4 Things

Date: November 25, 2014

Author: astottler

I’m pretty sure you’ve all seen this survey floating around the blog world, but given it’s probably been over a year since I’ve done a survey, let’s go for it! Thanks to Elsie for tagging me!

Four Names That People Call Me (Other Than My Real Name):

1. Ror

2. Astott

3. Blonde-daughter-thingy (shout out to my dad who can’t keep his kids straight for that one)

4. A-rawr-a

our Jobs I’ve Had:

1. Indoor cycling instructor

2. Worked in a lab

3. Cat sitting

4. Analyst for USDA

Four Movies I Have Watched More Than Once:

1. Fed Up (Love this!)

2. Any Christmas movie-my favorite is The Year Without a Santa Claus

3. Twilight (yes, I am embarrassed about this)

4. I clearly don’t like to rematch movies-I can’t think of any others!

Four Books I’d Recommend:

1. Gone Girl-I feel like everyone has been recommending this! I FINALLY saw the movie! It was good but I thought the book was better and overall more intense. Way more details! It was also weird because I listened to the audiobook while running around DC, so certain scenes brought back memories of specific trails where I was when certain things happened! This is where I was when the book ended:

2. The Price of Inheritance by Karin Tanabe. <-shameless plug for my DC friend!

3. Murder on the Orient Express-Agatha Christie (I love mysteries!)

4. The Good Girl-Mary Kubica (This is my current audiobook, so not sure how it ends but it seems pretty good so far!)

Four Places I’ve Lived:

1. Belmont, CA

2. Washington DC

3. Stanford, CA

4. Yeahhh, I’m super lame and that’s it!

Four Places I Have Been:

1. Hawaii

2. Belgium

3. Florida

4. Las Vegas (Only for softball though-go figure)

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now

1. DC! I miss it so much!

2. Napa-going there later this week after all!

3. Somewhere with snow (Although I probably wouldn’t last long there…)

4. Somewhere with a really legit fall!

Four Things I Don’t Eat:

1. Red meat

2. Weird fish (It scares me!)

3. Nuts (Although I accidentally had an almond in a salad the other day and now I have hives….oops)

4. Sweet coffee (I’m weird, I know, but I can’t stand it!)

Four Of My Favorite Foods:

1. Avocados

2. Ice cream (but only super high quality)

3. Quickbreads (think pumpkin and banana bread)

4. Roasted carrots

Four TV Shows That I Watch (or have watched):

1. Scandal

2. Suits

3. Friends (I watched all 10 seasons in 3 weeks when I was really sick)

4. Elementary

Four Things I Am Looking Forward To This Year:

1. Figuring my life out and starting new things

2. Teaching spin

3. Being an upperclassman/senior (CRAZY)

4. Some type of cool summer internship somewhere interesting (which has definitely not been looked into yet)

Four Things I’m Saying:

1. That makes no sense. //in class, complaining about something in general, or sympathizing

2. Literally //I swear I always use it correctly!

3. Meh //usually when texting

4. Ugh //Wow, these all sound so positive don’t they? I’m clearly a bucket of sunshine. //”Clearly” would be #5

Four People I’m Tagging To Do This Next:

1. Skylar

2. Sean

3. Ashley

4. Cailee

Know Your Blogger

Date: September 12, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

I’ve been trying to make a little bit of an effort to share more things about me than just my day to day life happenings, and thanks to some fabulous ladies who nominated me for awards, this is perfect! I’m going to pick and chose questions a little so this post isn’t out of hand though!

Kaitlin nominated me for the Liebster Award.

Miranda nominated me for the Sunshine Award.

And Brittany nominated me for a mixture of the two, so we’re gonna go with it 🙂

For those of you unfamiliar with how the whole Award thing works, you post the award image, answer the questions from the blogger who nominated you, and include a link to their blog, write up questions for the bloggers you nominate, and nominate bloggers. Pretty simple. So let’s get to it!

