Oh Hail yeah!

We had another great day yesterday.  Started off our morning with a trip to the Royal Gorge!  It was HOT!  The view was amazing and we had a great time

Then we decided to take a jeep trail over to Cripple Creek.  This is where all the REAL fun started!! We could tell it was raining over that way and Craig's famous last words were.....  it looks like it has hail in that storm.

He was right, here is what happened....

It was exciting and fun and scary at the same time.

Next stop, Colorado Springs....

We are in Colorado Springs now!  It's just as pretty here! 

 After we got settled in at the RV park, we took off to explore the area and ended up at the Air Force Academy.  It was a little late in the day, we didn't get to visit the Chapel, it was in use (darn it!), but loved seeing the history of the academy and the plane.

 We are planning to go back and see the chapel before we leave!  I'm hoping that we can fit all the fun stuff we have planned in our short time here!

Then we HAD to make a stop at my favorite shopping place - Whole Foods.  We picked up some supplies and goodies and we are going to have a big feast tonight!  We were too tired to cook last night, so we ended up going out for Mexican and then a walk in Manitou Springs.  After that we came back to the RV park to sit by the fire pit and chat! It was a GREAT evening!

Even though I am on vacation, I have been sticking with my fitness plan.  I've been having my shakeology every day, ( I brought the top part of the vita mix with me, but forgot the base.....  first thing I did was go buy a new blender to keep in the RV.  Hello NINJA!)


Moving as much as possible.  I've been averaging about 14,000 steps per day and of course, we have been hiking as much as possible.  My eating has been pretty good.  We usually pack our lunch and take it with us.  Lots of fruit, veggies and hummus and some pretty good sammy's!  I've had a few drinks, but not gone overboard, we've eaten out a couple of times, but mostly we cook in the evenings too!   So, I don't expect to see any big changes on the scale when I get home.

Today we are off to the Royal Gorge and a fun jeep trail over to Cripple Creek!  Gonna be a GREAT day!  Enjoy yours!

Drinks for 6, dinner for 4, but sleeps 2!

Good morning!  It's a cool one in Colorado today.  We are going hiking again today.  Can't wait!

Yesterday, we took the day off from hiking and went into Loveland and Ft. Collins.  We took the brewery tour, sampled some beers,

had a GREAT lunch at the Beachhouse Grill on the rooftop

and then wandered around the square and made a stop at one of my favorite places - Whole Foods!

On the way home, we stopped at a couple of roadside stands for some local produce and cherry cider.  It's delicious!

This is my favorite photo from yesterday:

We stopped to look at some beautiful flower gardens and Brian decided he didn't need to take a look, but instead catch a little nap!

This is what he missed:

I think I got the better end of the deal!

If you are thinking maybe you'd like to stow away with us on our next trip, here is what Brian has to say about that - "Drinks for 6, dinner for 4, but sleeps 2!"

Discussion:  What is your weather like?  Hope you are able to enjoy your day!

The beauty surrounding me!

It's another beautiful day in Colorado today!  We have been hiking and jeeping and have seen some amazing wildlife on our treks around the countryside.

Elk and deer, moose and bear.  We saw the moose when we were driving into town and I didn't have my camera out.  The bear was in a field not far from our RV park and the only camera I had was on my cell phone.  It's not a very good photo. But, it's the best I have!  I'm hoping to see another moose (from the safety of a long distance or in the vehicle LOL) and get a photo!

I've also seen some beautiful flowers and plants.  It's just a pretty place!  Look how huge this dandelion is!!!

Yesterday my exercise was a 5 mile hike and of course we walked in town as well.  We had a great time and I can't wait to go on another hike!

Discussion:  Do you find time to fit your exercise in while you are on vacation? What do you like to do?

Snow Day in July?

We are having a blast in Colorado and yesterday we got to experience a complete change in temperature.  We are in the Rocky Mountain National Park and when we headed into the park it was in the 90's.  As we climbed to the top, we played in the snow and the temperature had drastically dropped.  The thermometer in the car said it was in the 70's, but it was colder than that!!

Snow day in July is awesome, especially when you drive a few more miles and it is over!  That is MY kind of snow day!

 Climbing up was a lot easier than climbing down.  More like sliding down!!!

