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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream!

When the alarm went off at 5:30 AM, I cringed. Grr...who's idea was it to have a 6:30 AM pop-up class?? I really wanted to sleep in, but I have to go because I said that I would. 

We worked on our clean and jerks…I used dumbbells because I’m still recovering from back issues.

WOD:
30-20-10 (2 rounds)
Kettlebell swings (13 lbs)
Mountain climbers

I’m excited for the next few days being rest days AND not having to wake up at 5:30!

I thought it was seasonally appropriate to wear my yellow heels today (my former coworker affectionately called them my banana pudding heels, since they are basically the same color). I’ve gotten a few compliments on them already this morning.

Yay, meeting breakfast leftovers again! Mmm…pancakes!

Mom and Dad grilled steaks and vegetables. After Mom and I dropped some of the extra food off at my uncle and aunt's house, we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream ($1.31 per scoop promotion). I got Baseball Nut and Mom got German chocolate.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Second Physical Therapy Appoinment and Beaded Heart Order

I decided to take a sick day today. I did have my second physical therapy appointment after all. Heh. It went really well and the PT was happy with the improvement in my range of motion from last week's appointment.

PT- "Are you going back to work today?"
me- "Nope, I took a sick day."
PT- "Oh yeah, because you look really sick."
(Heh.)

Jessie asked me to make 10 beaded hearts for her students and with the extra time that I had today, I was able to finish her order. By the sixth one, I didn't have to look at the tutorial anymore. :)

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Happy Birthday, Mom and Dad!

I went to my parents’ house this afternoon to celebrate their birthdays. We got sticky rice stuffed duck, something that we normally reserve for the Lunar New Year, and others Chinese food dishes. I brought the cupcakes that I made last night.  It looks like Mom is doing her impression of the Big Bad Wolf. Mom almost forgot to make a wish, but I'm not sure what she wished for since she got the dishwasher that she's been wanting for a while. She's shown it to me twice already.
 
Afterwards, Julie, my cousin and I went over to the sunroom to hang out. The sunlight was so relaxing. My cousin and I actually ended up falling asleep. Julie continued to play on her phone. Harry the Homeless Cat found a spot in Mom's garden to take his nap.
 
After lunch, Julie and I went to visit our uncle and aunt.  My uncle had been in the hospital recently because of some kidney function issues. He looked tired, but in good spirits since he had company.
I wanted to cross off one of the items on my weekend to-do list: write Suzie a reply letter from February. I also enclosed a tank top that I bought from Red Bubble. I got a size too big for me, and since the company didn't require me to return it, I could give it to someone else. Suzie also mentioned that she used her last handmade envelope that I gave her, so I made 6 to give to her. I used the Sizzix die set that I bought from Michaels yesterday to decorate the envelope with.

Friday, March 25, 2016

An Awesome Friday!

It’s been a pretty good day! Let me count the ways…
  1. I had a check-in with my boss, and she’s pleased with all the work I’ve done this year and even acknowledged that I took on a lot more work when my teammate left last summer.
  2. I checked out a new craft store that opened nearby. I bought a new set of dies, but was most amused by this cat coloring book I saw on the way out. Obviously, it was meant for me. Maybe next time. What was interesting was that the location online didn't have any coupons. I clicked on another location to get their coupon, but the register wouldn't take it. WTH? The manager came over to explain that it was because the location wasn't officially opened yet. She was able to override the error and give me my discount, whew.
  3. I baked some chocolate cupcakes to take to my parents’ house tomorrow for their birthday lunch. Of course, I ate one for quality assurance.
  4. Ah, freshly laundered sheets are currently in the dryer. I will sleep well tonight!
  5. With the weather getting warmer, it’s “no pants” weather inside. Bah ha. What’s the cat gonna care? It’s “no clothes” weather for him all the time, not even a collar.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

CrossFit, New Nails, and Botanical Gardens Visit

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! We worked on our pull-ups and then the WOD was 3 rounds of the following.

400 m run (Everyone else did 800 m. I didn’t want to push it)
30 sit-ups (slowlyyy)
15 push-ups (with bands)
Time: 17:40

YAY! Considering I could barely get out of bed last TH without a lot of pain, I’m feeling good about my healing.

