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7/31/13

{WIOW} The Scoop on Running Shorts


For today's WIOW (Work it Out Wednesday), I decided to focus on a huge part of working out...the clothes of course! Having the right clothes make such a difference...not only are they functional but if you look and feel cute, working out is that much more fun!

It was just a year ago that I started wearing shorts after a 10 year hiatus. It was just a few months ago that I bought some casual shorts to replace all my yoga pants for the summer. It was just a couple weeks ago that I tried something I have been purposely staying away from...workout shorts.

I have stayed away from shorts because I hate seeing the short "ride up" on people. You know when one short leg is riding up the front and you are dangerously close to seeing more than you ever want to see. Ugh.

I am also not a fan of getting flashed by people at pilates, yoga or during mat work at the gym. I am seriously scarred by what I have seen when people decide to do leg lifts or down dogs with loose shorts on. {chills}

So, of course because of these two things, I have avoided working out in shorts for a looong time. Until now.

I started with these two shorts and here are my thoughts. Keep in mind, I only have worn these for running, elliptical and arm work. No mat work or pilates - that will NEVER happen in shorts.

Lululemon Groovy Run Short


I like these shorts because they come with a built in liner so you can avoid showing everyone everything. They are also really light and easy to move in. I got a couple sizes up so they fit really well and there is no riding up. My only issue with them...only one back pocket and I love having more pockets for my phone, ID, etc. But the zippered pocket does hold some things securely so I am OK with them as is.

Zella Hero Shorts (from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale)


I bought these because they reminded me of a Lulu running skirt I bought last year that I totally love. I like that these are lightweight and loose. They almost feel like you are not wearing anything at all which is kind of nice. The waistband is comfy and it also has a back zipper for smaller items. These do flare out so definitely no mat work with these on. They also have a liner for extra coverage, but still. In addition to running, I actually wore these paddle boarding and they were perfect for that.

I just got these two but haven't gotten them yet...

The Run: Track Attack Shorts from Lulu.


I am not sure if I love them or just love the model's abs but it can't hurt to try them on, right??

And these cute red Run Racer Shorts from Lulu...


I love the red and turquoise together! And stripes...even better!

Do you wear shorts to work out? What are some of your favorite workout shorts or bottoms? Share them below! 


7/30/13

Peachy and Beachy

Lulus Top // Zara Lace Shorts (similar) // J. Crew Clutch // Steve Madden Wedges (old but I love these) // 

I love pretty much everything about San Diego but the annoying marine layer that invades our summer months. Usually we only have April Showers, May Gray and June Gloom - but it seems now we are in Why July (As in WHY is it still gray??).

Although the weather bums me out, I am still dressing like it's hot and sunny. I finally wore my favorite Lulus off the shoulder top in peach with my Zara Lace shorts (last year) out to dinner last year. I figured we needed some bright & light colors to ward off this gray. Peach is my newest favorite color this summer...especially when I actually have tan.

What are your favorite colors this summer? Are you a fan of peach colors?

7/29/13

Insta Weekend: Embracing the Beach


Hey all,

Hope you all had a great weekend! It was nice to be back home after traveling all over the place lately. Although we spent a nice vacay at Jack's family cottage on the lake, it was great to be back home at the beach. In fact, we did a lot of "beachy" things this weekend including:

1. Having dinner at our favorite beach restaurant, Pacific Coast Grill...

peachy & beachy OOTD // pcg - our fave! // dinner view //
pina-rita (coconut tequila & pineapple juice = love)

2. Running and dining beachside. Jack went surfing and I ran to meet him at the beach for lunch. Running is always better when you have this view and you get to eat fish tacos at the beach afterwards.


3. "Beaching" up the Bathroom.  I had had enough with our guest bathroom and it's zebra/safari/brown theme. We live at the beach...the bathroom needed to be beachier. A few dollars later at Home Goods and my new bathroom is almost ready  - and definitely more beachy.

Still trying to figure out what to put in that frame...beach quote or picture? // 
how adorable is the mini beach chair??

