Bell, sweet Bell

After lots of driving… ok, so I was just navigating, with eyes closed and mouth open…. it’s good to be back

I actually managed to stay awake for most of the ride, since I feel bad crashing while the Pilot is driving- he always stays awake to hang out with me if I’m driving. We’ll chat about every random thing under the sun (Santa Claus, how I wished they made non-alcoholic wine… and he reminded me of the existence and abundance of grape juice, Jay-Z, how much we love living near family, etc), which is why I love roadtrips so much. It’s nice to be able to catch up with each other and just hang out, especially since his work schedule is very intense.

Before we got on the road, we had one last San Diego breakfast feast at The Cottage, another fabulous blog recommendation.

You guys are good- it was pretty incredible.

Juice for him:

Soy hot cocoa for me:

[They didn’t have almond milk, but I’m definitely on a hot cocoa kick. I blame Cups for this]

and the Pilot enjoyed an entire coffee cake with his breakfast scramble:

and I happily munched an egg scramble with chicken sausage, mushrooms, spinach, onions and potatoes

Hit the spot.

While we were driving, I choreographed a new Zumba song for tomorrow and am so excited to get back to work and teach again- I took today off for our little vacay.

My arms are definitely sore from the last two days of vinyasa- I did more chatarungas in the past two days than I have in the past 8 months. It’s a good kind of sore, and just the motivation I needed to get back into yoga from now on. It’s funny because we have classes at the resort (AMAZING classes) and I’ve only taken one. Maybe time to explore that a little bit more…..

But for now, it’s time to tackle laundry mountain.

See ya in the morning! <3

xoxo

Gina

*Heads up: AM post will most likely post the Family post I was planning on posting this afternoon

Something to do: Schweaty November Workout! I’ve loved the feedback so far- keep rocking it out, friends This workout is a doozy, but just wait for the Winter Shape Up…

Morning, friends!

It’s our last morning in San Diego…

We’ve had such an amazing time, and as sad as it is to leave,

[Please come home with me, seals!]

I can’t wait to watch Bella try to shake her tail off her body

teach a Zumba class

sleep in our own bed (even though the hotel bed was also a Tempur-pedic, not the same]

and cook!

I’m always blown away by the amount of food options when we travel to Cali. I feel like we have it pretty good in Tucson (lots of healthy options and inexpensive organic grocery stores/farmer’s markets), and then I come to Cali and the Tucson selection pales in comparison.

Dinner last night:

Vegetarian green corn tamale with salsa verde, black beans, broccoli and fresh, perfect tofu.

Dinner was pretty mind-blowing, but what I was most excited about was the company:

Whitney and her hubby joined us

I have been wanting to meet this girl for at least a year. We’re twitter friends, fellow former lulus, and I always love reading her blog. She even more fun and sweet than I imagined, and the Pilot enjoyed chatting with her hubby, who was also super cool. We had a great time hanging out with them <3

After dinner, we came back to the hotel for a little blast from the past:

Two of my good friends from high school, who now live in San Diego, came to chill and enjoy cocktails and mocktails with us. It’s funny because I won’t see my friends from high school for quite a long time, but whenever I do, we pick up where we left off. Loved seeing you girls <3

We’re off to grab bfast and then hit the road!

See ya later with a Family post on my recent shopping adventures…

xoxo

Gina

Hotel deets:

While we were here in San Diego, we stayed at Tower 23, which is located right on the beach.

The hotel room was extremely clean and modern- we also loved that they had a Tempur-pedic bed

and the location was perfect- 8 minutes from La Jolla (where I practiced yoga, ate gluten-free cupcakes, and shopped), 17 minutes from downtown and the Zoo.

We splurged a little, since we drove here instead of flying, and stayed in the Surf Pad, which has full ocean views.

As amazing as the hotel room and location were, the hotel itself was pretty mediocre as far as service and amenities go. They don’t have a gym or swimming pool –I was kind of looking forward to floating around since the ocean is very cold right now- and there’s also a $20 per day valet fee (which is fairly high, but WiFi is free, so I think it balanced out). The service was also ok- nothing extraordinary.

Would we stay here again? Maybe. The room was very expensive, and while the view and location were worth it, we might scope out some other options next time we’re in town.

Another amazing day <3

It was the Pilot’s first time at the San Diego Zoo- we headed down there after bfast.

We loved seeing all of the animals

- my favorite was watching the meerkats dig for grubs and eat them.