From Kaitlin:

If you could live anywhere in the country (or world) where would it be? Even if it was for just a short period of time.

Not going to lie, I think it’s hard to beat the Bay Area in terms of where to live in the country. As for the world, I’d love to live in Chile (I want to study abroad there) because I love the Spanish language, and there are penguins. Enough said.

What’s your favorite form of exercise?

Weightlifting. Hands down.

What is something you have learned from blogging?

How to be talkative to strangers. I’m the type of person who doesn’t really like talking about myself. I’d much rather listen, so blogging has taught me I really do have something to say (whether or not what I say is worth listening to is another story!).

Favorite family recipe or family dish?

We have an amazing family bread pudding recipe, with rum sauce. Maybe if we make it again I’ll post the recipe!

Best way to spend a Saturday?

It would start with a morning Crossfit class, though not too early. Then, I’d go to the Farmer’s Market and get tons of delicious fruit. Maybe that evening I’d spend a night out with my friends.

Dream job?

Well isn’t this the question of the year. I’m working on trying to figure that out now! I always thought I wanted to do nutritional research, but after spending the summer working in the kitten nursery, I’m seriously considering being a vet.

Why did you start your blog?

To be honest, the biggest thing was the awesome blogging community. I wanted to be part of it! Looking back, I’m GLAD I started my blog also because it’s been a way for me to chronicle my life. Plus, it’s forced me to take more pictures. It’s nice to be able to look back to certain points in my life, struggles or successes.

Thanks Kaitlin!

From Miranda:

Who is your healthy living inspiration?

Probably Tina from Carrots N Cake. I really learned what Crossfit was from her. I feel like we do a lot of the same fitness things as well (running and Crossfit) and she rocks at them.

Would you rather be always believed or always right?

Always believed (muahahaha). It’s really frustrating to be right, and know you’re right, but not be believed. Plus, “right” is a relative term.

Do you like wearing matching clothes to workout, or do you just throw on whatever?

Hah. Given the fact that everything I own seems to be the same color…I tend to match a lot. But I pretty much exclusively work out in t-shirts (usually old softball ones), so I’m not a big fan of matching top/bottom I guess.

What’s your go-to fitness routine?

Spin, running, and Crossfit.

Would you rather get everything for free from Reebok, or from Lululemon?

I want pants from Lululemon but I’ve never actually gotten anything there. But I’m IN LOVE with some shorts from Reebok, plus my Crossfit shoes, so I’ll go with Reebok.

(Shorts and Crossfit shoes)

What’s the biggest healthy living tip you would give to someone?

Exercise. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be elaborate. A simple daily walk, or even a 5 minute circuit is a place to start, and at least for me, enough to feel 1000x better.

And finally, the questions from Brittany:

What is your favorite Starbucks drink?

As for coffee drinks, I drink Cappuccinos exclusively. I like their Chocolate smoothies as well.

Favorite thing about fall?

I really love fall. But Thanksgiving might be my favorite. My family has a tradition of staying in Napa. And of course the feast. The place we usually go to for Thanksgiving lunch has the most amazing butternut squash soup. This year I’m doing a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving though-so pumped! I take my Thanksgiving meal seriously. And a morning 10k is perfect for increasing my appetite.

What are your current goals?

Wow, ok this is perfect, because I have a ton of goals. I’ll probably repeat this in a post later, but: 1. Not fail out of school. That’s a biggie. 2. Do a pull up by Thanksgiving. 3. PR a 5k at the Santa Run. 4. Lose all the Mono weight (aka the Freshman 15) completely by winter break.

Favorite meal?

This is my go-to favorite meal: cheese souffle, herb salad, and mushrooms.

What fashion trends are you loving? Hating?

I’m all about the cardigans lately. And infinity scarves.

And now it’s your turn! Here are my questions:

1. Do you have any pets? Post a picture. If not (or if so), what is your dream pet?

2. What’s the best workout you’ve ever done?

3. Would you rather work out alone or in a group/team?

4. What’s one reason you’re glad you started blogging?

5. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring 3 foods, what would they be?

