I’M BACK!

Okay, enough is enough…I am getting back into blogging. My fault. I like reading and lusting after other people’s blogs, thinking wow I wish I were them (you hearing me Young House Love). But hear we go.

There is no theme to my re-incarnated blog. There is no set schedule of what you might see or read. That could change. It’s crazy; it’s all over the place, sort of like me.

Went running, felt good. It’s been a battle for me to stay on a consistent schedule, but maybe if I blog about it, you guys can help me. As in if I don’t mention that I ran or biked you can really rake me over the coals. Deal?

Oh but back to running, it was 9am, and I was sweating like crazy. Daniel and I were walking on the beach this weekend and we were sweating, it was actually kind of chilly, and I said to him I don’t feel like I am getting any workout unless I am sweating. Make it really hot, sweat dripping down my face uncomfortable. Until almost pass out point, then I am getting a workout.

Lunch today is leftover pizza (yes a nice counter to my early workout. Daniel said we are biking tonight so I told myself I could have pizza). I told Daniel last night that I like American pizza. Do you understand what I mean when I say that? I hate these places that are suppose to be Italian eateries that then pump out pizza. New York style, Chicago style? Bleh. Give me Papa Johns and I am good to roll. And if I am feeling fancy give me Mellow Mushroom. None of this Italian stuff. Maybe it is my dislike for Italian food in general that fuels this fire. Thoughts?

I am going to try and play with this layout, add some other pages, more links to blogs I lust after, but what would you like to see here? Daniel flying a kite? Anyone know WordPress want to help a sister out with a layout/theme?

More updating…coming soon

I am not sure how soon, but soon, I promise. I’d love to heard what you’d like to know. Want my opinion on something, or give me an idea to write about? Comment to let me know.

To more updates, sooner rather than later.

A

Good shoes

Whoa…sorry it’s been so long. No excuses I know. And I have had this post written for a while, just hadn’t posted it. Ugh…

There is nothing like a good pair of running shoes. Good ones at that. And I am not talking about just going to a store and picking out the ones that look the best. Actually getting fitted for running shoes is the best thing in the world. Locally Track Shack does this, and I will never go back to just picking a shoe because it’s pretty. I’ll use Track Shack to ensure fit and comfort!

A couple of years ago I went to Track Shack and got fit for NikePlus shoes, they had an air bladder in them and they were great! Once I started bootcamp however I could tell these shoes were getting old and worn. My ankles were killing me from RUNNING of all things. I told the hubby that I think I needed new shoes. I could no longer feel the air bladder in the Nike’s, and they were two years old at that point…they start to break down after a while.

The hubby had not been to Track Shack so we headed out and met a nice sales guy to fit us for shoes. He looks at the way you walk, stand, and run and analyzes your needs. Do you need a high arch, more support in the ball of your foot or do you have narrow feet? All that is taken into consideration when they choose two or three different pairs for you to try. And by try I don’t mean you just put them on and stand there, they want you to run in them. Go out back take them for a “test drive”. Some feel better than others.

It came down to two pairs for me, I asked the sales guy if he could tell which ones fit me the best. When he watched me run he could tell one was a winner over the other. My new shoes were Asics, and they feel great. The true test was whether or not my ankles would stop hurting at bootcamp.

Guess what? My ankles are no longer sore! Isn’t it funny how a good pair of shoes can make such a difference. Take care of your feet people. I think people discount the value and importance of feet. Wear good shoes, clean and groom your toe nails, and wear shoes and sandals with arch support.

And if you haven’t tried out Track Shack and you are active, do yourself a favor, pay a little extra and get the correct shoes for your feet.

http://www.trackshack.com/retail/shoes/brands.shtml

Minor Addictions: Pumpkin

Tis the season for Pumpkin. I think I get more excited about this season than even Christmastime. And let’s face it, cold weather stinks anyway.
During the end of September through Thanksgiving, the weather is still perfect and enjoying something with pumpkin flavor just makes sense.

Pumpkins are the symbol of October. Pumpkin patches, pumpkin carvings, hay rides, and even Halloween, all center around this squash. And I hate squash normally.

I’m a little obsessive about it…I hound Shipyard Brewery on when their Pumpkinhead Ale will be released. I annoy the poor people at Einstein Bagels on when their pumpkin schmear and bagels will hit the case. If I liked coffee, I might stalk the Starbucks people about their Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Pumpkin pie (although it’s not my favorite, fits into this catagory), pumpkin muffins, pumpkin (cup)cake with cream cheese frosting, and pumpkin cinnamon cookies are some of the delights I partake in this fine time of the year.

Last year I about had a fit because there was no canned pumpkin to buy! What I was told is that there was a great pumpkin flood out, and the pumpkin patches were too flooded to harvest any. So once the canned pumpkin did hit the grocery store I stocked up..there is some in the cabinet left from last year.

