NaBloPoMo: And Another Quote

February is my Blog Post a Day Month and so i have jumped onto the blog wagon and will post a blog a day based off of the prompts given by @blogherblogging. This month's theme is all about family.


NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb. 17): What do you think: "A son is a son till he takes himself a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

Daddy's little girl... I believe in this. Even as i approach the big 3-0! I think that my dad and stepdad see me as someone that needs protecting. It's cute. Through heartbreaks and holidays, they are always there to support me no matter what.

I can't speak for the son part from personal experience but when reflecting on friend's experiences, I believe that this quote rings true in that once a man takes a wife, he ceases to be a son.

I have a friend who had the mother-in-law who only had boys and "her" boys would be hers always, no matter who they married. It was interesting to watch the transition after he got married. He went from staying out of any issue or fight to the man he is now, which is a man who supports his wife and takes her side. It was truly interesting to watch this transformation.

NaBloPoMo: Quote

February is my Blog Post a Day Month and so i have jumped onto the blog wagon and will post a blog a day based off of the prompts given by @blogherblogging. This month's theme is all about family.


NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb. 16): Respond to the proverb: "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family."

Friends can be your family away from home. I know that mine are. Being miles away is hard are so i am grateful for those friends that have become my family. Treating family like friends means that you forgive and forget or pick up where you left off. There should be no grudges in family since friends do not hold grudges or hold things against each other.

NaBloPoMo: Quote

February is my Blog Post a Day Month and so i have jumped onto the blog wagon and will post a blog a day based off of the prompts given by @blogherblogging. This month's theme is all about family.


NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb. 15): Joyce Brothers said, "When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses" True or false?

The jury is still out, i love my family even though some members drive me crazy!

NaPoBloMo: Someone you love

February is my Blog Post a Day Month and so i have jumped onto the blog wagon and will post a blog a day based off of the prompts given by @blogherblogging. This month's theme is all about family.


NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb. 14): Tell us about someone you love -- your partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, best friend, dog...

Well i already did one about my best friend earlier this month so let's pick a new friend. I'll write this post about Ray Ray, a sorority sister.

Rachel and I became friends through a unconventional path. I was working at the university while she was in college and i was her chapter advisor. She didn't like me initially because i told her NO. Ha ha ha!

She stuck around the university to work on her Masters Degree and we ended up working together which is where we began to hang out and become friends. She moved into the spare room of my apartment for a semester and it was hilarious! She joined in on the taco tuesday fun where we would end up joking around with "Hot Neighbor" and usually consuming a few beers or wine bottles. It totally depended on the day.

We have our own language that ranges from phrases like "Mer mer mer" which is the Bess call (dog) to "Ra de ra ra de ra" which is something that a local band calls a song. I'm sure many of you have phrases that are unique to a close friend.

Rachel then moved to Kansas City, MO and so it turned out that she was only a short/long train ride away but we usually ended up getting together every few months. Our plans consisted of sushi, shopping, drinks, and pancakes in the morning. There was one weekend where we were dead set on making tacos and as we finished shopping, the power went out and we panicked thinking that we would not get tacos that night. Thankfully we had power at her complex. It's like the gods knew that we would be a bunch of sad pandas if we did not get tacos. ha ha!

Rachel is moving back to St. Louis, MO which is even closer so i could not be more excited since now she will be only 2 hours away.

So on this Valentine's Day... i want to say i love you to my friends and family and hope that you have a fabulous day.

NaBloPoMo: Quote

February is my Blog Post a Day Month and so i have jumped onto the blog wagon and will post a blog a day based off of the prompts given by @blogherblogging. This month's theme is all about family.


NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb. 13): What do you think of the saying, "blood is thicker than water."

This saying always makes me think of some crazy movie where Denzel Washington or Liam Neeson, as my dad, will come to save me from some international ransom plot. Ha ha! Or maybe i should go more towards the lines of Leonard DiCaprio, boyfriend, who plays my night in shining armor and rescues me from the big bad bully.

