A Week in Wine Country

Well, as I said in my last post, I am back from vacation. My mom and step dad rented a house in Napa, California as a Christmas gift to my sisters and our significant others, so we spent the week exploring Napa and Sonoma while enjoying a lot of fine wine!

The amazing house! The pictures don't even do it justice.

Wine country is such a beautiful place. The mountains and vineyards literally left me speechless at times. You know what else left me speechless? Running... It was so hard to run near our house because it was literally all straight up the side of a mountain. Rough, but a fun challenge!

Because the run kicked my butt, Kyle and I opted to do a little improvised backyard workout one day. We did a lot of dips, push ups, quick feet drills, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, and chair lifts. Yes, chair lifts. My wonderful husband invented these after deciding that we needed to work the shoulders. Basically, its like doing a plate raise, but with a chair. I was actually sore from doing them.

Mad props to the hubs for utilizing the patio furniture.

Here are some other highlights from our trip:

Jeff surprised us with a limo for the day! Abbey and Tyler were excited!

My mom and I enjoying wine and cheese at Rams Gate Winery

Abbey was tired of wine, so Frias gave her beer in a wine glass. 

Private wine tasting with Rick from Amphora. We got to taste straight from that barrel. 

One of the stores I went to gave me this piece of chocolate because I didn't need a bag. Every place should do this!

The hubs and I at Chateau Montelena

Hiking at the Red Wood Forest. We thought it was just going to be a little trail walk, but it was literally straight up a mountain. So pretty!! Excuse my non hiking clothes, we went wine tasting after. Andy, did you know these Brooks handle the mountains like a gem?

The Red Wood Forest. The trees were seriously 300 feet tall! I stood in awe of God's creation!

Kyle and I at Coppola. 

We spent one day exploring San Fran. Of course we had to take the cable car!

Rick from Amphora filling me up from the barrel. I may of had too much at this point.

I took so many pictures, but I think you can get an idea of what our trip consisted of. Wine, food, mountains, and vineyards. It was a little piece of Heaven. I actually just saw that the Sweat Pink Sonoma group is planning a day in the vineyards soon. For those of you who get to join, have fun! It is seriously a little piece of paradise!

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve! Kyle and I celebrated our Christmas together on Friday before heading back to the South Bend area for our family get togethers. He really surprised me this year and gave me a running Garmin, Lulu yoga strap (I've been procrastinating getting one for 2 years), Davids Tea infuser with tea, Brooks running ear warmer, and an Anthropolgie gift card. I am one happy runner!

The best gift is coming on Wednesday when we head to Napa for one week!!  My mom and step dad decided they would take us all on a trip for our Christmas gift. I cannot wait! They go there a lot, and I have heard nothing but great things about it. They rented this beautiful house to stay in, so we are all really excited! I plan on taking a lot of pictures for you guys, but will most likely not be blogging until after I get back. Sorry! I promise to come back with some great posts to get you motivated for 2013.

In the mean time, enjoy your time with your family. Also, remember what this holiday is all about, the birth of our Savior. Before I head to the gym, I will leave you with some pictures from the past couple of days. Merry Christmas!

Kyle and my sister helped my adorable nephew cut out cookies with floured noses.

Korbin cutting out cookies.

My pup Ace just hanging by the tree.

Kyle, Abbey, and I had drinks with our favorite Anderson brothers! (our old volleyball coaches)

May Your Miles Be Merry

There is only one week until Christmas, but the celebrations have already started in our house. We had our 2nd annual friend's Christmas with Amy and Jeff on Sunday and played games, watched football, ate chicken chili, and exchanged gag gifts.  

I forgot to take a picture of everyone's gifts, but I did get a picture of the ornament Amy got me. It says "May all your Miles be Merry." I may keep it out all winter to remind me to get out there and run despite the cold. In all reality it should say: "Kelsey, get your butt outside in the fifteen degree weather and RUN."

I also received cookies and an ornament from Sarah over at the thefitcookie.com. Sarah is a fellow Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador, and we were lucky enough to get paired up for the cookie/ornament exchange. Sarah, your gift is on it's way. Enjoy!

Is anyone still with me on the push up challenge? I can defiantly feel myself getting stronger from doing 50 fifty push ups a day. Here is a new push up variation for you to try. 

