Friday, October 24, 2014

Disneyland!

Since they where in California, Chris and Erin decided to surprise Brady for his 5th birthday with a trip to Disneyland! Garrett and I where lucky enough to be in on the surprise, and take a trip to The Magic Kingdom with the family! On 10/7, we all got ready hopped in the car, and headed down to Anaheim! When we got into town, we checked into our hotel, and headed toward the park. All along the way Brady was in aww of the Toy Story buses, and Mickey ears all around! We told Brady where we were, and he was SO excited! Our first stop was California Adventures, where we went into Radiator Springs, ate dinner at Ariels Grotto, and watched World of Color! 
Here is a quick picture recap of our day in California Adventures!

Telling Brady that we were steps away from DISNEYLAND!


Tickets! 

One of my favorite hands to hold!

this kid!

Chris got Brady a pretty sweet autograph book and pen!

On Radiator Springs Racers!
I just love this picture lol.. waiting for dinner at Ariels Grotto!

Night Time at Disney California Adventures!


Waiting for World of Color!




World of Color

On Brady's actual birthday, we went into Disneyland. Disneyland is already my favorite place to be. It is where my imagination becomes a reality, and I can relive the love that I have for Disney movies & characters. But, going there with the babies (Brady and Hayley) was a whole other experience, the magic and light in their eyes is something I will never forget. I was so lucky to be able to go on this trip with them, these pictures and memories I will cherish for all of my days of being an Auntie.



Pre-Disneyland, Downtown Disney Family Selfie!

Well of course, I had to take a picture with LEGO Beauty and The Beast!

Family photo with Mickey!

Just hang in' out with my girl

My Prince
Walking into the park with my little lady
She loved the bubbles

it was a tough job getting her away from those bubbles!

as he read my shirt "you must be auntie" haha
Brady's awesome picture with THOR

Our Mickey Ears representing our favorites! Belle and Ironman!
The boys begin strong
Garrett

Chris


Yey! *clap*

Family selfie on Its A Small World
I kicked garrett's but 3rd time running ( I win every time we go to Disneyland)
He will always be my baby
Our last day, of course we need a castle picture
Halloween Mickey pumpkin family photo
baby girl playin with my ears

brady getting kisses from minnie!

GoPro action


Dumbo

Matterhorn

"pewing" through the park
Meeting Captain America

teacups



space mountain







Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Brady's 5th Birthday Party!

Saturday October, 4th we celebrated Brady's 5th birthday with family and friends.
Of course it was an Ironman themed party! We all even tried to get the same Ironman shirt from target, which I thought was pretty awesome lol!
It was such a great time. It had been so long since the last time that all of us had been together ( not all are in pictures), the time that we can all spend together is so special. 
Here is a picture recap of the day! 
All photos where taken by Erin's sister Toni :)


The sweet banner Erin had made!
Birthday Boy!
My Family
From left to right:
Garrett, Me, Max, Mom, Hayley, Brady, Erin,Chris, Xavi

More family


Auntie with her loves




Family and Friends

Birthday boy with his cheesecake

of course we got him a WodToys barbell

Thanking Pizza :)
I just think this picture of Hayley is so cute!
All in all, we had a wonderful day with family and friends. I can't believe that Brady is already 5 years old, time is flying by. 
Thanks for checking out the blog!
xoxo,
Tori

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Training 9/29- 10/04


Monday 9/29-
Getting ready for my last set of squats.

| Gym day |
It felt good to be in the gym today!
For gymnastics we worked on our deck squats and pistols. I am not very strong with pistols so I stubbled. I have to work on my own ability to squat on one leg supporting my body weight. For strength we did some back squats at 85% which totaled 165 for me. They felt relatively easy which was nice.
For the metcon, we did 4 rds, 2 min of max med ball cleans, and 2 min rest within that rest, run a 200m. I didn't attack this workout full force since I have been working on focusing more so with/on my runs, and knowing that I had to run tuesday, I was just glad to get a workout in. 