There were also a few hilarious photo ops…

and the Pilot coerced me to ride the gondola of fear in the sky.. aka the “Skyfari.”

The Pilot is the type of person who will rock the boat if we’re on a ride (especially Ferris wheels… and I cry, haha) and I’m the person who is afraid of heights, unless I’m going too fast to realize how high I am (like on a roller coaster).

I made him promise to be nice and not rock the Skyfari, or I was afraid I’d deliver our baby in the sky.

Thankfully, he was nice.

We walked around for about 3 hours (hooray for extra cardio), and the Pilot navigated us, since he’s naturally good at that sort of thing.

I, on the other hand, am not.

That’s what happened when I put “The Mission” into Google maps to find our breakfast spot. My navigator duties were then taken away.

After the Pilot got us there, we had one of my favorite restaurant breakfasts…

Eggs, applewood chicken sausage, potatoes and freshly made rosemary gluten-free toast for me

French toast, eggs, bacon and mimosas for him.

I have no words for how good it was- thank you so much to those of you who suggested it! Everything was wonderfully fresh and flavorful.

Somehow, today we also ended up at the mall:

and back at Cups.

[3 mini cups: lemon ricotta, almond dream and pb cup]

[almond milk hot cocoa]

We’ll definitely miss that place!

Chilling back at the hotel before a fun blog-friend dinner date..

see ya laterrrr <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: Are you afraid of heights, or NBD? When was the last time you got in some fun extra cardio? Or maybe I don’t want to know the answer to that… haha

[It’s actually pronounced La Hoy-uh, but it works… right?]

LOTS of outdoor adventures today…

and lots of SEALS!

Per many of your suggestions, we spent all day exploring La Jolla cove. You always know how to hook a girl up with amazing local suggestions <3 Besides at least an hour of seal-watching,

the day included breathtaking ocean views

A heavenly vinyasa class at La Jolla Yoga Center

[I’ll be back tomorrow]

Cupcakes (lil gluten-free chocolate with vanilla frosting for me, red velvet for him)

and almond milk hot cocoa

both from Cups

[I’ll also be back tomorrow]

venturing into a creepy

beautiful cave, looking out to the ocean

and a bird friend!

She had a crush….

on his sandwich.

Seriously.

That little sassy dinosaur cousin followed him around, so cutely, and chirped at him the whole time. We gave her a bite of the bread from his sandwich

After all of the walking we did today (and my yoga sesh), we’re taking some downtime before heading to dinner.

See ya in the morning! <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to think:

I’m not sure why I waited 27 years to try Thai food.

I’ve heard good things about it, but never got into it for some reason. Well now that I’ve finally crawled out from under my rock, I finally understand what the hype is all about.

We were looking for somewhere casual to eat last night, and walking down Mission, we stumbled upon a tiny Thai restaurant. I wish I would have snapped a photo because it was so cute, cozy, and packed to the brim <—a sign of a good restaurant. The Pilot said “Does Thai sound good to you?”

“Sure, I’ve been wanting to try it.”

He couldn’t believe that I’d never had it before, especially since I love Indian food so much.

So Thai it was

We got a few appetizers to try:

Fresh rolls with shrimp, tofu, veggies, peanut dipping sauce and another sweet dipping sauce

[These were so good. It was my first time trying a rice paper wrapper too, and I liked it. Chewy, and not too dense. I only wish these would have been a little spicy, as they were very sweet]

The Pilot got some crab wontons:

and we shared some salad.

[egg, tofu, greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes]

I want to swim in peanut sauce forever and ever.

Entrees:

Red curry chicken and yellow curry shrimp

with brown rice for me, jasmine for him:

My plate (x2 ish)

The verdict?

Incredible. Thai food reminded me of Indian food in the sense that it’s so flavorful, but by using so many fresh herbs, Thai food feels really light and fresh. It wasn’t the least bit greasy and with how much food I ate, I didn’t feel gross afterwards. The broth in the curries was like a glorious blanket- I told the Pilot that this is the food you want to eat when it’s cold outside and you’ve had a bad day. And that I was henceforth addicted

After our feast, we came back to the hotel the lay on the lounge chairs,

drink cocktails and mocktails

listen to the ocean and hang out. It was a very good night <3

This morning, we ordered room service for bfast and I’m off to yoga. Something about practicing yoga by the beach… there’s nothing like it.

See ya later today with a family post!

xoxo

Gina

Something to read:

-Marge Simpson becomes a food blogger <—did anyone catch this episode last night?

