Saturday, June 27, 2015

Pink Flamingo Party!!

Lately I have been seeing the cutest flamingo stuff on Pinterest and have become obsessed! I decided to order a dozen flamingos and have a party! :)
When I originally started planning the party, I planned on having it on our lawn in the back yard and totally covering it in the flamingos. But due to Arizona's ridiculously hot summer weather and an unplanned monsoon storm, the party got moved inside. I still ended up using the flamingo's throughout the house- including our guest bathroom! :)
I found paper plates, napkins, and straws all in different shades of pink (ain't no body got time for dishes after a party!) and decided to use my super cute milk bottles from my bridal shower (that I have still yet to blog about!). I went to 2 different stores looking for flowers in different shades of pink (the same stores that the week prior had EXACTLY what I was looking for!) and both stores did not have a single pink flower! The show must go on.... 
Our friends never disappoint when it comes to food at a party. They bring the most incredible quinoa salads, cheese and meats, vegetables, etc. everything was awesome! 

We had the best conversations and I laughed the entire time! We finished the night with a selfie-stick-selfie. 
*Do you like throwing parties? 

*Are you obsessed with flamingo's right now? ;)

Monday, June 15, 2015

Boulder left overs

I felt like the Boulder blog was already ex-tremly long, but I came across a few more photos from the trip.

P.S. On our FRONTIER flight back.... they lost 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's' bike! They couldn't tell us where it was for 2 days and then it took another 2 days to get it delivered to us. Not cool Frontier, not cool.

The day after the race my family left. My bonus-mom and aunt left without a selfie, but I got one with my cousin Damion!!
We spent the rest of the day walking around downtown Boulder and it was goregous!
Where boy's will be boys....
I also had a very hearty fish and fruit snack. ;)
Also, I'm excited to announce that Ironman is totally changing their M-dot logo to be a 'K' for Kim! They love me! ;)
Don't worry, they make them for boys too...
Thanks for such a fun weekend Boudler! We'll be back next year. :)

*What is your favorite part about coming back from a trip/vacation? Mine would be seeing our dogs- they are always SO excited to see us!

*What is your least favorite? Definitely unpacking and laundry!

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Boulder 70.3!

This weekend was another ridiculously fun-filled, crazy-busy, awesome weekend!! We headed up to Boulder, Colorado for the half ironman.
((Funny story: we both had planned on doing this race and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' signed up no problem and then 2 minutes later when I tried to signed up- SOLD OUT! Totally bummed, but it ended up working out.))
Since we had an early flight (5:00am), Frontier Airlines told us we needed to be there no later than 2.5 hours prior to departure to check in the bike....??! What? We've flown internationally with the bikes and never heard of having to arrive 2.5 hours prior. I called, called again, and called some more- hoping that someone would tell me it was a mistake. After 8 phone calls and everyone at Frontier telling me I needed to be there at 2:30am at the latest, I gave up and agreed.

We got to the airport at about 2:20am and since it was so close to 2:30, I had 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' drop me off at the door before parking the car, so I could get the bike checked in. Well... that was my plan anyway. I got inside the airport and it was empty- literally no one in there but some construction workers working on a ceiling repair. I got in line at Frontier and they told me that the counter doesn't open until 3:30. WHAT?!?! I was furious- mainly because I knew that it didn't sound right in the first place. I called Frointer and pointed out the mistake, to which they just said that I was there early and should be OK with the bike getting checked in 1.5 hours before the flight-- instead of the required 2.5 hours.....

Once the counter opened, we spent about 30 seconds checking in and then had to wait 25 minutes for the security line to open up to access the terminal. (This is how you know you are at the airport too early! The people who work at the airport aren't even there yet!)

We finally made it to the gate and I tried to sleep before boarding the plane, but a guy sitting behind us was talking SO loud I think the whole airport could hear him. I now know his entire crews names and what they should be doing on the job and what he expects to be done when he gets back.

Got in the plane. Got off the plane. Rented a car- where the attended who checked us out told us we needed to get married already and asked if he could come to our wedding. Totally not awkward at all.... 
Before we made the drive to Boulder (from Denver), we stopped at hipster restaurant and had breakfast.

We made it to the hotel before check in, so 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' put his bike together in the parking lot and took it for a quick spin. By the time he got back, it was time to check in and our friends that we were sharing a room arrived too.
We hung out at the hotel, went to an early happy hour with everyone, and went to bed.

