Things Change

Date: August 30, 2015

Author: astottler

Hello! I am officially done with work for the summer! I will still be working the same place about once a week once school starts in a couple of weeks, but I’m taking some time to catch up (plus go to Hawaii with my family!)

I still have a 6 mile run to do today. I really should have done it early this morning but I’ve been moping around all morning.

I’m excited to go back to school, but I’m also not ready for this to be my last year. I don’t do well with endings or goodbyes, and I’m already worrying about how to stay in touch with everyone, especially if I move away right away.

Mid-mornign today I had a pumpkin mug cake to drown my sorrows (because I firmly believe it is never too soon).

I just threw some things together in a bowl, and it turned out great! Egg, butter, pumpkin, spices, maple syrup, vanilla, and some gluten free flour.

Also-this is about my life right now. To keep the puppy busy, we dumped out every toy she owns. Having a puppy is hard!

It looks like we have just about every holiday represented up there, including Earth Day!

Since I’m feeling sort of nostalgic and not ready for things to change, I thought I’d share some snapshots of college memories through the years.

21st birthday party with all of my friends! Such a great day.

Visiting my best friend in Berkeley for her birthday.

Dorm trip to Disneyland.

Random nights hanging out with my roommate and doing ridiculous things for no reason at all. #fashionicon

Visiting my friend in Berkeley during our rival football game, decked out in Stanford gear.

Halloween party+the popcorn ball making fiasco beforehand.

Practicing a spin class on my friends before my first audition, and then heading to froyo plus the the pumpkin patch afterwards.

Color run!

Bay to Breakers.

Tortilla chip sombrero for my birthday, a la Despicable Me.

Rock n Roll SF Half Marathon.

Embarking on “The Project” with my roomie, our big healthy eating overhaul.

Tea party with the ladies of my hall.

Yoga by the bay with a high school yoga buddy.

Keeping my plant baby alive and well.

Becoming obsessed with my roommate’s persimmons.

Enjoying the perks of being in a sorority sophomore fall.

First half marathon!

Joining a sorority freshman year.

Throwing a guac party freshman year.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day with the crew team at the beach.

Ski trip with my freshman dorm.

Early morning wakeups+freezer breakfasts for rowing.

Watching Stanford win the Rose Bowl.

Rowing training camp at the Olympic Training facilities in San Diego.

Meeting our friendly campus cat, who sadly passed away my sophomore year.

Just a typical morning freshman year.

Following the Giant’s World Series run on my phone between classes freshman year.

A lot has happened, and I can’t wait to make more memories!

Apparently Good Spin Music is Good Stay Awake at 2am Music

Date: January 19, 2015

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hey guys! Here is the official recap of my Disney trip!

We ended up leaving about 2 hours later than planned…which was actually in our favor. I5 shut down in the middle of nowhere (as in, no way out) due to a big diesel truck crash. Despite sitting on I5 for 2.5 hours, I really enjoyed the drive down. We blasted music-I DJed for 8.5 hours. I started off with the Spin playlist I taught on Thursday. It was a hit in the car, so here it is!

The problem with leaving late and getting stuck for 2.5 hours? We didn’t arrive until 3:30am. Around 1:30am everyone in the car was asleep (minus the driver) so I assumed the job of keeping the driver awake and navigating. The driver requested my spin playlist again…so apparently a spin playlist is good “keep the driver awake at 2am” music.

But we finally made it! We left for the park the next morning around 10:30. We had park hopper passes, meaning we could go both to Disneyland and California Adventure.

The first thing we did was run to Space Mountain to pick up a fast pass-which was good because the time to come back wasn’t until that night!

The first ride we went on was Pirates of the Caribbean, which I hadn’t been on before. After that, we waited in Indiana Jones line for an hour…only for the ride to shut down as we got close to the front. At that point, we cut out and got the famous Dole Whips, which are whipped pineapple soft serve. Those are definitely a must!

Then, we headed over to CA Adventure to go on California Screaming. That’s a pretty intense roller coaster in comparison to the ones in the Disney park! I walked out with my head spinning in circles, so I opted out of a second ride in favor of riding the merry-go-round.