-10 ways to have a happier life

-Top 100 workout songs

-Low-calorie cocktails for fall

After an afternoon of driving, the Journey station on Pandora, lots of reminiscing and goofing around, many stops to stretch my swollen ankles (and randomly seeing a friend of mine at a California gas station!)

we made it

It’s absolutely GORGEOUS here. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve been to San Diego (high school maybe?) and the Pilot has never been, so it will be fun to explore it together.

Our hotel is lovely, too.

Nice comfy bed:

Standard desk, TV:

Powder room:

But what takes it over the top is the view from our room….

We got here just in time to watch the sunset from the balcony,

and below on the beach, many people were doing the same- just standing there amazed.

We walked around to check out the surrounding hotels and see what stores and restaurants were on Mission, and now we’re back at the hotel getting ready for dinner.

I think there’s a lounge chair and a mocktail with my name on it….

See ya in the morning!

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: When was the last time you went to the beach? What’s your all-time fave spot? One Ocean holds a special place in our hearts, but the hotel we’re at now may be our west coast version.

And just so you can have people ask you “which way to the beach”, here’s

Something to do:

Sunday Night Arm Burner!

Add this in to your next weights routine, or after the Schweaty November Workout for a nice bonus burn. [As always, check with a doc before making any fitness changes and honor your body and your injuries]

*Since the focus of this burner is to build muscular endurance instead of strength/power, focus on doing as many as you can with good quality during the 1 minute time period. If you tire before 1 minute, that’s ok! Remember with strength training failure = success.

-Burnout bicep curls: start at a weight slightly heavier than you would do (Maybe 2 weights up?) and do as many reps as you can (aim for 10). Put the weights down, grab a slightly lighter weight and do your second set (10-12). For the third set, grab your usual weight and do 10-15. You may notice that your usual weight will feel twice as heavy.

-Bench tricep dips- as many as you can do within 1 minute

-Decline push-ups – as many as you can do within 1 minute

-Overhead press- as many as you can do within 1 minute

Stretch.

Hey from the road to Cali!

[Random: We always sing “On the Road Again” when we get into the car for roadtrips, since we’ve taken so many together. Except we change the lyrics to “On the road again, we’re on the $*&@&*(@ &*@(!& road again”]

I ended up crashing last night in the middle of packing, finishing in a frenzy this morning. We did manage to get together our luggage, Bell and her stuff (she’s staying at the madre’s for a few days), the cooler of snacks:

and hit the road.

It’s been a gloomy, slightly rainy and glorious drive,

with a very nice driver

I enjoyed breakfast on the way to drop Bell off (oats + juice), and some snacks have included:

Sea Snax (the chipotle flavor is AMAZING and surprisingly spicy)

Beans from Taco Bell

and a kale salad, which I picked up a couple of days ago from Trader Joe’s,

eaten with a spork (saved from my TB frijoles).

The salad was everything I could wish for in a salad beast: a lovely mixture of savory, crunchy, salty and sweet.

We just made a quick stop to shake our legs out and grab a coffee/tea. While I was trying to upload these photos in the car, I dropped my memory card, and couldn’t bend down far enough to search for it. It was kind of hilarious. We had to pull over to find it, but Pilot saved the day

See ya later at the beach! Soooooooo excited <3

If you have any yoga or Zumba recommendations in the La Jolla area, please let me know!

xoxo

Gina

Today’s tip: A friendly reminder to plan out your meals and fitness plan for the week. It makes sticking to goals SO much easier when you have a tentative plan to stick to. What’s on the workout and food menu for this week, friends?

Hi friends <3 How are you? Hope you’re having a wonderful day. Thank you so much for your awesome feedback on this morning’s post. I wasn’t sure if this would happen, but I did end up getting a handful of comments that were political in nature. I do not discuss politics or religion on the blog – but I’m sure there are many other spaces out there for online “who’s right and who’s wrong, let’s point fingers” type of discussions.

That being said, onto bfast

We had a glorious feast at the resort [Our Living Social deal was for Loew’s Ventana Canyon]

The Pilot enjoyed the bfast buffet, which had an assortment of fruits, yogurts, eggs, pancakes, bacon, turkey sausage, pastries, omelet station, and juices

and I ordered off the menu: the omelet of my dreams (egg whites, arugula, mushrooms and goat cheese).

It came with a turkey hash, which was turkey, potatoes and green onions

fruit and a gluten-free apple muffin.

As legendary as it was, apparently that was just the tip of the iceberg, because when we left they were setting up for Sunday brunch, which is from 11-2.

