Smashburger Hits the Twin Cities

If anyone knows me, they know I love a good burger. It isn't something I crave often, and it isn't something a dream about, but when I want a good burger, I want a good burger. And because I am somewhat of a burger snob it isn't something that I order out that often. I would much rather thoroughly pick my meats (80/20 lean/fat ratio), bun (soft egg bun), and toppings (bacon, blue cheese, mushrooms, and caramelized onions topping the list) and cook them to my specific liking, to ensure the perfect burger experience!

So when I received an invitation to attend the preview night for the new Smashburger in Highland Park (a St. Paul neighborhood) I thought about saying no. But, if anyone knows me, they know my significant other LUHVES burgers, any way you serve it, it will be eaten. And I would surely be shot for turning down such an opportunity. So I accepted, and off we went.

Smashburger is your basic fast casual restaurant with reasonable prices. Smashburger's namesake is their signature certified angus burgers that are "smashed" on the flat top grill. But they also offer a selection of chicken sandwiches, salads, a hand-crafted black bean burger (which can be substituted for any of their burgers), hot dogs, sides, and hand-spun Haagen-Dazs shakes, malts, and IBC Root Beer Floats.

You can order the burger patty in 3 different sizes (small smash, smash, or big smash), and pick from one of their already formulated burgers, or create-your-own. We chose the BBQ, Bacon, and Cheddar burger. Their signature Smashburger, bbq sauce, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and haystack onions on an egg bun.

We also decided to get the burger that was specifically formulated for us, well not us, as in me, but us as in Twin Citians. The Twin Cities burger is topped with garlic grilled onions, swiss cheese, cheddar bar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on an onion bun.

The BBQ, bacon cheddar burger was good, but the real star was the Twin Cities burger! It was so good! Garlicy, and slightly sweet onions, the ooey gooey melted mild swiss, and sharp cheddar worked perfectly together! But I am telling you the onions MADE the burger!

We also got several sides.

Fried pickles with buttermilk ranch. Yum. My favorite side of the night. Crispy, not greasy at all, and pickle-y.

The Rosemary fries were good in theory, but they lacked some flavor.

The rosemary sweet potato fries on the other hand were delicious. Second favorite of the night. Crispy, crunchy, sweet and savory!

The chili cheese fries weren't good at all. They use the same fries as they do in the rosemary fries, but the chili tastes canned, and there wasn't enough cheese.

But the Veggie Frites were reeally good! Flash fried carrots, asparagus, and green beans, served with buttermilk ranch. They were a little greasy, but nothing a little napkin dabbing won't fix! They are tender without being flabby, and slightly crisp on the edges! If I had kids that said they didn't like veggies, this is what they'd be eating!

We also got to try some of their Haagen-Dazs shakes, which is what I was really holding out for! They were thick, and rich, and creamy. But I will take ice cream any way I can get it, and Haagen-Dazs tops my list of grocery store ice creams.

All in all we really enjoyed our meal at Smashburger, and are already planning our return. I am so glad to finally have one in the Twin Cities (even though they chose the less hot twin). There are 8 locations in the Twin Cities Metro area, and if you are looking for a good, quick, and reasonably priced meal Smashburger is a great place to go!

Thanks to Becca, and Smashburger for the invite, I can't wait to make my second visit!

5 Months Later...

I didn't want to show up out of the blue (i just typed blew... fitting, because I blew it) and give you a run down of the last 5 months of my life after ditching you. Because I like you read blogs, and get to know people, and start to think of them as my friends (if you don't I don't want to hear that I am the only creeper out there), and I hate when I get attached to a friend, and then they fall off the face of the earth.

People who do that are crappy friends. So, I am coping to the fact that I have been a crappy friend. But people change, and if you disagree with that then let's just say that people can try really hard to change the habits that they know can hurt themselves and the others around them. So that's what I am going to do, try really hard to win back your affections, and be a better friend. That is what we are after all, friends.