Dinner was clam chowder in a bread bowl. Pretty much all that was eaten this past weekend was sugar and carbs…

Then it was back to Disneyland to meet up with the group and go on Space Mountain. This was definitely my favorite ride! I think the music adds a lot to the experience!

Then, we grabbed churros for the line at Indiana Jones. We played silly games to pass the time-I learned that one of my friends is apparently proficient in origami? Through 2 truths and a lie. The ride fortunately didn’t shut down, and I enjoyed the ride. I was pretty disappointed with the boulder though (if you’ve been on the ride, you know what I mean-if not, I won’t spoil it!). It didn’t really show up for some reason! Ah well.

Then we headed to the younger kids’ area, now that it was later and less crowded.

So pretty at night!

It’s a Small World was a must. It was still decked out for the holidays, which was really cool!

The last even of the night was Fantasmic, a water and lights show roughly based off of Fantasia. It was really cool-here’s a shot of the dragon from Sleeping Beauty-it seriously came out of nowhere!

And it was then time to call it a night. The next morning we cooked breakfast and hit the road. Road snacks? Coconut lemon macaroons-SO good!

I’ve never done this drive in the winter before, and everything was so pretty and green. I actually like driving through the center of CA a lot-you see things you’d never otherwise see! It was so much fun to be on a road trip with friends.

Towards the end of our journey, the song “Skyfall” came on right as we hit a big, dramatic patch of fog. The soundtrack was pretty perfect-the song ended right as we drove through the clouds.

Isn’t California pretty?

We made it back in under 6 hours this time. We did stop at Tin Pot though, where I got the Cookie Monster Ice Cream, which has cookie dough chunks and oreo!

It was such a fun trip-even with the 2.5 hour delay getting there! I haven’t been in over 7 years so it was nice to go back!

What is your favorite Disney ride?

Fun on the Run!

Date: September 2, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hey! I’m currently in Hawaii, but I have some seriously awesome guest posts planned for you guys! I’ll let Holly take it from here 🙂

Hey everyone! First off a big THANK YOU! to Aurora for letting me guest-post on her blog while she is off on vacation basking in the sunshine (not that I’m jealous or anything). My name is Holly, and I am a Canadian running & coffee obsessed chick from Vancouver Island. I am here with a fun little post with five reasons why it is FUN to be on the RUN.

No, I’m not talkin’ on the run from authorities, responsibilities, the dishes, etc. Sorry, those rules still remain. I’m talking about why it’s fun to lace up your shoes and hit the pavement (or the treadmill).

The almighty endorphin rush: It’s no lie that the runner’s high will keep you going back time and time again. Sure, it may hurt the first time, but once you realize how far you ran, how fast, etc, you will be addicted to that euphoric feeling!
Cute shoes: Yes, I run for the cute shoes as well as those endorphins. One of the best things about taking part in a sport is being able to wear the gear for it, and running shoes are definitely my favourite piece. Plus, I’m a sucker for pink!
The swag: One thing about entering a running race (especially longer distances like a half marathon or full marathon) is that you can get some pretty awesome race swag, whether it’s a medal (bling bling!) or a t-shirt. You may even get both! There’s nothing better than showing off your race shirt or your medal and listening to people’s shocked reactions. “You ran HOW far!? WHAT? Are you crazy in the brain!?” Why yes, yes I am. Crazy and looking like a rockstar with my medal.

4. Carb Loading: Nothing better than loadin’ up on spaghetti before a race. As a runner, you can use the excuse “I’m carb loading!” on the reg. While it is a bit easy to over indulge in not-so-healthy carbs (my weakness is CANDY!), loading up on the good stuff will be more beneficial for your body.

5. Recovery: On the same note as cute running shoes, one of my favourite post-half marathon rituals is throwing on my compression socks to help my muscles recover. Nothing like that squeezy feeling on your tired calves as you hang out at home (or walk around the mall with them hidden by jeans). You can find compression socks in so many colours, and I do honestly believe they help relieve pain and soreness after a hard race or training run!

What’s your number ONE reason why you love to run? Thanks for reading folks!

Xoxo Holly