4. Getting new "beach" shoes. You might already know how much I love my Sanuks. In fact, I love them so much, I bought another pair! Why, you ask? Well, my first pair got way too dirty from walking around in the dirt and sand and these look so much better bright and new. So now I have two pairs...one for the beach and one for off the beach. Totally necessary. :)


I think you can say we are officially beach people and I am 100% OK with that! :)

How was your weekend? What fun things did you do??

7/26/13

Back home and bitten up!

Hey all!

Just a quick note to wish you all a happy weekend! Looks like the couple weeks of craziness are over and I am hoping to get back to consistent blogging soon. I have been missing you guys!!

I am so happy to be back home and in one of my favorite places ever - North County SD! How cute are these little signs I found at a local beach boutique?? I want them all!


Although I have 18+ mosquito bites (including 5 on my butt - seriously...NOT COOL), I had a great trip to Chicago & UpperMichigan (the UP). If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that all we did was eat, SUP, light fireworks and build campfires.

So peaceful! First night at the lake!

Super Moon // S'mores // Fireworks - this was the "Girl Power" fountain in case you were wondering. 

Amazing sunsets and it stayed light unitl 9 // Family outing on the lake. 
We had paddle boards, a paddle boat and an canoe. So fun! 

We also hit up a lot of "marts" - a cheese Mart in WI, a fireworks mart in WI and the most famous of the "marts" - Walmart. This was actually the first Walmart I had ever been to a couple years back. In the town of Iron Mountain, Michigan, this is the spot to be! :)

Uncle Sam's Fireworks Mart // Videos of Fireworks //Bamboozle fireworks - reminds me of that Friends episode // 
Jumping Jellybeans - a great fountain // Walmart - we went once a day // 
Kugels Cheese Mart in Lena, WI // Jack with a big bag of cheese .// our favorite cheeses - smoked string cheese 

I am totally "mart" and cheesed out but it was a great time. This weekend is all about laundry, burning off the cheese consumption at the gym and applying calamine lotion. :)

What are your plans this weekend? Anything fun lined up?

7/17/13

{WIOW} - Conquering the Stairmill


Hi everyone.

It's WIOW (Work it out Wednesday) again! Yay. I started these posts to share workout information with all of you but to also help me stay motivated and on track with my workouts. It holds me accountable, that's for sure! I always think about NOT going to the gym but then I think...what will I write about on Wednesday? :)

Today I am talking about my new favorite machine that took me a while to try because I was so dang scared of it.

Why? Because I had a fun little "accident" at my last gym where some idiot left the treadmill on next to him at a 9.0 speed so he could move from one to the other switching off from sprints to hills. Well, dude left one of them running with nothing on it and I jumped on it thinking it was an open machine.

Next thing I knew I literally FLEW across the room and pretty much blacked out. In the end I was fine...only a few bumps and bruises and a passion to seriously KILL that dumb guy. However, I am a little leery of things that are consistently running. Unlike a bike or elliptical machine where you control the movement, these things don't stop unless you tell it to. So the stairmill, like the treadmill, terrifies me.

However, I decided to face my fears and try it because I have heard such great things about it. And guess what? I loved it. It was a little scary being up so high and not being able to stop but I kept it slow and got the hang of it after a few minutes. Since then, I have been adding 10-20 minutes of stair work to my routine of at least 2 miles a day and I think it's making a difference!

I am still creating workouts but this is the one I have been doing lately...definitely gets my heart rate up, gets me sweating like crazy and my booty is definitely sore the next day. All things I consider part of a successful workout!

{pin me!}

If you do the workout above, you can vary the levels. I do the first 5 at a decent rate (73-75 steps per minute) and then slow it down for the next 5 to get the fancy stuff in. If you are new, take it slow and get to know the stairs and the pick up the pace. When I do the one above for 20 minutes, I burn about 300 calories.

Have you tried the stairmill? What is your favorite machine at the gym??