As a thank you for being awesome friends and coming back to see me (which you obvi have since you are reading this), I have come bearing yummy gifts. This was a dinner I made up this week. I'm working on eating better right now, and I really had a hankering for chili but after watching Food Inc. (which was, um... scary) last week I'm trying to cut down on my meat intake, so I made a vegetarian chili. Vegetarian, not Veggie. I didn't have a lot of veggies in my fridge, but I did the best I could with what I had. It was tangy from the beer, slightly sweet from the pumpkin smokey from the cumin and chili powder, and a little spicy from the cayenne and chili flakes, and I think it turned out pretty dang delicious. You get lots of protein from the beans, and served over a little brown rice, with cheddar, and greek yogurt on top with a wedge (or half of a pan) of honey cornbread, you have got yourself a winning meal to share with a friend, that makes a really great, "Thank You!"

Vegetarian Two-Bean Chili

Serves: 4

Time: 20 minutes prep, 1 hour cooking

2 Tbls Olive Oil

1/2 Large Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced (or microplaned)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbls Cumin

1 Tbls Chili Powder

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Cayenne

6 oz. can Tomato Paste

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes

12 oz can Beer

1 Cup Water

15.5 oz Can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

2 Cups (about 2 15.5 oz cans) Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Warm oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat, saute onions for 3 minutes

Add garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt, saute until onions are soft and almost translucent, about 3 minutes

Add all of the spices, and stir allowing oil to draw out flavor and toast spices, about 2 minutes

Add in tomato paste, and pumpkin puree, making sure to scrape up spices off the bottom of pot, increase heat to medium-high

Add in beer, allow to cook for 2 minutes

Add in crushed tomatoes, and water, bring to a simmer

Stir in both beans and corn, season with salt and pepper to taste (I used approx. 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper)

Turn down heat to low, cover (crack lid to keep from bubbling over) and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally

Serve hot with brown rice, shredded cheddar, plain greek yogurt, and avocado slices

Oh... And, if I didn't tell you already, Thanks!

Orthotics Will Straighten Out My Life... I mean, Feet

I've had a busy last couple of days, I had meetings, and more meetings, my mom went out of town, and asked me to watch Pherroshus. I had an appointment with my podiatrist, a quick grocery trip, a haircut for Pherroshus, car trouble, and today's (car trouble related) depression. But let's start by looking at some food pictures!

Food

Tuesday's breakfast. 2 over-easy eggs, 3 pork sausages, whole wheat toast, and fruit salad, with an iced coffee.

Tuesday's dinner. Cheese tortelloni with sauteed cremini mushrooms, spinach, and shrimp, in a cheesy cream sauce. And a big glass of iced tea.

Wednesday's breakfast started out as a leftover fruit salad protein smoothie and iced coffee, drunk through my new stainless steel straws. But I had three sips, and decided that it was gross, and I didn't want to drink the smoothie because I really wanted something savory. So, I gave it to Boomer, and I reheated some leftover pasta.

Which looks weird and gloopy, but I promise it was delicious. I also enjoyed a side of blackberries, because I have this thing where I need to have fruit with every meal.

Breakfast today was a mushroom/spinach/cheese omelet with 1 egg, and 2 egg whites.

I have spent most of the week so far outside because the weather has been so amazing! It has taken forever for it to warm up and stop raining, and I am so excited that I can say it actually feels like spring, in fact it's starting to feel more like summer. We may have skipped the spring this year.

And I'm hanging out with this guy while my mom is out of town.

That is the same dog in both pictures above. It is just his before and after shot. Because his undercoat is so thick it gets matted really easily in his armpits, around his face, and legs. So if my parents aren't really diligent about brushing him (which isn't easy because he hates it), when we cut his hair he gets a buzz cut. I think he is embarrassed, and loves it at the same time. He doesn't like his picture taken when it's this short, but he loves sun-bathing like this. Weirdo.

Workout

If you have checked the new "Work It Out" page, you know that that is where I am recording my completed, and planned workouts for each week so I can keep track of it all in one place. You also know that on Tuesday I took a 45 minute yoga class via ExerciseTV On Demand. And Wednesday, I ran 2.46 miles with a run/walk ratio of 90/120 sec. in 42 minutes.

Today is a rest day. And I plan on doing just that. Resting. B-Money and I may take a walk with the dog, but that's about it.

