Howdy y'all!

 Greetings from Austin :D

photo cred: Angela Doran Photography

If you're reading this blog, chances are rather high that you fall into one of the following categories (or a few) family, friend, or follow me on some social media platform, so I'm going to just go ahead and assume that you know that I've moved from NYC to Austin, Texas!

If you didn't know, surpriseee!

A lot of people's first question as to why I moved to Austin is "why?" Well really, why not?! I never had it set in my mind that NYC was where I would stay for the rest of my life. I'd always told myself that if that's the way it ended up, that it would be great, but never an expectation. Over time, it became very apparent to me that NYC was not where I was meant to live the rest of my life, so at that point, it was only a matter of when and where would be next.

I've had thoughts of living in Southern California on my mind for many many years, so it was something I seriously considered, and even went out for a visit in February. But nothing was really calling or pulling me there. I felt really indifferent about the idea of moving to California and I figured, one should probably feel pretty strongly about making such a huge move. So I stayed in NYC.

After I'd dismissed the idea of living in Cali, my mind still wasn't fully settled at the idea of living in NYC any longer. Life wasn't really moving anywhere for me, and I felt like the longer I stayed there, the more time I was wasting. I'd been looking for work since January when I was laid off, without any luck. I sent out countless resumes and went on many interviews and never heard back from any of them. If you've never been unemployed before, let me just tell you, this does not do good things for ones self esteem. I've never in my life struggled to find work the way I did these past few months.

It was around April when life had gotten a little rocky, as it does from time to time, that I decided I'd had enough of the bull shit NYC throws at its residents. I had very briefly looked at jobs in Austin and applied for maybe one before I decided to actually reach out to my Austin peeps and find out if moving there with their support would even be a reality. I have one cousin in Austin who outside of Facebook, I hardly knew. I decided to take a leap and reach out to her to ask if I could stay with her while I get adjusted, acclimated, and found a job and a place to live. Because my family is AWESOME, she quickly got back to me with a "yes!" It was only a couple of days later, that I heard back from one of the resumes I'd submitted to a job in Austin and was immediately offered the job over the phone and was asked "how soon can you be here?"
In retrospect, I probably could have been here in a week (thank you unemployment) but I told her I'd need about three weeks to wrap up my life in NYC.

One of my favorite spots to catch the sun setting over NYC

Before I knew it, my life was packed into 3 suitcases, and 20 boxes. What wasn't packed was sold or left on the curb. I had the chance to say my goodbyes to some of my favorite NYC people as well as pack in all the good food I could. After an extremely emotional goodbye to all the ones I loved in NYC, I landed in Austin without any issues.

Some of the greatest people NYC has to offer!

I hit the ground running... I started working for Vega only a few days after landing, I got a car within the first week, I found my apartment in the first 4 days (though I didn't get to move in until mid-June), and I got a full time job at a chiropractors office within two weeks. It was amazing for me to see how quickly everything was falling into place for me in Austin vs. how hard I had to work for everything in NYC.

We work really hard at Vega!

I've got some pretty good helpers at the chiro's office!

I ended up getting a lemon of a car and have since had to buy a new one, but this time, I think I got a great one! Isn't she pretty!?

Now, unfortunately, this means car payments. So my hopes of cutting my 7-day work weeks back is probably far off from ever happening. That being said, I am hoping to grow both my health coaching and my photography business here in Austin. So whether you know me personally and happen to know someone in Austin who could benefit from my services, or you have randomly stumbled upon me and are looking for some senior portraits, maternity photography or need a health coach - please get in touch with me soon!

I'm taking a brief break detox from Facebook at the moment, so I'm kind of hoping I won't be neglecting this blog as much as I have been. I know blogs are a fading art, but I love reading about other people's life happenings and I hope you enjoy reading about mine. I feel writers block often when I sit down to talk about what's happening because I feel like surely, I'm boring you all. So please! If there's anything specific you want to know about me or my life in Austin, please leave me a comment and I'll try to write about it! 

I hope you are having a fabulous summer!

May Recap

Whooohooo! Probably my best month yet, in terms of actually doing what I mapped out for myself!   