**Oh and just a quick note, I will be out of town for a week so I will back to posting when I return! Be sure to follow my Chicago/Cabin adventures via Instagram! :)


7/16/13

Smell This: My Favorite Summer Scents


I am totally weird when it comes to perfumes. I don't like the usual sweet smelling or flowery perfumes most people like. I hate vanilla smelling things and pretty much can't stand all those Victoria Secret body sprays that everyone loves.

I tend to love fragrances that are hard to find or limited edition - meaning my supplies always run out and I am constantly looking for replacements.

I like perfumes that smell fresh and clean or smell like the beach/suntan oil. If I choose a floral scent, it's most likely jasmine, orange blossom or rose. I love gardenia in real life but have never found a gardenia perfume that actually captures the real scent. I'm weird. I know it.

Contrary to what you may be thinking, I do occasionally find perfumes I love and here's what I am loving this summer...


Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder - This perfume is perfect for summer. It smells like warm summer day. The description for it says it's a mix of bergamot, mandarin, tahitian gardenia, coconut, amber, sandalwood and vetiver. That's a serious combo but it smells amazing. It's a limited time perfume and it seems to be sold out online everywhere except for Macys. I tried to buy this last year but it was sold out before I knew it. When I realized it was back out, I was too late. But after some serious hunting, I found one at Dillards. I haven't been in a Dillards for years but I was so happy to be back in one for this! If you want to get one yourself, I recommend going to Macy's.com since they are sold out most places online (including Dillards.com).


Lust by Lush - You probably already know about my love for Lush and Lush products but I am totally loving the Lust perfume right now. Lust is a mixture of Jasmine (main note), ylang ylang, rose, vanilla and sandalwood. It has a musky, yet floral scent that mixes really well with coconut scents. It's the same fragrance in the Lustre powder that I am in love with so it pairs really nicely with it! The best part?? The biggest size is under $40! A steal!


Beach by Bobbi Brown - This is my classic summer scent. It smells just like coppertone suntan lotion and I am obsessed. I know...who wants to smell like sunscreen? Me. Me. Me. This scent makes me feel like I am laying on the beach and soaking up the sun. It just makes me happy. I even wear it in the winter to bring some happies to the gloomy, cold weather. It's not a scent for everyone but it's one of my all time faves!


Warm Cotton by Clean - If you are not into sweet, floraly perfumes, you have to check out all of Clean's fragrances. I seriously love all of them all but Warm Cotton is definitely my favorite. This smells like a combo of laundry detergent and fabric softener mixed with that awesome smell in the air after a shower. Totally random, I know, but it just smells clean. This is more of a day scent for me and something I love wearing to the gym. I love spraying clothes with this to refresh them after I have worn them once (or twice) without washing (shhhh). The website claims it's a mixture of citrus, green pear, verbena, jasmine, orange flower, musk, and amber but to me, it just smells, well, clean!


Earl Grey and Cucumber by Jo Malone- Confession, I don't own this yet but I am purchasing it on or after my vacation during the Nordstrom sale. It's not on sale, but I want to make sure I get double points for it when I buy it and I didn't want to order it with my first round of purchases since it will most likely be delivered when I am gone. Anyway, this scent is cool and crisp and perfect for a sunny day. It is supposed to mimic the scent of high tea and is made up of  bergamot, cucumber, vanilla and musk. Every time I am in the store, I try this on and I know it will be worn all the time!

There you have it...my summer faves. If you are looking for something new, I highly recommend you try one of these out - especially if you love summery, fresh scents!

What are some of your favorite summer scents? What are your staple perfumes?

7/15/13

Insta (Week)end - LA and Vegas

Phew...it's been a crazy few days and it's only going to get crazier! Thank goodness I got in a LONG nap yesterday, it was so needed.

As I mentioned last week, I was in LA and Vegas for a couple days. Now we're home for three days and then off again. So blogging will be spotty but I will try to get back to a normal schedule soon. Promise!

I realized this week that when I am crazy busy, not only do I not have time to blog, I forget to take pictures and instagram! So this was all I got...


Clockwise from upper left - Co-workers and old friends in Santa Monica // The beginning of the tequila consumption...margs in Santa Monica // My new favorite restaurant in Vegas - Andreas in Encore - OMG so good // My vegas view from my old home - Wynn // Vegan Gardien Shu Mai at Andreas // My super cute husband - also my new iphone wallpaper - love!

