Hello March!

Happy March 1st! New month, fresh start.

My husband and I did an intense workout last night. After our run, we hit the weights.

Honestly, I typically don’t go to this section of the gym. I feel intimidated because I don’t know how to use most of the equipments in there. I don’t know what type of exercises to do and I have this fear of looking stupid. I’m glad I went with my husband this time. He taught me how to use the machines and what those are for. I really need to venture out and start learning how to use  the dumbbells, weights and weight machines. I don’t have upper body strength and I feel like I need to tone up and gain a bit of muscle for my overall health.

Now, I feel sore and my body needed a rest day. Thank God, It’s Friday! 🙂

My favorite breakfast to start my day. Oatmeal with dash of cinnamon, bananas, peaches, granola with raisins and almonds, chia seeds and a teaspoon of PB.

I was surprised to receive mail from our local running store this morning. With all the stuff my family bought from them over the holidays, they sent us $100 worth coupons to spend in their store! AWESOME!

I can’t wait to spend these to score some goodies! I love our running store! 🙂

Tonight, my husband took charge of making dinner. He made buttered garlic shrimp.

yum!

I just want to share this inspiring video about a boyfriend who helped his injured girlfriend cross the finish line. I was touched by their story and really worth sharing.

source LatestNewsVid

Have a great weekend everyone

-xoxo-

My Holiday Recap (Part 5): Last One!

I thought before love month ends, I could at least be done sharing my memorable holidays.

So here it is. The last one of my Holiday Recap…

Dec 31 (Monday) New Years Eve:

We celebrated it in our little home here in Ohio. 🙂

Family from Houston, Canada, Indiana and Philippines came over to our place to celebrate New Year’s. We were 17 total! We had to set a schedule for shower to accommodate everyone. LOL!

New Years is usually the noisiest time of the year in the Philippines.  The same way Americans enjoy Fourth of July with fireworks, Filipinos go all out with the noise on New Year’s eve clanging pots and pans, blow party horns (torotot) and light up firecrackers. We do that in the belief to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck, fortune, and prosperity in the new year. Since we were here in the U.S. and fireworks are not allowed in our neighborhood, we are stuck with just party horns.

Like Christmas Eve, Filipinos celebrate New Years with a midnight feast too. We had roast pig (lechon) that night. It’s been a while since the last time I ate lechon. Good thing my husband was able to find a Filipino food store online based in Columbus, just 1 hour away from us. Their food is really good! So, if you guys are in for some Filipino dishes, check out their facebook page.

My husband and sister attacking the pig. 🙂

At the stroke of midnight, everyone greeted each other a Happy New Year

…and danced the night away.

everyone got too crazy… but fun crazy. lol!

New Year is not complete without a bottle of alcohol. It has become a tradition for us that whoever hosts the party should provide a bottle of Patron.

the unboxing

Cheers to 2013! 🙂

I was just so happy to be with my family to celebrate holidays.

sister, mom and me

My husband and I were overwhelmed with happiness.

Jan 2, 2013 (Wed):

With New Years resolutions starting, there was no better way to start the year of than with renewing your dedication to fitness! 🙂 To get my family motivated, my husband and I brought them to our favorite local specialty running store so they can get fitted correctly by experts and help them get the perfect workout shoes.

My sister plays volleyball so she was given Mizuno Women’s Wave Inspire 9.

My sister loved it and she said that it’s very soft, light and comfortable.

My mom does zumba most of the time so she was given Newtons Distance (same as my running shoes). 🙂

According to the staff that assisted her, Newton shoes are also great for zumba because they have those lugs for shock absorption when dancing (Interesting! I didn’t know that!). They’re light that makes it easier to move and glide across the floor but still supportive enough. She threw in some cushioned inserts as well for added comfort. My mom loved it because it’s very light and comfortable, and has bright colors which suits her style well. 🙂

Jan 4, 2013 (Friday): A day before they leave.

I was already starting to feel sad that day. We made the most out of their remaining hours. We all went out and gave my family a tour of beautiful Cincinnati. 🙂

Who doesn’t like outdoor ice skating to music that time of year? It’s beautiful!

My sister and I had to try it! We had a blast!

After a cold night walking around downtown, everyone got hungry and finally decided to eat dinner.

Everyone wanted some seafood for dinner, so we made a reservation at Mccormick and Schmicks.

I wasn’t too quick to take pictures of the oysters. It was gone in less than a minute. LOL!

my plate

It was a fun, nice and warm last dinner with my family.

January 5, 2013 (Sat): And then, they’re leaving? 😦

The day my family flew back to the Philippines.

It was hard for my husband and I to go back to reality when they left. Our house felt empty and so quiet. I don’t mind the chaos and the waiting in line to use the bathroom when everyone was here (LOL!). But we had to face reality that vacation was over and they had to go back to work and school. It was just sad when they left.

I’m so grateful this year that my family is healthy and able to travel to celebrate this special time of year with me and my husband.

I am really thankful that I was fortunate to have a very functional family growing up, and my parents set wonderful examples for my siblings and me. I’m very grateful for my husband, who is my best friend, and his parents for being the nicest parent-in-laws one could ever have! We had a lot of fun together. It truly was a wonderful Holiday Season for us.

‘Til the next time for us to see each other again. Maybe in a year or two we might be able to save enough to go home and share my experience with you guys Christmas in the Philippines. It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen before! If you’re a traveler at heart and happen to be in the Philippines around September to December, you will know what I mean. The loud Christmas songs everywhere, the colorful lanterns, joyful caroling of kids, and all-night-all-morning festivities up to Christmas day are things that I grew up experiencing. Still, I am very grateful to be alive and content where life has taken me. My husband and I may be alone here in Ohio but we’ve met so many kind people, friends who’ve already treated us like family and are very thoughtful to us. We definitely feel truly blessed.

