Tag: fun

adventure

12 Murals

2chicksandapen

It was a random Saturday. I had taken my mom out on a whirlwind adventure to Nashville, TN. Rain was in the forecast, but there was still so much on our potential to do list. What could we cram into our short afternoon?

Off to the races we went. 12 South was the area to be highlighted. A section of murals. We would attempt to snap candid photos in each art setting. Our own little mural tour. My mom had no idea what this tour would include. The clock was against us. We had an hour before the rain would catch us. Off we went.

The first stop by our parking spot was a little pop up store made from a container. It had a beautiful floral wings display. Look how cute she looks.

Just a hop, skip and a jump to the side and we found this outdoor display on the back of a lemonade stand. This was interesting as it was more of a canvas vs. a wall painting. Vibrant colors picked up by the sun before the cloud cover approached.

We had a lot of water breaks along the way since it was a scorching hot day outside. We found it appropriate to snap this action shot of the water break with the hydration sign on a local bike shop. Such a fun time and as you can see this tour we did is wheelchair-friendly. Highlighting fun activities for seniors is so inspiring and why I opt to share the beauty.

Five Daughters donuts is definitely an area sweet shop to visit. If you do, there are a few cute murals to choose from at their store. This is just one to remember to sweet taste of donuts. We ate the donuts the day before as a coincidence. Lots of tastiness in that box along with a whole lot of calories. 

A monster encounter at the tail end of the bike shop made for a good photo opportunity. I must note this adorable great grandmother was on her first mural tour at the age of 84 and she had a blast. 

This stop we had the pleasure of sharing the sidewalk with some international tourists. There accents were adorable. And this sign says it all. Looking pretty!

This one shows our visit to nature. Strategically placed outside an outdoor recreation store. There were many more murals. Some we took pictures of, some we bypassed. 12 in an hour before the rain drops hit us. We got spooned. We saw Nashville looks good on you. We strolled to Reese Witherspoon’s place to catch the Draper James brand, which was one of my favorite backgrounds for the day.

This was an opt outside adventure starring my fabulous mom. She is a jewel that I chose to showcase in this mural display post. Until next time.

fitness and nutrition

Locked Down

2chicksandapen

Just two days out. Focusing on sleep and recovering to be ready to perform at my highest level. Consistent training was on the menu for the last 45 or so days. Lots of burpees, running and stretching to help with mobility challenges, in addition to cardio on the tennis courts.

Lots and lots of smack talking has gone on with the participants we are familiar with. A cheering team has been assembled. The bag is packed and the outfits are picked out. It will be go time soon. Four workouts. Competition. Friends. Spectators. The podium. And I suppose the podium is the focal point of the chatter. Who will rise to the occasion and who will fall short.

As adults we sometimes opt for choices that hinder peak performance. A cocktail. A fast food meal. A sleepless night. Any or all of these can impact performance. Some compete for fun and could care less about results. Some compete for competition and train. Some just want to prove they can complete the workouts and not die. It’s a mixed bag for sure but one thing is constant: the chatter of who will win which is hilarious in itself since nobody is eyeing a spot on the Olympics team or signing a big NIL contract. 

Interview questions:

Which workout was the hardest? Workout 2 for sure. The run had my heart rate up. The transitions slowed us up a bit. All in all this was a bumpy one and the results showed it.

Were teams co-ed? Yes. Not all comps are co-ed but this was and it definitely created a unique competition dynamic.

Which workout was the easiest? Workout 3. We are both strong and performed at our best even under fatigue at the end of the day. We celebrated with personal bests in our lifts. Double win for us.

What was the funniest part of the day? The team names and the outfits are always a highlight. See below for a glimpse. 

Who made the podium and was it expected? Our team made the podium and took third place in our division. We planned for it but it wasn’t an easy road. Others may have underestimated our efforts under pressure and over inflated their confidence. Strategy is always key along with consistent effort.

Would you do it again? Yes, of course.

What is your biggest takeaway from this event? The camraderie at these events is awesome. Strangers cheering for you. High fives from many. Kudos for hard work. Celebrating fitness, milestones, first time competitors. A great experience to watch or participate in.