• See how long I can make it without purchasing a loaf of bread/eating bread in general (hopefully the entire month!) – I still haven’t purchased a loaf of bread, but I did go to Subway, ate a bagel, pizza, etc. but I’m gonna keep going as long as I can without buying a loaf of bread!
• Continue to track my food on MyFitnessPal Monday through Friday – CHECK! I skipped a couple of week days when I was traveling, but I logged every day I was at work!
• Plan workouts for the coming week by Monday – I am so glad I started doing this. I’m the kind of person where once I've set a goal for myself, I have to do it or I’ll feel really guilty. Doing this was a great way to keep me accountable and I’ve already got the first 2 weeks of June planned out!
• Plan meals for the coming week by Monday – Woof. This probably the thing I failed at the most. With leaving town so much, it was hard to know how much groceries to keep in the house so I pretty much had to just make do with whatever I had. I think I still did a decent job of eating clean/healthy for the most part though, so that’s what’s important.
• Run at least 1-2 times per week – I definitely accomplished at least 2 runs/week, sometimes 3! Feels good to be running so much, but I’m not looking forward to it warming up :/ Thank goodness I run at 5am most days! 
   I had a bit of a high school reunion when I was in San Francisco when I can the Bay to Breakers with my friend Megan!
   The race finished on the Pacific Ocean.... such a gorgeous view! 
• Lift weights at least twice per week – This may have been closer to once/week, but definitely twice/week sometimes. And I was doing Insanity a couple of times per week, so I feel like that counts.
• Daily doubles at least twice per week – Especially towards the end of the month, this one gets a CHECK! I’m a homebody and hate going out, and I love working out, so this was not near as difficult as I thought it might be, even in the slightest.
• Eat out in NYC no more than once – What’s weird is that as stated above, I’m a homebody and hate going out. I didn't think this one would be hard to check off at all, but I ended up eating out like 4 times! Very unlike me. I have to remind myself though sometimes that spending quality time with friends is more important than saving a few dollars. Besides- I was well taken care of when I was in CA and Arizona, so I didn't end up over spending like I thought I might. 
   Cassie and I went to Blockheads to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
   Tacolicious in San Francisco! 

Sorry I’m a little late! I’ll post goals for June some time later this week :D

May Goals

Deciding on what goals to post for May was harder than any other month for some reason. Mostly because April came and went faster than I knew it and I wasn't prepared. But also because I'm wondering if I should post fewer goals in attempts to up my chances of actually crossing them all off.
Am I posting too many goals for myself each month? Am I being unrealistic about what I'm setting myself up for? Who knows. But two days into May... here goes nothing!

• See how long I can make it without purchasing a loaf of bread/eating bread in general (hopefully the entire month!)
• Continue to track my food on MyFitnessPal Monday through Friday
• Plan workouts for the coming week by Monday
• Plan meals for the coming week by Monday
• Run at least 1-2 times per week
• Lift weights at least twice per week
• Daily doubles at least twice per week
• Eat out in NYC no more than once

So there you have it!

I'm going to San Francisco and Arizona the last two weekends of the month, so I really want to 1) try to pinch my pennies so I can enjoy spending money on vacation and not be stressed and 2) Um hi, it's warm there... photographs will be taken... I'd like to feel good about the way I look in said photos. 

April in review

Um what? April is already over?! How the hell did that happen?!?

1) I'm not that prepared to post May goals for tomorrow, so I've been racking my brain with what they should be 2) I seriously did not realize that the month was already over and thought I had so much more time to cross things off my list... meaning, I didn't do as well as I had hoped for only 30 days ago :(
Well regardless, here's how it all went down...

•Get NY state I.D./drivers license (this might be a challenge considering I work M-F) Yeah nope! I seriously don't know how I'm going to get this done, ever, with my work schedule. I guess I'll have to use a vacation day somewhere down the road...


•Run 30-35 miles (at least 2 times/week) I think I averaged about one run per week, but I ended up only running ~19 miles. I attribute my lack of running to my increase in spinning... keep reading!

•Try 1 brand new dinner recipe Again, I seriously did not realize that the month was almost over. Technically, I made a pureed veggie soup with an ingredient combo that I'd never used before (red onion, yellow onion, garlic, orange bell pepper, carrot, celery, red potato, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, kale and spinach). But pureed veggie soup is not new to my standard menu, so I'm not sure if I should count this.

•Try 1 Harlem restaurant YES! I went to Harlem Public- a cool pub only a few blocks from my apartment. The vibe and the atmosphere were really great. My friend and I shared the mac n' cheese as an appetizer... omg I died. It was ridiculously delicious. I got their classic burger and added maple bacon, avocado and cheddar cheese with tater tots. The burger I thought was just "eh". I'm not a big fan of combining my bacon and syrup at breakfast, so I'm certainly not that interested in it on my burger. Yes, I read the menu, I just decided to try it anyway. Definitely won't be getting it on my burger next time. I'll definitely be back here, just with lower expectations.

 (photo credit: harlembespoke.blogspot.com)

•Eat peanut butter no more than 3 times/week (my PB intake has gotten a little out of control!) I think I did better with this, but probably not by much. I finished off the jar that I had at my desk, so that definitely helped me from eating so much. BUT I found a company that makes it in powder form, so I've been putting it in my chocolate protein shakes.... HOLY YUMMMMM! Thankfully, the powdered form is significantly lower in calories so I feel a hell of a lot less guilty about it.

(photo credit: oregontale.wordpress.com)

•See how long I can go without eating bread I'm not one to waste, so I didn't want to throw away all the bread I had in my fridge. It wasn't until April 25th that I finished off my loaf, so I didn't really complete this one. I'm definitely moving this one onto my May goals. It took me almost the entire month to get through that one loaf, so I think I can do this!