I really wanted to talk about injuries today. Being a dancer, I started experiencing shin splints in high school. And because I was so hard-core I just danced through the pain, no resting, no icing, no compressing, no R.I.C.E.-ing. So they never fully healed. It was to the point that whenever I was just walking around my shins would hurt, and pretty soon I hated walking anywhere. When I wanted to start running I knew I had to address the pain and do something about it so that I felt well enough to run/walk for more than a block. So I starting icing, wearing compression sleeves, and bought new shoes. It helped, a lot, and I have been able to run, and walk with minimal pain. But I started to experience some pain in my arches, so I decided I should go see the doctor. I always get nervous when I get 2 injuries that could be connected. One injury causing another, is bad news bears.

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I made an appointment, and 3 days later I was in my podiatrist office getting an exam. The told me I had flat feet (which I knew), and that I have a tendency to over pronate slightly (which I figured, given the flat feet), they also told me that shin splints are quite common in flat footed people because not have an arch means I have virtually no shock absorption in my feet, which means my lower legs are taking the brunt of the force. He said that they may never fully heal, especially because I've had them consistently for almost a decade, but I just have to do my best to keep them from getting any worse. Sufficient rest in-between high-impact workouts, ice, compression socks during and after high-impact workouts, and anti-inflammatories. He also said that I have weak ankles (mostly my right), and weak tendons from multiple sprains, which is making my heel stick out. So he is having me fitted for custom orthotics that will correct my ankle alignment and bring my heels back underneath my ankle, and give me some arch support.

Source

Basically I am crooked, and it is throwing off everything in my body. He says that they should help with the arch pain, as well as the shin splints, as long as I keep icing, and compressing, and cutting down my workouts by 10% every time it hurts more than usual. It will even help with my tight hips, because once one thing is not in line the whole building starts to fall apart. So soon my legs will be perfectly stacked on top of my feet, and I will be almost pain free. I am also guessing I will be about 2 inches taller, have a college degree, and be debt free once I'm straightened out. ;-)

What do you do when you have an injury?

-I read as much as possible about my aches and pains, and try to figure out what it could be, I also ice the inflamed, and heat the achy. If nothing else works I go to the doctor. I have a phobia of going to the doctor, and having them tell me nothing is wrong, or there is nothing they can do. Ahem... remember when I had pneumonia?

Disclaimer: The above advice, and wisdom is from my personal experience, Google, my general physician, and my podiatrist, and what works for me. I have no real knowledge of anything, except how to switch majors 13 times, and drag out your bachelor's degree so that you never graduate. If you have an injury do what you need to do, wether it be see a witch doctor, physical therapist, or psychic. Take my words with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Easy Runs and Peanut Butter Fingers in my Dreams

Late to bed, and late to rise is a pattern in my life. And so are weird dreams. I find that the later I get to bed, the weirder my dreams get. Last night I got home from work around midnight, stayed up dilly-dallying until I got tired, and went to bed around 1:30 a.m. hoping to get up around 10 a.m. for my training run. But Boomer got home around 2 a.m. and woke me up. We stayed up until 3 a.m. talking and listening to music, and watching music videos on our cell phones (yes, we do this regularly). Once Boomer fell asleep I couldn't, so, I was up until 4 o'clock this morning.

I had a dream involving visiting Costco, eating samples until my belly was full, and purchasing 3 bags of Almond Rice Pops, because they haven't been there the lat 2 times I've visited Costco. I also had another dream involving Miss Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers, her husband, and her dog. I lived in the Orlando, FL area (which is nowhere near my Minneapolis neighborhood) and we were buddies. In my dream I went on a walk with her, her husband Ryan, and their dog Sadie. It was uneventful, but strange. By the way, she is nicer in person (via my dream) than on her blog! Not to mention the dream I had Saturday night, after a late night of drinking, and games at my girl's night potluck, where all my friends were talking about how terrible my food was, and that they would not be inviting me to any other gatherings if I was bringing food (in real life they love my cooking... I think).

You know a girls needs to get a hobby when all she dreams about is food, and the people she reads about in blogs. Don't judge me for being a big fat loser. I hope to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight (I work again, so reasonable is 12-1a.m.), and avoid dreams about people I've never met, and food I wish to eat.

WORKOUT

2.13 miles in 36 minutes. Including 5 minute warm up, and 5 min cool down. Avg pace 16:54/mile. 90 sec run/ 120 sec. walk.