Tuesday 9/30- 
| Run Day |
I am working on staying committed to the times that I said I would run. With that in mind, after a long day of school and work, I went out for my run! I drove home straight after work, changed into my running clothes, put on my shoes, and headed out the door. Today was a 3 m run, just getting in the miles. I kind of pushed myself this run since I got home later, I wanted to finish asap so I wasn't running alone after night fall ( I guess that is motivation!). Overall my run felt good, I finished my run with an overall time of 27:38:3, at a 9:04/mi. 

Wednesday 10/1- 
| Run Day |
Today the Merrin's arrived! Since I wanted to be at the airport for their arrival, I had to wake up early to get my run in, and I actually did it! I work up around 5:20 am and was out the door around 5:40 am to get going! It definitely took me a little longer to get warmed up and moving, but I was glad to keep my over all pace around9:45, which was my goal. I ran a total of 5.2 miles, with an overall time of 50:39.4, at a 9:44/mi pace. All in all, I felt good on this run, especially with it being my longest run in about a month!

Thursday 10/2- 
I know, I know... this should have been a run day, but I had a long day of school/work... and spending time with my babies was so much better. :)

Saturday 10/4-
| Run Day |
Well I am proud of myself, I woke up early and got my run in... AGAIN! My first "long run" three weeks out from race day (lord, pray for me... haha) I ran a total of 8.3 miles, with a 9:53/mi pace. I ran a full 10k, no breaks/walking! It was slow, my body didn't really warm up until mile 4, but I got it done. Miles 7 and 8 where my slowest, I would run for 5 min, and walk for 1 min. I was pooped. I ideally wanted to keep my overall pace around 9:50/mi, so I was a little slower, not by much, and that was with walking. So keeping my half time under 2 hours, definitely looks do-able! 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

September Favorites

September Obsessions:

It is so crazy how fast September has gone by! Being occupied with work and school, the days are just flying by, but personally I am okay with it. October is one of my favorite months of the year. I love when (if, here in the valley) the weather cools down, I love the fall colors and smells that start to pop up in all of the stores, and of course its my birthday month! I am suuuuper excited for this month, because on the on the 1st, the Merrin’s land in sunny California, and for 2 whole weeks. We will be having Brady’s birthday party here, going to the zoo, and shhhhh, it’s a secret, but we are going to DISNEYLAND for Brady’s 5th (tear*) birthday! I cannot wait! Overall, I am going to  be one happy Auntie.

Well, lets get to it!-
Most of the time I am the girl that throws her hair up into a bun, curls her lashes, throws on a coast of mascara on, and calls it good; I more recently have been on the hunt for a simple routine to help me “spruce” up my look for date nights, nights out with friends, or for the days I just want to add a little “oomph” to my step.

I love to watch make-up artists, “How To” YouTube videos, but most of the time the looks are so complicated (for me at least) and I honestly just don’t want to commit the time to creating the look. Recently, a few of the people that I follow have posted videos on their versions of “daytime glow” or “How To: Create a fresh face when you’re exhausted.” (to be honest, for these videos, their minimal make up, is like M-A-X-E-D out make-up for me haha) I was intrigued and decided to take a little from both videos to help create a make up look for me. To create that look I actually went out and spent money on make up! I purchased 3 items that have helped me so so much with creating an easy, fresh faced look, for when I want something a little more than mascara on.

  1. Beauty Blender
  2. NARS Radiant and Creamy Concealer
  3. L'Oreal BLUR Foundation




Other than make up I had a few other items I fell in love with over the last month or so!

{via}
1.     Jolyn Swimwear – I have never been the girl to hang out on the beach, and just tan. When Garrett and I where at the beach last month I was fed up with moving tops, and losing my bottoms every time we went body surfing. I was on the hunt for a suit that could hang with me, not fall off of me. Being a swimmer/polo player, I am so surprised I hadn’t heard of these suit sooner! From sunny San Diego, Jolyn created these suits for the swimmers, polo players and surfers.
They are double lined, made with a polyester* blend (so no stretching out!), the fabric is imported, but they are made in the U.S.A. The bottoms (and a few top styles) have ties in them to keep your bottoms on when you are doing more than just laying out! Halleluiah! They have them in patters, and solids. I have an addiction, and just want every color possible. I would suggest her bikinis to any and every girl!