Hope you guys had a wonderful time reading my Holiday Recaps as much as I had fun sharing them to you guys!

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo.

Meet My New Love, ELLIE!

I have been stalking our mailbox for the past few days waiting for my first ever package from ELLIE!

…And here it is!!! =)

love letter from Ellie

Let’s see what my picks for this month look like… ***Drum roll*** 🙂

Outfit #1

• Top: Call Me Coy
• Bottom: Kiss Me Capri

I love this top! It’s very light weight. I didn’t notice it in their site but it is made of mesh fabric I have other workout tops that are made of this kind of material and I love how breathable they are when I do my runs outdoors. PERFECT!

I love the drapey effect at the back.

it was definitely a struggle to take this picture. lol.

My favorite part about this outfit is that pink color that’s peeking out on the capris. Isn’t that cute?!

It has this mesh overylay detail that makes these capris unique! I love a twist like that on clothes. 🙂
Outfit #2

• Top: Catch Me If You Can (turquoise)
• Bottom: My New Obsession Legging

First impression, this top is super soft! This will also be a perfect under layer when I do my runs in the cold winter months!

I love the thumbholes and the foldable hand covers to warm my fingers. Who ever invented this idea is a …GENIUS!

And for the leggings, love…love…love the details!

front details

back details (I struggled again to take this picture. LOL!)

side details

I had my husband turn to me when I walked right through him in our living room. He thinks the details were pretty cool. It’s a little strange because he was playing video games at that time and he never gets distracted that easily. Hmm… there’s something about these leggings. LOL! 🙂

The name says it, these leggings are now “my new obsession”. 🙂

Overall, I’m VERY satisfied! Both outfits are very comfortable and worth the price. Ellie exceeded beyond my expectations and I highly recommend their clothes.

I’m glad that they changed things up a little bit and put the option to choose which outfits you like. I definitely prefer it that way than surprising you with something that you might not like in the end. The clothes I got from the past few months when they were still Pv.body, some of them I can’t use for running. Now, with the option to choose, I was able to pick clothes that I can definitely use for any of my workouts. All of them are perfect for my outdoor runs, kickboxing, yoga, pilates or for lounging around the house.

I’m happy with the changes and looking forward for more from ELLIE! 🙂

So, if you like what you see, go join in and give ELLIE a try! 🙂

As an Ellie Ambassador, here’s a link for my readers, family and friends, that will give you 20% off when you sign up:

http://ellie.evyy.net/c/48907/58556/1664

This is how it works:

Have a great weekend everybody! 🙂 xoxo

My Last of Pv.Body but More of Ellie!!! :)

I am very sure a lot of you already know about this news from PV.body. Now, instead of paying $49.95 for brands like Lululemon, Nike, Nux, American Apparel, etc, you will be receiving clothes from the company’s new brand, Ellie. Of course, a lot of people reacted to it. Some people said that this was a classic example of a bait and switch. I’ve read posts of some bloggers ranting about the switch. Honestly, I don’t blame them for feeling that way but I needed to hear both sides first before I make my own judgement. I don’t like jumping into a conclusion without investigating. 🙂

So, instead of joining in the drama, I had to ask them myself what’s really going on. And here’s Hope’s from Pv.body/Ellie reply:

(please click photo to enlarge)

I waited for this issue to calm down a bit before I write my thoughts about it. First off, I have nothing against the company and I can’t say anything negative about them. I am saying this not only because I am personally receiving great service from them, but, I think their concept is still fantastic even with the switch. For me, the option for you to choose your own 2 pieces is way better than having to receive clothes you don’t like. Then the hassle of returning it and asking for a refund is just madness. I really have no problems of giving Ellie a try.

I haven’t tried their new line yet. It is on it’s way to me (yay!). So far, I’m reading positive reviews on their facebook page from people who have already gotten their clothes from Ellie.com. I’m getting excited to get mine! Maybe Ellie is going to be amazing and all the ranting and complaining weren’t necessary after all. 🙂

Before I move on to Ellie, I’d like to show you guys this last one package I got last month from PV.body. 🙂

of course their pink package still excites me. 🙂

I got this black racerback yoga cami from Beyond Yoga.

It is very basic but flattering. Because it’s partly made of cotton, I probably won’t wear this for running even though it says “Beyond Yoga” (haha) . Cotton fabrics will definitely absorb my sweat and that will be very uncomfortable. I’d stick to yoga when I wear this. I like it and I am keeping it.

For bottoms I got these gray leggings from American Apparel.

I’ve received same brand of leggings before from them (check out this post) but in a different color. I’ve worn these leggings several times already to kickboxing class. I like them. They look really good either working out or when going out with boots and long sweater.  I love that it has a thick waist band which makes it comfortable. My only problem I have for this is they can’t go in the dryer. It says in the tag, “hang to dry”, but not really a  big deal for me.

By the way, my mom already sent me a picture of herself happily wearing the top I got from my previous Pv.Body package. The top definitely looks better on her. Good thing I gave it to her. 🙂

Overall, I am satisfied again.

I’m glad I was able to maintain a positive attitude despite all the negative reaction about the switch. I really hope things will get better with the option to choose which pieces you like. I support new businesses and I think it’s normal to have few glitches in the first few months. I will continue my subscription with them and I look forward to what this new brand Ellie has in store for me.

So there you go with my HONEST thoughts. FYI: The company did not ask me to make this post. And for those who signed up through my link before and wasn’t happy with the change, I am honestly sorry. Anyway, if you don’t love their new line, You can cancel your membership at anytime. You were never obligated to remain a member.

But for those who wants to try their new line, here’s a link that will give you 20% when you sign up. Link: http://ellie.evyy.net/c/48907/58556/1664

P.S. Just a little thought before I end this post 🙂

“When we make judgements we’re inevitably acting on limited knowledge, isn’t it best to ask if we seek to understand, or simply let them be?” – Jay Woodman

Take care everyone! 🙂

My Holiday Recap (Part 4): My First Run in the Snow!