Either way... the saying has no huge impact on me as a person. I blame the movies. :)

Quick fix workout... let's try it

Many people are looking for a quick fix workout. This workout on Pinterest is from Prevention and it claims that you can "shrink a size in 14 days." I'm never one to turn down a challenge so here we go... let's try this out and see if i can shrink a size in 14 days. ha ha!

Day 1 Strength Plan A; Speed Ladder
Day 2 Strength Plan B; Power Walk
Day 3 Strength Plan A; Speed Ladder
Day 4 Strength Plan B; Power Walk
Day 5 Strength Plan A; Speed Ladder
Day 6 Strength Plan B; Power Walk
Day 7 Active rest (no formal workout, but keep moving throughout the day)
Day 8 Strength Plan A with Make It Harder options; Speed Ladder
Day 9 Strength Plan B with Make It Harder options; Power Walk
Day 10 Strength Plan A with Make It Harder options; Speed Ladder
Day 11 Active rest
Day 12 Strength Plan B with Make It Harder options; Power Walk
Day 13 Strength Plan A with Make It Harder options; Speed Ladder
Day 14 Strength Plan B with Make It Harder options; Power Walk

The Strength Plan: Workout A

	1. Hip drop  Firms: Front and side abs Lie facedown, balancing on elbows, forearms, and toes; abs tight. Slow It Down: Twist to right and lower right hip to floor in 4 counts. (Keep back straight.) Raise to start position in 2 counts. Repeat to left. Do 8 to 10 times each side. Make It Harder (Week 2): Do 12 to 15 times each side.
	2. Beach Ball Hug Firms: Chest, abs, hips Lie faceup, dumbbells above chest, elbows slightly bent, palms in. Raise left leg so shin is parallel to floor. Slow It Down: Lower arms out to sides in 4 counts as you straighten left leg, keeping foot off floor. In 2 counts, pull knee back in and raise arms, squeezing chest muscles as if you're hugging a beach ball. Do 6 times; repeat with right leg. Make It Harder (Week 2): Raise both feet off floor.
	3. Full-body roll-up Firms: Abs Lie faceup, legs extended, arms overhead, palms facing each other. Raise arms toward feet; pull abs in; roll head, shoulders, and back off floor; and reach toward toes in 4 counts. Slow It Down: Roll back down to floor one vertebrae at a time, taking about 6 to 8 counts to lower. Make It Harder (Week 2): Hold a light weight (2 to 3 pounds) in both hands.
	4. Breast stroke  Firms: Upper and middle back  Lie facedown, arms extended overhead, palms facing in. Lift head and arms off floor and hold for 2 counts. Lift chest a few inches off floor and swim arms out to sides and down toward legs (thumbs toward floor) in 2 counts. (Keep abs tight, toes on floor.) Slow It Down: Lower chest and bend arms, bringing them along body back to start position in 4 counts. Do 8 to 10 times. Make It Harder (Week 2): As you lift chest and swim arms, raise both feet off floor, then lower.
	5. Read the paper  Firms: Front and side abs  Sit with knees bent, heels on floor, arms in front of body, as if holding a closed newspaper. Slow It Down: Roll back halfway down to floor and twist to left in 4 counts, as if opening the paper on left side. Pull yourself up to start position in 2 counts. Repeat on right side. Do 8 to 12 times per side. Make It Harder (Week 2): Hold a light weight (2 to 3 pounds) in each hand.

