The Writers

On Saturday, I went to the humane society to pick up my first litter of foster kittens of 2014.  I haven't had kittens since the holidays when I had Holmes, Moriarty, Sherlock, and Watson.  Again, we got four kittens, but this time they're all boys. It's still up in the air whether or not Hawthrone is related. He has almost the exact same markings, but he's dark grey instead of black. He's also much smaller than the other kittens and has long hair. And, sadly, he's often times playing by himself or cuddled up for a nap all alone. In the short time they've been with me, I've caught the other interacting with him just a few times. Don't worry, I love on him plenty and they seem to be bonding more and more each day.

I counted the other day and these guys bring the foster kitten total to 42! Yeah, 42 kittens since October 2009. (Hurley and Bagheera--our resident cats--are less than pleased with this number.)

All pictures can be found on my Instagram and if you're a cat lover, I highly recommend following now because I'll be posting pictures of these little guys plenty!

Ten on Ten :: April 2014

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!

Document a snapshot of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!

 
A spinach & mushroom omelet for a little solo breakfast.

I swear I don't drink as much Starbucks as my Ten on Ten's imply, but the diner didn't have any chai and I had a craving!

What a beautiful day in Boulder!

Did some Pure Barre on my lunch break. I'm still shaking! (And apparently I was before class too because I don't know why this picture is a little blurry.)

Now that I have a juicer, I spend most of my time at the grocery store in the produce section.

Coconut key lime macarons are the perfect afternoon treat.

My view from my post-work walk around the lake.

Totally a fake smile because that walk/run kicked my butt!

Rachel and I split some sashimi for dinner. Yum!

Time for some Friends reruns with the cats in bed. Goodnight!

April 2011 | April 2012 | April 2013

Game of Thrones Season 4 Premiere Party

It's no secret that Game of Thrones is one of my favorite shows. And I have Christian to thank for that. So I convinced him to throw a premiere party for season 4 (kind of like we did for the Breaking Bad finale).

This time around, we did a pot luck dinner and I was able to do some crafting in my spare time, so it really wasn't that costly. (If I were made of money, I totally would have bought more Game of Thrones stuff from the HBO store, but oh well.)

 "All men must die."

Everyone had their own sigil. I had a bit of a hard time coming up with words for each house. And I should note that Christian actually requested a burrito as his house sigil, but I couldn't even find decent burrito clip art, so I had to settle for a plane. (He was a Navy pilot.)

On to the food! 

Stephy made queso dip with chips to represent the death of Viserys Targaryen. She had a good point, processed cheese is disgusting unless it's in queso form. Yum!

Christian made the most delicious pulled pork for sandwiches, representing the death of King Robert.

Cady made amazing roasted potatoes to represent the death of Lord Eddard Stark. She roasted them in olive oil, lemon juice, and rosemary and they were so good!

Rachel made asparagus to represent Daenerys' army of Unsullied. (They got there just as the show started, so we had closed the blinds and turned off the lights already. Pardon the flash and unfocused asparagus.)

For dessert, I made red velvet cupcakes to represent the horrific Red Wedding and the deaths of Catelyn Stark, Robb Stark, Talisa Stark, and Grey Wind. But I won't lie to you, I had more potatoes for dessert.

I made a cocktail to represent Jon Snow's storyline. It was inspired by the Others (and mostly their blue eyes). I attempted to freeze lemonade, but interestingly enough, it just got cold. Anyway, it had lemonade, Sprite, and UV blue vodka. 

It was so much fun and definitely more of a success than our Game of Thrones season 3 finale party where we just threw together a batch of spaghetti and four of us got together to watch it.

In regards to the show, I thought it was a great premiere episode. Sure, nothing really happened as many people are still reeling from the Red Wedding and the show needed to set up new storylines and introduce new characters (or the new Daario Naharis). I really liked Oberyn Martell and I'm so excited for his story this season. He is the perfect Red Viper and he and Tyrion are going to make for some great scenes together in coming episodes!

||  Drogon Funko || A Storm of Swords || Custom House Sigils || Game of Thrones Font || Night's Watch Printable ||

Also, check out my Game of Thrones Party Pinterest board.

Do you watch Game of Thrones? What did you think of last night's episode?
What would your house sigil be? 

100 Classes Later

On Friday, I took my 100th class at Pure Barre Boulder. At Pure Barre, that's a big deal! I get to sign the special 100 Club barre and I get a pair of special 100 Club sticky socks! Not to mention, I get to know that I have 100 classes under my belt and I'm 1/3 closer to the 300 Club!

For the past few months, I've talked a lot about Pure Barre to friends, family, and total strangers. I'm completely obsessed with it, if you haven't figured out from my Twitter or Instagram. I love ever second of it. Even when my abs are burning and my thighs are shaking. Every second! I figured this milestone would be a great time to talk some more about my love of Pure Barre and maybe even give someone considering trying it out for the first time a few pointers.

Here are 10 things I've learned in my first 100 classes of Pure Barre:

Being early means being on time.