The next day, we went to packet pickup (where all our friends had to wait in a rediculously long check-in line, but since 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' is an "All World Athlete", he had a special line with no one in it. We laughed thinking there was no way the line was for him- but sure enough it was. We quickly went through packet pick-up and then waited with our friends and went through it again. Haha!

After that, we decided to drive the bike course- it was beyond pretty! The scenery was seriously amazing, but a TON of rolling hills with lots of climbing. (Kinda glad I'm sitting this one out.... haha!!)
T-swift Bad Blood makes me feel like a gangster
After we drove the course, I met up with my bonus-mom, aunt, and cousin for dinner. ('Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' had his usual pre-race meal with out friends and wanted to relax). It was great to see them and catch up!

The next morning was race morning. We woke up really early and headed down to the race start. Traffic was extremely backup and not moving at all, 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' ended up getting out and walking because he was afraid he wasn't going to have enough time before transition closed.  -- they never ended up closed transition because everyone was arriving late!
I met up with my family and Caroline and watched the swim start.
Once they were in the water, we tried to walk around but it was such a pain to cross the swim exit we tried to avoid it at all cost and ended up staying in the same spot waiting for them to exit the water. I had my camera and the GoPro trying to video and pictures of everyone- yeah, I looked ridiculous! haha!
After we saw both of them exit the swim, we went to find a good place to set up along the run path since the bike was one (long) 56 mile loop. We hung out for awhile and then rushed over to transition when we saw they were close.
When I saw 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' in transition, I tried to hurry and run back to 'our spot' to let everyone know he was coming and get some pictures. (Holy moly, it was so hard to run really fast, while cheering athletes on, carrying a big camera and GoPro, running on really uneven dirt, and weaving in and out of people!)
The run was 2 loops of a there-and-back course, so we got to see boys 3 times before we moved to the finish line. Which was awesome! Caroline ran with her husband Jason for a little bit to see how he was doing. He fell coming out of transition and really smashed his knee (we later found out he had a small hairline fracture!! He's a beast!!)
So cute! I love this photo of them!
At this point, it was HOT! We were all in the shade and still miserable, I can't imagine how the athletes felt. 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' was flying by every time and after we saw him on the start of his second loop we took off for the finish line.
The finish line was packed but we were able to get up to the front by the time he came in.
My lovely camera chooses to focus on the cameraman's hat and not the finisher.... typical!
We saved our spots and waited for Jason to finish. We could tell his knee was really bothering him but he finished! It was super cute because he came over and gave Caroline a hug and kiss. Adorable!!
After they finished, we got their stuff and headed back to the hotel to shower and find food. So glad to be out of the sun and heat! It was a brutal day out there- and I wasn't even racing!!

Have you ever had problems flying before? 

What is your favorite airline?

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Weekend getaway!!

This weekend 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I took a trip up to Flagstaff to get in some elevation training for his upcoming half ironman race in Boulder, Colorado.

I woke up early Saturday morning to go to the TriPlex workout at 8:00am. Brutal workout and it was already extremely hot outside!
Once I finished, I came home and 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' was still sleeping. So I decided to shower and lay down for 'just a few minutes' before getting ready to leave.....

2 HOURS LATER, we were finally leaving for Flagstaff. We stopped and got lunch on the way at Whole Foods and made it up there in the early afternoon.

We checked into the hotel and headed to Buffalo Park for our long run. Since 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's' training is longer than mine right now, I just decided to run as long as I could or until he stopped. I ended up running until he stopped and got in 8.2 miles and felt like I could have kept going forever! I absolutely LOVE these types of runs! It felt amazing! The weather was perfect and I love the 2 mile dirt loop at Buffalo Park.
We finished the run and headed back to the hotel to shower and relax before getting dinner. We tried a new brewery that we've never been to before for dinner and it was pretty good. After dinner 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' pulled into the Olive Garden parking lot and asked if I wanted to get dessert to go-- BEST. IDEA. EVER!!

We were still full from dinner, so we ordered and then went back to our hotel and ate it while watching a movie. This is the stuff that perfect days are made of. Love him!
We woke up Sunday and checked out of the hotel and headed to Lake Mary for our long bike ride. I ended up getting in 40 miles and then waited for 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' to finish his ride. I laid out while he did a short swim and then we grabbed Five Guys for lunch before heading back to town.
It was such a fun weekend with this guy, I loved every second of it especially the cooler weather!!
*What did you do this weekend?

