Being Your Best You: Total Package

Hello and Happy Thursday! 

For the whole month of July there's been a fun Thursday link-up over on my fitness blog along with the wonderful Chelsea and Rebecca. 

The theme? Being your BEST you!

While this series has been over on Not the Average Bear, I figured my JumpingJE readers/lovers would want in on a little bit of the fun! 

If you haven't already been able to check it out, here's the archives:

Be Your Best You: Balance

Be Your Best You: Energy

Be Your Best You: Strength

For the final day of the month (and of the link-up!) we're going to wrap it all up with what Chelsea calls the "Total Package".  Simply put - what's the best thing you do for yourself to be your BEST?

My secret weapons?

Water and clean eating. Boom.

Ever since I made the wise decision to clean up my eating act (by following 90% paleo) and to give my body the respect it deserves, I've reaped the rewards. 

I function better.

My skin is clearer.

I have more energy.

I have a healthier relationship with food (and the occasional indulgence).

I'm genuinely a happier and better person to be around.

I'm becoming my best version of me (so far!)

Try it, I swear you'll see the same thing. Tell me all about it!

Plus, if you know me... the sweaty selfies also get me through the day :)

Weekend Resting

Oh hey! It's time again to talk about the weekend! 

Things were pretty busy in these parts with home things and baby shower things, but I was thrilled to get out and experience some nature on Saturday with an amazing hike. I set out bright and early with a friend who loves exploring and has recently taken up hiking with some serious passion. 

The destination was Angel's Rest which is just under 5 miles round trip (elevation 1,500 feet) and is about 30 minutes away from my doorstep. 

We'd had some rainy weather in Portland during the week, so it was a pleasant surprise to be blessed with such blue skies and not much competition out on the trails in the early morning. 

There's nothing like the feeling when you get to the top of a mountain. Physically and mentally you feel alive! Let these less than perfect iPhone photos give you just a hint at what I saw this weekend!

Then come to Portland and let me show you in person!

Amazing right? Is there anything where you live that's like this?

Guest Post: Being Your Best You: Strength

Today on my fitness blog we're taking over with the July Challenge with a post on how to be your BEST you.

Come see how I get stronger, each and every day, inside and out!

Just click my face (or bicep) below to find me!

Bad Blogger Confessions

What's up, team? 

Thought I'd pop in today for the first time this week and give mention to all my blogging misses lately.

Don't expect a crazy amount from this one either because I'm typing this as I dry my hair this morning in the bathroom because I took a 4 hour nap last night! Win!

:: I don't have any photos on my camera roll that are even share-worthy to hash together a post about  my weekend update.

Nope, just checked again - nada. 

:: P.S The weekend wasn't anything crazy like when Melissa was here, just the mundane house chores and a few hours at home with the family. 

:: My Bloglovin' feed has 437 unread blogs. I tried to keep up but you guys just keep writing!

:: I'm missing blogging just a bit, but making great progress at work and keeping that "balance" I always talk about.

:: I've been playing this game lately where I'll check how much a same-day one way plane ticket is - to anywhere! San Fran, Miami, Cancun - I just wanna get away!

:: I've been getting after pounds of blueberries lately. This costco sized carton is in constant replenishment this summer.

Now I'm regretting not getting after this sooner and missing out on the top link-up spot with Kathy - don't make my same mistake!

Check back in tomorrow on my fitness blog for the July Challenge link up, spotlighting Strength! 

Guest Post: Being Your Best You: Energy

Today on my fitness blog we're taking over with the July Challenge with a post on how to be your BEST you.

Come see how I like to earn my Energy and how you can earn it too!

Just click my face (or bicep) below to find me!

Confessions: Hey, I Just Met You

As you've seen us all rave about, I finally got to meet Melissa (hey new blog layout!!) in person over the weekend here in Portland. 

Meeting someone in person for the first time after corresponding over the internet is more cool than it is weird, but really forces the issue that you are a real person in real life with real quirks. Sure, if I was just meeting Melissa for coffee I could mask some of the weird to not scare her away, but when she's sleeping across the hall and we're doing all the things together in a jam-packed weekend - there's nothing I can hide.

Here's some Hey, I Just Met You Confessions that were spotlighted this epic weekend!

:: My inability to parallel park under "pressure".

:: My inability to wake up to alarms. Multiple alarms. Multiple loud alarms. 

:: My Messy Messy Messy car that made it awkward to fit 4 people comfortably. 

:: How I didn't realize I could use my tea kettle to boil water for some sleepy time tea

:: My willingness to #notpaleo so hard when I'm out entertaining.

:: The way I take the "scenic route" when I don't know which way to drive. 

:: My ability to lose credit cards, wallets, keys and other personal items.