Boomer came with me on this run, for the first time since my first training run. I find that I push myself more when Boom Boom is there, because subconsciously I don't want to disappoint B-diddy. Which is backwards because the only reason Boom comes with me is to support me. This run felt easy, which was a nice change from my last 2 training runs. It was especially nice because this is the first jump in the run/walk ratio. It motivates me to keep at it since it feels like it's getting easier. And I am happy with the pace that we kept! The weather didn't hurt either!

We decided we wanted to go all the way around the lake today since the weather was so nice (I usually just do a third, and back), so we ended up walking an extra .31 miles in 6:16 minutes.

After that we stretched by the lake, and had a photo sesh.

Look! It's downtown Minneapolis!

Doesn't this photo remind you of a "Senior Picture"?

LUNCH

Lunch (aka my first meal of the day... I told you I woke up late) Was a 6" Subway sammy. Turkey and Pepperjack cheese toasted on Wheat with lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, bell peppers, pickles, and honey mustard. Wtth a gallon of water. 'Twas delicious!

A quick run to Target Boutique (in my best french accent) for ice packs, and band aids in preparation for the pain I will be putting myself through. And then the Bucks for Vanilla Soy Iced lattes.

Now I am home, on my patio, blogging and icing my shin while Boomer Gardens! My wireless has never worked outside, and that fact that it is right now is making me really happy! This is seriously the life! Back to reality in approximately 1 hour when I have to shower and get ready for work... Work is so inconvenient sometimes.

23 is the New 15

Remember when I was talking about stifling self-doubt. Yeah well, now we have another problem. I woke up bright an early (well, for me) this morning, and got my butt to the lake for a wog. And before I get to far into my story...

Dear people I live with,

Yes I know it is raining. But I appreciate that you feel the need to tell me that what the weather is like in your incredulous tone whenever I'm leaving the house in my running gear. Not really though, because it makes me feel like you are questioning my ability to see water falling from the sky. I watch the news, I check the weather, I have eyes. They work great. And I have seen rain before, I also assure that as big of a "rhymes with witch" as I am, I will not melt when met with precipitation. You are underestimating my humanity, and my sanity -which I am almost positive I lost the day I signed up for my 10 mile race,but that's besides the point- and I do not appreciate it. But thanks for the forecast.

Love, Hannah

Anyway. Now that that is off my chest. Since talking with my BIL (Brother-in-law), and seeing him again last night at a birthday dinner, and hearing that I've inspired him to start running again, I've felt the need to get my butt in gear. So I made sure to be up before noon to get my wog in before my day of errands, and prep before the night ahead of me. Even though it was raining, and hovering around 45*, I put on my sports bra (which I am coming to thank my lucky stars that I found so early in my running journey), laced up my sneaks, and got myself out the door. Last night before bed I told myself that if it wasn't raining I would work my way around the entire lake walking, and jogging as much as I could handle, but it was, so I stuck to the 15 minutes out, 15 minutes back routine I've been doing for 2 weeks now. During a walking break in the first leg of my morning wog I heard an approaching group of people, as the first few passed me I realized it was a group of teenage boys on some sort of training run, once their entire group was in front of me their coach turned around, and it was none other than my high school crush... AWK.

My initial confidence, and pride that I had been feeling for actually getting out and doing my wog for the second time this week in the rain quickly dissipated, and my cheeks got hot with embarrassment. Which was a lot of embarrassment, because I was freezing! Suddenly I was a 15 year-old again. I immediately turned around, and headed in the other direction, while watching them closely making their way around the other side of the lake to make sure I wouldn't run into them again, only face first this time. I don't think he recognized me because my back was to him, my hood was up, and my stature is considerably larger than it was the last time I saw him back in high school. But I can't shake the embarrassment. And I can't shake being embarrassed for being embarrassed. I never considered the fact that I would run (figuratively, of course) into people I knew way back when, while making my way around the numerous lakes in my city! But being a towny (I use this term loosely since my "town" has a population of over 370,000 people), I have to face that fact. Especially because I live in south Minneapolis, which is a very small community considering how large it is (does that make sense?). It is guaranteed that you will see at least 3 people you know (or knew in a previous lifetime) anytime you go to a south Minneapolis lake in the months of May-September (depending on the weather). And chances are, while I am coasting along in complete oblivion of the world around me in my "Runner's High" (aka trying in desperation not to pass out, and drown in my own sweat) sprinting (dragging) my way around Lake Calhoun, there are bound to be people who will see my jiggly bits jiggling. I'm thinking maybe I'll just run circles around my house instead. Well, at least until my jiggly bits stop jiggling.

