A(urora)-Z

Date: March 10, 2014

Author: astottler

Hey! Since I have nothing super groundbreaking to say-I’ve either eaten my meals out of ziplock bags or I haven’t taken pictures, I’m going to go ahead and post one of my prepared posts I made over the summer for when things got busy! So-this survey was going around forever ago and maybe made more sense at the time, but let’s go with it! It’s funny though-I swear my writing voice/I have matured since writing this!

Hey guys! I’ve seen this in the blog world a lot, and since I know you guys would just love to learn about me, I thought it would be a good post to have in reserve for when the days get busier. So, here we go!

A. Attached or Single?

Single. Attached to my cat-which is no secret.

B. Best Friend?

I have a few best friends, but given only one of those people might actually read this, I’m going to go with my friend Jessica, who I’m known since 6th grade 🙂

We’re such babies here! We were also plaid obsessed, if you can’t tell by the cookies…
C. Cake or pie?

Cake. One hundred percent. This is my favorite dessert.

D. Day of choice?

I’m going to have to go with Friday. I like having a routine, but it’s also a day to relax and not do homework,
E. Essential Item?

My phone. I admit, I can’t go anywhere without it. And if it ever dies, I feel lost. It’s kind of sad.
F. Favorite color?

Blue.
G. Gummy bears or worms?

I’m not a huge gummy bear fan, with the exception of my vitamins. So worms.

H. Home town?

Just south of SF 🙂
I. Favorite Indulgence?

Probably cake.
J. January or July?

July. January is always sort of depressing because the fun of winter has worn off and the holidays are over.
K. Kids?

Just my kitties 🙂

L. Life isn’t complete without?

Ok if I say cats, will I be crossing into crazy cat lady territory? Let’s go with friends and family instead (but technically cats are family too soo…)

M. Mountain or Beach?

Hmm not sure. Probably mountain? I’m not much of a beach person I suppose.

N. Number of brothers/sisters?

1 sister.

O. Oranges or Apples?

My first instinct would be apples, but I haven’t had great apples lately, and I’ve had some pretty darn good oranges. I used to hate oranges though so let’s go with apples.
P. Phobias?

Anyone fairly close to me knows my list, and its order.

1. Puke

2. Drowning

3. Scorpions

4. Hair
Q. Quotes?

“I am Ted F-ing Williams and not even Jesus Christ himself can get me out.” My hitting coach told me to tell this to myself at the plate-power of positive thinking! Fun fact: I began a college essay with this quote. And got in. And now go to said school.
R. Reasons to smile?

I’m healthy and my body can carry me 12 miles.

I have a loving and supportive family.

I get to help raise adorable kittens and give them a second chance at the local shelter.

S. Season of choice?

At this point I may have to go with fall. I love spring, but fall is more interesting.

T. Trip for the Future

Hawaii! I’m going at the beginning of September. So this might be posted during that time.

U. Unknown fact about me?

Before I started blogging, all the photos in my phone consisted of cats or injuries. I’ll spare you pictures, but let’s just say that I had a lot of softball shaped bruises. And of course the gashes in my shin from box jumps…and the frostbite on my foot…Yeah I’m pretty cool.
V. Vegetable?

Hmm maybe brussels sprouts? Lettuce is an easy go-to though too.

W. Worst habit?

Running my hands through my hair and pulling out loose hairs. I hate hairs, and obsessively pick them off myself.

Or just running my hands through my hair when I’m nervous.
X. Xray or Ultrasound?

Xray? Weird question…
Y. Your favorite food?

I’m a food blogger. I can’t possibly have just one favorite food. Hmm how about favorite meal? Cheese souffles, mushrooms with thyme, and herb salad.

Z. Zodiac sign?

Taurus. But I don’t really know anything about this kind of thing.

Well, hope you enjoyed a peek into my life! I loved looking at old pictures…any photos with my family are pretty old because any newer photos are on my parent’s computer!

Have a great day!

Quest Bar Giveaway Winner Announced!

Date: March 9, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Thank you all so much for your entries to my Quest Bar Giveaway!

So…without further ado, thanks to a random number generator, our winner is:

Sarah! Please email me with your address at astottler @ gmail.com and I’ll get them sent off ASAP!

I Ran a Lot and Lifted Some Heavy Stuff

Date: March 8, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Happy Saturday! It’s such an incredibly beautiful day here! Which will likely hold lots and lots of studying for me! I’m sorry I’m back up on comments-it gets a little bit confusing with all the Quest giveaway entries! (You still have until tomorrow night to enter!) I’m so glad I’m doing the giveaway-I am constantly tempted to eat them but now I know I can’t! And thankfully my skin is returning back to normal!

I have a few random pictures that pretty much tell my story from the past couple of days.

New haircut.

New favorite breakfast-whole wheat pancakes with plain Greek yogurt and pineapple. I had to carb load up-I did my long run for the week on Friday afternoon, and I wanted to have a very light lunch before!