The Strength Plan: Workout B

	1. Plie with biceps curl Firms: Biceps, glutes, quads, inner thighs Stand with feet wide, toes out, dumbbells by thighs, palms forward. Bend knees and lower for 2 counts, as you curl weights toward shoulders. Slow It Down: Squeeze glutes and inner thighs as you stand up and straighten arms in 4 counts. Do 8 to 12 times. Make It Harder (Week 2): Use heavier weights.
	2. Forward Lunge and Raise the Roof Firms: Shoulders, core, butt, quads Stand with feet together, dumbbells overhead, palms forward. Slow It Down: Step right foot forward and bend both knees as you lower weights toward shoulders in 4 counts. (Keep right knee over ankle.) Stand up to start position, pressing weights overhead in 2 counts. Do 8 to 12 times; switch legs. Make It Harder (Week 2): Swing left knee forward to hip height as you stand up.
	3. Squat With Straight-Arm Pressback Firms: Shoulders, arms, glutes, quads Stand with feet about 4 inches apart, dumbbells at sides, palms facing behind you. Slow It Down: Sit back, keeping weight over heels, as arms swing forward toward knees for 4 counts. Stand up in 2 counts while pressing weights behind you. Do 8 to 12 times. Make It Harder (Week 2): Lift left leg back and squeeze glutes as you stand; switch legs halfway through set.
	4. Tip it Over Firms: Arms, butt, hamstrings Stand with dumbbell in left hand at side, right hand on chair for balance. Slow It Down: Keeping spine straight and abs tight, lean forward in 4 counts, and lower left arm while lifting left leg. Stand up in 2 counts, while doing a biceps curl and raising left knee in front. Do 8 times; switch sides. Make It Harder (Week 2): Use a heavier weight and skip the chair.
	5. Curtsy Lat Raise Firms: Shoulders, butt, outer thighs, quads Stand with feet together, dumbbells at sides, palms in. Slow It Down: Cross right leg behind left, bend knees, and lower as you raise right arm out to side in 4 counts. (Keep left knee over ankle and facing forward.) Stand up to start position and lower arm in 2 counts. Do 8 to 12 times; switch sides. Make It Harder (Week 2): As you stand up, lift right leg out to side.

The Cardio Plans

Speed Ladder
This challenging exercise routine features intervals that get increasingly harder but shorter, followed by brief recovery periods.

Time	Activity (Speed*)	Intensity**	How It Feels
0:00	Warm-up (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing harder; can speak in full sentences
4:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5	Slightly breathless; can still speak in full sentences
9:00	Brisk walk (3.75 mph)	6	Somewhat breathless; can speak in short sentences only
13:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
15:00	Power walk (4.0 mph)	7	Mostly breathless; can speak in phrases only
18:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
20:00	Fast walk (4.5 mph)	8	Breathless; can speak just a few words at a time
22:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
24:00	Speed walk or jog (5.0 mph)	9	Very breathless; can't speak
25:00	Cool-down (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing slows
30:00	Finished
*These are suggested speeds only and may not be appropriate for everyone. The right speed for you should be based on intensity recommendations and how you feel.
**Based on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being as easy as lounging on the couch and 10 as hard as sprinting to catch a bus as it pulls away

Power Walk
This cardio routine is a great way to build endurance while burning calories.

Time	Activity (Speed*)	Intensity**	How It Feels
0:00	Warm-up (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing harder; can speak in full sentences
5:00	Power walk (3.5-4.0 mph)	5-7	Somewhat breathless; can speak in short sentences only
25:00	Cool-down (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing slows
30:00	Finished
*These are suggested speeds only and may not be appropriate for everyone. The right speed for you should be based on intensity recommendations and how you feel.
**Based on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being as easy as lounging on the couch and 10 as hard as sprinting to catch a bus as it pulls away

I'll let you know how things turn out in 2 weeks. I love before and after results. :)

NaBloPoMo: Playing Catch-up

NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb 1): Tell us about your mother

Oh mom... i love my mother. She is truly an amazing woman. One of my favorite trips with my mom was when she helped move me out to the midwest and we took a few days and explored the country. We stopped at several parks in Utah and this photo was taken while hiking the Narrows in Zion. Wading through the Narrows was a  blast, i want to go back and hike the whole length of it.

NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb 2): Tell us about your father
My father is a cool dude too. He is my NASCAR buddy who goes with me to races in Indiana or California. He currently is enjoying retirement and his second career. He also has to wrangling my 3 half-brothers as they navigate their teens and college years. Good luck with that one! My sister and i were a handful, i can't even imagine what it's like to deal with this in boys.



NaBloPoMo Prompt of the Day (Feb 3): Do you have any siblings? What are they like?

I have one sister and 3 half-brothers. My sister and i are like oil and vinegar but we can have an entire conversation with movie quotes and still get the point across. The half-brothers are hilarious. Every holiday i see them and we have our traditions... the oldest boy and i go to a movie every year and i continue to give the middle one a "middle child" complex while reassuring the youngest that he is my favorite. These boys are hilarious.