Seafood delights

and a plethora of grilled goodies outside, like grilled fruits and veggies, different types of salsa, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, soups (corn and green chili chowder, chili, cornbread) and meat on the grill (ribs, steak, etc). The Pilot was drooling, and we had just finished eating We’ll be back, Ventana.

After bfast, we took a walk on the hotel’s trail, which leads to a waterfall.

aaaaand I held an insect!

[While the Pilot was taking the picture, I kept saying “Is it going to bite me? Is it going to bite me?”]

We had fantastic massages and then checked out. It was an amazing stay, and I’m so glad we realized that the Living Social deal expired Monday so it didn’t go to waste

When we got back to the casa, we munched some caesar salads:

and took a nap. We didn’t get anything done that we planned to this weekend, but hey, that’s what Monday is for, right?

Off to my stepdad’s bday dinner! See ya in the morning <3

xoxo

Gina

Something to do: Schweaty September Workout! Have you tried it yet?

Hi friends <3 Happy Sunday! Hope you’re having a relaxing day.

We’re definitely enjoying our little staycation.

Right now it’s robes and tea on the balcony, then gym, brunch, massages and back home. A lovely little getaway <3

I’ll be back later with a Family post, but in the meantime, some thoughts on 9/11:

I wasn’t sure if I was going to write this portion of the post. My blog is a happy place, and to bring up an event that that many others will be talking about today that will undoubtedly bring memories of sadness, still needs to be mentioned.

I think we all remember where we were 10 years ago.

I woke up and was getting ready for school (I was a junior in high school), and was listening to the JohnJay and Rich show on the radio while I got dressed and ready for the day. They’re known for crazy antics and pranks they play on people, and I kept hearing news footage of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center and thought to myself “Ok, they’ve really taken it too far. This isn’t funny, it’s really sad and scary.” I walked out into the living room to see my mom, standing in front of the TV, hand covering her mouth and tears rolling down her face. I looked at the TV and saw the image that still haunts me today. It’s an image I’ve thought of many times since then, especially since my husband (whom I hadn’t even met at the time) has been taken away from me multiple times.. for that very reason.

I went to school that day, even though we spent most of it watching the news in our classes, and hugging our fellow classmates who had family in the affected areas, military, policemen and firefighters, and the list goes on.

I still had to teach dance that night, even though no one was at the studio. It was mainly instructors and a handful of students.

It rained all night.

It was my stepdad’s birthday, and though we sang “Happy Birthday” and had dinner at my mom’s house, no one ate cake. We were all glued to the TV.

Even years after September 11th, thinking about that day has brought me a lot of anger. Every time the Pilot was deployed, I thought about how much I “hated the bad guys” and if it hadn’t happened, he would have been home with me, for holidays, important family events, and for all the times Murphy’s Law kicked in and I really *needed* him.

During a particular long run, I was so angry, I ended up running twice as long as I had planned, only to end up crawling next to a bush and sobbing my heart out. I was so, so angry. Not only for myself, but for the people that lost those they loved, for those who were scared, for those whose husbands were deployed twice as much as mine, or didn’t come home.

And then I realized, that instead of harboring that anger, I could turn it into to love. From then on, every time I wanted to be angry, instead I spent that energy sending good thoughts and love to those who are still here and still hurting 10 years later.

Love always wins. Good always trumps evil.

Send some love to everyone who is filled with sadness to remember this day <3

See ya later today.

xoxo

Gina

Hi friends! How’s your night going?

We’re on a little staycation

Back in May, I grabbed up a LivingSocial deal for a one-night resort getaway –thought it would be something fun for the Pilot and I to do- and we discovered that it expired on Monday.

Couldn’t let it go to waste, so we decided a little night of R&R was in order

It actually worked out well because our new bed frame arrived today, but our mattress doesn’t get here until Monday.

Our hotel room for tonight is pretty much amazing.

[So is the Pilot. Hubba hubba]

A cozy living room with a fireplace

Bed

Powder room

with a jet tub.

Happy kids

[and a stinky kid. I haven’t even had a chance to shower after teaching Zumba and working all day. Eww]

Per usual, we had to check out the room service menu.

I love when hotels have a special section for pets:

Our little chicken fiend would have been all over that

Time to dig into some shrimp salad and then hit the pool.

See ya in the morning <3

xoxo

Gina

Have you ever done a staycation? What was your last one like? It’s a fun way to get away, without really going away