Guest Post: Gifts for the Guys

Hi everyone! I’m on my way to Tahoe, but I was lucky enough to get an email from a reader asking to guest post on Apple of My Eye! While the holidays may be over, the post-Christmas sales are here and ready to be taken advantage of. I know from experience how hard it is to think of the perfect gift for the men in your life, especially since I love to give personalized gifts, so Quinn’s post about finding great active gifts for guys really hits the nail on the head for me!Great Gifts for Active Men Quinn is a self-proclaimed health enthusiast who loves to stay active. She enjoys running, playing soccer and going hiking with her family. 
You can visit her blog here: healthylivingbyquinn.blogspot.com Great Gift Ideas for the Active Man in Your Life The holidays are here, and it is time to go shopping for that special someone in your life. That being said, it is sometimes hard to find the perfect gift for guys who like to stay active and healthy. The great news is that there are tons of gifts out there that are the prefect way to please any health junkie. Here are five gift ideas you may want to consider for that fitness nut in your life! Personalized Golf Balls

golf-ball-ftr

(Source) 

If there is one thing that men love to do, it is play golf with their friends. If that special someone you love is a big golfer, chances are that they have most of the essential golf items that they need. That is when personalized golf balls are a great gift. You can customize them any way that you want! It also helps the person that is receiving the gift to stand out on the golf course when they play with their friends. I bought my husband some from RedEnvelope’s Gifts for Dad site last spring – safe to say, more of them landed in the woods than on the green. Gym Membership When buying a gift for a health nut, what is better than buying them a gym membership! Buying them a gym membership not only gives them something that they can actually use, but it also shows them that you support their active lifestyle. A gym membership is a gift that just keeps on giving and is a great way for someone to kick off the New Year. Weighted Vest

WV40

(Source)

If the person you are buying a gift for is into cardio, you may want to consider getting them a weighted vest. This is a great gift for people who are looking to make their cardio workout just a little bit harder. The weighted vest is the best way to not only build extra muscle, but to really increase endurance as well. It is simply perfect for anyone who likes working out at home or at the gym! Workout Gloves Workout gloves are always another great option when buying gifts for active people. When a person lifts weights, cracks and calluses can form on their hands. This can make it painful and uncomfortable to work out. If it gets too bad, it can keep that person from doing what they love to do, which is staying physically active. Workout gloves not only help give them a better grip, but they can also help protect their hands from damage. Healthy Cookbook Working out is just half the battle when it comes to staying in shape, but sometimes eating healthy does not always taste good. Ensure that your guy does not become bored with his diet by buying him a healthy cookbook. These books are full of different meals that can help him build up the energy that he needs for the perfect workout. Finding the perfect gifts for people is hard. This goes double when they are into working out and staying physically active. However, by using some of these tips, you can rest assured that you will find the perfect holiday gift for your special someone!  

Christmas Recap!

Merry Christmas to all of you wonderful people! 

I hope your day was filled with good times and family, I know mine was.

It sounds a bit weird, but my family and I celebrate on Christmas Eve and traditionally eat our Christmas dinner on the 24th before opening our gifts that night (I actually grew up thinking everybody did this), so I had a bit of a head start on the holiday festivities!

Here’s a quick recap:

On Monday night, Kyle and I drove over to a neighborhood to go check out some Christmas lights. The people there always go all out and we had a wonderful time wandering around and sipping on some hot chocolate. IMG_1375 IMG_1373The morning of Christmas Eve, my sister and I opened presents  sent from one of our Norwegian Aunts. She had handmade us stunning Norwegian sweaters and we were shocked at how beautiful they were when we put them on! It’s obvious how talented she is at creating such gorgeous pieces, but it still blows my mind that she made these completely from scratch. I wish I was that talented! 

DSC_1909 DSC_1901 I love how stylishly they fit and their feminine cut, which makes them cinch in at the waist instead of just hanging off of you like most sweaters.  

DSC_1910

At around 5:30, we headed over to my relatives house to get our festivities started! I live only 5 minutes away from most of my cousins and my grandparents and we’ve always been a tight knit group. Our holidays are always spent in comfortable company!

My family!

My family!

Dinner was fantastic and consisted of a big roast, creamed corn, roasted vegetables, homemade bread, salad, and mashed potatoes.  

image-28

Then it was time to exchange presents!  

DSC_1982

We had 21 people in one house, so things were crowded in the happiest of ways! I love that we have some cousins that are still little. There’s nothing like the joy and excitement that come from little kids on Christmas. It completes the season!

My sister and I with our Grandma!

My sister and I with our Obachan!

DSC_1968 I felt completely overwhelmed this Christmas by the presents given to me. Kyle went out of his way to get me a gorgeous diamond bracelet (holy smokes, I think I drooled all over it!) and made me a beautiful handmade jewelry box. My Dad jokingly said that Kyle will need to get me a lot more jewelry to help fill it up- HAH! 

image-29 image-27

My parents also generously got my sister and I our own iPad minis. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. Apple keeps on cranking out all this new technology and I can’t keep up! 

