Happy 10! Project: Bubbles!

After taking a bit of a break, we finally resumed our photo project last week. We're more than half way done with June already...can't believe half a year has gone by! Well, it's definitely summer outside now, and blowing bubbles was one of my favorite childhood summer activities, and therefore our chosen theme for this photoshoot--it's playful, happy and magical.

Although I've always loved looking at photos of bubbles, I have never tried taking one myself, so I had no idea how this photoshoot will turn out, much less how my dogs might react to this "foreign floating substance". For the session, I bought a little battery operated bubble blower for about $10 which also came with a small bottle of solution. Turned on, the motor was somewhat noisy, but not obnoxious, and while it did produce a ton of bubbles, it went through the solution pretty quickly. My dogs were definitely more cautious than curious and would not sit for too long of a stretch at a time, so I had a very small window of opportunity to work with, making this probably the quickest photo session I've ever done! At the end though, I did manage to capture a few interesting and adorable shots, so I'm more than happy with the results. Here they are:

raining bubbles!

I love all the colors captured in the bubbles!

a little bit curious...

"can I eat it?"

bubble bokeh

not impressed...

Happy Summer!

6.19.2014: New breakfast menu

After returning from the San Diego Marathon, we discussed over how to change up our diet now that we're no longer in training and our bodies certainly don't need all the extra calories and carb. So, one of the first changes we've made was with our breakfast. During training, it usually consisted of bread or rice with eggs, a banana, a glass of almond milk and/or orange juice. In our effort to cut down on calories and to just go back to a more simple and light eating, we decided on fruit smoothies. The summer is really the perfect time for this, as fresh fruits are in season and easy to come by. So, we took a little trip to Costco and our local farmer's market for all the necessary ingredients.

ready for the blender!

kale, superfood!

The beauty of a smoothie is that there's really no set recipe to follow--you can add just about any fruit or vegetable to your liking, throw in some yogurt for thickness (and a dose of protein), and there you have it. I like to sweeten my smoothie with some mango--fresh if at all possible, but a little mango nectar is also good (and less messy). I was a bit weary about adding the kale (or any other green vegetable), but to my surprise, it was actually kind of refreshing. I also thought it would be very time consuming and fussy to be making smoothies in the morning, but it's really a lot quicker than cooking a conventional breakfast, and cleanup is also minimal.

quick and easy breakfast, and good for you!

We've now been doing this for the past 2 weeks and I think this new breakfast routine is here to stay for a long time. Right now, we're doing the strawberry, blueberry, banana, kale and mango smoothie, but we're also excited about trying some of the other superfood like acai and chia, in the future.

6.16.2014: Post San Diego Marathon

Returning to life and blogging after a little marathon hiatus...It's been 2 weeks since the San Diego Marathon and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. This was our 4th marathon and it was the hardest and the worst one to date. It's a bit of a let down since we had the best training ever and yet the results don't reflect that, unfortunately.  Well...as in life, that's just how it goes sometimes--it's not always about the results, but the process. Not withstanding the ridiculous course planning by the Rock 'n' Roll franchise (I won't even go into that), the biggest factor in our shortcoming was the relentless heat. Going into it, I knew it was going to be tough, but even so, I underestimated the power of the Southern California sun by miles! (Pun intended.) Plus, the other 3 marathons were all during the fall with a nice 50 degree weather, so I guess my body just wasn't ready for a summer marathon. There's a reason why all the big races are in the fall...lesson learned.

nasty sun burn!

unexpected chafing spot where my sweat-drenched shorts rubbed against my skin.

Not only did it wipe me out during the run, but it's impact on my body was quite long lasting, definitely longer than any other times. This recovery period was also a bit odd in that, whereas my legs recovered much easier and quicker than the other 3 marathons, I was debilitated for the first time with a weird vertigo symptoms affecting my hearing and balance for well over a week. Initially, I thought it must be from dehydration and electrolyte deficit, so I loaded up on water and Gatorade, but then after a week and still not feeling 100%, I self-medicated with 3-days course of penicillin and that finally did the trick.  So, I presume it might have been some sort of sinus bug? Who knows...anyways, I'm almost all better now and can resume my life. Though I suffered through this marathon, it was still a great experience and I have no regrets. Now on to the next adventure!