Ok so let's talk about Vegas for a minute...I was there for a client meeting but was lucky to stay at the place I hold near and dear to my heart - Wynn. I worked at Wynn for almost 5 years and started there before the hotel was even standing. I was one of the first 500 employees and have so many amazing memories there including:

*Giving property tours on the grounds before anything was put up
*Spending the night in the hotel prior to opening and testing out the restaurants, spas and hotel rooms
*Watching them run through every show of the Lake of Dreams with one of my best friends wearing PJs
*Watching the doors open to the public and seeing massive amounts of people walk in. The hotel was never the same!
*Going to the opening party of La Bete (the old Tryst) and Tryst and seeing the first shows of Avenue Q and Le Reve.
*Having a custom suit named after me in the Women's Boutique, Outfit because my boss was the main buyer for the store
*Getting thousands of dollars worth of samples as the assistant buyer for all Women's, Children's and Spa items in the hotel stores including a Martin Margiela suit, Swarovski Crystal Bikini and 5 pairs of Jean Paul Gaultier shoes (swoon).
*Meeting my husband in a business meeting - obviously the BEST part of working there

If you haven't been to Wynn, you need to go. And while you are there, make sure to check out Andreas at Encore. It's the newest restaurant named after Steve Wynn's new wife but the food is to die for. They have a vegan menu that is truly amazing. We had vegan chicken shu mai and vegan chicken lettuce wraps that I am seriously dreaming about. Yum!

Have you been to Wynn or to Vegas? What are your favorite places to go there?

Can't forget...I'm linking up with Ms Sami today for weekend shenans...

Sami's Shenanigans


7/10/13

I'm still here!

someecards.com - I haven't blogged in a week and now I have no idea what the newest statement necklace is!

Hey everyone,

I have to say thanks for all the sweet emails lately about my absence from blogging the past few days. I am totally not dead and everything is fine. I was just crazy busy with these two little rascals over the 4th...


...and keeping this one from killing herself.


She's afraid of people so throw in two little girls and this was her face the entire weekend! Terrified!

Then I thought I was traveling all week so I had no posts planned but then a couple meetings got cancelled and my trip was cut short. Never mind that I stayed up until 2 am on Sunday finishing a power point presentation that will be never be seen now! Ugh.

Now I am totally overtaken by the Nordies Anniversary Sale & my upcoming trip to LA and Vegas that I can't focus on anything else.


**In case you were wondering, I already did some damage at the sale and have A LOT more to do soon. 
I'll post about my finds later but beware, I am on a track pants kick - I mean, how cute are these??

I will try to do a couple posts next week but then I am off again to Chicago for a few days (FYI, Chicago Nordies has a Louis Vuitton boutique) and then to Jack's lake house where I plan to totally cut off from technology - except Candy Crush Saga - seriously why is that game SO addicting?? I do plan on Instagramming along the way so be sure to follow me on Instagram! 

Just want to say that I love you all and appreciate the kind words. You guys are the best!!

Until next week...

7/3/13

{WIOW} - How I Make Running Fun


It's already Wednesday again. For WIOW* this week, I thought I would share with you guys one of my running secrets. I am still on track for hitting my two miles per day goal and here's how I am able to do it...

It's really not a secret that I despise running. The thought of running makes me nauseous. I mentally discourage myself when running. I can't help but think things like "I am already so tired and have only x far!" or "How can I keep doing this for another x minutes?" Even though I am not actually tired, I will literally exhaust myself by thinking these things. I once pretended to throw up in the middle of the timed mile in Middle School because I didn't think I could finish the last two laps!

So how do I get through it and run 2-3 miles 3-4 times per week? Intervals and Netflix, baby!

someecards.com - I'm an overachiever. I always run 30 secs longer than planned. It may or may not correlate with watching scenes from next week's episode...

