit. Friday was so rainy, deary, and cold. Luckily yesterday was absolutely beautiful. A light breeze, upper 60's, and the sun shinned bright. I was happy to be able to walk to the gym again!

After I got home from the gym, I got ready then Kelly, Drew, and I went to Gold Hill, NC to "Morgan Ridge Vineyards". We had tickets for a tour and wine tasting. I was so excited because though I love to drink wine, I have never really been to an actual vineyard. I was looking forward to this all week - can't you tell! Ha.

We had the absolute best time. The vineyard and farm are so, so beautiful. It would be the perfect place to have a wedding or fancy party. We had a lot of different wines, the staff was extremely friendly, I loved being out in the country like that again. My favorite type of wine was a peach type wine they offered. Drew was not much into the wine so he kept to his beer flights, ha!

I got home from the vineyard around 8:30 PM. I had dinner and was exhausted after. However, since I have been on the go the last couple of weekends so much, I have neglected giving my apartment a deep scrub. It was driving me crazy so I made myself do it. I cleaned for an hour and a half and really wore myself out so I went to bed shortly after.

This morning I slept in until 10, had breakfast, and got ready for my favorite activity - hiking. Unfortunately, my friends who were supposed to go with me were really hungover. Ha. But that didn't stop me. I am on a mission to become better than I have ever been and though I am not there yet, every day I am getting closer, so I had to go! I normally would not recommend anyone to hike alone, but I know the trails very well and go a lot, so I knew I would be OK. I still called my mom and gave her a detailed description of what I was wearing and that I would call her when I am done. I then, took off! 

It was an amazing hike. I actually prefer going alone. I blasted my music, prayed, talked to God, thought about life, and it was so freeing. Hiking is so hard to me and every time I get to the top of the mountain, I am so proud of myself!

Once I made it to the top, I said a little prayer. "Dear God, I know I complain to you... a lot...but today I wanted to say thank you so much for two able legs, a strong heart to push on even with I have fallen on top of a huge rock, tripped over 56 smaller ones, tripped over 46 tree roots, and almost puked the last quarter mile to the top". Ha. Like I said, it is hard to me, but I love it. I enjoy it so much. After I finished, I put the top back, blasted my country music, and relished in the 45 minute drive home. I am beat.

I just got in from grocery shopping, now I am going to soak in a bubble path, then get food prepped for the week. After that I plan to veg out with all of the amazing TV shows that are on tonight. I am so excited REVENGE is back! That show is like crack to me. I also excited for the show coming on before it, "Resurrection", it looks really interesting. I have to ice my knee too - I was not kidding when I said I fell on top of a rock. I tripped (because I am so graceful) and fell right on it. Go figure! Have a great week!

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