We have seen some amazing wildlife as well.  Elk, moose, deer and even a bear last night!  Tomorrow I'll post photos of those!

For now, we are off on a 6 mile hike to the lake!  This should be another fantastic day!

Discussion:  Do you have vacation plans this summer?  Where are you going or where have you been?

Thrive in 30

I have been participating in the Thrive in 30 program.  It is a free 30 day online wellness program designed to increase your knowledge of plant based nutrition.  During the 30 days, I've been watching 12 video enchanced lessons on key health topics including nutrition, fitness and lifestyle tips.  Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive:  The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. 



I've had this book for a couple of years now and really enjoyed the book as well as many of the recipes.  Brendan is an athlete and I love that he is promoting vegan fitness.  Most people think that vegans aren't able to compete at a higher level and Brendan has proved this theory wrong!







Thrive in 30 is an easy program for me to follow since I eat a mostly vegan diet anyway, but I truly believe that anyone can follow the program.  It is about making small changes to your diet and fitness routines.  Adding in more fruits/veggies, drinking a green smoothie daily.  Small changes will increase your energy levels, you will sleep better, look better, and feel better!

What I have learned from these lessons: 

eating a vegan, plant based diet makes me:

feel my best
sleep better 
lose a few lbs
take a little longer to plan  and prepare my meals
and realize that total health nutrition can come from a plant based diet.

I am glad that I am participating in this program.  It has made me re-connect to why I wanted to eat a mostly plant based diet in the first place. 

My Health Story:
 

I was suffering from migrane headaches all the time, I mean, at least one per week.  I felt horrible every single day.  I had a headache every day, it was just a matter of how intense it was.  I was trying to be a mom to 3 very active boys, my husband and I owned a construction company and were trying to keep our 30 employess working, so stress was a huge \factor for me.   I was taking so much medication for my headaches that I developed an ulcer and was starting to get arthritis in my joints.  I was only in my 30's.  This shouldn't be happening to me.  My doctors were baffled as nothing was really helping.  I was getting bi-weekly massages to help with the headaches and my amazing massuese, Connie Brown, told me that maybe it was my diet.  I was like the typical American eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) and thought she was nuts, but I was so miserable, I was willing to try ANYTHING!!  So, I followed her advice and changed my diet - drastically.  I started eating a RAW diet.  That is so hard to do in Missouri in the winter, however, I noticed major improvements within a few days.  I had to get over the sugar and caffeine withdrawals and then I noticed my headaches were lessening.  I stuck with the raw diet for 30 days and decided that I would just eat a vegetarian diet.  I started reading health and diet books and found that Marilu Henner's book Total Health Makeover worked the best for me.  Over the years, my diet evolved into a total vegan diet.  This worked for a long time.  No more headaches, my doctors couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it.  Today I eat a mostly vegan diet.  I do have some fish and eggs on occasion and the only dairy I have is in my shakeology and as soon as the vegan version is available, that will be going by the wayside as well.  I still get headaches occasionally, but honestly, I can't remember the last time I had a migrane.  I've been so happy that I have now incorporated my new health/fitness regime into a job!

Before

 After

If you are at all even remotely interested in trying out a plant based diet, head over to Thrive in 30 and give this a try.  You definitely have NOTHING TO LOSE!  Your health will change for the better and you will feel better!  I promise you that!  It may not be easy, but it is so worth it!

Sign up here to get started today! 

http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=BLOG 


Discussion:  Have you changed your health around?  If so, what did you do that made the biggest impact?

The countdown begins!

Yesterday we had Lauren's bridal shower.  We had a great time and it just makes me realize that the next month and a half are going to go by so quickly. 

The shower was beautiful and Meredith did a great job putting it all together!  Lauren got a TON of amazing stuff!  The cupcakes were delicious!  The green icing was fun and everyone's teeth had a nice sheen to them!

Of course, no bridal shower is complete without some game and this time it was dress the mom's as brides!

Our team didn't win, but Kathie looks great as a geisha!  It was fun and then Lauren got to open gifts!  LOTS of them!
Lauren is going to be a beautiful bride!!

 Discussion:  What is your favorite bridal shower game?

a day of pampering - AAHHHH!

After my workout yesterday I headed out for my monthly massage. It was wonderful!  I needed it after all these Insanity workouts.