To continue my Holiday Recap…

Dec 31 (Monday): “My First Run in the Snow” day. 🙂

When I started running, I knew I would have to get used to running in various conditions. That day gave me a taste of running in the snow.

Early that morning, my dad, aunt, uncle, brother, sister and me decided to hit the trail for a run. We thought it was a good thing to do before we feast that night to welcome the new year

I was actually pretty excited. Finally, I will get to experience how it feels like running in the snow. It was in the low twenties and everything outside was covered in a soft blanket of snow. I layered myself up and put on my regular running shoes (Newtons Distance).

It looked so peaceful and the air was fresh. Once we entered the trail the snowy scenery was so beautiful. It looked like a complete different scenery at this time of the year compared to when we hit this trail during the summer and fall.

It was a mental battle to go out in the COLD but once we’re out and running it became fine.

me, my sister & aunt

my aunt, brother & sister

my dad & uncle

It was a fun 3-mile run for us (and walk for my dad haha).  Of course, with lots of stop overs in between to take pictures of the beautiful scenery.

I wore my regular running shoes and only to realize they don’t have much traction. I slipped countless times and fell but nothing serious. It was all good.

Then when I got home, I read about bindings that you can attach to your running shoes to add traction. Traction devices like YakTrax and STABILicers that can give you extra stability in the snow.

Has anyone tried those? How was it? I would love to hear your thoughts about them.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time then you know I’m crazy about the snow. There’s just something about snow that makes you feel like a kid again.

As the day went on, it got a little crazy . I don’t know what got into us but we all started doing yoga poses for pictures. Haha.

(and no words to explain for these, HAHA!)

I’m glad that I got to share this first time experience with my family. It couldn’t be any better.

It was so much fun and the memories with my brother and sister were priceless.

We had a little “Brother-Sister Quality Time” together that day and I’m missing them now as I create this post.

I remember the first time I ran in the rain, I felt pretty bad ass. Running in the snow is a different story. It does require more energy and I felt even more bad ass! 🙂

I hear some people absolutely love winter running. Now that I have tried running in the winter cold and snow, I’m growing to like it. I like running in the temperatures of Spring and Fall but Winter cold isn’t that bad at all. I’m used to the cold weather already and it is definitely much comfortable than running in the hot summer days. 

How about you? What’s your favorite season to run?

Do you have any other tips for running in the cold or snow? Do you love it or do you hate it?

Happy Running!

My Holiday Recap (Part 3)

HELLO EVERYONE!

Today, I am going to try to get caught up on everything that I was supposed to get to last month! It’s been crazy and very busy for us the past month. I think January is always a hard month for blogging. The rush of holidays and getting back to reality once again felt overwhelming. Whew!

But I can do it …I can do it …I can do it!

I’ll continue my holiday update. After all, Filipinos earned the distinction of celebrating the world’s longest Christmas season. The spirit continues until New Year’s, all the way to Three Kings (celebrated every first Sunday of the year) to Chinese New Year, which is still fast approaching. So this post is never too late. Anyway I still see houses in our neighborhood with their Christmas lights on and decorations still up. Who says holiday is over yet? Holiday spirit is still in the air. LOL! *wink *wink :))

continuation of My Holiday Recap (Part 2)…

Dec 24 (Monday): We arrived Indiana past noon. My aunt’s family was so excited to see my parents, my brother & sister.

As soon as we arrived, we started preparing our food for Christmas Eve. A Philippine tradition that every Filipino family looks forward to is the Noche Buena. It is the grand family dinner after the midnight mass.

As we prepared dinner, my cousins started making their gingerbread house with my sister and brother.

Before we attended midnight mass, we went sightseeing to check out neighborhood Christmas lights and decorations.
One of the houses we saw, their lights were synchronized with music. It’s so cool.

Christmas Eve. After Midnight mass, we headed home right away for Noche Buena. We saved our appetite the whole day for this feast.

This festive meal was followed by exchange of gifts. For Filipinos, we don’t wait for Christmas morning to open our gifts. We do it on Christmas Eve! 🙂

Everyone was happy with their presents, especially me! My mom knew about my running addiction so I got more running clothes from her from the Philippines!

I got my parents workout clothes for Christmas so they’ll get motivated to exercise. I am encouraging them start living healthy by being active. They’re not getting any younger and I want them to take care of themselves. I’m glad they got the point. I love you Mom and Dad! 🙂

It is also a Filipino tradition to receive an aguinaldo from grandparents during Christmas. It is a money gift placed inside an envelope or chinese red envelope given by grandparents and parents to the younger generation. Even though our grandma celebrated Christmas in the Philippines this year, she never failed to send our aguinaldo. Thank you Grandma!

After opening gifts, we got hungry again, ate some more, did a little chitchatting and took lots of pictures before everyone called it a day.

Dec 25 (Tuesday): Christmas morning. In the Philippines, Christmas day is the time for visiting relatives and receive their aguinaldo and gifts from godfathers and godmothers. But for us this year in the US, we just stayed home, relaxed and did a lot of catching up with family.

We drove back to Ohio later that day.

Dec 26 (Wednesday): It was supposed to be shopping day for us for this day but a blizzard warning was issued in our area and driving was not advisable. Good thing we have a good place to sled close to where we live. It was a perfect day to go sledding!

Since we don’t have snow in the Philippines, my family took advantage of the snow brought in from the blizzard. We managed to have fun despite the bad weather forecast.

Later that day, we accumulated a few inches of snow and my brother volunteered to shovel our drive way. He said he wanted to try. Well, I said, “Go ahead! Be my guest!” 🙂

It seemed he enjoyed it! 🙂 I was teasing him and told him we’d love for him to stay forever so someone could do the shoveling for us. LOL! 🙂

Dec 27 (Thursday): Shopping Day! I drove my family to the Cincinnati Outlet Mall. We did a lot of crazy shopping and took advantage of the “After Christmas Sale”.