6. What is your definition of healthy?

7. A year from now on this day, what do you see yourself doing? Or what would you want to be doing?

8. Favorite holiday food?

9. If you only had one day to live, how would you spend it?

10. What’s your favorite piece of clothing and why?

Here are my nominations-if you haven’t been nominated, consider yourself nominated!

Holly@Healthy Living Holly

Skylar@The Blond in Black

Leigha@Minougirl

Audrey@In Shape Cupcake

I’m trying not to double the nominations, so if I missed you, you’re nominated!

Getting to Know Me

Date: March 18, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hey guys! How was your St. Patrick’s Day? Lots of green food I hope! I began my morning by going to the Farmer’s market with my class (our end of quarter field trip). We bought all kinds of delicious, university paid for food. Gotta love this school! Of course the Farmer’s market had all kinds of wonderful things. They had the most amazing looking avocados, although I didn’t buy any. I will definitely have to go back more this spring! After getting back on campus, we had a feast. It was awesome. I cannot wait for peach season though. I sampled all kinds of citrus, which was great, and I enjoyed it, but nothing compares to fresh peaches and nectarines. Dinner was quite festive last night. My mom made corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Since I don’t eat red meat, I had some rotisserie chicken. Corned beef is one of the only red meat products I miss. Also, I don’t know why my family only eats cabbage once a year; we all love it!I topped my chicken with pesto. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do that just because it is green. HOWEVER. Notice that little red sauce in the upper right corner? Guess what that is? Homemade ketchup! I LOVE ketchup, and I eat it with a lot of types of meat. So if I want to do any type of Whole30, I need some ketchup without sugar, which is nonexistent at the store. I used this recipe from Spoonful of Sugar Free. I love Alex’s blog; I am always looking for delicious recipes without sugar! I liked this recipe, and my dad loved it. In the future, I might try it with a little less vinegar, just to see what it is like. It’s a winner though!

After dinner I made a smoothie.Banana, coconut milk, cocoa powder, and a touch (and I mean a touch) or mint extract. I learned my lesson! it was just enough mint to not really taste minty, but to be refreshing. I’ll take it!

Before I get to anything from today, I just wanted to address some blog issues. I wanted to apologize for the slightly (ok sometimes a lot) depressing/negative nature of my posts as of late. This whole sickness thing can get me pretty down, but I swear I’m normally a super happy person! I want this blog to be a fun place, without negativity. And this blog will become a fitness blog again soon, I promise! I’m planning on some normal exercise this week, and boy, I cannot wait! I also wanted to clarify why I’m going to attempt a semi-Whole30. I figure it is a good way to get more nutritious foods into my diet, which is super important for me to get to feeling 100% faster. Plus, my liver function is kind of off so reducing sugar is pretty important! Also, I think it will be a fun way to try new recipes and experiment with new flavors. Although eating Paleo is generally pretty meaty, and things should get interesting when my vegetarian sister comes home! The current plan is to try this strict Paleo thing for 5 days, and then reevaluate this Friday night where I want to go from there. And given the possibility of a gluten sensitivity, I don’t need anything else putting me to sleep! With that in mind, here’s today’s lunch (brunch?).Leftover chicken, potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Plus mashed avocado and mango salsa for the chicken. The avocado took some of the kick out of the salsa, which was a relief! I also ate a mango, which I WAS planning on photographing….

Ok, now to the meat of the post. I’m sure a lot of you guys have been seeing stuff about the Liebster Award going around, and since Brittany gave me a shout out, I figured I’d take this opportunity to let you guys get to know me a bit better. I mean, I talk a lot about my life, but not really about myself. I’ve never really done any surveys or anything, so hey, why not!

Random Facts About Me

1. I love to read, but I seriously cannot read any books during the school year. It’s fine for a few chapters, but as soon as the book gets exciting, I CANNOT put it down. Note: Reading an entire book on your phone in a day is a bad idea. You will likely walk around in a daze and squint a lot.