Tomorrow I head out to Tahoe with my extended family, Kyle, and a friend from college. I’m looking forward to skiing, but not to the 8 hour drive!

Hope you had a WONDERFUL Christmas! 

Follow me on:

Bloglovin

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest 

Beach Walks & Froyo

These last few days have been happily spent resting and relaxing after finishing some intense finals. I can’t even begin to describe how nice it is to have a break and be back at home! 

I’ve been catching up with a few of my favorite things, including cooking/baking, exercising, netflix-ing (yes, that’s a verb), and, of course, blogging. 

Today, Kyle and I went on a semi-active date and went walking by the beach. It was a wonderful way to spend time together and also stretch out our legs! I did a leg workout today and I’m, to say the least, feeling a little stiff. 

Walking Date with Kyle

Our first stop was by Yogurtland to get a much-needed froyo fix! I underestimated how much room was in the bowl and didn’t leave nearly enough room for toppings. Womp womp womp.

IMG_1317

After filling our bellies with the good stuff, we headed out for our walk! It was a bit cloudy and very, very windy, but we still had a great time chatting and enjoying the view.

IMG_1321 Kyle and Christine Beach WalkIMG_1345I took the opportunity to wear one of the new dresses I got over Thanksgiving break and love how it looks! I’m a sucker for anything lace and love how flattering the cut is and how it cinches at the top of the torso. For those of you who were wondering, I got this dress at H&M for a steal! They have a ton of great holiday dresses and I’m excited to get the chance to wear the other two I got.

*Hint hint: Kyle, take me out on a date ;).

Just a hapa girlHope the week it passing quickly for you! I can’t believe how soon Christmas will be here and really need to catch up on my Christmas shopping- yikes!

Signature

 

Catching Up & Future Blog Post Ideas

Well howdy all you beautiful people! 

I hope you had a relaxing and family-filled Thanksgiving and that life is treating you well :). With finals coming up in a week, I’ve been a bit stressed for time, but wanted to pop in with an update! 

I’ve been studying…

DSC_1624

Nonstop, all the time. This year has been an extremely difficult one so far for me academically (blame it on the physics, organic chemistry, and biology classes along with labs- yuck), and I cannot wait for the quarter to be over and to have a few weeks of rest during the holidays. 

I went shopping…

image-2 image

While I was home for Thanksgiving, I stopped by one of our nearby shopping malls for some much needed shopping therapy. I scooped up three new dresses, a new top, some workout clothes (as if I don’t have enough already), and two pairs of earrings. Success! 

I’ve been cooking…

I have a GREAT recipe for brussels sprouts that will hopefully be up soon! With it getting dark so early, I don’t have much time to snap decent photos and am hoping that my housemmates and Kyle don’t gobble them up before I can set my camera to them tomorrow! They’re that good! 

And I’ve been eating…

DSC_1633 DSC_1639 DSC_1638 DSC_1658

Thanksgiving food and homemade biscuits and gravy made by his 93 (!) year old great grandma. They are out-of-this-world delicious! 

I’ve been working on getting more organized with blogging…

Something I’ve realized over the past few months is that I really, really need to plan out a blogging schedule. I don’t like being so inconsistent with my posts and would prefer to update the blog 4-6 times a week, which obviously hasn’t been happening. I have a couple of posts in mind, such as:

  • Increasing your blog traffic through Pinterest (I can’t stress how many fabulous visitors I get through the site by using a few tricks)
  • Healthy recipes for the holidays
  • Getting accepted to sites like Foodgawker and Tastespotting (invaluable for traffic as well!)

So let me know if any of those strike a chord with you!

And now, back to the grind!

Signature

 

 

Lately (In Pictures!)

It’s midterm round #2 season around here, so I’m a little pinched for time! I have my Organic Chemistry and Physics exams coming up on Monday and Thursday, so this will just be a quick photo drop (mostly about the trip to the zoo that I went on for my best friend Kelty’s birthday). 

To get right to it, it was the best day ever. I fed a giraffe (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and had a great time with all my gals. I guess I should probably mention that I started crying from being so overwhelmed and excited. Yup, you read that right. I cried over feeding a giraffe. My friends are never going to let me live that down. 

Me crying over a giraffe definitely reminds me of Kristen Bell’s Sloth Meltdown on the Ellen Show. 
Happines

DSC_1768He licked me!DSC_1789

1426163_252248414928631_1413219757_n

1424358_252248421595297_1052853469_n DSC_1650 DSC_1642 DSC_1665 DSC_1742 DSC_1761 DSC_1688 DSC_1683 DSC_1684DSC_1625 DSC_1648Lightened-Up (but seriously SO delicious) Pumpkin Bread recipe to come! I’m drooling just thinking about it :)

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite animal? 

Signature