Dec 28 (Friday): My husband’s parents from Houston, Texas and relatives from Toronto, Canada arrived in Ohio. Our home was packed. We were 18 total in our mini home. Imagine that! 🙂

It was crazy snowing up to this day. While some were dreading the weather …

…my dad, who’s from Philippines and my husband’s dad, from Texas, loved it. Haha! 🙂

They were young “ones” …once again. LOL!

Dec 29 (Saturday): SNOWBOARDING …AGAIN!

As we were preparing to head out, my sister was enjoying herself scraping off the snow from my aunts car. It was something different again for her. 🙂

My brother and sister’s goal was to be good at snowboarding before they leave. They really learned it fast as if they’ve done it before. It’s like they’re born to be snowboarders. I’m really proud of them.

Second time in the slopes and my brother dared to hit the black diamond with us! That’s how awesome he became at snowboarding.

Now that my brother and sister are hooked, they look forward to spending Christmas again here in the US with us. 🙂

After all the teasing, my dad and my husband’s dad gave in. They finally tried hitting the slopes too.

My dad tried snowboarding.

My husband’s dad tried skiing.

Remember, you’re never too old to try something new. 🙂

We had to let them join in the free lessons group. My husband and I thought we wouldn’t be successful with them. So we decided to leave them under close supervision of a more professional instructor. LOL!

We checked up on them at the lesson area from time to time. We were glad to see that they were having a great time. At least they can now say to everyone that they’ve tried to ski and snowboard!

It was a fun day again for all of us in the slopes.

What better way to end a tiring day than to eat some good Japanese food! After spending the whole day in the slopes, we headed to this Japanese place that me and my husband usually go for some good sushi & hibachi.

Hibachi is always very entertaining. The chef put on a great show that entertained us very much.

It was actually a very nice way to cap off our day. 🙂

Stay tuned for my New Years celebration recap! 🙂 Have a great weekend everyone!

My Holiday Recap (Part 2)

….continuation of My Holiday Recap (Part 1)

Dec 23 (Sunday): Rest day & relax day. Since my family hit the slopes right away the very next day after they arrived, they haven’t really had enough rest.  So we decided to take it easy on this day and reserve our energy for the upcoming days.

My husband and I just showed our family how our typical Sunday is like. After hearing mass in the morning, we usually go to our favorite Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch.  I’m glad my family enjoyed it. It is good comfort food.

We went home after and did a lot of catching up, bonding time and dancing (LOL!). Yes, dancing! 🙂

I was telling my husband before how much I want to have that game in Xbox Kinect – Just Dance. It’s a perfect workout for me when I just feel like staying at home. I told him too that it’s going to be fun especially when my family gets here. That kinda gave my husband an idea what to give me for Christmas.  So, one day, we both went to Best Buy and bought my gift. I got his gift too – LifeProof case. It’s a waterproof case for his Iphone since he uses his phone to take videos when we go snowboarding.

I am a happy dancing bug! LOL! 🙂

We kinda made it easy for us this time on what present to give for each other. My husband had been bugging me for days before what I want for Christmas and same thing for me with him. And we would just say “nothing”. We are one of those couples that don’t really expect too much when it comes to gifts for each other. It’s not like back in college days that I have to save my allowance just to give my boyfriend expensive gifts on special occasions. We’ve been together for too long already to impress each other with gifts. I mean, we share same bank accounts and we manage each other’s money. It’s not like we can hide our expenses from each other. I think it’s different now that we’re married. I’d appreciate something other than material things like a surprise breakfast in bed or just a simple romantic dinner at home. It’s the simple things, really, that makes it more special.

…but …the Xbox gift …that was pretty cool! It’s what I want and I love it! 🙂 Thanks honey!

Dec 24 (Monday):  We all woke up so fresh and well – rested. One thing I associate with Christmas is the feeling of joy. We started playing Christmas music in the background. It’s the Christmas music that gets everyone in the happy mood of the season.

We drove up to Indiana to celebrate Christmas Eve with my aunt’s family over there. So, as we were preparing our stuff, suddenly, I saw from our window a Fedex truck just parked right infront of our garage. The guy went down and carried with him this bright pink package. I knew right away it’s a package from Pv.Body!!! Yay! I ran to open our door and happily greeted the Fedex guy a Merry Christmas as I extend my hand to take the package from him! I was so excited! Nice one Pv.Body. Perfect timing to be receiving my package that day.

The color makes you really excited to open it. Of course, I didn’t wait ’til Christmas. I can’t torture myself like that with suspense. I was in a happy mood, remember! 🙂

For top, they sent me this uber cute razor back blank tank from Collosseum. It’s the same brand as the one I got from my last package. Check it here.

For bottoms, they sent me this fitted pants from Cozy Orange (never heard of this brand before).

I love both pieces. I wore the leggings the whole day and I must say, it is definitely something I could use for my outdoor running. I think it will be great for yoga and just for lounging around too. I love the fit and feels super soft. I also like the secret inside pocket for credit cards or keys.

It has a wide waist band again which I love! Say no to muffin top!

I also love that little pink color that’s peeking out. Isn’t that cute?! 🙂

I love the top’s print details. It’s so soft and stretchy. I can’t say much about it because the moment my mom noticed what I was doing, she fell in love with my top. I already felt she wanted to have it. Good thing we were in the spirit of Christmas so I had to give it to her. LOL! It is perfect for the hot and humid weather in the Philippines. She was so happy to take it. I just asked her to take a picture of herself when she wears it to workout in the Philippines. I will post it on my blog.

