Two More Weeks

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{This is what the last three weeks have felt like!}
As my summer is winding down (TWO MORE WEEKS?!) I’m starting to take inventory of my summer weightloss and training schedule. Then I laugh and laugh and laugh! Oh my, let me wipe a tear from my eye… Seriously, though, my dirty secret is this: I’ve been writing all about these awesome dietary changes and before/after, non-scale victories and wonderful life- experiences, but I haven’t pushed myself as a runner and I still haven’t gotten under 208!. In fact, I’m still going up and down between 207-211, depending on the moment.
Regarding exercise, frankly, it’s flipping hot out. I don’t relish running outdoors when it’s anywhere over 80, running in the cool morning makes me sick- my stomach just can’t deal and I get horribly nauseous, and by night time, my tummy is all full of the day’s food and it’s like BLECH! Gross. The wah-wah-whiny-sneaky-lazy part of myself actually benefitted me a tiny bit for once, this time round. I figured out that if I walk just fast enough, I can keep my heartrate in the 130’s without running. While I’m not doing myself any favors as far as half-marathon training goes, I am moving, daily, burning calories and hopefully even some fat. Maybe. Lifting a little too, just not like I should be. My secret hope is that with all the raw food and all the treadmill walking, the fat will just melt away. I know this will not work, but it doesn’t keep me from trying. 🙂

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Every day I ask my kids what their plan is for being active. I think, left to their own devices, the warm weather outdoors would go nearly wasted were it not for this question. My daughter can, very happily, lock herself into her room with her barbies and books on tape, while my son can build with Lego with the same attention, and forget it if Minecraft or Animal Crossing is involved! The day could be lost altogether! LOL!
Anyhow, they often choose the pool, which is great, but on Friday we headed to the very busy Bothell Landing trail that connects to the Burke Gilman Interurban Trail. When we left the house we didn’t have any big goals, but once we got on the trail (right by Wayne Golf Course, headed north) we walked into the tunnel and found that it had totally been made over and beautified! To us, it looks like a Mary Blair influence, and we just adore her (ala the designer/artist behind such gems as the Small World ride, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland)!
From there, we started spotting all kinds of wildlife. It started with the doe (a deer, a female deer) who was followed in short order by her two little spotted fawns. Soon thereafter we saw a snake, a robin and a raccoon! We challenged ourselves, then, to find as many critters as we could. By the time we got out of there, our list had grown to include a frog, heron, crow, beaver, ducks, fish and a few different insects. It was a very exciting walk to take with our nature explorers.

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Last night, Bradley and I had an ever so rare opportunity to go on a date. Think I’m kidding? The last time we had a night without kids was in March. Before that? Probably December. All of this would be cool, in most circumstances, but I’m around kids all of the time. When I’m not with my own, I’m with a classroom full of them. 99% of the time, this is totally cool. But sometimes it’s really nice not to have to think about making dinner for someone else and the cleanup after and the always on alert with one eye looking and one ear to the ground… To let that go for a few hours every once in a while is such a blessing.
We made use of our time by dressing up in cute clothes, driving to Edmonds and walking around until we saw a menu that pleased us. We ended up at Epulo Bistro because, let’s face it, I’m into cooking shows lately and they’re all marveling about burrata cheese, and Epulo had some on the menu! They also had a watermelon/tomato/mint/watercress salad, grilled cauliflower and grilled green beans. We ordered and canoodled like two love-starved 40 year olds (let’s call it like it is!), but we kept it rated 1980’s-style PG. The picture above is after our food was served and we dove into it with complete (HONGRY!) abandon, only afterward realizing this was a rare opportunity to create our very own food photography in a restaurant! That never happens with us. Seriously. Clearly, we are at a Martha Stewart level of food photography here… lol! But it was tasty (ohmygraciousthecauliflower!) and mostly made of vegetables! Some raw! Woot woot! It is totally fine that by 10:30 we were laying in bed, listening to Beck (Morning Phase) and drowsing off to sleep, right? It was a good night. So good that I was ready for those kiddo hugs when they came!
And if you’re wondering, burrata cheese tastes like cream cheese and butter whipped together. It’s reeeeeally yummy, but I’m just as happy with some cream cheese. That said, side by side, I’d pick the burrata. Yum!