1. Start by doing a normal push up. 

2. Once you are done with your first push up, open up into a full side plank. Be sure to really keep your core activated. This will help to keep your hip high and tone your obliques. Hold the side plank for about 3 seconds than go back into your next push up. 

3. Alternate sides for a total of 20 reps. 

Aim for 50 push ups a day! You've got this, we only have 2 more weeks of push ups! Embrace the burn. 

Welcoming Year 24

Well, yesterday I celebrated my 24th birthday. Bet that makes you feel young mom and dad. I started it out on the right foot with a 7 mile run followed by protein oats and chocolate milk. I honestly wanted the chocolate milk to aid in my recovery, but part of me also wanted  it to keep my inner kid alive.

Mom sent me another Edible Arrangement. I am obsessed with these!

Kyle defiantly spoiled me with: a Kindle, lululemon No Limits tank, Brooks Utopia Thermal Running Jacket, flowers, and tickets to Second City Comedy.  All in all, it was a wonderful birthday! Thanks to everyone who called, texted, tweeted, Facebooked, sent cards, etc. You all made me feel very special! I am so excited to try out my new workout gear, and I already downloaded Drop Dead Healthy onto my Kindle. Needless to say, I am one happy girl.

New running jacket - It's a vino color and so warm for winter running!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Choice Organic Teas sent me 6 boxes of tea to try the day before my birthday! I now have 96 bags of tea aka I feel like I should open an Argo Tea out of my condo. Maybe I should throw a tea party and let my English side out. My grandma would be so proud! Stay tuned for a review once I get the chance to try them all.

Have a great night everyone, and make sure you get your 50 push ups in! My friend Andy texted me yesterday mentioning how hard the Spider man push ups are, but he loves them too!! Try them out, and remember there is nothing wrong with being strong!

Happy Belated Birthday Chobani!

Good news, my vision is coming back. It's not 100% yet, but I can see a lot better! What makes being able to see even better is that the weather here in Chicago is abnormally warm. It's supposed to be 76 degrees today. That means I can run in my shorts along the lake and not worry about a thing. I can't believe I get to look at this while I run despite living in a massive city!

Running here is therapeutic. 

I just found out that I missed Chobani's 5th birthday last week! How dare I miss such an important birthday. I may have missed out on giving them an official blog worthy birthday wish, but you better believe that I celebrated by eating some. 

Around 4 o'clock everyday I treat myself to a Greek yogurt (usually Chobani). There are so many different flavors, but I enjoy buying plain and adding my own mix-ins. Next time you are in the mood for some Chobani/Greek Yogurt, give one of these versions a try:

• Vanilla Honey - 1/2 T Honey + 1 T Vanilla Protein Powder
• Chocolate - 1 T Sugar Free Pudding Mix
• Pumpkin - 1 T Pumpkin Butter + 1 tsp Honey
• Fruity - Add any fruit you want! It's a natural sweetener. Some of my favorites include: berries and bananas
• Nutty - Slivered almonds + Granola or Kashi Go Lean Cereal + 1/2 T Honey

The combinations are endless. What is your favorite yogurt mix-in?

You can also use plain yogurt as a sour cream substitute. It may sound like an odd alternative, but it doesn't alter the taste at all. Not only is it lower in fat, but it also will increase the protein in your dish. Give it a try. 

Running Blind

Monday Night... Football Night!! That's right everyone, Monday's just got 100% better because I get to end my evening with the Bears and this guy:

No, he did not buy the hat... yet.

Random update for all of you. Remember last Thursday how I thought I had a sinus infection. Well, I stand corrected. I actually have Iritis in both eyes. Because of this, I am really sensitive to light and have to keep my eyes dilated for at least a week maybe 2!! Needless to say, I spent the weekend inside for the most part and tried to think of different ways to continue my everyday life despite being visually impaired. This involved:

• Running on a treadmill with my head down for the majority of the time to avoid the lights
• Taking Pilates class, but closing my eyes through the majority of it
• Having Kyle cut all of the vegetables for our meals, so I don't sever a finger
• Watching the Lorax with sunglasses on 
• Watching Sunday Night Football with both my sunglasses and glasses on (Yes, I know you need to see how awesome this looks, so I'll provide you with a picture)

Mom, I told you I would make this a fashion trend!

Thankfully I can still see my computer, and managed to get to work this morning without too many problems. Cheers to the next week or so of being partially blind.