Maybe this year I should be a pumpkin for Halloween…aren’t all babies dressed up as pumpkins?

….uh maybe not. How unflattering is that costume!

So I need your help…what other pumpkin treats am I missing out on? Any places I should go that has seasonal items that include pumpkin?

Getting in shape..

Now I am not a heavy girl nor am I grossly out of shape, but I think ALL of us could find something that needs toned, or an area that needs to shed some weight. That is why I have enrolled in Boot Camp at Marc Mero’s Body Slam in Altamonte Springs.

I am active, I run and bike, and try to eat clean. When I work out however, when it hurts I stop. I need someone to push me, motivate me and tell me to continue pushing. And that is what I got out of my first boot camp class.

My first class was last Friday and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The hubby kept saying it’s so fun, you’ll love it, but I am not sure how much I trusted him…boot camps aren’t known to be fun and games.

You need to definitely stretch out before you do this, because you are doing so many different moves and workouts in such a small amount of time, your muscles need to be ready for what’s coming!

The hubby and I were ready!

All you need for boot camp is a yoga mat and some water…maybe a towel to wipe all the sweat off at the end.

This is the face of a man who looks sweet, but during the class he will push you, and tell you to keep going even when you are ready to give up. He wants you to succeed, and that is what we are there for.

Everyone lines up and down the walls with their yoga mats. When they blow the whistle and start the music everyone is focused on the exercise move being yelled out. You continue that move until she blows the whistle and you change it up. It’s fast paced, and you don’t spend too much time on the same move which is great for those who get bored.

Marc gives individual pep talks as well as a group ‘Think Poz’ pep talk before we get going.

Let me just say running in place is the easiest move you will do all half an hour. But I cannot wait to see what results I get in 90 days. And the group aspect of the class is great because everyone is yelling and cheering for each other. We are all in the same boat and pushing ourselves, and it’s great to have someone else push you as well.

Doing it with the hubby is great too, a lot of couples do it together! It gives us time to talk on the way there, away from the TV and just spend time together doing something good for us, together.

The hubby and Marc, sweaty and tired, but feeling good after a great workout.

I have learned I have no upper body strength and need to focus on that the most.

If you didn’t get a chance to get in on this session, they still are accepting people for the 6am and 6:45pm class. Hopefully they will continue doing boot camps after this first 90 days are over!

Go to the Body Slam website for more information.

I’ll let you know my progress in a few weeks.

Touring Cigar City Brewing.

I am in Tampa on business for three days this week. I drove in on Monday to try and avoid the long boring drive and traffic. I knew one of the hubby’s friends had just changed jobs in town and thought I should ride over there and make the hubby VERY jealous.

Our friend Justin works for Cigar City Brewing. I think he has the best job, well anyone who works at a brewery has an awesome job. Hard work as I soon learned, but awesome. If you are from the Central Florida area and have never heard of Cigar City you really are missing out on well crafted beers. The time and energy that goes into making each of their beers is amazing.

When you drive up to Cigar City you might not think you are at the right place because it’s a warehouse, but once you see the truck outside with the logo on it and the warehouse door open exposing the HUGE beer tanks you know you are in the right place.

I have only been to a vineyard, and never had visited a brewery so I was quite excited to learn about beer. Most of you know I am not a big drinker. On questionaires for the doctor’s offices, I check off “drinks less than twice a month”. I think that changes during Pumpkinhead season, but mostly I allow the hubby to drink…and I drive.

Cigar City has a great air-conditioned tasting room, and when I walked in, the bar area was packed with people. Guys and girls a like were in their getting samples of the many brews that Cigar City has. A few people came in for a quick drink, grabbed Growlers of some of the more rare brews and were out of there! They have a dart board area, as well as low top tables. Justin told me a lot of college students come in, chill out and study while drinking a tasty hometown beer. They don’t serve food, but the friendly bartender is more than happy to give you suggestions of food pairings.

Before tasting any of the beers I had to go outside and learn about the beers. I am sure I am going to murder the correct terms for things, so don’t yell at me. There was so much going on in the warehouse from adding the grain to be ground up to go into the mash tun, to guys releasing the CO2 out of the kegs so they could clean them, to bottles getting ready to be shipped out. I learned different beers take different amounts of grain, and each brewery has their own grain to give their beers that distinct flavor.

Cigar City only opened more than a year and a half ago, however they have grown tremendously in that time. Justin told me they use to be able to label all their beers by hand, but now have a labler. However they still assemble all the shipping boxes and place all of the bottles in the boxes by hand. Cigar City is truly a hometown operation, but don’t let that fool you, they have a distinct flavor and that has won them many awards.