•Spin at Revolve at least twice/week CHECK!! Make that more like THREE times/week! I bought an unlimited month at the beginning of April, so I really wanted to make sure that I got the most out of it. I ended up going almost every Monday, Friday and Saturday or Sunday. Read back in February about my first class there just to get a tiny idea of how much I LOVE Dyan... The most amazing spin/group class instructor I have ever encountered. She is one of the top 3 reasons I got my butt out of bed at 4:30am every Monday and Friday. Loveeeeeee her!!! (p.s. if you're in NYC and want to try a class at Revolve, message me and I'll send you a code to make your class free!)

•Put together family/friend photo wall in bedroom Nope. Fail.

•Track daily food intake on MyFitnessPal (at least M-F)
         ◦If you're on there, find me! photorunner BOOM! DONE! This was way easier than I had predicted 30 days ago. I definitely don't track what I eat Sat/Sun- not really for any reason, it's just ridiculously easier when I leave the tab open at my desk at work, it's a constant reminder to write every little thing down. I realized a few things this past month by doing this: 1) I do not eat as healthfully as I thought I did 2) In some regards, I don't eat as bad as I thought I did. 3) I don't drink as much water as I should- this really shocked me, because I feel like I get up every 5 seconds to pee! 4) Some of my workouts do not burn as much as I thought they did. 5) HOLY CRAP! I eat WAY more sweets and junk than I realized.
As of yesterday, I am attempting to not eat any processed/refined sugar for at least a week. I'd like to keep it going longer if I can, but I'm only on day two, and Girl Scout cookies just showed up at work and I'm struggling! Mind over matter... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

•Finish Gabriel's senior pictures (sorry buddy!!) OMG, I'm a terrible sister!! This still isn't done! Wahhhhh!!

Just for good measure, here's a picture of my cat, Beefcake. And because my sister says I don't show him off proudly enough. So there you go. Meow.

Come back in a day or two to see what I'm setting myself up for in May!



The best spin class I ever experienced

With training for the NYC 1/2 marathon, it's easy to let my cross training fall by the wayside, so by putting my goals on my blog I hoped that I'd somewhat force myself to go by put it out there for all the world to see.
The gym that I belong to offers spin on Monday's and Wednesday's, but I can't ever go on Wednesday's because of Cheer NY and it's difficult for me on Monday's. There are a couple of spin studios around the NYC area that I've been wanting to try (SoulCycle and Flywheel), but with a $30+ per class price tag, I just can't justify going when I can pay $20 for 4 classes at my gym. Very recently, brand new studio named Revolve, just popped up next to where I go tanning, and ever since, I've been wanting to go in, just to check it out, but was concerned it would likely be as expensive as its competitors so I always kept on walking.
Luckily, one day I was reading Missy Maintains, as I do almost every other day, when I saw that she posted a review of Revolve! I was eager to read what she thought of their studio, but what really got me excited was at the end of her post when she left a coupon code for a free ride with Dyan!
I wasted no time trying to find someone to come with me (though, I would have had no problems going alone) and started by poaching my teammates. Being on an athletic team of cheerleaders who are required to wear crop top, spandex uniforms, you'd think I'd have half the team coming with me! But alas, I was only able to recruit my friend Jessica.
After a morning of dealing with the oh-so-dependable NYC subway system, Jessica and I made it to the Revolve studio just in the nick of time to rent our shoes and hop on our reserved bikes. This studio requires that you wear shoes that clip into the pedals, which I had never done before, and Jessica had never, ever taken a spin class before! Dyan and the rest of the staff at Revolve were SO helpful getting our bikes adjusted and our shoes clipped in.
The class started promptly. The lights went down, the music went up, and we were off! For me, music can really be a deal breaker when it comes to a workout class, with this class, it's a lot of what sealed the deal. Dyan's play list was SO great. Dyan's energy and encouragement was so helpful throughout the class with constant reminders of "I can! I will! I am!" keeping me going, even through the weight section in the middle, all the way through to the end. I felt the class had the perfect balance between hills, sprints, and resting intervals. I decided to use the 3lb weights since I hadn't taken the class before- and so glad I did. She definitely had me using muscles I haven't used in a while!

Jessica, Dyan and me after our kick-ass class!

The 45 minute class ended before I knew it and even though I had just finished an intense class, I loved it all so much, I had wished I could stay for the class immediately after.
I really do think that having a friend come with me made a big difference, but I know that even if Jessica hadn't been there, I would have enjoyed it just as much. Although the price tag on their classes are just as much as the other spin studios in NYC, I may just have to hunker down, suck it up, and pay for it.
Dyan- thanks again for giving me the greatest spin experience! I can't say that I'm a "spin expert" but I've taken enough classes to know that I hope every one I take in the future was just like that one!