*What do you do to stay cool when training outside? 

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Rosie's Adventures!

Tonight I got the one of the best gifts I've ever received in the mail! 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's' dad, stepmom, step-brother, and step-brothers girl friend (did you get all that?) sent me a big box that made noise for my birthday.
I was little cautious opening it, and when I opened it, there was a little stuffed animal sheep that was making the 'BAH' noise we were hearing! The best part about the sheep, that they named Rosie, was that her hair came from a real New Zealand sheep- ironically named Rosie! ;)
If you remember from our New Zealand trip, I desperately wanted tried to touch a sheep and never succeeded. But now, I at least know what they feel like!

The gift was so thoughtful and cute I absolutely loved it! They also included some New Zealand stuff for 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and his son. At the bottom of the box we found a CD that had 'Rosie's Adventures' written on it. Totally intrigued, we put it into the computer and found 33 photos of Rosie taken ALL over New Zealand!!
They took her on their hikes in the South Island.
They took her to the market.
They took her to the beach.
She's in the 'K' if you look close! ;)
Camping, on car rides, plane rides, and to all the hostels they went to.

I remember seeing photos of them with a stuffed sheep on Facebook, they said they bought the sheep to keep Guy ('Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter's dad) company, while the 3 of them went out the 3-4 day hikes. (He hurt his knee at Ironman and ended up being on crutches and couldn't go with them.)

So realizing that this was the sheep that they had carried with them throughout their 3 week trip and took all over the place, really blew me away.
This was seriously one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received and still cannot believe the time and effort all four of them put into this for me.
I know I've said it before, but I am literally marrying into the BEST family anyone could ever ask for!

*What's the best gift you've ever received? 

*Have you ever touched a sheep? (If you have, know that I am EXTREMELY jealous of you! ;)

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

National Running Day!!

Happy National Running Day everyone!! Hope you are all out celebrating one of my favorites days!
Wednesday's are always one of my most brutal workouts of the week, and today was no exception- but the national holiday did help ease the pain. ;)

So I work 10 hours, everyday- Monday thru Friday- like it's my job.... oh wait... it is. Well, on Wedsnesday, I hurry and get to TriPlex for an hour long strength training workout that is killer! Then right after that, they have a n hour spin class that is equally as brutal. And since I had a brick scheduled (and it was a 'National Holiday'!!!) I had to do a 30 minute run. 
It was extremely hot- even at 7pm when I was starting my run, which doesn't make the run too enjoyable. Since it's supposed to be a brick, when I finish the spin class, I throw my bike into my car and put my sneakers on and run around TriPlex. HARD! 

Everything about my Wednesday workouts are hard! It's non-stop for 2.5 hours at a very intense rate!
(And then on Thursday morning's I wake up for the 5am TriPlex workouts, the fun never stops!! haha!!) But I feel like these workouts/intensity is what's going to hopefully make me stronger and faster. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?! ;)

But yesterday, I actually got in a super-duper-ridiculously hard run with my favorite running partner! We ran around the block and he definitely pushed the pace and kicked my butt!!

*Did you celebrate National Running Day?

*How many days a week do  you workout? 

*What's you're favorite workout?





Monday, June 1, 2015

Here we go again...

Today is officially 'day 1' of my Ironman training!! I am beyond excited to start training again, and after not having the best year last year, I'm really hoping to make this the best year yet.
I definitely think I went into last years Ironman under trained. Between my brother's wedding, sister's wedding, and my dad's cancer, I was constantly traveling back and fourth to Colorado and missed out on a lot of long weekend rides/runs/swims. I only did one 100 miler before Ironman (the previous year I did 4) and it definitely showed in my performance on race day.
I'm really hoping to focus on my training this year and give it 110%. I want to go into this race knowing that I did everything possible to be prepared and give it my best. I'm excited!!

To kick off training, 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' found a new pair of bike shoes for me and I absolutely LOVE them! (Plus they happen to be white, which is my favorite color!)
'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' put this photo on my bike the night before my first Ironman and I loved being able to look down during the race and see him. It's been on ever since. :)

Here we again guys, I can't believe it's already that time again!

*Anyone else racing Ironman Arizona this year? 

*How long do you train for a race?