I’m also taking the day off, double YAY! I did my nails in the first time in forever. I went with a white base and gold nail art. The weather was so nice that I also went to the nearby botanical gardens and walked around to enjoy the sunshine and light breeze and beautiful flowers. I made a mental note to go back when the tulips are in bloom.
I also went to spin class in the evening. I feel so bad because my attendance has been inconsistent, and people wonder where I am and why I disappeared. But at least this time, it's not because of laziness (although going to spin class after already going to CrossFit in the morning is TOUGH!), I had a legit injury. Blah. After spin class, I went to my parents' house to eat dinner and watch the CrossFit Open 16.5 Open workout announcement.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

CrossFit and the Perfect Winged Liner Trick

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! I rowed and worked on my pull-ups because my back is still recovering; everyone else worked on their squat clean and jerks.
Modified WOD, AMRAP 10:00

100 single unders

20 goblet squats

30 mountain climbers

7 of us girls from the office went to a nearby restaurant for lunch today. This spot used to be a frozen yogurt place, but they mysteriously closed down and this Asian place came to take its spot. I got cold rice noodles with peanuts, chicken and pork meatballs, and peanut sauce. I know, not very exciting, but a lot of the items on the menu had little fires next to them, indicating spicy! My coworker Michelle warned me that they do not mess around with spicy at their other locations, so I stuck with the 1 or no fires. Meh, it was alright. I mean, I'd go again (especially since I have a buy 1, get 1 free coupon), but it's not a place that I would seek out. If I wanted to get some Asian food, there are better Asian restaurants around work.

During lunch, my coworker turns to me, "For your eyeliner, do you do the spoon method or the tape method?"  Hah, I knew exactly what she was talking about. The coworker sitting across from me thought the other girl was speaking another language. "The tape method." "Oh, I was wondering because yours is always on point!" Pish, there's no way I can freehand this wing. Secret's out, I use tape, but I get a clean line every time!

Julie came over earlier to watch Arrow and Supernatural...she brought snacks! :)

Physical Therapy Appointment

The physical therapist that I went to today was recommended by 3 people at my CrossFit gym. When I told him, he was like "Yikes, no pressure (nervous laughter)!" He asked me a bunch of questions about what had happened to cause such an injury and then he had me do some mobility work to see how far I could move without pain. Then we did some dry needle work, which was actually not as scary as it sounds. I'm feeling so much better since Thursday. I want to get back to beast mode so badly because it totally sucked to not be doing the same workout as everyone else yesterday morning at CrossFit, but I know I need to take it slowly so as not to tumble backwards.

I worked from home the rest of the day, one eye on the computer and honestly, the other eye on the television coverage of the Belgium bombings. Ugh. Not again.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Employee Appreciation Card

My CrossFit coach had me do some mobility work this morning to help with my back, so while I wasn’t able to do the workout everyone else was doing, at least I had the company. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed that there isn't something seriously wrong!
When I got to the office, I went to my mailbox to get my employee appreciation card, complete with a handwritten note from my boss and a $15 Amazon gift card.

I went to lunch with my mentee today. I like her, I hope she sticks around for a while. I knew from a previous conversation with another coworker that this person had some interests in art. Ah! A fellow arty person at work! I found out that she does oil paintings...my favorites of hers are her pet portraits.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Back Injury at CrossFit

Sigh...I injured my back majorly while deadlifting this morning at CrossFit. I should have known better! Ugh. It wasn't completely recovered from doing the snatches on Saturday...what made me think that I could lift that kind of weight?! I mean, it was so bad that it was difficult to walk or do anything that wasn't laying down in bed with a heating pad and Icy Hot. The coaches recommended a physical therapist, so I've made an appointment with him on Tuesday morning to make sure that something isn't more seriously wrong. Needless to say that I took a sick day today...fortunately, there isn't a lot happening on my calendar the next few days. I'm sad that I had to miss the employee appreciation event today which involved going to a nearby restaurant with food, drinks and board games.

A big shout out to Julie who came over tonight with some groceries and ingredients to make lasagna. She even washed the dishes! We watched the 16.4 Open workout announcement...which included a lot of deadlifts. Ugh.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Bench Press and New NYX Products

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! We worked on our bench presses today, like we did on Friday. 3 x 5 at 65 lbs, like Friday. I am determined to make it to 70 lbs this strength cycle!

WOD:
1000 m row
21 pull-ups with bands
150 single unders
21 pull-ups with bands
400 m run
Time: 14:09

It’s Employee Appreciation Week at work. Today, there are 10-min chair massages, which is good timing because my back is still a little sore from those snatches from workout 16.3. They also had bagels breakfast and mini Sweetgreen salads for lunch.

