The other things we did in SF

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

After the Race, we explored the city.
First stop was the Golden Gate Bridge
 The city was so sunny & pretty & as soon as we got to the bridge it was completely covered in fog.. It was kind of crazy. 


Alcatraz
Lombard St.
Of course, we had to stop at Ghirardelli Sq & get some sweets.
The wind was a little out of control.
 The Gold Rush: Peanut Butter, Chocolate, & Vanilla Ice Cream. YUM.

Ike's Place - probably the best sandwich places we've ever been.
 We had a picnic.
Fisherman's Wharf
Miette Pastry Shop
The Original Cupcake
Last stop on our way home, Oakland Temple. 
So Beautiful.
It was a perfect weekend trip & we loved every minute of it!

"The Giant Race"

Monday, August 29, 2011

I have a lot to say about this, so it's going to be a long one...
I finally did it! A goal I've been wanting to accomplish for a couple years now.
I ran my first half marathon. 

I decided it would be fun to do a destination race instead of one just here in LA. Why not make a weekend trip out of it? So I searched for ones that were semi close & I found one in San Francisco! 
(AND it was on a Saturday which almost all races are on Sundays) 
We have been wanting to go up there and it was only a 6 hr drive.
The decision was easy, I signed up right away.

We drove up on Friday after Jason got off work...which was a nightmare in itself.
Long story short - my car failed me and died AGAIN on the freeway in the middle of the day. I was a stress-case in making sure that dang car got fixed as soon as it could (we wanted to leave at 2...didn't happen) BUT it all worked out and we got there safe & sound. 

Race started at 8am and we got up at 6:30 to make sure we got there in time to park & whatnot. We stayed with our friends in Berkley (thank you Gardner's!!) so all we had to do was drive across the Bay Bridge & we were there. When got there, the traffic was SO bad with every one getting to the race that I ended up just jumping out of the car and running to the start. It was PERFECT running weather in my opinion - overcast, a little foggy, & it was misty. Loved it. Jason ended up actually finding me before the race started in a crowd of 1,000+ people. I was so happy when I saw him. I was so nervous!!

The race started a little after 8. There were so many people that we didn't start actually running until a few minutes after they shot the gun. It was kind of funny. Then all the sudden to my left, there Jason was again! ha...he just kept popping up every where. He ran alongside me for a little bit & filmed me at the same time. It was hilarious. Then I was off to run those long 13.1 miles ahead of me.
Side note - this race was called the Giant Race because it was at AT&T Park which is where the Giants play. The finish line was home plate, which was really cool. Something I loved about the people of SF, is how into their sports teams they were..I was one of the few in the race NOT wearing orange & black.
Back to the race - so the first few miles were fun and not too bad. Mile 1. Mile 2. Mile 3. I was actually pretty entertained by all the runners - such good people watching. Plus, there were so many people along the way cheering us on, there was even a cheerleading squad doing routines and stunts as we ran by. It was funny.
We ran on Embarcadero, which is the street that runs along the bay with the Ferry Building, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, etc..so I had plenty to look at while I was running.
Mile 4. Mile 5.
Then out of no where, we hit a hill that was literally vertical. What the!? I did not know about this. But I told myself I would not stop once, and I didn't. At about mile 6, guess who was just in the middle of the street...
Brian Wilson. 
I only knew who this guy was because I watched the World Series and I saw him interviewed on E! recently. Plus, some of the runners dressed up like him, i.e. wearing a beard.
Needless to say, everyone freaked out and stopped to take pictures with him. It was cool and a good little boost for everyone running. 
The race continued. Mile 7. We ran all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, but I had no idea it was there because it was so foggy you couldn't see it. ha. Mile 8. Mile 9. They handed out some GU to us which was probably the grossest thing I have ever tasted. Vanilla Bean GU. Never again. Mile 10 my body started to get real mad at me. I could feel every joint aching and pleading with me to walk. No way was I going to stop. Only 3 more miles. I could do this. Mile 11. I. was. dying. But again, I couldn't stop. I was so sweaty I had salt crystals on my face. I could finally see the stadium in sight and it was the home stretch. Phew! Mile 12 - Final Mile. I just had one goal in mind, and that was to get to the end as fast as possible and get this thing over with. I couldn't necessarily sprint at this point. My body just wouldn't allow it. But as soon as I was almost there, guess who popped out of the crowd? My man! hahaha. He ran the last little bit with me and gave me a few last encouraging words to finish strong. I turned the corner and I was in the stadium running towards home plate. I sprinted to the finish line. Woooooooohoooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Besides the fact that my bones and joints were collapsing on me, it was the best feeling ever.
This is was happens to my long ponytail against my sweaty back. Pure nasty-ness and makes for a good hour of brushing that thing out. I have got to start running with a braid.
So happy to be done & with all my free goodies. 
He is the best. He was more pumped before the race than I was, which I needed. He was so excited for me the whole time and helped me get through it when it was the hardest. Thanks J for coming and supporting me & being the best cheerleader ever. 

