Good morning gym rats! I hope you all had a nice long
Memorial Day Weekend and got to enjoy some fair weather, good eats, and QT with family and friends. It’s so nice to have an extra day to get all those
chores done that I usually procrastinate on during the typical 2-day weekend.
There’s always something that gets tacked onto my “to-do” list and saved for
the next long weekend or PTO day.
In keeping with the 2014 tradition, this weekend’s weather
was anything but predictable here in Portland.
It rained off-and-on making outdoor plans a little dicey but I still managed to
be ultra productive. Saturday morning began with my scheduled back sesh (owie
sore traps!!) and then off to get my groceries for the week. Yay sale on
watermelon! I actually haven’t sliced into it yet but I just love the fresh
fruits that pack the store shelves this time of year.
After heading home and getting cleaned-up I picked up my
Stepmother and took her out for brunch and pedicures (a belated Mother’s Day
present). We went to the Front Room for eats which I was really excited to try since
everyone raves about their brunch but I was less-than-impressed and won’t be
returning. I ordered the spinach and bacon gnocchi with poached eggs and got
the vegetable gnocchi (also with poached eggs). I detest tomatoes and mushrooms
which my plate was piled high with. The place was packed though so I just kept
my mouth shut and ate the rest as I knew that if I tried to send it back it
would be another 30 minutes for the server to return and then another 30
minutes to get my correct order (with a side-order of snot most likely). I had
an unsatisfying dinner there a few years ago so I’m 0-for-2 at that place. I
will say they make a delicious blood orange mimosa though!
After our post-brunch pedi’s (I got a summery pink-coral
color) I drove out to Bridgeton in middle-of-nowhere
Western Maine to check-out a sale on a kayak
package I had found while perusing Craigslist. Kayaking has always been one of
my most favorite outdoor activities. Being out on the water on a calm, sunny
day with no distractions is the most relaxing place I know of. Even better than
a massage (IMO) since no one else is there to interrupt your train of thought.
Unfortunately I had sold my beloved pink kayak of 20+ years last Fall (long
story for another day) so I needed another. I’m a big fan of the sit-on-top
variety (perfect for sunbathing) and this one was about $325 for the kayak,
paddle, and lifejacket. Not a bad deal! It’s an Ocean Kayak which is a
reputable brand and it’s small and light enough for me to load and
unload on my own. I’m so excited to break it in!
Even better, the Thule
roof-racks and roll-bar I had saved in my shed from 3 vehicles ago fit my new
Jeep perfectly! I contemplated taking it out for a spin yesterday but the
clouds kept rolling-in and I just knew that with my luck by the time I got out
to a lake or pond somewhere it would either be down-pouring or worse. Crossing
my fingers for next weekend!
Sunday morning began with a lengthened bicep sesh instead of
yoga class. I didn’t want to aggravate my shoulder issue but also didn’t want
to lose a day of fitness so I split-up my combined bicep/tricep day this week. Then,
after a delicious (and typical) grilled chicken salad lunch I decided to take
Mugsy out for some exercise. We ended up at the Eastern Promenade where there
is a long paved walking path as well as a dog-friendly beach. Of course, Mugsy
is only selectively dog-friendly so I took him to the far end before unleashing
him and letting him retrieve a stick from the frigid ocean waves about a
thousand times. The dog never tires of this game and absolutely LOVES to swim!
Apparently that is unusual for a boxer.
That afternoon I headed over to my Dad and Stepmother’s
house for a MDW BBQ. I wish I had taken a pic of the sausage and kielbasa
platter. It was pretty impressive! I sampled some Lithuanian sausage, chicken
& chorizo sausage, and some kielbasa. I’m not much of a sausage fan but I
do appreciate the high-protein options for once! I also enjoyed some
sesame-glazed grilled shrimp (my request).
Yesterday was by far the most productive of the 3 days.
After my tricep sesh (they are sooo sore today!) I took Mugsy to Macworth Island
in Falmouth. It
was still early enough in the day (about 9:30) so I knew it would be the best
time to be able to walk around the wooded path without too many dog
encounters. There’s also limited parking on the island so waiting until the
afternoon would likely mean having to park on the mainland (too much travel for
my poor shins!). It was a gorgeous, sunny and warm walk and we spent a long
time playing fetch again on a little secluded beach on the far side (my secret
spot). Mugsy will never show his exhaustion while outside but once we get home
after that much running and swimming, he is out cold for the day which makes me
one happy Momma! After two days in a row of sand and salt water though he was
in dire need of a bath so once we got home I plopped him in the tub (which needed
a good cleaning anyway) and soaped him up with some peppermint dog wash. He’s
so soft and cuddly now…and his white spots are so WHITE! Haha
After cleaning all the dog dirt & grime out of the tub I
was on a cleaning kick so I decided to drag the vacuum out and give the
interior of my Jeep that thorough cleaning I’ve been procrastinating on since I
bought it…5 months ago (insert embarrassed face here). You know I’m not the
first owner when you find a French fry under the seat. Gross! By the time I was
done with this chore my shins were aching terribly. This doc appointment cannot
come soon enough. I really pray they can accurately pinpoint the issue(s)
because I am so sick of constantly popping painkillers. Not to mention, my
constant (perhaps irrational) fear of getting fat from lack of cardio.
The rest of the day I pretty much just lounged around,
watched some mindless TV and read a bit. I’ve been hooked on the Gillian Flynn books
lately. I plowed through her most famous, Gone Girl, a couple of weeks ago and
thus had to rush out to purchase her other two, Sharp Objects and Dark Places.
I highly recommend these if you like a suspenseful page-turner. I only wish I
wasn’t such a fast reader; these were supposed to be my summer beach reads!
Anyway, this post has gotten long enough and I really must
be on with my day. I’m going to attempt to do shoulders tonight. Praying my
right deltoid can handle at least a light load! We have a work offsite on
Friday so thankfully it’s only a 3-day workweek for me. I can handle that. I
think.