Ok so Netflix (and Hulu) really do help me keep going. I find a season of a TV show (preferably an hour long show - so a good 40 minutes) and watch while I run. Because I am so engrossed in the show, I can actually keep going the whole time and not watch the clock. Right now, I am addicted to Pretty Little Liars, Scandal, Revenge and Mistresses (on Hulu). If you can handle watching something while running, I highly recommend this. It makes the time fly by and helps you get caught up on shows at the same time!

So on to intervals... When I started hearing that intervals were good for you, I was so happy. Intervals are great for people like me who get bored and discouraged by a consistent routine. By watching the timer and changing up speeds, inclines, etc, I never get bored. I also don't feel as tired although my heart rate stays pretty much the same as if I were doing consistent run. Because there are so many variations you can do, I never actually do the same intervals during the week! Here are a few that I do that I love:




I highly applaud all of you who can do long, consistent runs. But if you are like me and need some variation or just want to mix it up a bit, I encourage you to try one of the above. Or use one of these to make your own unique interval sequence!

What are your running/workout secrets? Have you done interval running before?

*WIOW = Work It Out Wednesday

Don’t forget to follow CWAK on Bloglovin!


all intervals in one image. You know...if you want to pin it or save them together! :)

7/2/13

One Pattern at a Time

While I love the idea of mixing patterns and have done it from time to time, I am still a big fan of sticking to one pattern and letting it stand out on its own. 

On Friday, I wore a bold black and white chevron top and in order to not take away from it, I wore it with simple black shorts and strappy wedges. Actually this "shirt" is really this dress (first mentioned here). As you might already know, I have a thing for finding convertible styles! Two for one is always better, right??

Chevron Dress (worn as a top) // J. Crew Factory Shorts // Flower Necklace (similar here) // 

Then on Saturday, I did the opposite. I wore my new J. Crew yellow striped shorts with a very basic white sweater and gold accessories. Yellow pops on its own but by keeping everything else basic, they really got a chance to stand out. (And not because my legs got totally sunburned that day...)

J. Crew shorts (yes I know the ones in the collage are backwards but that was the only pic I could find!) // 
Target Sandals (I can't stop wearing these)  // Tory Burch Purse



Are you a pattern mixer or do you like to keep it simple and focus on one pattern at a time? 

7/1/13

Insta Weekend: Beachin' & Relaxin


Happy Monday & Happy July everyone!  Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and are looking forward to the short week this week! Having a short week always makes Mondays feel a little better, don't you think??

My weekend was exactly what I needed - full of sun, sand and naps. Here's an insta-recap!

Friday

LtoR: Roasted Pineapple Martini with Red Chili Pepper- OMG, my new favorite drink ever at Pacific Coast Grill in Encinitas // My super good looking husband // WIW - it was a black and white kind of night // the amazing sunset at dinner. Pictures never do these sunsets justice but you get the idea!

Saturday 

LtoR: The longest beach walk ever - 2 miles and 2 sets of steeeeep stairs. I am still feeling it! // Taking a break from the walk at Bull Taco - a beachside taco stand with fantastic fish tacos and habenero salsa - yum // Priority Public House - a new gastropub in the 'hood. Loved it! // WIW - loving my new J. Crew yellow striped shorts // "cheers-ing" to my BFF's new baby girl born that morning! I love her already and can't wait to go to Seattle next month to see her! Her "auntie Jill" is already collecting cute little outfits with tutus.

Sunday

LtoR: Peach juice! I am totally addicted. Except this time, I added strawberries! // Naptime and my favorite cheesy movie - Just Go With It. Jennifer Aniston, Hawaii, Dave Matthews and Police songs...seriously what's better than that? // Copycat Kale Salad from True Food Kitchen - seriously turned out amazing. I will do a recipe post later because it's THAT good! // Homemade pizza adapted from one of our fave restaurants in Kauai. We make ours with whole wheat crust, habenero pesto, pineapple, jalapenos, turkey bacon and cheddar cheese. Seriously so good...

As usual...linking up with Ms Sami today for weekend shenans...

Sami's Shenanigans

What did you do this weekend? Are you looking forward to a short work week??


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