I went to Ulta yesterday and bought these two NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Seoul (left) and Moscow (right) on a whim. I decided to give them a go after work today. Moscow is actually blue, but I made it super dark with a black lip liner. Perhaps they are impractical colors, but they are pretty! I did rock a dark red lip to the office today (Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick in Ricco), and my coworker complimented me on it.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Shopping, Plank Challenge and Cunning RJ

Today was spent shopping! :D My coworker Michelle is having a yard sale sometime in April, and she invited me to join her. Oh, perfect! I have some clothes that I want to get rid of because they don't fit as well anymore. I'm anticipating more room in my closet, so I got a head start on buying new clothes (hah). I came away with 3 dresses, one from JCPenney and two from Marshalls. The two from Marshalls are the exact same lace dress, but since I couldn't decide between black or coral, I went with both!

I decided to participate in a plank challenge. Here's how it's gonna go: everyone who signed up has to submit a video of them doing a forearm plank on April 1. Longest time wins. If you're not the winner, for every second between you and the winner, you have to do a burpee.

Julie texted me this evening to say that there was sushi at the house. Of course, I had to go over there and help them eat it. Julie helped me with form. The first time around, my butt needed to be closer to the ground. This picture was taken in the second round.

RJ! ARGH! I left him sleeping on my bed and then went to my parents' house for dinner. I come home and the cut up chicken tenders I left on the counter were gone! There was a piece on the floor just outside the kitchen. He was asleep so I thought they were safe! I went to go find him, and he was on the bed where I had left him earlier, licking his chops. UGH!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

CrossFit Games Workout Open 16.3 and Zootopia

RJ: Don't mind me. I'll take the warm spot you left on the bed for when you come back.

CrossFit Games Open 16.3 scaled (9:30 AM session)

7:00 AMRAP:
10 power snatches at 35 lbs
5 jumping chest-to-bar pull ups

I got through 5 complete rounds and tacked on 9 snatches at the end. Those were easy...it was the pull-ups that were the hard part! To be honest, none of my jumping pull ups counted because my chest didn’t hit the bar. Maybe we can do this again on Monday to rescore.
I went to see Zootopia with my coworker Reggie after I heard from Jennifer and a friend of Julie's that it was really good. It's also certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so I had a feeling it'd be worth it. OMG, I laughed the whole time...I loved it. My favorite was Clawhauser the cheetah. Regal might as well take all my money now. There are so many movies that I want to see in 2016.

Afterwards, Reggie and I went to Potbelly to get sandwiches. I also got a coffee milkshake. The person who made it, well, she didn't measure out the right porportions of ingredients or the right amount because the resulting milkshake was very goopy (as opposed to smooth) and there was about an inch of empty cup. Um, no. I paid for a full milkshake, not 3/4ths of one. She was in the process of filling up the rest, and her boss looked behind him and told her to stop and reline a trashcan. He tossed the milkshake she was working on and made one himself for me. Whew, good.  I didn't want to be one of those customers.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Bench Press and New Tank Top

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! We worked on our bench presses. The rep scheme was 3 x 5, and I was aiming for 70 lbs. However, I got a few reps in and quickly lost strength. I went back down to 65 lbs, and that was much more manageable.

WOD:
800 m run
50 burpee box jumps (20 inch box) (UGH!!!)
800 m run
Time: 19:37

I’ll be back at the gym tomorrow morning to do the scaled version of the CrossFit Games Open 16.3 workout.

Hah, my new tank top…I got it from RedBubble, like my  new fox one.
Step 1: own a cat (check!)
Step 2: build a strong body (in progress, ha ha)

After work, I went over to my parents' house to "help" Julie with some goodie bags that she volunteered to make for her friend's bachelorette party.  Well, by help, I meant, bring supplies for tags and eat one of the peanut butter cookies she made.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Sumo Deadlifts and Breakfast Leftovers

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! We worked on our sumo deadlifts. 3 x 5 at 135 lbs (up 10 lbs from 2 weeks ago). Coach Rob is back from his vacation to the Philippines, and he told us about being a part of his friend's proposal to his girlfriend. The group of friends was trying to hide, but the only hiding place was from far away. They could see the proposal happening at a distance and ran and hid behind random people to get closer to the couple without being caught. He said they had a GoPro to capture all the running around. I'm sure it's a very amusing video.

WOD: 10:00 EMOM
5 Wall Balls (8 lb ball) + 5 Box Jumps (20 inch box) + 3 Pull-ups (green and red bands)

The weather was so nice today!I didn't need a jacket or tights! I was so excited for meeting breakfast leftovers (a bagel with cream cheese and half a breakfast burrito). I missed out on them yesterday because I was at the hotel for the focus group.

