Hello, friends!
I just had the most crazy, exhilarating, and exhausting-in-the-best-possible-way weekend and am so excited to share it with you! It involved a long day trip to the happiest place on Earth (debatable I must say…), an AMAZING styled shoot that I put together with my photography partner, and launching my new website!
Let’s start with Saturday.
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Hello friends! Did you guys have a good weekend? I was going to start this post off with a rousing “Happy Monday!” but I quickly realized that that’s a bit of an oxymoron and decided that it’s better to dwell on the weekend while we still can 😉 . Here’s what I’ve been up to!
Friday was a big travel day for me as I had a meeting with my wedding photographer friend/mentor about some really really really exciting plans we have for the upcoming year. I’ll get more into that another time, but I’m beyond thrilled with how things are turning out and I think that these plans will turn into a pretty big life adjustment (life change seemed like to scary of a word choice so let’s go with adjustment). I drove up to Santa Barbara from the LA-ish area and back after an intensive 3 hour meeting so I was on the freeway for about 6 hours total that day. I came home, stuffed my face with dinner, and hunkered down on the couch for a movie and ice cream night with Kyle. We ended up watching World War Z again even though we had both previously seen it since nothing else looked all that interesting.
On a side note, how cute it this new camera bag Kyle got me for my birthday? Obsessed.
Since my brain was D-E-A-D after all that driving and planning, I went to bed relatively early and didn’t wake up till 9, which never happens to me since I’m a morning person in general.
Saturday involved camping at Starbucks to work on some freelance assignments, doing some blogging work, and designing a new photography website. I meant to go to the gym, but since I put it off in the evening instead of going early in the morning, I managed to convince myself that I didn’t really need to. Anyone else like that? I find that if I’m not at the gym before a certain time, my odds of going plummet.
Sunday was busy in the best possible way and involved going to church with Kyle and his family in the morning, getting an all-American brunch, an early afternoon nap, photographing Adam and Taylor’s senior portraits, and eating Korean BBQ. I’m not complaining!
I had Kyle come as well so he could carry a stool for me to stand on since I’m a shortie and so that I could snap a few photos of him with his little brother, Adam. THEY ARE SO CUTE.
This week is going to be full of spending more time on the blog since I feel like I’ve been neglecting all you lovely readers, designing my new website, freelance recipe creation/photography/writing, and tons of business-related things. I feel like I’ve been putting off a lot of little tasks over the last few months and I’m determined to check most of them off my monster to-do list. Fun stuff!
Question of the Day: What was the best part of your weekend?
Something a little different today! Since things have been more recipe-based lately, I thought it would be fun to do a small survey that Liv tagged me in. Onwards!
Four names that people call me other than my real name:
1. Teenie
2. Stina
3. Kissy (throwback to when I was little and couldn’t pronounce my own name)
4. Chris (quickly shut this one down from Kyle’s dad hahaha)
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The North Face for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
This summer is one that I’m devoting to my health.
The last year was a busy one for me- especially my Spring quarter. With all the senior portraits I photographed/edited/delivered, trying to keep the blog functioning, and being a full-time student, I ended up being too drained to workout. I think a lot of it had to do with me feeling burnt out after my half-marathon. What started as a few days break from exercise to recover turned into a month and a half long affair and it’s been difficult for me to get back into the swing of things.
Luckily, I have a fantastic app that I’ve been using to help me get back on track! I know I’ve talked about it before, but the Mountain Athletics from The North Face App has been saving my butt (literally, it has me squatting so the booty isn’t going anywhere) for the last few weeks. There’s something so nice about having a set workout to do instead of being lost amidst a sea of machines and I absolutely LOVE that they have videos to help show you exactly how each exercise should be done.
I’ve transitioned away from the running training guide and have been trying out the general fitness program. You guys. LOVE. Not only does it help me mix up my workouts, but it keeps me honest since I like being able to check out each day’s workout and it keep me accountable if I skip a day. Here’s the general layout:
Monday: upper and lower body strength
Tuesday: lower and upper body unilateral strength
Wednesday: run
Thursday: work capacity/core strength
Friday: upper and lower body strength
Since I usually keep my workouts around 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, I complete a 25-45 minute cardio burn before starting on the body and weight exercises. I sometimes add a few of my personal favorite exercises, but the app gives me a fantastic base to build off of.
And being able to partner my Mountain Athletics workout with some of North Face’s fantastic gear from the collection? SWOON. So comedy, durable, and light. The material keeps you nice and dry throughout your sweaty workout and the color combinations they have are right up my alley!
I’m hoping to get my fitness back to where it was when I was lifting more regularly. I know many girls and women think weight lifting makes you bulky, but trust me, the exact opposite is true and I find that I have my best body image when I’ve been pumping iron regularly. Not only does it help you build lean muscle, but it’s also incredibly important for your bones (more on that in a future post!). I highly reccomend starting to incorporate weights into your workout routine- you won’t regret it one bit!
Want to learn more?
Check out The North Face, Facebook for even more!
Make sure to follow The North Face on Twitter
Use the hashtag “#ITrainFor” when posting to social media!
Haven’t gotten the app yet? Download the Mountain Athletics App and start killing your workouts!
Here’s to a healthier summer! If anyone wants an accountability buddy, feel free to shoot me an email! I love connecting with readers on a more personal level and could use the support myself 
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I’ve been staring at this blank page, trying to think of some sort of witty opening sentence for a blog post about my 21st birthday today, but nothing is coming to mind. It’s funny how things just seem to escape you once you try putting them into words, when other times they just come pouring out. Last night I was up till 1 in the morning, lying in bed and brainstorming possible titles.
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