Workout: 1.69 miles in 30 minutes. It was more walking than running because I forgot to put on my compression sleeves, my shins hurt, really bad. And so did my pride.

Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin bagel thin, lingonberry preserves, cheddar, a slice of deli ham, and a fried egg. A very berry Chobani Champion, with blackberries. Along with a 50/50 mix of Coconut Water, and O.J.

Enjoyed while icing my shins to numbness.

The plan for the rest of the day includes a quick trip to the grocery store (my fourth this week), and quite a bit of cooking before heading out for an exciting girl's game night in!

Have a great weekend er'body!!

Stifling Self-Doubt

Well hello there! Howsitgoing?

I have mentioned before what I thought my biggest hurdle would be in training for my 10-miler, and today I want to talk more about that. Let me start by telling you that I am a dweller. I dwell on the negatives, and the what-ifs, and I freak myself out with self-doubt, and worry myself sick. I know this about myself, and I try to embrace it, and then overcome it, because I have come to terms with the fact that I can't change it.

I am well aware of the fact that my biggest obstacle in my training is the self-doubt. Growing up I thought I could do anything! And most things came easy to me, I did have this strong fear of failing, and disappointing the ones that I love, but that changed in high school. During my senior year of high school I failed my first class ever. But instead of beating myself up about it, and making myself sick like I normally would have done, I forgave myself for my bad choices, and realized that failing is part of the journey. Sounds healthy, right? Well, this realization brought on an irrational fear of failing at everything. Whenever something started to go well, I found myself saying, "Hannah, you're probably gonna screw up this next thing, it's only a matter of time until you mess up again." I am a firm believer in self-fulfilling prophecies, and by me just having these thoughts, I had already screwed myself.

Since then college has been a struggle for me, so has balancing a checkbook, finding a job, and getting healthy. I start out by deciding to make a change, doing all of the research, getting all of the tools, trying, and then quitting because I don't believe I can turn it around. And I don't believe the people around me believe I can turn it around.

Running has to be different for me. I have been hesitant to tell people in my "real life" about my race. A few of my friends know (the one that told me about it, and a friend I was trying to recruit to run with me), and Boomer knows. But that was it. I didn't want to tell my family, because I was so scared that they would scoff at my attempt, or tell me I'm crazy, and not believe I'd be able to do it. But I told my eldest sister last weekend, and she is probably one of the most supportive people I know (she takes after our mom), and I'm not scared to disappoint her. She had the reaction I thought she would, she was proud, and excited for me, and even a little bit envious (I'm trying to get her to register with me). But her husband (my brother-in-law), I was scared to tell him. He has some very firm beliefs, and values about sports, what makes a sport, nutrition, and the like. He doesn't consider dance to be a worthy sport, or physical activity (a sport that I devoted 13 years of my life to), he thought I was running my family (financially) into the ground, because competitive dance is not cheap. I love my brother-in-law, I know he cares for me, but sometimes I worry about what he really thinks of me. I think as a person, and a person with values he thinks highly of me, I think he knows I have a good head on my shoulders, but I also think he thinks I'm a bit of a screw up. He is on of the people in my life that I am scared to disappoint.

But last weekend, after telling my sister, I told him. His was very proud of me. And was excited for me, and immediately launched into advice for me about running (he was a track star back in his hay-day), he even offered to do training runs with me. He even warned me that it wasn't necessary for me to run long distances to lose weight, that just being consistent (3-4 miles, 3-4X's a week) about it would help me get to my goal. And when I said to him that running 10 miles wasn't about the weight for me (although it is something I'm keeping my eye on), it was more about setting a goal, and achieving it. He seemed even more excited! He told me that I can do anything, and achieve anything I want as long as I am willing to put the work in. When I told him I was terrified, he reminded me to never let fear get in the way of something I want, because fear is only going to keep you away from discovering new passions. Although he never outwardly said he was proud of me, having that conversation, and hearing how eager he was to help me, and the way he looked at me really lit a fire under me. I want to prove my naysayers wrong, and I want my brother-in-law to always be proud of me. And knowing that I have that support, knowing that I have an experienced runner (and loved one) in my corner to help me, and guide me is going to take me far.