*Hint *hint to Pv.Body. Your products are going global. Maybe you guys should start expanding your service internationally – to Asia maybe, like Philippines. 🙂

Thanks Pv.Body. Overall I am satisfied …again! 🙂

As a Pv.Body Ambassador, I can give my readers, followers, friends, family, all of you guys a 20% off when you sign up through my link: 

(http://pvbody.com/try/athleteinme). 

They actually have a fun new promotion for this month!  They’re offering each one who signs up this month access to our 30 Day Challenge to kick start their resolutions!  It’s also available to all current members! The Pv.body 30 day challenge provides you with your own personal dietitian and trainer to help you meet your fitness and health goals.  Everyday, you will be given a new challenge that they can share with friends!  Challenges include workouts, recipes, meal plans, group activities and more.

Document your progress through Tweets, Insta’s or Pins with the hashtag #pv30daychallenge.

Here are the steps:

1. Sign up here through my link and receive 20% off: http://pvbody.com/try/athleteinme

2. Take the pv.body 30 Day Challenge here to kick start your New Year resolutions and receive tons of fun prizes: http://pvbody.com/challenge

(IMPORTANT: Please note that you have to sign up through my link above first before taking the challenge link to receive the 20% off).

That’s it for now, I have more things to say. Stay tuned for more of my Holiday Recaps! 🙂

My Holiday Recap (Part 1)

Hellllooooo out there!!!

My apologies if my blogging is a bit spastic the past weeks. It was a busy (and fun) holiday for my husband and me.  I’ve barely had time to check my email and Facebook. This is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and relax and man, it feels amazing!

First things first, I hope that your Christmas and New Years were filled with happiness and blessings.

I feel very blessed this year to have had such a great Christmas and New Year spent with family, friends and so.much.food (c/o of my husband’s dad, Thank you Papa for cooking!). It went by way too fast, as always, but was memorable and really, really fun!

So, what happened to me? 🙂

After a little blogging hiatus here’s a quick run down of how my family and I spent the holidays! I have to divide it in parts or this post would be too long.

I knew that it was going to be hectic once my family gets here so I had to post a schedule of our itineraries on our fridge so that everyone could just refer to this and be prepared of our everyday planned activities.

Dec 21 (Friday): Arrival of my family (my dad, mom, sister and brother) from the Philippines!!! 🙂

At the Detroit Airport, we received a call from my mom that they missed their connecting flight to Ohio (what?!). It was hectic at the airport and it took a while for them to transfer and check-in their luggage for their connecting flight. They were able to fix their flight but due to high volume of passengers (holiday rush!), they had to fly to Ohio at separate times. It’s all good as long as they all arrive safe and sound.

First to arrive were my dad and my brother, then few hours later, my mom and sister. 🙂

FAMILY!

Reunited with my siblings!

at the airport parking lot

It really feels so good to be reunited with loved ones. I knew from that day on that it’s going to be a happy Christmas for us! 🙂

Dec 22 (Saturday): We hit the slopes the next day at Perfect North Slopes. Yup, already! No day should be wasted, right?!. 🙂

We don’t get snow in the Philippines and one of the many things my siblings were looking forward to for their Christmas vacation here in the US was to learn how to snowboard!

My husband and I became snowboarding instructors for a day. My husband and I divided the task by teaching them separately. I was in charged of my sister while him with my brother. That way we can focus on each of them. Once they learned the basics, we can all go together and teach them more other stuff as we go through the day.

I have to say, my sister and brother learned it pretty fast.  Compared to me when I was learning it, I was struggling. LOL! I am so proud of them for being quick learners.  I am very proud too of myself and my husband for doing a good job teaching them. 🙂

You guys have to see how much they have improved the second time we went snowboarding. I will have to share that on my next post.

It was a fun day for all of us! It was great first two days with my family!

More to come! I promise! Stay tuned!

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 6,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 10 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

PV.Body Review Package #3 – Pv.Body Ambassador! :)

Hello everyone! 🙂

How’s your December so far?!  I hope everything is going well and you are all done with the Christmas Shopping.

Are you still thinking of what to get for your runner friends and family? Head over to this post: Gift Ideas For Runners to help you find great ideas on what to give them.

My husband and I have done our very best to find the best gifts for our friends and family. My family from the Philippines will arrive tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with them. For sure it’s going to be a busy holiday for us! 🙂

Last Tuesday, my December package from pv.body arrived on our doorstep!!! 🙂 If you haven’t heard of this rave yet, it’s basically a subscription of high-end workout clothes like Lululemon, Lorna Jane, Nike, American Apparel… etc. You receive a top and a bottom each month for a very low price ($49.95/month). Head over to my previous posts to see what I have received so far from this super awesome company. I have already received three orders from pv.body (I signed up last October) and I love all of them!

I am so thrilled and ecstatic to share with you guys that I just recently became a Pv.Body Ambassador. That means, I can give my readers, followers, friends, family, all of you guys a 20% off when you sign up through my link: (http://pvbody.com/try/athleteinme). 

This month, they are doing give aways everyday until the 24th. You are automatically entered when you sign up through my link to win their prizes. Check out their Facebook page to see what prizes they have each day.

Ok, so let’s do the math again. When you sign up for this month through my link, you will get:

*TOP + BOTTOM + FREE 2nd TOP + a chance to win a prize

*Subtotal: $ 49.95

*Discount: 20% (when you sign up through my link)

*Shipping: always FREE

*Total: $39.94 – sweet deal!

So, let’s go back to my pretty pink package I received this month.

My outfits were nicely wrapped in pink and white tissue paper! I felt like opening a present! 🙂

I got a pretty sky blue long sleeves top from Colosseum (never heard of this brand before), original retail price $34.00.

It has a nice print on it that makes it different among other workout clothes I own. The best part of it are the thumb holes! 🙂

Definitely a thumbs up for these! 🙂

For the bottom, I got these low-rise capris from NUX. Original retail price on their website, $65.