I worked on my notes from the focus group today so that my boss could insert anything that I missed. I was going autopilot and cranking out a report. She came back to me to say that she thought I was missing stuff, when in fact, I had just clumped ideas together. It turns out that she was hoping for more of a transcript of the discussion.

Oh.

Well, good thing I kept a copy of my really rough copy! Whew.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Pull-Up Day and Work Focus Group

I got to the hotel for the work focus group this morning thinking, "I feel like I was just here. Oh, wait, that's because I was!!!" Sigh, blah. My boss and other big-wigs at the meeting seemed happy with the discussion, so that's all that matters. I'll tackle my notes tomorrow.

5:15 PM CrossFit, check! My sister had to give me a mental push off the couch, and Maria texted me to ask if I was ready for class this afternoon. I’m lucky to have these ladies to hold me accountable.

We worked on our pull-ups and then the WOD was 5 rounds of the following.
-15 kettlebell swings (26 lbs)
-10 burpees
-5 dumbbell snatches per arm (20 lbs)
800 m run cash out
Time: 16:36

And since I still had the energy, I went to 6:30 PM spin class.

Someone asked me how the work meeting/focus group went today after I got back to the office. “People talked, and the food was good.” He laughed and said he liked how I gauged the success of a meeting on those two things. Well, what else is there in a good meeting?  The lunch was a sandwich bar, with pasta salad and chicken noodle soup. My boss told me to snag all the leftover cookies at the end of the meeting since the hotel staff was probably going to throw it all away afterwards. There were 6 left, and I went around the office and found 6 coworker to give them to. I kinda felt like Robin Hood!
Come on, Kelly!  You can do it!

Monday, March 7, 2016

Squat Clean and Jerks and Work Dinner

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! We worked on our squat clean and jerks…5 x 2 at 75 lbs. I did 75 lbs squat cleans on Saturday, but wow, the bar sure felt heavier today.

7:00 AMRAP:
5 Hang Clusters (55 lbs)
35 double unders (attempts counted)
I was a few double unders short of 2 rounds. I just didn’t have a lot of gas in the tank today.

On a brighter note, I didn't have to be at the office until later today because of a work dinner I have to be at. I rolled in around 3 PM to make some last minute copies of handouts, since I was sure I'd be getting the most current version at the eleventh hour. Karen came in around the same time and helped me stuff the folders. It was funny to see her since I saw her all last week. We don't usually see each other for that long of a time since she's based out of Colorado.

We walked over to the hotel and got step up. The dinner was so good: salad, chicken marsala (the other dinner options were salmon and eggplant parmesan), and some sort of tiramisu cake that I didn't have the room to finish. My Executive Director and one of the federal big-wigs sat at my table (eek), but the conversation actually flowed nicely. How much of a disaster Trump is was a good common denominator topic.

Everyone took turns introducing themselves. “Hi, I’m Tina. (Educational background) This was my first job offer out of grad school (this got a few laughs), and I have been with the organization for 7.5 years.” I’m sure that surprised a few people. Bah ha ha.
Get off my pillow...

Saturday, March 5, 2016

CrossFit Games Workout Open 16.2

9:30 AM CrossFit, check! CrossFit Games Open Workout 16.2, scaled.

4:00 AMRAP + bonus time
25 hanging knee raises
50 single unders
Squat cleans
Round 1: 55 lbs, 15 reps
Round 2: 75 lbs, 13 reps
(Increase by 20 lbs each round)

I got through 7 squat cleans at 75 lbs and then my 8:00 were up. Whew! Catherine actually finished all 13 reps at 75 lbs and was trying so hard to lift the 95 lbs, but could only get halfway. She got further than the rest of us in the class, so that's pretty badass.

I did some grocery shopping afterwards and baked some chocolate cupcakes for when Meg and Robyn come over for dinner tonight (I was in charge of dessert and fruit…). At around 5:30 PM, Robyn showed up with broccoli salad and Meg showed up with meatloaf. The meatloaf is actually a funny story because Meg was supposed to make it at my request last year, but she was afraid that the meat spoiled before she could make it. We ended up getting Pacci's instead.