I drove to the same park where last week’s 5k was held. It was farther than I expected! But the weather was slightly nicer.

Last week:

This week:

For some reason, lately when I’ve been doing long runs, the goo I take makes me cough like crazy. I decided to try something new.

I taste tested these beforehand so I’d know what to expect. The verdict? They TASTE good but I have no idea how people eat these while running! They’re SUPER chewy, and I had some difficulty not even on the run! Since this wasn’t a race, I decided to use them anyways and just take a lot more time to stop and chew them which was a bit difficult…plus since a serving isn’t just a pouch, you need a way to actually carry them, which was a pain.

I used this little handheld water. I’ve used it before without problem, but for some reason every time I turned it upside down, it leaked. Which was unfortunate given it was more comfortable to carry with my watch hand…All in all, it was a good run! But…11 miles is far! It felt really far!

I took Advil beforehand for my Achilles, and it really helped and was a nonissue. My foot pain/numbness though was a different story. It started early and was pretty bad. At the halfway point I took out my heel inserts which help my Achilles, and it helped the foot pain. Even still, starting at mile 7 or so I had to stop every mile and shake out the pain in my feet. Since I’m doing longer distances now, I think I’m going to try and cut out sugar for the next week before my next long run to see if it helps!

Last night was very low-key for me because this morning I did the Crossfit Open workout 14.2! It was hard. Very hard. Harder than it looked. Like, I’ve never gotten so shaky in 6 minutes before. I used a box to reach the pull up bar, and I almost felt off a few times because my legs were shaking. The workout was this:

3 minutes of:

2 rounds of 10 overhead squats and 10 pull ups

If this is completed, in the next 3 minutes, so 2 rounds of 12 of each. If that is finished, then 3 minutes to complete 14 rounds of each. And so on.

I made it to the second round, and finished with 84 reps, 4 pull ups away from the moving on to round 3! Of course though, I did banded pull ups because I’m not that strong! One guy in my class made it all the way to the 4th round! I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sore. Yes, from 6 minutes.

I need to go study now and do a lab report! But first, I need to share this.

This dining hall parfait. Looks pretty good, right? I was expecting oreos on top, with yogurt, granola, and raspberries/raspberry jam. Umm…I was right about the Oreos and granola, but it also had cool whip and cherry jello…that was a little bit too weird for me! I’m really not a jello person, especially not cherry!

Jello-yes or no?

It’s Not Wednesday and I’m Not Wearing Pink

Date: March 6, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to make Mean Girls references given I’ve only seen the movie 2x and the only reason I know quotes is that everyone says them so often. So there’s that. Today was…interesting. Morning Spin, food, more food.

Whole wheat pancakes crumbled over plain Greek yogurt and fruit.

I guess I’ll share my lunch, but it’s not the prettiest. My morning routine is ridiculous. Lunch was thrown together in a minute on the way out of the door. I normally step out of the shower 3 minutes before I have to leave. For the record, I have yet to be late.

White sweet potato with salsa and huac, plus a tangerine.

Also-the secret to mystery bread revealed!

The ingredient I was missing was the apple…so I was pretty close in my guesses. But guess what my new Spring Break project is going to be?

This afternoon I went to get a haircut and new running shoes, which is where things kind of went downhill. The haircut was great, in and out in 5 minutes with from what I can tell is a decent cut! I definitely let my hair get too long last/beginning of this year in college. I guess it’s just not something I think of!

I went to the same place I always go for running shoes, to get the kind I always get. The only color they had left in my size was…pink. Meh.

I’m not a pink person. I can’t handle pink shoes. I own almost nothing pink. But I bought them anyways. And I really greatly dislike them.

In the car on the way back, I totally lost it. About something as silly as buying the wrong color of shoes. I hate myself for hating them. I hate myself for buying something I know I wouldn’t like, and not just ASKING them to order a different color.

But this isn’t about shoes. This is about this quarter. This is about my life. All of the sudden, it all came out. The Bio program at my college is the top in the country. I’m in classes with, living with, interacting with some of the best and most driven minds of the country. And to say the least it’s incredibly humbling, if not downright discouraging at times.

With that little pair of shoes, everything that had built up, everything I had been blocking out, numb to, came pouring into the forefront of my mind and I lost it. I’m not smart enough. Not pretty enough. Not thin enough. Not fast enough. I can’t keep up. Everyone here is too brilliant. I still haven’t figured out how to eat in college. The extra weight I still carry around seems to constant weigh on me (pun sort of intended) and I can’t seem to figure out how to make that go away. I mess up messing up. I’m not social enough. Not involved in enough.

It’s amazing what a little pair of shoes can do, huh?