These capris are very soft with a wide waistband (which I like!) and rouching at the bottom (cute!).

I’m not really a fan of low-rise leggings. They give me an instant “muffin top”! I could wear low-rise pants/leggings if I find some that aren’t too tight but then it would slide down when you’re running. I usually go for mid-rise for pants/leggings. I considered sending them back but after walking and lounging around the house in them, I realized they’re very comfortable and perfect for running because they don’t slide down.

The top is a bit thin and see-through so, I’d wear something inside or use it as a cover up. The black tank top from my November package would be perfect underneath it! I can’t wait to wear them on yoga class this weekend. 🙂

The fabric is soft and light and I totally dig the thumb holes.Overall, I love my December package! My experience with them so far is great and I’m so happy to be part of their company as an ambassador.

So if you’re interested in trying pv.body, my link will give you 20% off when you sign up. This is the perfect gift you can give to yourself this Christmas. 🙂

That’s it for now, it’s been gloomy and rainy the past few days here in Ohio. I’m dreaming of a White Christmas and I hope all the rain we’re getting here will turn into snow (like the snow effect on my blog). 🙂

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂

Gift Ideas For Runners

A friend from med school asked me the other day for Christmas gift ideas for her husband. Apparently, her husband had just recently started running and she thought it’s best to seek help from me. 🙂

What gifts did you get for the fitness fanatics in your life?

To those who have not shopped yet for the runners in your life, here’s a list of my favorites. I thought of sharing this because it may benefit someone and make their last-minute shopping easy. 🙂

1.) Socks Socks Socks! – In my opinion, runners can never have enough socks! 🙂 I love this brand Icebreaker for socks, but the Champion socks at Target are good too. They’re really good athletic socks for a cheap price.

2.) Ipod Shuffle – If the runner on your gift list loves listening to music while running he or she will love this itsy bitsy tiny iPod shuffle. It so small but has enough storage space for lots of songs. Available in fun colors too.

I ordered mine at Apple.com. I love it because it’s not bulky and it features a clip on the back, so you can clip it anywhere on your clothing and not have to worry about holding it in your hand or carrying the big ones in an armband or running belt. I also had it personalized for free! 🙂 It’s reasonably priced that will make you want to add iTunes Gift Card with it. 🙂

3.) Garmin Watch – You can go from the basic Forerunner 10 – for any runner who just wants to press a button and run or, for the most expensive Forerunner 910 – more advanced and errrr complicated (that’s just me! lol!) watch. I have the Forerunner 210 and I love it! As long as it gives me final time, mile splits, pace, and distance – that’s it! I’m good to go! 🙂

4.) Visor/Cap – In hot summer days, I like visors more (more than caps) because they allow your head to breath. You can go for the more common black or white color or you can ask your runner what colors of running clothes they have to give you an idea of what color to get.5.) Medal Hangers – You can order them from here – www.medalhangers.com/. You can customize and personalize them too. This is something you can give to those who have done many races.  I don’t have that much medal yet but I plan on getting this for myself soon! 🙂 This is a nice way to display my hard-earned bling!

6.) A  good headband for the runner girls in your life – Sweaty Bands – my favorite company. Not only they have super cute designs, they don’t slide from my head. They’re the only headband I wear. I actually bought one again just recently to wear for snowboarding! 🙂

I suggest finding out what your runner’s favorite color is. Throw in some hair ties too! They will definitely love you for that. Every girl, runner or not, loves cute hair accessories!

Click this link to get 5% off from SweatyBands.com! 🙂

7.) Jewelry – Speaking of accessories, you can give them something from this website too – Inspiredendurance.com. They have a lot of cute jewelry that you can customize according to what kind of race they do. It’s so cool! 🙂 The running necklaces, charms and earrings are so cute.

8.) Running Store Gift Cards or Gift Certificates – You can never go wrong with this. This shows your support for their passion to run. It also gives them the opportunity to shop for what they need along the way. Oh, trust me! Every runner wants something in a running store. Just ask for their favorite running store and for sure, you will make any runner smile with any amount you give! They can get anything from gu gels, energy bars, clothing, to the most expensive running shoes! They’re choice and they’re happy! 🙂

So, there you have it – a breakdown of my gift ideas for runners. I hope that helps generate some gift ideas for the runners in your life.

To the runners out there, what are in your wish list? Let’s keep the ideas flowing and share them in comments below!

PV.Body Review Package #2

The week after Thanksgiving, my lovely package from pv.body appeared on our doorstep. It’s my second package and I’m soooo excited to share with you guys what I got this time! 🙂

To those who have not read my post about my first package (October), go here. 🙂

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first about signing up. I’m very picky when it comes to workout clothes. Clothing sizes vary from store to store. I am usually particular with the length of pants and leggings. I usually get small but sometimes the size small for some brands (like UnderArmour) would be several inches too long for me, so I would end up getting the extra small. It is really important for me to try on the clothes first in the store before I purchase them. But I decided to suck it up and push my doubts aside. So far, I’m loving what they’re sending me! 🙂

I love their very pretty packaging. My clothes were folded nicely and wrapped in gift wrapping tissue paper. Who doesn’t want to receive treats like that?! It’s like Merry Christmas to me every month! 🙂

I got this nice top from NUX USA.

and, yoga pants from Performance Sportswear by American Apparel. This color is something I wouldn’t pick for myself but I like it! It’s my first colored pants! All of my fitness pants are either black or gray, so this is a perfect addition to my workout clothes. 🙂 And again, that wide waist band which I like for pants – gotta wear something that will help hide those bulges! 🙂

I didn’t know American Apparel sells workout clothes. I checked the pants online and I think what they sent me is this. It is priced $48 on their website.

