Whirlwind Week

After four days of skiing, my mom returned with Dan and I last week to spend her February break with us both and my grandmother joined us Tuesday evening. It was a whirlwind week of sightseeing, family get togethers, and quality time together. Luckily I was able to take the week off after working late into the night, each day after skiing for a deadline.

On Tuesday, my mom and I headed up to the Hollycomb Trail to hike to the Hollywood sign. I had never done it so I figured this would be a great first experience for us both. The trail is really easy to get to, but parking can be really rough. Even in the morning in the middle of the week the trail is busy so keep that in mind. Luckily we found a spot pretty easily and were able to get our hike on quickly. The trail is pretty steep right at the start and end, but if you can get past the first few switchbacks it gets much easier. 

After our hike we were off to lunch and shopping closer to home and then Tuesday night we walked to the Redondo Beach pier with Dan for dinner at Old Tony's. My mom and I then picked Meme up from the airport around 11pm.

Mom and I at the top of the Hollywood sign

On Wednesday we had lunch with a friend of Meme's who was from her same small town in the Burgundy region of France. We met him at a cute French bistro in the Riviera Village and were regaled by all his stories of his youth. Quite the Casanova this 83 year old man, let me tell you.

After lunch we headed to visit my friend Heather and her new baby Mason. Meme had knit him a sweater and hat as a baby gift and Heather wanted to thank her personally. Mason also got the most amazing baby gift from me (a tiny Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle onesie with detachable shell cape)! AMAZING.

On Wednesday night we cooked at home and Meme made me soup. Lunch for days let me tell you.

On Thursday, the ladies took a drive up to Point Mugu for a picnic on the beach because Meme wanted to drive along the coast for a bit. We then headed to Santa Monica for shopping, happy hour and dinner. Dan met us in Santa Monica so our group was complete.

Mom and I at Point Mugu State Park for a picnic

Our view for our picnic

Dan and Meme enjoying happy hour in Santa Monica.

Dinner on the Santa Monica pier on Thursday night.

On Friday and Saturday we had the highlight of the trip, especially for Meme. We spent the night on the Queen Mary, now docked in Long Beach. Meme had immigrated to the US on this ship in 1953 with my grandfather and on the ship she joked that she had finally made it to first class. (They had traveled in Cabin Class or Second class in 1953). 

Meme treated the four of us to a night on the ship and dinner at Sir Winston's on the ship. Dinner was amazing and the service was impeccable. They even brought Meme a Happy Anniversary Cake at desert to honor her return on board 61 years later.

Three generations of French women on the ship my grandmother immigrated to the US on.

The waiter at Sir Winston's brought Meme this Happy Anniversary cake
to commemorate her 61 years since sailing on the ship.

Saturday morning we then took an audio tour of the boat and had breakfast on the Promenade Deck. Meme was so happy throughout the trip and as she later told me, she was thrilled to experience the trip with Dan and I. I still consider us the lucky ones here! It was great to hear all her stories about the ship and watch her experience it all once again. We even got a shot of her standing at the same railing she stood next to in 1953 as the ship pulled into New York Harbor on the way to Ellis Island.

After our tour we were off to lunch at Javier's in Newport Beach with Dan's family. We are really lucky that our families get along so well and genuinely like each other's company! We then had a quick dinner at home and the next morning were off to the airport for goodbyes. I miss them already. Come back soon!!

Meme and her grandchildren for breakfast on the ship.

Me and mom for an obligatory cheesy pic Saturday morning during our audio tour.

Meme standing where she stood 61 years ago when pulling into Ellis Island.

Meme and her ship.

My moms.
Mother in Law Peggy and Mom Claire at Javier's in Newport Beach for family lunch.

The Gym Rat Report

via Pinterest

So I have been working out with my trainer for a few weeks now and I can already really see a difference in my overall strength outside of my cardio training. He is a former college basketball player and pushes me, which as a former athlete, I crave. I love to push myself but I like the idea of a coach pushing me to get the best out of each and every performance.

Some things I have also noticed about working out more regularly:
1. You feel good when you like your workout gear. I genuinely love picking out my gym outfit everyday and I have to say the nicer gear makes me more excited at the gym. I feel more confident and a boost of confidence makes you feel great, even before you get your sweat on.

2. Different sneakers are good for different kinds of workouts. I love my Nike Frees, but they are not great for running, especially after knee surgery. As a result I rock my frees for circuit training and machine workouts, clip ins for spin class, Nike Studio wraps for yoga and pilates, and my new Asics for running. The cushioning is amazing, I get why people swear by them.

3. It is important to vary your workouts. I love pilates, circuit training with my trainer, spin and jogging. I also like to mix it up with team sports like pick up basketball, flag football and softball. This also means that you never get bored. Another great use is the Nike Training Club App. I swear by this app, especially when traveling as workouts come in a variety of focus areas and times.

4. Muscle comes first, then comes fat loss. It is often that you put on a few pounds when you start to circuit train as you gain muscle. That's ok! Muscle helps burn fat at a faster rate and rev up your metabolism, so it will come naturally.

5. Energy levels spike. I do love the second wind exercise gives me in the evenings. It is a renewal not only for my physical energy but my mind as well. An hour or two to myself each day makes me a better spouse and co-worker as I have some mental me time.

6. You sleep more soundly. I've definitely noticed the last few weeks how much better I am sleeping. I am not as light of sleeper these days which means I am not tossing and turning all night and not waking up at 5am when Dan wakes up for work.

7. Being called a gym rat is not the worst thing. Being dedicated to your overall well being is great and spending time at the gym everyday, if that makes you happy, is cool by me! Go ahead use your me time by bettering yourself.

7. Overall just greater sense of happiness. Being more at peace and fitter both mentally and physically makes me more fun to be around and generally happier. Working out releases endorphins which make you happy. Elle Woods taught us that.

8. Goals and rewards are great motivators. Goals are great and my goal to drop 50 pounds is a big one, so it is important to give yourself rewards along the way. I am happy with who I am but I would love to lose all the weight I gained with my last two injuries these last three years. 50 pounds is the overall goal, but I would be stoked with anything from 35 on.

What have you learned from working out?

Wednesday Wishes

Wednesday Wishes by preppy-lizzy featuring a mint purse

Mary Katrantzou purple dress / Coach trench coat / Sea New York leather skirt / Valentino leather shoes / Salvatore Ferragamo blue flat / Coach black leather boots / Tory Burch ballet flat / KOTUR box clutch / Rebecca Minkoff mint purse / Reeds Jewelers earrings

This week's wishes are luxurious dreams. Luxury items that I adore but some of these I would never spend that much on, unless they went on sale, like those great coach boots or those items I could find that were inspired by these great pieces. High end luxury can still be a great inspiration for finding great pieces.