Another side note - I heard about this movement called Operation Beautiful. The mission is to leave anonymous inspirational post-it notes everywhere & anywhere to other women of words of encouragement. Feel good words. So I decided to pin one onto my back as I ran and maybe give someone a little more extra motivation to finish..
  Stole this one from Audrey Hepburn.
But I was surprised by all the people who ran next to me to say, "I love that" "Thank you so much" "I've been behind you most of the time just so I can see this note"
Which was exactly why I did it. 

All in all, I had a great time and it was so fun. Besides the fact that it is day 2 since the race and it is STILL hard for me to walk, I will do it again in a heartbeat. I am already looking for my next race.
Who wants to join??

Green Monster

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

I've got a half marathon this weekend & I've been looking for something to give me that extra boost... & I think found the best remedy.
If you're into refreshing healthy deliciousness then you have to try this.
The Green Monster

Ingredients:
2 Cups Raw Baby Spinach
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1 Cup Almond Milk (I prefer Unsweetened Vanilla)
1 Banana
Ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into blender in the following order:  flax seeds, spinach, banana, milk, and ice.  Blend well.  Drink up!

Health Benefits:

Energy
Vegetable and Fruit servings combined into one drink to start your day off right
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Vitamins A, B, and C, E, & K
Fiber
Spinach (too many health benefits to list - check them out here:  Health Benefits of Spinach)
Flax Seed (also too many health benefits - check them out here:  Flax Seed Health Benefits)

Our Week In Photos

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Last week, we took half the week off work and went back home to Orange County for some quality beach & family time.
We were non-stop with weddings, beach, surfing, continuation of Jason's birthday celebrations, & I even got to do a bride & bridesmaid's lashes.
It was a good time.

Wish this week would've been longer, but it was good while it lasted.
Can't believe how fast this summer has flown by...Is it really almost September!?

Celebrating

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

I absolutely LOVE birthdays. 
And this past week was my main man's. 
He started out his day with a huge delicious breakfast burrito, per request.
& off to work he went.
while at work, he got a little surprise delivery...
I was so excited for him to get this, I kept checking my phone for his call all morning. 
He loved it.
Shortly after this delivery, his boss sent him home & told him he had the rest of the day off.
Unfortunately I had to work, but he got to do exactly what he wanted.
He went straight to the beach and surfed for hours on end.
After this, he came & picked me up. We walked to the pier & went to a restaurant that Jason has been dying to go to...
Looking not too excited about turning 25.
But REALLY excited about his platter of seafood!
(poor guy, he married me & hasn't had seafood since. I really wish I liked it...I'm working on it)
& then they made him do this
(Sorry it's so dark & ignore my annoying laugh)
I love that he resorted to 'The Jerk' dance move. haha.
He said he felt like he was going to throw up that whole time because he ate so much.

After dinner, I had planned a little surprise party back at our place with some of our best friends.
& let me tell you, planning this surprise party really stressed me out.
But anyway, he was totally surprised & we had a good night with our friends.
Sadly, I didn't get a picture of everyone there.
Just a picture of the cake.
Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cake.
First cake I ever made from scratch.
Needless to say, this was Jason's breakfast for the following 3 days.

And according to him - it's his birthday month, so the celebrating continues.

A Quarter of a Century

Friday, August 12, 2011

25 is a milestone birthday, & for Jason, I feel like it's going to be a good year for him.
I am so grateful you were born.
Happy Birthday sweet husband of mine :)

Expressions of Love

Monday, August 8, 2011

I am a hopeless romantic & a big ole sap. 
I love the message of this video..it is something that we need to constantly be reminded about.

Planking around the (Sea)World

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

So, this past weekend was the 1st annual LeSueur Family reunion.
On Saturday, we all went to Seaworld.
We had the random idea to "Plank" all over the park.
I realize that this is the most random trend that is happening right now, but let me tell you, it was HILARIOUS to see everyone in my family do this.
Plus, the other park-goer's reactions to our weird picture positioning.
Here we are: oldest to youngest - babes included.

Weird? Yes
Hilarious? Absolutely
Will we do something like this again? Most Definitely

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