2. I really want to study abroad, probably in Chile. I loved studying Spanish in high school (and I love Spanish music), so it would be awesome to improve my Spanish. Plus, they have penguins. And who doesn’t love penguins?

3. I love avocados. I sprouted 2 avocados pits almost a year ago (my babies are growing up!) and now I have 2 beautiful avocado plants!They’re much bigger now, but I don’t really have any recent pictures. And they’re not too photogenic right now. After much stress (as any concerned parent would feel), I learned that in cooler climates avocados drop their leaves in winter. PHEW. But they are my babies and they live in my dorm, weather permitting (one wasn’t getting enough sun inside).

4. I hate talking about myself. Hence why I probably have not done any surveys yet. But I have a blog….hmmm….

5. One of the main reasons I wanted my own healthy living blog was because the whole community seemed so awesome, and I wanted to be part of it.

6. My dad reads every single one of my posts, usually right when I post it. WHich begs the question, how often does he check…?

7. I am the hugest Giants fan. I watched about half the playoffs last year on my phone between classes. #dedication

8.I love celebrating holidays and going all out. I love traditions. And I am dying to do a Turkey Trot.

9. That being said, I take Thanksgiving very seriously, and try to do everything to maximize food intake (morning run, tapering meals in the days up to, wearing expandable clothes).

10. Last year I gave myself frostbite on my foot. In the middle of spring. In California. Apparently I left the ice on a LITTLE too long. I’ll spare you guys the pictures (you’re welcome). It was really embarrassing to not be able to practice (softball) because of this. In 70 degree weather.

11. Hair is my 4th greatest fear. All my friends know this. I absolutely CANNOT STAND those hairs that seems to be left everywhere from shedding. This is possibly the worst part about living in a dorm. Black hairs in the shower (shiver).

Questions that I am stealing from Brittany:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time?

I haven’t really seen too many movies lately, so I have no idea what modern-ish movie. I mainly watch TV shows (detective ones mostly!), so I’m going to take the Disney cop-out and say Aristocats. Or Sleeping Beauty (hello, Princess Aurora!).

2. What do you do as soon as you walk in the door after work/school?

In theory, this should be take a nap. But let’s be honest. It’s all about the food.

3. Do you put your toothbrush in a drawer or in a toothbrush holder?

A drawer. But I don’t know that I like this situation. It doesn’t seem very sanitary….(I guess I forgot to mention that I’m a bit of a germophobe!)

4. What vegetable do you love? Hate?

I love brussels sprouts. And avocados. And sweet potatoes. I find it amazing that a lot of people didn’t have veggies that they hated. Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies. But I hate cucumbers. And green peppers. I’m coming around on red peppers, but it will be a while before they fall into the “love” category.

5. What is your favorite go- to outfit for a saturday?

Definitely shorts and a T-shirt. Let’s be honest. I’m not going anywhere interesting.

6. Whats your favorite workout?

Weight lifting. By far. I cannot wait to get started again!

7. What does your Tupperwear drawer look like?

At home, in theory it is organized, but more realistically, an avalanche. At school? Yeesh. Let’s just say I’m not great about doing dishes regularly. I’ve learned about some interesting specimen as a result….

8. If you had to chose one thing you could not live without, what would that be?

Definitely cats. And yet I don’t have them at school….

9. What’s your favorite thing to order while eating out?

Anything with avocado

10. What is the temperature outside when you are the happiest?

Probably 70-80. I’m the biggest wimp in the cold, but I can handle heat pretty well. I always thought my internal body temperature has changed as the result of frying my brains out at softball fields in the summer for however many years (117 in Las Vegas, seriously??).

11. If you could pick anywhere in the world to be right now, where would that be and what would you be doing?

I would be in Chile watching the penguins.

As for the nominations…I feel like a ton of them have already been going around, and to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how many followers people have and I would hate to offend anyone! SO let’s have this post be just for fun!

Tell me something about yourself!