He doesn't know how much his approval means to me. But it means the world. I have newfound strength to get out there, push myself, test my limits, and not be scared. I refuse to let self-doubt get the best of me. As long as I put in the time, and log the miles, and believe in myself, I will get there!

So in an effort to silence "the voice" that creeps into my mind everyday when I hit the trail, and look across the lake watching all the other runners run, and says, "there is no way you will ever be as athletic as those people, and there is no way you will ever run 3 miles non-stop," I am taking it one step at a time, one minute, at a time, and reminding myself that no matter how fast, or how far I go, I am doing something good for my body, and doing more than I was doing last year, and I am going to be proud of that.

I am also looking for new ways to distract myself while running. Something else to focus on, so that I'm not focusing on how far I've gone, how far I have to go, my lungs exploding, or the 70 year old man that has lapped me twice already.

Here are the methods that I think will help me in silencing "The Voice":

• Focus on the good that I am doing, whether I'm doing it well or not, at least I am trying!


• Distract myself with something else, new music, a friend to chat with.


• Be proud of what I have accomplished! Whether it's the miles I've put in that week, or that day!


• Prove "The Voice" wrong! Whenever I hear that nagging, just prove it wrong! Show it who is boss!

Do you have any more techniques for me to squelch the self-doubt?

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While surfing the webs, and trying to catch up on blogs I discovered a new blog last night, and stayed up until 4 a.m. reading back posts. She is funny, and real, and I want to be her friend. So, Cely, if you read this, call me! You should go read her blog too, I promise you'll love it! But the point is that she listens to audiobooks while she runs! I'll admit that I have considered it, but I am such a visual person I didn't think that I would really know what was going on in the book if I wasn't reading the words. But I get so lost in books I think it would be a good thing to silence "the voice". So, today I paid $23 to download the audio version of a book that is probably $10 in paperback, and vowed to only listen to it while running. And I hit the trails (for the first time in a week)!

It helped! I didn't not once hear "the voice" in the back of my head screaming that I was crazy! I didn't hear it at all! I was so focused on the story, and not missing anything that I didn't once think I wasn't capable! I did walk more than I ran, and my shins started to hurt so bad at one point that I had to sit down at a picnic table for a while. But I covered 1.45 miles in 27 minutes.

When I got home I was starving, so I threw together a huge lunch!

Leftover brown rice and salmon cake over baby spinach, romaine, and cherry tomatoes with the last drips of TJ's Champagne Gorgonzola vinaigrette, and a little plain greek yogurt blended with garlic.

I bought Thomas' Bagel Thins this week after drooling over Julie's bagelwiches for weeks! And they're good, they aren't bagels, but they're good, and for 100 calories, it satisfied the craving. But then again, I've never had an authentic, chewy, New York City bagel. Along with my salad I had a cinnamon raisin, Muenster, lingonberry preserves, and pear bagelwich inspired by Julie! It was as good as it looked on her blog!

And now I am lounging, job hunting, reading, and watching Wheel of Fortune (sidenote: anyone have Comcast, and get switched over to Xfinity? I didn't ask them to do it, and I hate it). I am also craving another bagelwich, and thinking about going out for another walk so I can listen to Something Borrowed.

There is something wrong with me.

What I Did This Week

I'm working on a much longer, much more emotional, much more motivational post.... But it won't be done for much more time (I know it isn't grammatically correct, sue me). But I wanted to say hi, and let you know I have not run since last Wednesday. In fact, I have done not a lick of exercise since then, and I am not proud of myself. I have been slacking off, and it's time to cut it out. But for now, here is what I did do this week....

Stats from my run on Wednesday

Started a new book

Post run tropical smoothie!

Trader Joes' Orange chicken, brown rice, and green beans

Helping with Audrey's Spa themed birthday party

Making s'mores on the fire pit

There was also some work, a birthday breakfast for one of my really good friends, doing my sister's hair, and a raging game of kickball with the neighborhood kids! My abs, quads, and calves are killing me today! Who knew kickball was such a workout?! I don't ever remember being sore the day after a recess time game of kickball in 4th grade!

I slept most of the day today, don't judge me. It was a late night. I'm gonna go run some errands now, and then make use of a Groupon for dinner tonight! I'll be back in the morning with a run stats post, and a weigh-in update! Have a great night ya'll!