2 
       Perfect Bar- Mmmm. Well people in San Diego know what they are doing, creator Bud Keith stated, “whole foods are the only acceptable source of nourishment for your body.” Isn’t that the truth! I have eaten a handful or protein/energy bars to help with supplementation when eating a full meal is not ideal, and none have fit the bill for me. Now lets get this out of the way; yes, I am into CrossFit, and yes, many CrossFit athletes eat/are sponsored by this brand. No, this is not me following a trend or a fad. I’m not an idiot, I know that people are doing anything to capitalize on the fitness craze called “CrossFit.” I do my homework, and try to make sure that product that I am investing in is truly giving me what I want.
These bars are au natural (kept in the fridge at your local store to maintain optimum freshness). To sum up their site Perfect Bars are: Non GMO, filled with complex carbohydrates, jam packed with protein, gluten-free, with an abundant amount of delicious and healthy fats, and complete with 20 different super foods inside!

It’s pretty self-explanatory why they are my new go-to snack. They are delicious, and on a long day packed with classes, these help hold me over, and maintain energy until my next meal. My favorite is the Cranberry Crunch! 




And last, 
Chuck Taylor Low Rise Converse- I needed a shoe that wasn’t a gym shoe. These are your basic, everyday shoe, and they get the job done. Just what I needed.



Thanks for reading,
I hope that everyone has a great October!
xoxo,
Tori

Monday, September 29, 2014

Training 9/22-9/26


Monday 9/22-
I was in a poopy mood this evening. I wish I was like the person who didn't let people affect them, but that's not who I am. I didn't really want to be at the gym, which isn't like me at all. I didn't want to workout, again, which isn't like me at all. Instead of doing nothing, I did get through the strength and gymnastics. My lower back was still sore from last week, so my front squats weren't quite at 80%, more like 70-75% at 115 lbs.
Hollow Plank – Accumulate 2 min
Strict or Kipping HSPU 5x TQF
Ring Rows x 75
Front Squat 3×5 @ 80%
Tuesday 9/23- "Run Day"
3.06 miles 9:43/mi pace
Blah, I really didn't want to run. I used to love getting up and going out to run, but this past training I have not been feeling it at all. I think it took me an hour and a half before I actually got up and out the door, but when I finally did the run wasn't bad. My legs where a little sore/tight, and I dealt with some cramping of my quads from front squats on Monday. Here in the store, I always tell customers that the hardest part of the run is actually getting out the door, and doing it. I need to start taking my own advice.

Wednesday 9/24- "Run Day"
5.06 miles at a 9:51/mi pace.
I went for my run after teaching the 5pm class at the gym. The weather was perfect. I was very pleased with this run! I went 3 miles before I stopped! When I stopped, I was at the cemetery, and said hello to a friend that passed in May, and well I was a little shaky the rest of my run after that. Ultimately. I was glad that I didn't skip out on my longer run, and that I committed to getting it done!


Thursday 9/25-
“KAREN”
150 wall balls for time
Cristal's amazing artwork, and us suffering through wall balls. 
I know, I was supposed to run today... buuuuuut I haven't done "Karen" before, and I want to set a mark for all of the benchmark workouts, so that way in 6 months or so when the gym retests them I have something to mark improvement. I was able to finish this workout sub 10, just barely! I finished at 9:52, being under 10 minutes was a goal for me, and I am glad that I got it. But, at the same time, I know that all of my reps weren't the best they could have been, so it kinda defeats the purpose of doing the workout. I have been beating myself up about it the last couple days, but looking at it, now I have no choice to do better, time and rep wise. 
Friday 9/26-
For time:
2o Burpees over Bar
20 Hang Clean to Thrusters 95/65
Run 400m
10 Hang Clean to Thrusters 115/85
10 Burpees over Bar
Run 2oo m
5 Hang Clean to Thrusters 135/95
5 Burpees Over Bar
100 m run
Let me tell you about not wanting to workout! Man, now that it is dark by 6:45, by that time all I want to do is be home, in my jammies, watching or reading Harry Potter! In the end, I was convinced to do the workout, which ended up being a good one! I was surprised at how easy the thrusters felt, for reps, and as the weight got heavier. I love that feeling, being surprised, its nice haha.  I was able to finish the workout as prescribed, in 12:53.