I was surprised at how much I like them after trying them on. The fabric is soft and stretchy. I like that it is made of 90% nylon. When buying workout clothes, I look for clothes that are made of wicking materials (such as polyester, lycra, nylon, etc) which pull moisture away from the body to keep me dry, comfortable and cool. I also prefer these kinds of material as my winter base layer. They’re great for providing warmth and yet very thin and light. I think they are the same quality as the more expensive Lululemon leggings.

My top is this, priced $45. It’s in their “moderate compression” category so it feels fitted. It has a built-in seamless shelf bra and adjustable straps. So far I like the feel of this. I will wear this for yoga class for now and for my runs in the spring or summer.

I definitely got a steal here! When you add the two, both are worth $93 and I only got them for $39.95. For me, this is a good deal for great workout clothes…especially if I get more expensive or popular brands like Lululemon and Lorna Jane. I am hoping to get them for my next package! Crossing my fingers! *hint *hint pv.body!

I love love love this service and I am excited to receive my December package! I knew that this company was new when I registered in October. They just started in September of this year so I knew there will be some glitches in their customer service. I pretty much took a risk signing up! BUT I am not regretting it because I love everything I’m getting from them! Maybe I am one of the lucky ones who didn’t have problems. I have huge faith for this company (‘coz I love clothes! What girl doesn’t?!). I know they’ll be able to fix issues soon and will grow big fast! I hope they open a line for men too. My husband is getting jealous. He wants to have a subscription of workout clothes too! 🙂 *hint *hint again pv.body! Lol! 😛

So if you love to workout like me, want some high quality workout clothes, surprises in the mail and that Christmas feeling every month then pv.body is for you!

If you’re interested head over to this link (http://pvbody.com/try/athleteinme) to get 20% off when you sign up.

I’d love to hear what you think when you receive your first package! Link your reviews to this post and share what you got. I’m sure a lot of us are curious what others are getting.

P.S. I love spreading cheer the old-fashioned way. Go ahead and fill out my address book, if you want to receive a Christmas card from me!  … I know you want one!

Embracing Winter

It’s December and with a little more than two weeks before the official start of winter season, my husband and I are now ready to welcome it with arms wide open. It’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year, but with it, comes bitter cold temperatures and difficult traveling conditions. I wish everyone to be safe and to make sure to bundle up!

I’ve decided to lie low from joining races for the coming season but that doesn’t mean I’ll forget about running. My love for running will never fade. 😛 I will still keep running through the winter. I have yet to experience running in the snow and ice. I know, it may seem crazy to think about it but a lot of people say it’s really fun and with the right gear, it’s doable!

I’ve only started serious running this year and so far, I prefer running in cold temps than in the heat and humidity of summer. I love that I don’t have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to beat the heat. I love getting out there and knowing that even though I’m cold starting out, I’ll eventually warm up. I love being outside, even if it’s cold.

To those who have ran in the winter cold and snow, care to share your experience?

Speaking of snow, Perfect North Slopes (related post: Mudstash update) opened last weekend! 🙂 They have made enough snow during the past cold days to have a few runs open for preview. We dragged ourselves early Saturday to the place to check it out and get a head start on the slopes. 🙂

We came to pick up our season pass too!

Our season pass is good for one day per week. Since they had a limited amount of terrain open last weekend, they considered both Saturday and Sunday, bonus days! So, we got to go again on Sunday with our season pass for free! Awhhh-some! 🙂

It was hot for snowboarding on those two days. The temp was in the high 50s. We didn’t have to wear thick jackets. Some of the people were wearing shorts while skiing and snowboarding. I thought they looked weird. 😛

Here are some of the videos we took that day! We were trying to learn how to “butter“. But in order to that, we had to learn how to spin first.

My husband did a good job and learned it pretty fast!

As winter comes, try not to hibernate! Don’t wait for spring to get active again. Beat winter blues! Get outside if you can.

Winter sports are not for everyone. If the cold isn’t your cup of hot chocolate, there are alternatives to still get active indoors.

For me, if the weather doesn’t permit me to go running outside, I go to our local gym and use their treadmill. Sometimes, I join my friends play indoor volleyball with them.

My arms got so bruised after I played volleyball for the first time again after so many years.

It has been so long since I played volleyball. This is totally normal for the first few days. The impact of the volleyball damages the small vessels under your skin. I’ve had this before during my first days of volleyball training when I was in high school. Once you play more, you get used to it and the bruising gets minimal ’til you don’t get them anymore.

More bruises on my knees too. I will definitely remind myself to wear knee pads the next time I play again. 😦

Another alternative that my husband use to be active indoor, his indoor bike trainer.

Basically, you put your bike’s back wheel in the trainer, and then pedal your bike, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Depending on the trainer, you can set the angles and tension to give yourself a more rigorous workout.

Winter weather can sometimes make working out seem less than desirable but there are really no excuses for my husband and me. There will always be a way if you really want to. So, bring it on Winter! We’re so ready for you!

Do you have alternative workouts in the winter? What activities do you do to stay active in the winter?

Have you guys set up your Christmas tree yet?

We already did! 🙂

Christmas is definitely in the air in our home! 🙂

I love spreading cheer the old-fashioned way. Go ahead and fill out my address book, if you want to receive a Christmas card from me!  … I know you want one! 🙂

November Foodie Penpal Reveal!

Hello everyone and to all the Foodie Penpals from around the world! 🙂

It’s my second month in this program and I have to say, I’m definitely loving it! My husband and I are adventurous when it comes to food, so this is really perfect for us. It’s a way for us to try out something new and different, and of course to meet super cool and awesome people across the country! I love …love …love it! Thank you again to Lindsay of The Lean Green Bean for hosting Foodie Penpal. Head over to this link to know more details about the program.

So, it’s the last day of the month and that means it is time to reveal what my Foodie Penpal sent me.

My box came from Lindsey Barr from North Carolina. Hey Lindsey, if you happen to read this post, thank you so much! I love everything you sent me!

