all of the pumpkin things

The last time I attempted to be crafty it did not go very well. Check out this post for proof. So, last night when I was invited over to my friend's house for pumpkin carving and I had the bright idea to paint my pumpkins instead of carve them, I was definitely setting myself up for failure. I blame Pinterest. 

I used this picture for my inspiration, but made sure to stay away from the devil Chevron stripes.

Here is what I ended up with. 

Don't worry I was still a struggle and somehow ended up with gray paint in my hair. #winning. #struggle #ididitallfortheoktoberfest 

Anyway, the pumpkins are nothing to run and show the girls at A Beautiful Mess, but I have to admit they could have turned out much worse. 

Go me? Wish me luck when I attempt to make this pumpkin custard for dinner tonight with Jessi.

Linking up with Helene and Sarah.

<3 BB

daughter

No, not the child kind that I am nowhere ready to have. I am talking about Daughter the band from London. They have been a favorite as of late and NPR just posted their Tiny Desk Concert yesterday. I LOVE TINY DESK CONCERTS.

Tiny Desk Concerts are intimate video performances, recorded at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. I have maybe listened to this Daughter's performance at least 4 times since they posted it yesterday. I don't get obsessive over my favorite new music or anything.

Anyway, I wanted to share the Tiny Desk Concert with you, as well as their new album, because it's lovely, and melancholy, and sad, and beautiful all at the same time.

My favorite on the album is Youth, but the whole thing can be played on repeat and it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Enjoy!

<3 BB

cyclocross shenanigans

So, yesterday for my weekend shenanigans, I got to complete in my very first Cyclocross race with the Cross Crusade Circuit. Never heard of Cyclocross?! Yeah, I was more or less a newb coming into, too. My good friend Wikipedia describes Cyclocross as: 

'Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5 km or 1.5–2 mile) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount.'

More or less a Tough Mudder, but on a bike. My spin instructor, Tess, whom I love, has been talking it up for months and finally got me to come out this past weekend. She let me use her old bike and everything. Luckily for me, my first experience was pretty awesome. Since races are in the fall and winter it's usually rainy, muddy, and cold, but yesterday was the perfect fall day to attempt my first race. 

There was gravel, mud, hills, concrete barriers, and a lot of ladies that were much better than me out on the course. 

45 mins, 4 laps, and no crashes later (the leaders finished 5 laps in the 45min time cap) I finished middle of the pack in the beginner section and I am pretty happy with the outcome. Now obviously looking back after the race there were a lot of things I would have done differently, but oh well, race one is in the books. 

Here are a few things I learned after my first race:

//I really need to stop doubting myself and my abilities.

//I really enjoy biking, even if the last time I was on a bike was 3 summers ago. 

//My background in hurdles definitely helped get me and my bike over the barriers.
//I am not very good at turns at the end of steep hills. 

//I had pre-race nervous pees just like before track meets. 

//I need to invest in bike shorts. 

Here are a few pics Brad took during my race. 

Cheers to getting out of your comfort zone, getting sweaty, and trying something new! Linking up with Sami for weekend shenannies! 

<3 BB 

excuses

Not sure if many of you have seen this photo floating around the internet or not.

But it has been getting quite a bit of backlash and attention.  Maria Kang considers herself a mother, a business owner, a creator of the nonprofit, Fitness Without Borders, and a fitness blogger. 

After posting this photo, she has been accused of 'fit-shaming' and 'fat-shaming' others. People are even calling her a bully and accusing her of being a bad mom. Really, people, really?!!?!?! 

Why the negativity? Why are we getting angry at a woman who has taken the time to make her health a priority so she can be a healthy, active role model for her sons. Not to mention, she wants to live long enough to raise her sons and you need to be healthy to do that. Her point here is not to attack others or judge others' lifestyles. Her point was DON'T MAKE EXCUSES to be healthy. She is also not saying you have to have her body type or her abs eight months after giving birth, she is just saying don't let excuses stop you from living a healthy life. 

Let's be honest we all make excuses. We're too busy, too stressed, too tired, too sick...whatever you tell yourself to get out of being healthy is not Maria's fault or problem, so stop projecting. 

Hate to break it to you, but our country is overweight. Our country is lazy. Our country has many, many health problems that could be alleviated with fitness and healthy eating.  You don't have to like Maria or even like how she went about making her point, but the fact is, she does have a point.  And if you're angry with her, it might be because you realized you are making excuses and she is calling you out a little bit. 

So, let's stop with the hate and judgment of others and instead look inside ourselves to see what is causing the negativity and excuses and figure out how we can make positive changes. At the end of the day it comes down to not comparing yourself with others and being happy and healthy in your own body. 

Janelle from Renegade Mothering does a much better job getting her point across about this same topic in this post, so you should totally go read it now. 

Anyway, I linked up with Sarah and Fan Friday for this post, because in case you haven't picked up on it yet, I am a fan of fitness and a fan of health. 

Also, go listen to this song when you #backthatazzup with Whitney to go get your workout on. 

End Rant.  <3 BB 

no pants dance

Brad's parents left yesterday and after eight awesome days with them, I am kind of excited to not have visitors now. It's not that I didn't love having them stay, but they came into town just two days after we moved into our new place.  I hadn't fully gotten acquainted with it yet.  It didn't really feel like my space. Plus, I have to admit it was nice coming home after work yesterday and taking off my pants and laying on the couch as soon as I walked in the door. 

Not to mention, I am a creature of habit and my habits get off when guests are in town. My gym visits are less frequent, my eating habits are just, no, and well my 9:15 bedtime gets pushed back not cool. 

So yeah, last night was nice. I got to go to Spin class, Brad made me a healthy dinner, and I was in bed by 9:30. Success! 

Now if I can just get through the rest of the week it will be a victory for all.

Cheers!

<3 BB


Images: 1, 2, 3

wine tasting

If you ever get the chance to go wine tasting in Oregon, do it. There are over 450 wineries to choose from and it's hard to pick a bad one. Lucky for us, the weather was perfect, fall was still around, and the wine wasn't half bad either. Here are photos from the four wineries, Brad, his parents, and I visited. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________

||Willamette Valley Vineyards|| 

||Domaine Drouhin||  

||Winderlea Vineyards|| 

||Erath Winery||