The group above represents so many backgrounds. The librarian. The physical therapist. The realtor. The gym owner. The entrepreneur. The college student. The banker. The sales rep. The insurance guru. The mechanic. The office administrator. The construction guy. All brought together by a common bond of fitness. CrossFit. Some may never experience CrossFit but for those who do, they understand the benefits are far reaching. Friendship. Fitness. Community. 

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my day of fitness, competition edition. What a sweaty and fun day with many like-minded folks. Another fun fact: my team had the oldest combined age of 108 years old and we still managed to squeeze in third place on the podium. What a rush for us competing with kids in their 20’s and showing them what we could do!

challenges, fitness and nutrition

Puddin’ Pedal

2chicksandapen

Sounds cute and innocent enough…a 20-mile “fun ride” through central Georgia. Part of the State Banana Pudding Festival. Pudding at all the rest stops! A pudding tasting at the festival! Banana carving! What’s not to love?

There was a 20 mile and a 40 mile option. People asked me what I was doing…funny. Even 20 miles would be about 7 miles longer than I had ever biked. There were maybe 20 of us, total. 5 doing 40 miles, 15 doing 20. Some chit chat at the start line…quite a few of us were new to this event, but nearly all had much nicer gear and bikes than I did. Several wore fancy kits advertising their distance races. Most were also my age or older. Friendly. After all, we weren’t competing.

Straight out of the gate there was a huge downhill. I thought to myself, we are going to pay for this with some big ups.

How right I was! What followed was mile after mile of mostly huge hills. Every turn had me holding my breath and often shaking my head in disbelief. Another ?!^&@# hill!!!

The 40 milers and some of the more experienced cyclists were long gone as I steady pedaled up the first few hills. A couple of older women who had come together took a number of breaks on the side of the rural roads so I kept in touch with them. Finally at one point I turned around to see several people about 50 yards behind me along with the police safety vehicle that signifies the back of the pack. I’m doing ok, I thought. Just keep moving.

Up and down. Up and down. At one point I just get off the bike and walk it up the last part of the hill. My back and my saddle soreness told me it was fine to take a little break. At one point people pass me and then I hear the sound of the car over my shoulder. It would be over my shoulder for the remainder of the miles. Kind of taunting me. Once in a while tempting me. Others had given up, hoisted their bikes and climbed in. Put themselves out of the slow rolling pain of endless hills. Should I?

I’ll spare you the pain of all the inner doubt and dialogue. I knew I was too stubborn to give up. Yes, every time I would get off the bike to walk some horrible uphill they would pull up next to me to see if I was ok. Always the answer: “yes” with a smile and a thank you. Even with the headwinds of a storm blowing in. Even after an hour and a half with no mile markers and not a bowl of pudding in sight, I kept going.

We did finally get to the pudding stop. There was just one. The rest of the 20 mile group was there, sitting and snacking on pudding and sandwiches and nilla wafers and orange slices. We all pulled out together a few minutes later. I learned we just had about 7 miles to go, with a few more horrible uphills between me and the finish line.

It took forever, it seemed. Me and the sweep truck just puttering along. One hill had me so mad I started hyperventilating. But I had to calm down… “You didn’t come this far to just come this far,” I told myself. “Finish it. Finish it. Finish it.” Counting my pedals from 1-100 just to focus on getting. up, the, hill.

And at long last, I did finish. The finish line was nothing special. In fact, people kept saying “just keep going,” then eventually I was riding into the festival crowd and I turned around. The follower vehicles were gone. No finish line, no bowl of pudding, no cheers or way to gos. I just got off my bike and sat on the ground for a minute. Shaking my head. Shaking all over, really. What just happened? I finished.

This may have been the hardest physical thing I had ever done. I had to work harder than I wanted for longer than I wanted because there was someone just over my shoulder, waiting for me to quit. No stops for photos or scenery. Just a fight through pretty much every single mile.

I am stubborn, that is for sure. I can endure pain and discomfort for as long as I need to. I can keep going. I can sustain. I don’t have to satisfy anyone but myself.

A bucket list activity turned into a one-and-done. A few bites of pudding and many sore muscles and memories. Sometimes the things you look forward to contain tests and challenges you don’t anticipate or imagine. But pushing through them is its own gift. It leaves you with a sense of achievement. And a plan to improve.

adventure, celebrations

2-23-23

2chicksandapen

Earlier I wrote about 2-2-23. A sequence of twos. Today I see a 2 and the set of 23s. Another oddity of numbers but significant numbers to me. So yet again I will write a numbers post or maybe it’s a date post or maybe it’s just a post about me in some way.