I didn’t get matched with a blogger this month. Lindsey doesn’t have a blog and neither is my recipient, Amy. Yes, you don’t have to be a blogger to join in the fun! It would have been nice to read what people think about what I send them, but, it’s ok. I hope my recipient liked what I sent her. 🙂 Looking forward for next month!

Thanksgiving week must have been busy for everyone especially the guys from USPS. I just got my box the other day, so, I didn’t have much days to try everything in my box.

I love the box she used for my goodies. It’s from Modcloth.com. I shop from that site too. I love everything in that online store!

She included a hand written letter explaining the stuff in my box. She said that these are some of her favorite fall items. 🙂

She mentioned in her email that she visited my blog to know more about me (yay!). She must have read this post that’s why she knew that I love spicy food! She sent me this hot sauce made only in her home state North Carolina. AWESOME! I love hot sauce and I put it on everything I eat! 🙂

This hot sauce she sent is definitely different and very one-of-a-kind. Aside from its strange name, it says that it is made with sweet potatoes. Hmm …never seen or heard something like that before. So I tried it yesterday with my breakfast.

I had hashed browns with sausage and mozzarella cheese, and dabbed a little of the hot sauce on. It was wonderful! It’s texture is thick and taste different from other hot sauce I’ve tried.

Of course, Lindsey would know when she visited my blog that I’m a runner. I got so excited when she sent me a tube of Nuun tabs. I haven’t tried these before. I was actually curious about these tabs. I see and hear about them but I just never buy them for myself. It’s perfect because I will be running this weekend and finally, I will be able to try them for the first time. Thanks Lindsey!

Lindsey sent me this Trader Joes winter-spiced black tea.  She mentioned in her letter that she loves Trader Joes. I love it too! I love it when I can relate and connect with different types of people by having something in common. Yep, great minds think alike! ha! 🙂

I am a coffee and tea person. I love holiday drinks especially for coffee and tea. I always look forward to Starbucks’ holiday coffee drinks. Love them! You can tell from our rack of K-cups that I love to drink tea (nice one Lindsey!). This morning, I tried this Trader Joe’s tea and it was good! I love it!

I gave it a little twist by adding half & half. 🙂

YUM!!!

I’m drinking this right now as I cram for this post. 😛

And lastly, another one from Trader Joe’s, Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix.

This would have been perfect for Thanksgiving day, but I’m just going to make this for Christmas! Who says you can’t have pumpkin bread on other days?! 🙂

So there you go! Thanks Lindsey for an awesome box! You really did a good job with your research about me. I loved it! Everything was spot on!

And to Amy, if you happen to read this post, I would love to know what you think about the stuff I sent you. You are more than welcome to share your thoughts in the comment section if you like! 🙂

That’s it for now. If you guys want to join this fun activity, just head over to this link for details.

We’ll be doing Foodie Penpal different this December. So, instead of matching people up to send packages,  Lindsay asked everyone participating to donate the money that they will use to spend on Foodie Penpal box for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. For more details, check out Lindsay’s post to see how you can get involved. Join us and ignite the spirit of love and giving this Christmas season!

God bless us all and have a great weekend ahead! 🙂

PV.Body Review

Last month, I signed up to this company online called PV.Body.

As I was browsing on Facebook, I saw this ad on the right that said – “Love Lululemon?” Well, heck yah!!! So I clicked it. I thought it would direct me to a designer discount site like GILT or Ideeli, but, I found myself at a site called pv.body where you can sign up for a subscription of workout clothing for $39.95 a month. They will send you two new workout clothing pieces (top and bottom) each month with a retail value of $130. I thought that’s amazing! So, I gave it a shot. Anyway, there’s an option to cancel the subscription ANYTIME.

I never tried things like this before. So, I did a little research and found this video on You Tube from this girl who signed up and made a review about it. From there, I have to say, the workout clothes she got aren’t that bad for $39.95. You know how much I love great deals on workout clothes from decent brands. So obviously, this service appealed to me.

So, I signed up, went through a short quiz about my size, what workout I do, my clothing style and I ended up being “Epic Athlete”. 🙂

Few days later, I got a bright pink package delivered right to our doorstep. It’s my pv.body package! Sweet!

I love the packaging. I actually saved it! Though I don’t know what to do with it. It’s just too cute to throw it away. 😛

Here’s what they sent me: 🙂

* workout top from ALO Sport 

* pants from NUX USA

* free pv.body top.

It came with this letter that says I still have to get a free tote which will come in separate. 🙂

I have to say, the workout clothes I got from them are cute and totally my style. I immediately tried them on and I loved them even more! 🙂

I have never heard Alo and Nux brands before. So, I checked Alo Sport tops prices online. They range from $40-60. I browsed on their products and I like how each top have unique back details. I love it!

The bottoms are priced $68 on their website. I love the fit and the feel of these pants. It has a wide waist band which is what I like for pants/leggings. It creates smooth and flattering silhouette and helps the muffin top situation. The free PVbody top fits perfect too!

Overall, I’m satisfied! It’s pretty decent for $39.95/month. I’m still hoping for a Lululemon or Lorna Jane for my next package though. Crossing my fingers!

I’m totally digging this service and looking forward for the next one. I am keeping my subscription for now and see how this thing goes. 🙂 I would definitely recommend this if you are looking to get deals on workout clothes.

*** I just read an update on their facebook page that their subscription price will increase to $49/month on December 1st, BUT will not affect already subscribed users. So act fast if you are interested! Lock yourselves in!***

If you’re interested head over to this link (http://pvbody.com/try/athleteinme) to get 20% off when you sign up.

I’d love to hear what you think after you receive your first package! Link your reviews to this post. I’m sure a lot of us are curious what others are getting from this company 🙂

Check out my other pv.body reviews here.