Summertime Favorites

According to the view outside my window, summer is officially gone. We were lucky to have beautiful weather for a whopping 4 months instead of 3 this year in the Pacific Northwest! Now its rain time, which doesn't exactly bother me. I don't mind sweaters and rain boots, not one bit.

 

 
 So before all the leaves turn, I'll pass on my favorite things from the past few months.

• Apparently I am a minimalist runner. I have been wearing these shoes for a while now, but they have officially changed my views on running. After grad school and my first year without cheerleading, it was painfully obvious my body needed some cardio. But my shin splints were so bad I could only run paths where grass was available to soften the blow to my knees. Treadmills were out of the question. So I bought these Brooks shoes, and after slowly building mileage, I am running and training towards my first half marathon next year!

 

• It's called Noosa Yoghurt. "Aussie style" yogurt that is now a staple in our refrigerator. I tried it on a whim and now I don't have to waste my money on Yoplait Light that tastes like fake sugar. Not a diet food, but definitely satisfies my post-meal dessert cravings.

 



 

• Orange is the New Black. In a household without cable, Netflix saves my life. This series is only on Netflix and it is sooooo good! With AB gone its important I have things to look forward to, and one episode/day of an entertaining show. Too bad the second season doesn't start until 2014, nooooo!



• Once I started consistently running, eating more vegetables than pieces of chocolate, and really paying attention to my life choices, AB got me a little device called a FitBit! It tracks my steps and sleep patterns, and with the help of the iPhone app, I can monitor water intake, calories and activity level. Even on days where I don't have time to enter each bottle of water consumed, its a conscious reminder to get movin!



 

• Finally, at the end of the summer I decided to make a change and commit to something I have wanted to do but maybe didn't have the courage to do in the past. I cut off 11 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. I've always been the girl with the long, thick hair, so letting that go was more challenging than I thought. I did it as a surprise to the husband, for him to see when he came home after a couple months of training, and that made it an exciting and happy experience.

 
 Until next time....

Cheers,

KB