I considered going to yoga instead of Crossfit tonight since we were doing heavy squats and I’m running 11 miles tomorrow. But I’m so glad I didn’t. Sometimes, you just need to lift heavy things, and I brought the emotion into my workout with vengeance. We did 3 sets of 3 squats at 87% max and 1 at 95% max. It was heavy but it felt amazing to push through. We also worked on pull up strength, and guess what?

I DID MY FIRST PULL UP. EVER!

I know a lot of people like running for therapy, but I have to say, nothing compares to lifting heavy things.

I did lose it again later though, and now I have a searing headache to show for it. As for the shoes? I’m not sure what to do. I’m considering returning them and ordering a better color. It all is so ridiculous. But I feel so bad about that and I’m sort of emotionally attached to them yet still really don’t like them. I’m not even sure what would make me happier at this point. I’m pretty sure the shoes are an analogy for my life which is why they are hitting a cord, but I haven’t totally figured that out yet.

I know I don’t usually get super personal on here, so not sure why I decided to today. Maybe to show that that’s how you get your first pull up? Hah.

I guess to show that rough days happen and that you’re never alone. And if a pair of shoes makes you sob into your new haircut, it’s probably not just the shoes.

My Ability to Walk Has Been Compromised

Date: March 5, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

How’s your week going? Mine is deceptively low key. But I know that’s just the calm before the storm! I’m at the point in the quarter where all I want to do is go home and see my cats…2 weeks until spring break! In similar news, I changed my phone screensaver to something more holiday appropriate.

This morning I woke up for my 5 mile hill run. I’m now at the point in half training where it’s really important to just get those miles in! My legs felt heavy. Very heavy. I didn’t push it hard though so it was ok. I was super thirsty by the end though-apparently today turned into a warm day!

Breakfast was some goat milk yogurt with strawberries microwaved and then refrigerated.

I really wanted to try and reduce the berries in the microwave. What I ended up with was a desk covered in strawberry mush. Oops!

I was still hungry (or was it thirsty?) so I also had a sun butter bar.

Lunch was a repeat of yesterday. The only downside was I used dining hall grilled chicken which sort of resembled a rock. I didn’t even know chicken could be hard and tough!

So…I have a snacking problem. That’s one thing I don’t like about college. I could snack at literally any moment of the day. And until this evening, I didn’t have any fruit. So while none of my snacks were totally unhealthy, I completely messed up my meal schedule!

Some samples of my snacks:

Banana with 85% chocolate.

The best combo ever-date, unsweetened chocolate, sunflower seed butter.

Tapioca pudding made in the microwave and sweetened with a single date. It’s actually pretty easy to make tapioca pudding in the microwave from tapioca pearls! But if you try this, definitely put a plate under the bowl because it will pretty much always overflow. It was kind of annoying because I had to stop it about every 30 seconds so it wouldn’t all overflow. But I guess you could use a bigger bowl!

Between this (plus cheese and crackers), I wasn’t hungry around dinnertime. After my late section, it was time for a workout. Sort of.

I had it all planned out too. But my legs are sore so I decided no legs. And no shoulders because those are sore too. But the final straw?

Funny story-at Crossfit last night we did sit ups as part of the WOD, and the night before we did toes to bar. I didn’t really think about it until someone else mentioned how bad the sit ups were after toes to bar the night before, and how sore he was. I thought-huh. I’m not sore. I guess the sit ups did feel much harder though.

HAH. Now it feels like my abs are being ripped out every time I flex. So-no legs, no shoulders, no abs? That leaves me what, wrist curls? So I decided to do yoga on my own instead. Hence the inability to walk.

I also had to pick up our CSA box, which was a workout in and of itself. I drive to get it, but I have to bike a little ways back from my car. Normally someone can pick it up from me, but today that couldn’t happen. So I had to bike back one handed, carrying a giant CSA box in the other hand. And while my one handed biking is wayyy better than it used to be, it was still kind of dicey, especially with a lot of delicate fruit. But we both made it back alive.

Anyways-yoga. Since today was unusually warm, I decided that outdoor night yoga would be nice. As I was biking back from section, I passed a little area that I thought would be perfect (plus it’s super public).

Right beneath the tower.

What’s cool is I can see this tower from home. Like home home, not college home. Despite being about 30 minutes away.

It felt so good to stretch out! I was sort of hungry when I went back so I snacked a little bit on crackers and sun butter and granola bars, before deciding I should actually eat some thing real. I made some scrambled eggs, and had a side of baby carrots.

I hate eating late at night, but such is my schedule.

I went to an event tonight with my sorority where we brought a Nutritionist in to talk. She talked a lot about the healthy options the dining hall offers. And it’s true-the dining hall has improved a lot, especially lately. The two best additions are a much improved salad bar and bowls large enough to put a salad in. Next quarter, I’m going to make it my goal to eat at the dining hall more. It saves me time and money to go. I think part of my problem now is I have big snacks, and then am not hungry at the right times, so that’s something to work on as well! I need to make the most of my meal plan!

Ok-I’m off to study for a quiz!

Favorite snack?