One of the best things that the Brewmaster’s who work there get to do is they are not discouraged from trying something new. If someone has a flavor suggestion, they try it. A little of this, and a bit of that and you could get something that ends up being a really well received taste. For example, I tried Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, and that was just one of the guy’s playing with PH levels, and grain amounts among other things. How fun! Since they are their own company they get that freedom.

I kept noticing all of these beer bottles around the warehouse, almost on display but in rows all the way up the wall. I asked Justin and he said that the guy who started Cigar City, Joe, has taken part in drinking all of those different beers, and saves the bottles of any new ones. It’s amazing to look at all of them and think there are that many different types of brews out there.

Finally it was time to head into the tasting room! They have 13 different tastes you can try, one of them being a “guest” brew from another local brewery. I tried (from left to right in the picture) Guava Grove Saison, Good Gourd Pumpkin Spice, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, and White Oak IPA. My favorites were the first two! I am not saying the others were bad, because they weren’t. The White Oak was clean and really tastey, and the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie finished exactly like the name suggests! The Guava was nice bcause it was tart and fruity, not like your typical beer. And like I said before, I am a pumpkin lover, so the Pumpkin Spice was really good, if only it were a couple of degrees cooler outside. Justin did have me taste what is known as the “flavor explosion” Russian Imperial Stout…and he was correct! It’s incredibly dark, and there was so much going on tastewise.

I got the hubby a Growler of Tocobaga Red, because he loves the hoppy beers. I will let you know what he says.

Cigar City is just a really fun place to hang out. If you live in Tampa and have not gone please go and visit them. And if you are anywhere near Tampa, go next time you are in the area.

Support local businesses, and support local breweries.

From the Cigar City website:
Cigar City Brewing is a 6,600 sq ft., 15 bbl production brewery in the business of hand crafting ales for the Florida market.

Cigar City Brewing offers kegs and bottles for wholesale distribution to retail accounts and at the brewery via our Tasting Room and gift shop.

Regular Tasting Room Hours are:

11 AM till 9PM Monday thru Thurs.

11 AM till 11PM Fri. and Sat.

The brewery and Tasting Room are located at:

3924 W Spruce Street Suite A Tampa, Florida 33607 info@cigarcitybrewing.com Phone: 813-348-6363 ext. 206

One block off of Dale Mabry, near I-275 and behind Whole Foods, Total Wine and More and the Home Depot.

Cigar City Brewing offers tours by appointment and a gift shop which includes, from time to time, special release and one-off beers to go.

Cigar City Tour..tomorrow

Tomorrow I make the hubby very jealous..very.

I am going to Tampa for work and I am meeting up with a friend who works for Cigar City Brewery. He is going to give me a tour, and probably tell me more about beer than I should know.

I am going to take a lot of pictures, but I have to chuckle that me, being the relatively non-drinker that I am, is getting a tour of this amazing brewery.

Oh you lazy slobs….

Hey all you lazy slobs, how about we look in the mirror before we leave the house?

I see all too often people out in a public place in their Pjs, ripped or stained shirts, and clothing that is WAY too small for them. And would it be so much to ask to match your clothing?

It amazes me the people who go to shop looking as if they just rolled out of bed or got done working in the yard! Why is this considered acceptable? We should want to look our best, right? Save that stuff for your house.

Now I am not saying you have to dress fancy when leaving your house, but put on some jeans and a shirt that fits you. A t-shirt is fine, but really when it get’s to the point that there are holes in it, time to retire it to the rag pile. And look in the mirror, if that shirt hugs you a little too much…maybe you should retire it as well.

Going on an airplane brings up a big agrument between people who think one should dress nice, since flying is a luxury on flights and those who think I want to be comfortable. I am with those who say dress nice on a flight. Let’s look classy. You really want to go to your destination dressed in your Betty Boop Pjs? You never know who you will run into and PJ’s are just not acceptable.

So I plead…please look in the mirror and think about what you are wearing before you leave the house…

…we all are judging you. 😉

PS. Ladies…if your boobs flop when you jump…wear a bra…and one that fits.

Quickie…

Since I haven’t updated in a while, wanted to say stay tuned…I have been on a much needed vacation…I’ll be back.  I have so much to say still.

And while you are waiting…I started a new blog called Four Corners.  Check it out, it’s more photography themed blog.  I enjoy it.

My night…

Yay of the night…I made homemade Kettle Korn. Maybe a little too much salt, but good nonetheless.

Suck of the night…putting away the glass bowls from making the Kettle Korn, the glass Pyrex lid slid, smashing me in the face and crashing into a million pieces on the ground. No dust pain, but a shopvac to clean it up.

Sigh oh yea, and while a piece of popcorn was popping it jumped up and hit me in the neck.

On one account I look as if I have a hickey on my neck, on the other hand I look like a battered wife on my forehead.

And the worst part, I CAN’T JUST BUY A NEW GLASS LID. SCREW YOU PYREX.

Yup…I’m a wife.