Hello, hello!
Yesterday morning started my favorite way””with fresh, green juice! In the mix: spinach, kale, apple, lemon, celery, cucumber, and ginger.
Breakfast
I hung out and drank my juice with Mal while he ate breakfast and got ready for school. A little while later, I started to get hungry, so I made myself some breakfast, which was toast with peanut butter and banana. Love this breakfast always and forever. It never gets old.
Once I ate breakfast, I showered and got ready to meet my mom, so we could go shopping for my sister’s baby shower, which is planned for the end of this month.
On the drive, I stopped by Marylou’s for an iced coffee. I went with decaf White Chocolate Chip with milk and one sugar, which is the perfect amount of sweetness and creaminess in my opinion. It sort of tastes like Kahlua!
Traffic was an absolute nightmare on Route 93””worse than usual. At one point, an electronic sign on the side of the road said: “3 miles, 22 minutes.” Um, yea. I could run just as fast. Needless to say, it was a frustrating drive north (and I had to pee so bad after drinking a medium iced coffee), but I eventually made it”¦ an hour and a half later.
Our first stop: iParty!
At iParty, my mom and I bought all sorts of decorations and paper products for my sister’s shower. We also hit up Michael’s and Target for more goodies.
I can’t show you guys what we bought because my sister reads my blog, but I can tell you we bought lots of cute, blue, boy stuff. I am so excited for my sister’s shower!
While we were out shopping, I also bought some party supplies for a ladies night event that I am hosting with Smirnoff at my CrossFit box next week. We’re going to workout and then try the new Smirnoff Sorbet Light flavors!
Lunch
After shopping for a few hours, my mom and I were both starving (shopping works up quite the appetite!), so we headed to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch.
The Cheesecake Factory has the biggest menu, and I could not decide what I wanted to eat, so I ordered a couple of appetizers: beets with goat cheese.
And chicken and mushrooms lettuce wraps.
The chicken and mushrooms were served in a delicious garlic-ginger sauce. It was so good, I told my mom I wished I had ordered two orders instead of the beet salad, which was just okay. Chicken and mushrooms in garlic-ginger sauce = holy yum.
After lunch, I said goodbye to my mom and then hit the road. Thankfully, I beat the rush hour traffic at the end of the day and got home in no time.
Before heading home, I stopped to do a couple of errands, which included picking up the “stuff” I need to drink in preparation for my colonoscopy tomorrow. I’ve heard horror stories about it (i.e. how awful it tastes), but I wasn’t expecting how much of it I have to drink.
I literally said “Oh my God” out loud when I took the container of the bag. I was not expecting to see such a huge container. It’s 4 liters! Yikes. Oh, boy, today is going to be “fun.” Haha!
When I was out running errands, I also stopped at Kinkos to print some study materials”¦
Yep, that’s right. I finally decided to get my CrossFit Level 1 Certification! You guys knew it was coming at some point, right?
I’ve actually been thinking about registering for awhile now, but I just never got my act together. But, then, about a month ago, one of my CrossFit friends encouraged me to sign up for an upcoming Level 1 class with her. I thought it’d be fun to have a friend to do the course with, so I went online to check it out, only to discover the course was full. Bummer. So I put myself on the waitlist and hoped maybe I’d get in. A couple of weeks passed, and I still didn’t hear anything about the waitlist, so I checked the CrossFit Level 1 Certification website again to see if any additional classes were added for the spring or summer. To my surprise, there was a new, OPEN course nearby! Hooray! I immediately signed up.
So, what am I going to do with this certification?
Well, I’d like to do some coaching. I love CrossFit so much, I want to share my passion for it even more by teaching and motivating others in person. But, as you probably remember, I’m terrible at (and terrified of) public speaking/being the center of attention, so I talked with one of the owners at my box about doing some assistant coaching and private sessions (I’m a lot better with people one-on-one) with the possibility of taking on some classes of my own down the road. She loved the idea and encouraged me to register for the certification course.
In addition to some coaching, I’ll use what I learn at the Level 1 course to better respond to your questions on CNC. I do what can now, drawing from my own personal experience, but I definitely don’t have all of the answers, so, with this new knowledge, I hope to be able to better reply to your CrossFit questions. And, finally, the course will also help me become a better CrossFit athlete, so it’s definitely a great professional and personal development move for me. I am really excited about it!
Dinner
A few hours later, I cooked dinner for Mal and me, which was shrimp stir fry with rice.
Here’s a cute photo of Murphy just because”¦
Dinner was mostly from the freezer, so it came together in a matter of minutes. Ok, the rice took a little while to cook, but it was a super easy meal.
After dinner, I did a little baking. Recipe coming soon! IT’S A GOOD ONE!!!!!
Questions of the Day
What’s your favorite thing about baby showers?
Do you like The Cheesecake Factory? What do you order when you go there?
What do you want to know about CrossFit?
P.S. Check out my spring bucket list over on My Way Home!
111 Comments
Good luck on the certification! You can do it!
So exciting about your sister’s shower!! Two friends are planning mine for next month, I’m due in July and also having a boy.
And super awesome about your certification!!! Sometimes you just have to take that jump of the train and see what happens!
It’s not the healthiest of choices, but I use CoffeeMate Italian Sweet Cream creamer in my coffee, creating the perfect frothy, creamy, sweet treat in the a.m. No sugar needed, and it tastes just like a latte to me.
I like the Cheesecake Factory, too, and I agree – their menu is almost too much. Miss Picky Eater here has only tried their grilled chicken sandwich and plain old pasta with marinara. Both were good, but the red velvet cheesecake is great. It takes me at least three separate attempts to finish one piece though.