:: How I can't say "bag" like a normal person. It's something more like "baieyg".

:: My personal life is deeper than the blog life I share. 

And other more awkward things that you'll just have to see for yourself when we meet in person!!

Link up with Kathy for Hump Day!

Or just stare at Ian SoDamnHotter for anther minute like I do for this link up. 

The Weekend Blate

I'm positive that I've never crammed as much awesome into my weekend as I did over the past 5 days that Melissa was in Portland. 

Not only did I get to meet this beautiful and confident lady in the flesh, Brooke and I were able to show her some of the "greatest hits" that the Portland Metro area has to offer. She's got the cutest Canadian accent and we enjoyed pointing out how it was even more obvious when she'd get excited. Trust me, there was tons to get excited about.

Food, scenery, girl chats, good music, wine, meat(!!!). Such a packed weekend that I don't even know how to recap it all.

Let's list some of the yummy places that took my moneys this weekend. So many meat sweats I can't even count them all.

- Casa Del Matador

- Smokehouse 21

- McMenamins Blue Moon

- Tilt

- Willamette (rhymes with "Damn it") Valley Vineyard

- Stoller Family Estate

- Red Hills Market

- McMenamins Edgefield

- Deschutes Brewery Portland

Each day was something differently epic. Wine tasting, hiking and taking advantage of the beautiful things I sometimes take for granted in this city I live in. I know the song is "Don't go chasing waterfalls" but why?! They are beautiful, I want to chase them all!

On Melissa's first night she even got to see the unicycling bagpipe playing Darth Vader ride by while all of the Portlanders looked at him and immediately went back to what they were doing without taking a second look. #KeepPortlandWeird

Maybe the biggest win was that Melissa realized how not-normal Brooke and I actually are. Surprisingly she seemed to be okay with that!

Blate weekends rock. Can't wait to see you again, Melissa!!

Guest Post: Being Your Best You - Balance

Today on my fitness blog we're taking over with the July Challenge with a post on how to be your BEST you.

Get excited because it's about one of my most favorite things - Balance!

Just click my face (or bicep) below to find me!

Showing Up to Class Confessions

Hi blog world, what have you been up to?

I've been away for a week with work and play but won't miss confessions even if it means staying up a little past bedtime to tell them. 

FIRST thing to mention is that Melissa is coming to Portland tomorrow for a long and amazing weekend. I can't explain how excited I am to hug her in real life after months of internet hugs and snapchat selfies. Get excited!!!!

:: I've never bought my own fireworks and really prefer it that way. Blow up my money? boo! Watch other people burn their money? Awesome! 

:: 4th of July has always been a depressing day for me. From not being invited to BBQ's, not having any friends at my new school, not feeling comfortable in my own skin on a hot day, not wanting to be stuck in a crowd after a big show - it's always a life re-defining day that's made me sad when I should be in awe of the explosions in the sky.

This year was like a make up for years and years of disappointment with a promise of years and years of happiness to come.

:: These are the most amazing tweezers I've ever encountered in my entire life. I think I'm addicted to tweezing my lady-hairs eyebrows.

:: I got caught in the staircase at the gym yesterday taking this selfie. Like the good blogger / selfie-taker I am, I didn't budge, didn't blush and didn't apologize. Just smirked and snapped the photo. 

:: I thought that I missed a link-up that I'm co-hosting yesterday.... but turns out it's actually happening on Thursday - you should go check out the details for every Thursday in July on my fitness blog!

Also... sup, shark week?

Link up with Kathy!!!

July Confessions

Hey hey! 

We are going to do some quick n' dirty confessions because I have an early alarm this Wednesday morning for a workout that I'm likely not going to do. If I make it in, I am the most disciplined person in the world. If I don't, well - that'd be like every other day!

:: Life is infinitely better since I toned down the eyeliner. 

See that photo in my sidebar? And how the eyeliner is thick and so not classy? Well I'm working on getting a better photo than that to put as my blog photo because my look has changed significantly since I fixed that. People always have complimented my eyes so I thought I was doing something right.... nope - this is doing something right (besides the hair) 

:: Pictures of sloths will always make me happy. Always.

:: Awkward award goes to me, the girl in the pink who can't walk down a dusty hill.

:: On that same hike, I almost fell backwards off this waterfall when I was scared to near death by two rabid wolves tame puppies on a walk that caught me by surprise. It was steeper than it looks!

:: If there was ever time to return a bottle of wine, it would have been this one. I think I would have rather had a bottle of diluted dish soap. Why does such nastiness exist? 

And with that, I leave you to confess your own sins with Kathy!

Guest Post: So Much Mischief.

Today on my fitness blog we're talking about my mischief over the past three weeks and how it was managed.

Just click my face (or bicep) below to find me!