Phew, I’m tired. Are you? Zzzz…

Ok I guess busy was an understatement. After my early morning gum session/desperate housewives/breakfast this morning, I showered, then was on hold for 30 minutes on two different phone calls. One to pay some insurance crap, and the other to schedule a few medical appointments for my immigration paperwork. Talk about a gross waste of time.

I did, however, make use of this wait time by straightening my hair and doing my makeup. So I guess it wasn’t a total waste.

First stop after that speed bump was the library! Look who got herself a library card!

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I even checked out a real live book

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They offer eBooks, and I already have a few on hold. Not gonna lie, I’m excited. Free>not free.

Next stop: photographer. I needed some quality shots for my PR application. Did they turn out? Let’s just say they meet the qualifications.

Then, Hallmark. Got a few cards and become a rewards member. Free cards and cash back never hurt anyone.

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By then, I had worked up an appetite (AM workouts really rev the metabolism!) and I threw together a real good bowl of deliciousness.

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I mixed some of the leftover stir fry with some scrambled eggs and topped with black beans and salsa. Tummy= satisfied.

I took Layla in my next round of tasks. Only because she was involved in one of them: nail clipping. I took her to The Paw Spa. She was in and out in less than 5 minutes and they did a great job. Layla was a little freaked, but when is she not.

Then, we went around the corner to mail some of the cards purchased earlier in the day, and around another corner to the used sports store for these babies:

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Phew, I’m just tired typing about my day! When we got home, I took care of some laundry, then cozied up to the first 100 pages of my book.

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I wasn’t planning on reading that much, but a line from the first page got me hooked:

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You’d keep reading too, if you saw that line.

Dinner was a bowl of oats with walnuts, chopped medjool dates, a heap of pumpkin ad pumpkin pie spice.

It hit the spot.

I made Tyler a hodge podge dinner (hodge podge= delicious but ridiculously easy to make), and he spent some time in his office. I don’t know what he was doing, but I heard techno/electronic music coming from that direction. I didn’t bother asking.

We just finished Underworld and are rounding out the evening with an episode of Top Gear

I’m about to run into a dilemma and I am not sure how to approach the situation. Backstory: I have been reading my eBooks on night mode in bed so that Tyler can sleep while I read at all hours of the night. Now, I have a real book. Flashlight under the covers, or put the bedside lamp on the floor and lay halfway over the bed so it won’t disturb the man? And no, I’m not going in another room.

Hmm….

You’re gonna sweat

My intention to be more proactive this week is proving to be very beneficial- I am getting so much done!

Last night, Tyler made burgers on the barbie. I needed to cut some carbs, so please guess which plate is mine:

(Hint: It’s not the first one)

It hit the spot!

We watched Survivor (how Tarzan is still in there, I’ll never know. But, the game is afoot..) then watched the 2nd Harry Potter movie.

Oh, and it snowed last night, but I don’t want to talk about it.

Today got off to an early start. Same breakfast as yesterday (english muffin topped with almond butter and a sliced pear on the side) then I headed off to the Y for some cardio intervals then a Bosu class. The class was 75 minutes and it was a FULL BODY workout. I have wanted to buy a Bosu for a while so that I can add another element to my home workouts, but they’re so dang expensive. Why is it that I can get a stability ball for $19.99 but a Bosu costs $109? I am so confused. Until I win some sort of lottery, I will continue to go to the gym for any Bosu workouts.

The past two days of workouts have been so intense, I will probably not be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning. I’m wiped! The long walks with Layla afterwards have been helpful- they keep my legs loose and my dog happy. Double win.

After my workout, I had to go run some top secret errands (to be revealed some time within the next week). I actually had some Canadian cashola on me, and guess what? It’s see-through!

Crazy right? It feels like Monopoly money. (Yes, I know my nails have been green for too long. I am making that change tonight– going to be Easter festive!)

That money went straight towards my secret errands but the coffee-THE COFFEE- was free. My favorite word. Well, free for my anyways. I had a gift card. Grande medium roast- black. Mmmmm, good.

I thought my errands were going to be quick, but day-umm Canadians are slow. It took one cashier about 40522985 minutes to scan one item. ONE. Then, at Starbucks, it was like the coffee was Molasses- couldn’t be poured any slower. Perhaps I am just too used to the bang-bang-boom pace of Americans. Perhaps that’s not how people like to roll here. But I do. Unless it’s like a super-hot cashier and I have the potential of getting a bigger discount (Sorry Tyler, but if it saves money..)

Lunch was spinach topped with a leftover mini-burger, scrambled egg, onion/poppyseed dressing and ketchup. Yum to the 10th power.

More things to do: Play Draw Something, watch Mad Men, laundry, cooking, painting..

I will leave you with a great, sweaty workout you can do at home (I did this a few times down in Florida last month on the balcony of my parent’s condo. So it really is a workout you can do anywhere)

These are four different tabata sets, each with two different moves. So: move 1 for 20 seconds, rest for 10; move 2 for 20 seconds, rest for 10; move 1 for 20 seconds,rest for 10…and so on. You will complete that 16 times, so each move in the set is done 8 times. Then move to the next set.

Set 1

  • Side shuffle with high knees (two shuffles right STAY LOW, then 4 high knees, two shuffles left, 4 high knees, etc.)
  • Wall sit

Set 2

  • Quick feet with pushup (quick feet in place for a few seconds, down for one pushup, quickly get back up and repeat)
  • Lunge hop (start in lunge position, ex: right foot forward, left back, putting your weight into your right leg, bring the left leg forward, bringing you left knee into your chest and hopping simultaneously, with your left leg landing back into its starting position. Do each leg 4 times in the set)

Set 3

  • Pilates pulse (feet in the air or heels on the ground, lean back to feel core engage, arms at your sides with the palms down, and pulsing your arms)
  • Leg lifts

Set 4

  • Squat thrust jumps
  • Mountain Climbers

 

You’re welcome.

 

This dog was made for walkin’

I was able to peel myself off the couch after 4 episodes of Mad Men. Sheesh. I’m such a bum.

Layla and I ran some errands, then we headed over to Nose Hill Park for a long hike.

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That place is super hilly! We got in some running here and there as well, but I had to be quite careful not to twist my ankle on some of the rocks and holes along the path. Layla was in heaven.

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Some great scenery, per usual for Calgary!

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I’m a smart lady too, and brought lotsa aqua for the little one. She was huffin and puffin.

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And my favorite pic from the walk:

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Once we trekked our way back, I needed some protein and veggies to hold me over until dinner. I came up with this bowl:

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Spinach topped with scrambled eggs, onion/poppyseed dressing, and a dallop of ketchup. It hit the spot!

Big to-do’s for dinner tonight! I’ve already got some schtuff in the ol’ hot box.

Here’s something to think about: how would you fill your day if you weren’t working?

I had intentions of getting my workouts done early in the day, but they seem to still revolve around the evening hours. I do, however, get to be out with Layla a lot more, so I am moving a heck of a lot more than when I was sitting at a darn desk all day. And I get to actually make meals rather than whip a quick smoothie or have hard boiled eggs when I get home from work and have to dash off to the gym. Even though I enjoy these luxuries, I do miss the regimen that requires me to be places at certain times. Thoughts?