Mount Si Hike

It is sad that I grew up in the Snoqualmie Valley and have never done this hike before (it is also pretty sad about how long it has been since I posted, but we don't need to get into that and other than Katelyn, I doubt anyone is too worried about it). Given my crazy dog and her need to be the only dog in the area, we elected to take the road less traveled and took the less used route (Don't forget your Discover Pass).

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-si-via-mount-teneriffe-road-trail

We (Me, Dan, Matt (Dan's friend from college who has been visiting us for a bit) and Gabby) ended up hiking higher and more distance than this, our route ended up being about 12 miles round trip per my fitbit  and we didn't even get to an "end" and could have kept going.  If you want an easier hike in the same area try Little Si.

Recommendations for this trip:
- Pack more snacks than some trail mix and shotbloks, this is probably a given for the experienced hiker, but I always tend to try to pack light because I hate carrying a lot of stuff.
- Layer up if you are going to go any time soon, I saw people in coats and bundled up pretty good and the at the top there was a guy in shorts and that was about it. I was pretty cold to start, warmed up pretty good through the hike and then started to get a lil chilly as we made our way back down.

All and all, we were hurting a bit the next couple days and maybe that wasn't a great get back into hiking trip, but we made it and are all ready to go on another hike or perhaps some snow shoeing with my lil sister after Super Bowl weekend.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

Here are some pictures from the hike sorry for some Instagram duplicates.

You can kind of see Rainier if you look closely. My sister was snow shoeing over there the same day...I am pretty sure if you look closely you can see her. :)

Hopefully there will be many more hikes and posts. I am excited that Katelyn is moving back to Washington so we can go on a bunch of hikes this summer.

Day Six: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer thequestion, 'what do you do'?

What don't I do? 

I try to do everything and then sometimes turn on the breaks and do nothing. I am active and I am a pet parent, a daughter, a sister, a problem solver, a friend, a best friend, a bestie, a room mate,  hard working, driven. I travel, run, walk, workout, play indoor soccer, play outdoor soccer, am on facebook too much, should be working but am blogging. I love, I rarely fight, I shop, I spend, I return after I have buyer's remorse. I am impulsive and don't always think things all the way through.

I love to spend time with all parts of my family and my perfect day is chilling at home with family/friends on a nice day.

Spring Cleaning

Every year I decide to take a month or so to clean stuff up, although not your typical spring cleaning, we are talking about our diet/drinking habits/etc. I wouldn't say I drink a lot and but I go threw spurts of lots of social events and whatnot. I also tend to get lazy when I am  busy with work (I just finished my year end audit). So, once a year I take some time to say good bye to booze and worse of all good bye to chocolate. I also may or may not be doing this so I look fabulous for a Mexican vacation (hopefully to be in May).

So what do I do? I stop eating entirely for 40 days and live off lemon juice.  Just kidding, not quite that crazy. Each year I do it a little differently. There is definitely some calorie watching and usually a limit on the starches/carbs. Each year it changes based on what I thought was good the prior year and things that I learn during the year.

This year we are going with a low carb/lean meat/no dairy/lots of veggies kind of thing. I also like to throw in some overpriced juice cleanse days.  :) 

For example...here is what a cleansing cart looks like, although this is kind of what my cart always looks like because if I grocery shop I eat pretty healthy...I just usually tend to eat out.

As I have mentioned multiple times...I love Blue Print juices, although the price is sometimes hard to justify. I have found the best way to have kale is to make kale chips, break it up and remove the stalks, cover with olive oil, your favorite spices/seasoning salt and maybe a lil garlic. Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 mins, just keep an eye on them till they are crispy. 

Key things I learn after these cleanse/spring clean up;

• I feel great when I am not hungover and eating right gives me a lot of energy and keeps me motivated to get things done.
• Not going out on weekends and drinking results in some serious savings in my banking account and as I have made that a huge priority that is a great thing.
• It is fun to find fun ways to cook healthy. 
• You do fall off the grid a bit socially, especially if you have friends that do drink (which I would say is most of us or at least all of my friends). They will be there when you are done and some will even be crazy enough to spend time with you sober.
• Throwing some work outs and what not in there is a good idea as well, just make sure that your calorie intake isn't too low.

On the plus side for my MILLIONS of viewers...it will lead to more blogging...in theory. Wish me luck tomorrow I start day 4 of 40.  Try it out sometime...you will feel awesome. 

Happy Spring Cleaning!