51 years ago I was born. Thus I will celebrate me today. All day. As if I hadn’t already celebrated myself all month. Nonetheless today is about me. I guess I’ll take you old school and write about just me.

Favorite food: pizza, most days

Favorite tv show: 1923 at the moment

Bucket list trip: Montana

Favorite season: spring 

Best adventure: Sand Dunes Oregon coast 

Best trip as a kid; Europe 

Current book: Spare 

Last movie at theatre: Avatar

Fun fact: I am fanatical about shoes

I already had my cake this week before my actual big day. A few nibbles each day. Carvel ice cream cake was the annual cake of choice. Nice steak dinner out for two. A fam bam dinner with the kiddos at a local hibachi place. A cool pen gift set complete with a journal to write all my secrets in. Some flashy workout tanks. A sweatshirt made by a friend. Some scents from the youngest. All around lots of cool treats and maybe a little neon signage too. Who doesn’t like a little neon in their life. 

I share my special day with three of my neighbors from a few years back which is odd but a cool footnote. I share the date with a friend’s son and this this I found out I share it with a distant acquaintance. Pisces girls and boys united by the special date. Different years. Different cities. Different stories. Still a common denominator.

And of course there was a birthday bash. A girls day at the spa. I was all in for that. Then a swanky pizza joint. Added a few more pals to mix and hit the graffiti paint place for a little art session. And if that wasn’t enough we were going to get a flight of tasty slushy drinks. The over 21 kind, but we were a little tired and called for a rain check on the last part. Don’t worry we will get to it soon.

I ate good.

I got spoiled.

I got my free Starbucks.

I had lobsta for lunch.

I read many amazing texts.

I enjoyed my all the Insta birthday stories.

I read a few cards.

I appreciated the phone calls.

I may or may not be a little wiser.

I had fun with many special people.

I even volunteered on my birthday. 

All the communication makes my cup overflow with positivity. I proudly sported my aging slogan on my chest this year. See photo proof below. That may or may not have let strangers know I was celebrating me today.

The month is not all over yet but I am now 51. In my old age I must move on to conquer other things and say goodbye to the year of 50. It’s been fun. It’s been challenging. It’s been memorable. My 2nd half of life has officially begun.

Where will I go?

What will I do?

Who will be along for the ride?

Stay tuned….

balance, business

Chipping Away

2chicksandapen

Chipping away at the long days. The endless to do lists. Chip. Chip. Chip. The rat race of life. Where does balance come in?

Fitness

Fun

Purpose

Passion

Balance

Today I was stuck in my pilot seat, otherwise known as my office chair longer than I would like. I was participating in training that required hours in the hot seat. I was learning a ton but wasn’t moving much. Hence my Apple Watch rings were not moving at their normal pace. As I chipped away at my training I would drift off here and there. It happens to the best of us.

For me today I was thinking how to balance my day since it was so sedentary. I started with fitness. I made sure I had carved out some time for tennis and cardio later in the day. This made me happy knowing I could move a bit after a grueling day.

Then I thought about how to make my day fun since my training was a bit of a depressing topic. I managed to meet up with a friend for cardio which consisted of many good laughs. Especially when the fireman told the story about the most bizarre call at 3am on shift: the woman who called to say her vagina was on fire because she put a jalapeño in it. Not kidding at all. And a county does have to use your tax dollars to answer all the crazy dispatches for emergency services. This was definitely the funniest part of my day.

I always need to know I dedicated some time to my purpose work and today this was super easy. My training was to to enhance my knowledge on a mental health training I present several times a year. My purpose work. This kind of work in my day brings joy, not only a sense of accomplishment but also such a warm feeling due to the benefits to others.

Passion: am I being passionate about what I do each day? Is my passion showing in my work? Is my passion inspiring others? Does my passion impact my bottom line. Why yes to all of the above. When I can see my passion oozing out my pores in any given day, I am elated.

When I revisit my five words noted above in my day and I see success in all.

Areas I know I am succeeding in at life. I have achieved balance. The balance that is important to me. My measuring stick. Not yours. Mine.