Then I headed out with Robin and Julie for some lunch.  We went to the new LL Sayers place.  It was pretty good.  I had the build your own salad and it was tasty!  The restaurant was a little noisy, but overall, we liked it.

After lunch, we headed over to the new Brush and Blade Salon.  Julie's neice Brittney works there and they were having a great special.  $10 haircuts, chair massages and nail polish.  I got my hair cut, Robin got right into the massage chair and Julie waited, very patiently, I might add.....   Then Julie got a massage and Robin got her nails did!  She got the shatter over pink and they are so fun.  I should've taken a photo, but they looked similar to this,

After our fun there, we grabbed a cold drink - it's REALLY hot here.  The car said 107.....  that's hot! Reflexology was on the agenda next.  This was great.  All 3 of us at the same time, sitting there enjoying it and chatting and relaxing!

Of course, no day with the girls would be complete without a little shopping....  I got the cutest boots and a few things for our upcoming vacation.

Lovin' the boots!  There was another girl in the store that was looking at the boots.  I was trying on a pair and they were a bit big, when I found out they had them in a smaller size, the other girl told me that she would take the bigger ones.  I had to let her know that she wouldn't be getting her hands on them until I decided which pair I wanted.  HA!  Luckily the smaller pair fit MUCH better and she got the larger pair.  Everyone was happy!

After that, we were done!  Everyone had to get home to see hubbys or puppys!  I'll be sporting some cute shatter toenails SOON!

It was a GREAT day!  Love those girlfriend days!

Blue Tongues are Pretty Impressive!

Yesterday we had Miss Madelyn!  Love my Wednesday playdates!

We went to lunch with Grumpy or Bumpy, not sure what she is saying still on that one, and Uncle Nick.  We had to make a quick stop at the bank and Uncle Nick brought out a sucker for her.  She latched on to that one right away!

She was pretty impressed with her blue tongue.  All day long she kept talking about everyone having a blue tongue. She WAS the only one!!! 

I don't know what the temperatures are where you are, but here they are brutal.  We've been keeping cool by staying inside as much as possible, soaking up the a/c.

Luckily, an icy cold Shakeology hits the spot for one of my meals.  If it stays this hot, I may have to enjoy more than one a day. 

I got the cutest new Shakeology cup!  Makes it even TASTIER!!!

Had the best day of pampering today.  I'll tell you all about it in tomorrow's post!!!

Discussion:  How are you staying cool?

Jumping for joy!

Wow, I've gotten a lot of things marked off my to-do list today!  My phone isn't working quite right and when you aren't attached to that silly thing, you get a LOT done!

I've come up with a plan for me to get more organized, get more done in my day and then I have more time to play!  WIN-WIN!

That makes me want to jump for joy!

Other things that are making me want to jump for joy these days:

Almost time for vacation!!!  It won't be long before we are taking off for a nice rest and relaxation.  As we were driving through town today I told Brian that this landscape is just depressing, so it will be nice to have a change of scenery!

I've been reading some good books lately.  I finished the Hunger Games Series and have since read  Bring  on the blessings series by Beverly Jenkins.


 I can't wait for the next one to come out.  I really enjoyed these!!  Starting a new book today ( I'm a bit weird, need to always have something ready to read next)  I'll let you know how it is too!

It must be all the time I have on my hands with my new organization plan!  Yay me!!









Lauren has her bridal shower this Saturday!  This should be fun and it means that we are getting ever so close to the wedding!  Even though she is already part of our family, it will be nice to make it official!

Madelyn had her trial run at pre-school today.  She got a new lunchbox and I can't wait to hear all about it.  I know that she did good and even took a 2 hour nap on a cot.  I'm sure she is going to have plenty to tell me tomorrow.  I am also glad that I get to keep our  Wednesday play days even though she'll be a big girl in the 2 year old class!  Good grief, time flies!!

I'm starting a Thrive in 30 Challenge!  this is going to be great!  Brendan Brazier, author of the Thrive books is leading it.  It's going to be great, but may be a bit of a challenge since I will be on vacay for part of it!  I'm up for it though.  I'll be posting a full blog post about it soon!

Spending time with BP!  Brian and I are going to watch a movie tonight and then have a night swim.

There is just so much to be joyful about!

Discussion:  What is making you jump for joy these days?