Murphy has a face I could just squeeze. 🙂
Why are you having a colonoscopy at such a young age?
@elizabeth: I have Ulcerative Colitis.
Best of luck with the coaching! You’ll be great at it. While public speaking is definitely nerve wracking for many of us, I think that you’re far better at it than you realize. I saw you speak in Boston on a TECHmunch panel in 2011 and you did a great job. Give yourself more credit! : )
I LOVE the Cheesecake Factory. I normally order either the Margherita flatbread or the veggie burger. Both are super delicious!
I almost got the veggie burger! It sounded really good. Next time! 🙂
That’s awesome!! It’s so great that to have found something you love so much and now you’ll be able to teach people about it. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Oh goodness, good luck with the colonoscopy! I had one done for my colitis and it was disgusting. I get a buffalo chicken sandwich when I go to the Cheesecake Factory! That’s my go-to everywhere I go 😉
Baby showers are just so fun to see all the new things out there! I also love playing games at the mommy’s expense 🙂
congrats on starting the certification and finding something you’re so passionate about. thats exciting.
I had to drink that stuff when I had mine. It didn’t hit me until the next morning! Yikes. And then after the colonoscopy I felt super gassy all day, it sucked! Good luck though
I’ve had the 4 litre stuff for a colonoscopy, and a different one for a barium enema x-ray (yes, I really do know how to have a good time), and the 4 litres are hard to get down, but easier on your stomach, in my experience. If you can do Crossfit, you can get those 4 litres down. Hard, but do-able.
Love Cheesecake Factory! But I think my favorite part is the cheesecake. They have a red velvet cheesecake that is amazing!
I LOVE the Cheesecake Factory; it’s one of my favorite restaurants! My husband and I usually share the Sweet Corn Cake Tamale appetizer. Their salmon salad is delicious (huge, but delicious!).
Yeah, I heard the GoLytely prep for colonoscopies is no joke. I work in a hospital and some of the patients refuse to finish it! I hope you have great results after your visit.
Good luck with the cert!! It’s an amazing weekend, definitely be sure to read through the entire manuel and start working on the outline. It’s helpful no matter what questions are on the test. The form stuff and different cues you’ll learn at the cert are invaluable!
How exciting! (Not the colonoscopy prep, the CrossFit certification.) 😉 Good luck with both!
How exciting! I’m still building my nerve to try Crossfit!
Tina,
I have been doing crossfit and crossfit style workouts for 6 years off and on! I absolutely love crossfit workouts. I’m not sure if your box does testing for the crossfit levels, but I got so determined to get strong. I worked on improving my times, relative strength, etc. I love Kipping pull-ups… I got up to 45 for my max! Good luck on your certification !
I am thrilled for ya! I am going to look into doing it this summer, since I am a teacher. Have fun 🙂
I am so sorry you have to drink all that goo!! I have to drink two liters of contrast before I have my CT scans, so I know what you have to go thru…although I have never had to drink 4 liters at one time! Fingers are crossed that you only have to do this once and that you will get some answers! Will be thinking of you!
Love the Cheesecake Factory. Their menu items are huge! Love going with someone who wants to split an appetizer, entree and then dessert.
Good luck with your training!
Hey Tina! What is the jar on the left that you put in your stir-fry? It looks like a peanut butter jar…but with a lighter color substance in it. I love making stir-fry, so always open to new ideas! Good luck with the colonoscopy!
@Claire C: OMG I am working too late and distracting myself with your blog…it’s the rice!
It’s rice! 🙂
T!
I am so excited you are getting your Level 1!! I will absolutely take every class you teach at CF781! Congrats lady…I know you will rock it!
Aww, thanks, Katie!!! 🙂
Good luck with the Colo. I had one last year and it’s a doddle. Surprised to see you weren’t on a special diet though. In France we have 3 days of utterly bland food followed by that prep drink. A ploy to keep us of the fine wines and cheeses perhaps? 😉
Rach
Yaaay! Congrats on going forward with getting your Crossfit certification, Tina. That’s so awesome. Also, best of luck w/ the colonoscopy. . . Hang in there!
Congrats on taking the next step towards your CrossFit training! Woohoo!
Yay! Good for you hun! I knew you’d be instructing Cross Fit eventually! You’ll be so great at it too.
I loooove cheesecake factory! I drive there to braintree from chatham! Its worth the drive! I always get the avocado egg rolls and bang bang chicken! Sooo yummy!
Good luck with your certification! 🙂
The menu and dishes from the Cheesecake Factory scare the pants off of me! All of the portions are incredibly large and I cannot handle the amount of choices, I always steer clear but your mushroom appetizer sounds superb!
Congrats on the certification! How exciting! My favorite part about baby showers is just talking the pregnant person/people. The parties can get boring or long, but I find pregnant people to be super cute. I love hearing about the plans for the baby and all those details. Super fun. 🙂
The grilled artichoke at Cheesecake Factory is the bees knees. There were a few times when I made that my whole meal. So so good!
that’s sooo awesome and i’m jelly! would love to get that certification! but i’m starting my residency soon! :))
That is exciting. I was thinking that you’d be a great CrossFit coach and I’m excited to learn more from you as you go through the classes and everything. Favorite thing about baby showers is the fun games played and seeing all of the cute clothes/gifts people give (especially shoes- baby shoes are adorable). I haven’t been to the Cheesecake Factory in a long time but I used to always get one of the chicken dishes that would end up lasting me like 3 more meals. Ordering apps is a good idea there!
I always get the lettuce wraps at Cheesecake Factory! So good!
Nice green juice! I start every morning the same way. A great way to start the day…