We all have our favorite spots in the studio, so get their early to claim your carpet.  Being late to class is disruptive to the other ladies in class, the instructor, and yourself.  You miss out on completely warming up your muscles while you're putting away your belongings and grabbing your equipment. Stay for the entire class (I've been guilty of leaving early too) because stretching is just as important as working.

Listen carefully to the instructor.
Unlike a lot of fitness classes, the instructor is only there to teach and listening to her queues is the key to your success.  Sure, I've started on the wrong standing leg a time or two because I wasn't listening, but the instructor gives you all your moves, along with helpful tips and encouragement.  She might also adjust your positioning, but that's to make sure you're doing the moves correctly to ensure optimal results and to protect you from injuries.

Stay hydrated. 
I think some people brush off barre workouts because they don't look hard.  But just because you're not sprinting or jumping or lifting heavy weights doesn't mean you're not working hard.  In fact, you're working extremely hard.  I usually go through 32 ounces of water per class (and I sweat most of it out).  Without water, there's no way I could make it through 60 minutes of LTB, so bring some water!

Eat well and do cardio to keep it balanced.
In my opinion, Pure Barre is one of three things needed for major health change.  You've probably heard that no amount of working out with cancel out a bad diet.  Simply eating healthy is the best diet there is and there is no trick to it.  Cardio is important too, for so many reasons.  I mix up my work out routine with walking (sometimes light jogging, but my knees don't love that), spinning, and swimming. 

Use the muscle you want to change to find the movement.
An instructor said that in class recently and it couldn't sum up Pure Barre any better. Pure Barre is all about working a muscle group to fatigue using small movements and isometric holds, then stretching to elongate the muscle. Focus is key because when you're in seat work, you want to movement to stem from your seat, not your legs. When you're in ab work, you want the work to come from your abs and stay in your abs.

Don't compare yourself to others.
Sometimes it's helpful to check out a veteran's form to make sure you're doing it correctly, but the instructor will also help you make the necessary adjustments. Don't get too caught up in what someone else is doing because it may be their 300th class and only your 3rd.

Mix it up with the instructors.
 Each studio has a variety of instructors and I always recommend to anyone new to take them all if they can. I don't have a favorite instructor because they're all great. I try to mix it up as much as possible. Every instructor will offer great tidbits over the microphone to encourage and motivate you, as well as to help you step up your Pure Barre game. They'll also give a variety of helpful tips that you can take with you to every class.

Push yourself. Challenge yourself.
When I first started out, I struggled to keep up the entire class so I started setting small goals for myself. For instance, by the end of class I was wiped out and could hardly make it through the last 2 and a half minutes of class where we work our butts off (and abs and thighs) in a bridge position. I started challenging myself to stay with it the entire time. Once I conquered that, I challenged myself in other positions. "Ten classes without coming out of the position during thighs" or "Ten classes where I really work my abs". And then suddenly you can't remember any other way.

If you need a break, take one.
You can do Pure Barre every day if you want. Heck, you could conquer your first 100 classes in just a 100 days. (It's been done and that woman is my hero!) But if your body is asking for a break, listen to it and take a day or two off. Don't push yourself so hard that you end up hurting yourself and having to take more time to rest than you'd like.

Dress for class.
 They recommend you wear pants or capris and a tee or tank to cover your mid drift because they want you to keep your muscles warm throughout class, so save the shorts and the sports bra look for the gym. If you feel comfortable avoiding baggy clothes, that's good too so the instructor (and you!) can see that you're doing the moves correctly. And definitely wear socks. You don't want to be the barefoot girl during plank when everyone has their faces to the floor. Pure Barre has great sticky socks for sale that will prevent sliding. I've recently purchased sticky fingerless gloves (from Nordstrom Rack) to wear in chair and waterski positions and it's helped me A LOT.

SHOP THE PURE BARRE LOOK AT NORDSTROM: 

For more Pure Barre posts, check out:

2 Weeks of Unlimited Pure Barre | Pure Barre, 5 Classes In | What Is Pure Barre? | Pure Barre Class #9 | Pure Barre Update | Christian Hits the Barre | 60 Day Challenge | Comparisons | 60 Day Challenge Recap

Ten on Ten :: March 2014

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!

Document a snapshot of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!

Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my camera yesterday, so I had to resort to my phone for the day's photos. 

 Today's outfit.
{Similar Blazer | Tee | Jeans | Similar Flats | Similar Watch}

And now for the biweekly lunch date with Stephy at a new favorite, Chick-Fil-A. Where else?

Back at the office. Fun fact: I work in the office where my mom worked in the 90's. Her office is now our waiting room.

You know I love me some Sudoku and fancy pencils from Target.

I love the new waxing room at my studio--or should I say 'tudio'. It makes getting my eyebrows done feel fancier.

 What's a trip to the salon without a trip to Starbucks?
{Similar Jacket}

The Rocky Mountains are beautiful everywhere, but the flatirons in Boulder are something special. I'll never get used to the view.

Class 98! I'll reach 100 on Friday and I couldn't be more excited!

 I needed sunglasses when I went for a short walk at 7:00. Yay for Daylight Savings!
{Similar Sunglasses | Capris | Shoes}

 I love this candle almost as much as I love red velvet cupcakes.
{Candle}

March 2011 | March 2012 | March 2013