We caught each other up on our lives since we last saw each other about a month ago, while eating cupcakes, chocolate and Easter candy. Heh. We also Facetimed with Page who gave us a house tour of the place she just bought. It was so nice to talk to her! She told us a funny story about how she thought a raccoon had gotten into her house because she found poop on her couch on 2 different days. Wildlife control came in to set up traps, and what was caught was not a raccoon, but a cat! It was a neighborhood cat that must have wandered in while people were moving things in and out of the house. Oops.
Happy belated birthday to me and early birthday to Meg!

Friday, March 4, 2016

CrossFit and New Grocery Bag

6:30 AM CrossFit, check! Ah, it was nice to be back at the gym since I’ve been out all week on work travel. The coach set up a pop-up class today so that I could make it!

We worked on our squat clean and jerks. 5 x 2 at 70 lbs.

WOD. We decided to do Thursday's WOD, but since me, Maria and Julie didn't make it to a class yesterday. Today's WOD was a partner workout (I suppose we could have made it work for 3 people) and there was a lot of rowing so Thursday's seemed a lot more manageable.
- 3:00 AMRAP: 20 goblet squats (26 lbs) 2 lap suitcase carry (1 lap each arm)
- 3:00 AMRAP: 20 alternating pistols 100m row sprint
- 3:00 AMRAP: 40 burpees (I got to 30 burpees and the time ran out…) max hollow hold

I’m doing the scaled version of 16.2 tomorrow morning, eek!

For my telework day, I actually stayed at my parents' house because, um, well, that's where all the food is. I have wi-fi, food, and my cat, so that kept me happy throughout the work day. I took a nice nap in my old bed once the work day was over. :D

Tee hee, one of my new tank tops came in the mail while I was out. Also, I’ve officially reached new levels of cat lady-ness. To be fair, the grocery bag was free using a Shutterfly coupon my cousin gave me (I paid for shipping). I couldn’t let a good deal go to waste! When RJ and I got home, I hung up the cross-stitch I did of my alma mater’s coat of arms. Mom framed it while I was out of town. I’ve unpacked and did a load of laundry. It’s been a productive evening! I’m excited to sleep in my own bed tonight.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

St. Louis, Day 5

Bye, St. Louis! I don't think I'll be seeing you anytime soon, and if I do, I hope things are more lively and prosperous than this time around.

My flight wasn't until 1:30 PM, so I had time to go to the morning session. I had packed up all of my nice clothes and was going to go rogue and wear jeans since I had to leave for the airport right after. Was anyone going to chastise me for doing so?  Mmm, we'll find out! Turns out my boss was wearing jeans too, so whew, safe!

I got a seat in the second to last row of the plane. The older lady sitting next to me and I chatted while the plane was taxiing to the runway. I told her my observations of the city and she confirmed that the city isn't as busy as it use to be. She asked if I had been to the St. Louis Zoo (nope, no time...and no easy way to get there).  She mentioned the National Zoo and how her son was saying that it wasn't worth going it.

Whattt.

Ok, I just stopped actively listening to her right then and there. I like my Zoo!  It's free and it's got pandas. What's not to like???  Thankfully, I was able to get some sleep on the flight home. I don't think I could have the brain power to hold a 1.5 hour conversation with someone that just dissed the Zoo.

Dad picked me up at the Metro station. I thought of going to my place, but then I remembered there's nothing to eat in my fridge. I made an executive decision to sleep at my parents' house. Julie and I watched the CrossFit Games Open workout 16.2 announcement. I can't believe Dan Bailey was able to squat clean 315 lbs for multiple reps!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

St. Louis, Day 4

Conference, Day 3 of 4, check!

My boss gave me one of her free breakfast coupons, which was so nice because the breakfast options in the little hotel coffee shop are expensive and not so good.
To cap off the conference, one of our big corporate partners hosted a social event at the Anheuser-Busch brewery. We got to take a picture with a Clydesdale horse (that’s me and my coworker), go on a tour to learn about the beer making process, and of course, eat and drink to our heart’s content.
I saw one of the senior directors from work on the dance floor too. THAT was entertaining.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

St. Louis, Day 3


Conference, Day 2 of 4, check!

One touching thing from today was that there was an “in memoriam” session this afternoon for 2 people who had passed away since the last time this conference was held. While I didn’t know them personally, it was very evident by what was said and the slideshow that played in the background that these two people were well loved and respected by their colleagues in this scientific community. One of them was given an award at the luncheon today, and his widow was there to receive it in his honor.

For dinner, I went to Landry's with my boss and 3 of my other coworkers. I got a seafood pasta, but unlike the one that I got on Sunday that was with a cream based sauce, this one was a garlic/olive oil/herb sauce. It was equally as yummy.