Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Progress Crossfit Videos

Kateri & I usually go to open gym on Sundays to work on our technique & the things that we can't do & things we can't quite do yet, i.e. pull ups, muscle ups, etc. This time I decided to take some videos so we can see where we're at & eventually the progress that we've made for next time.

Before we started Crossfit, Kateri couldn't do one pull-up. She started with a box, then added a band & now she doesn't use either one:


The last time I tried pull-ups was at Gold's with Dan & I was able to do 4. Crossfit accepts strict pull-ups & "kip" pull-ups which are what Kateri & I do. For some reason my pull-ups have completely gone down hill & my form hasn't been good. I started with a band & took it away once I got the kip down a little more - I still need more practice. I wish I could get the kip that Kateri has, mine is more of a knee/foot kick; Kateri's just goes more smoothly:

 
Doubleunders are a common part of our workout in Crossfit. Before last week, Kateri would have to do single jumps but now she's getting the hang of them; she can almost do 2 full doubleunders!

 
Muscle ups are an advanced workout in Crossfit, in fact, gymnasts use muscle ups as a warm up to their actual workout. They. Are. So. Freakin'. Hard. The ones that can do them make it look so easy. I'm doing a jumping muscle up below followed by 2 ring rows. I wasn't able to do ring rows a few weeks ago, I had to do negatives, so those have improved for me.



 
I decided to practice the first part of the muscle up, so this video is just slightly different from the one above.




. . . practice makes perfect!!! =)


Happy Birthday, Lue!

On November 2nd we celebrated Lue's birthday at our favorite spot, Uncle Julio's. It was a great girls night out & as you can probably tell by the photos below, she had a great time. =)

 
Li's birthday card included this amazing coaster that lit up hot pink when Lue set her drink on it. The coaster actually said, "The birthday girl needs another cocktail." We all loved this.


 We heart each other.
 
Lue opening her gifts:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
My gifts to Lue:
 Urban Decay makeup & some blinged out stilettos.

 
Lue with her cake pops that Li & I had specially made for her. They were so yummy.
 
 
Happy Birthday, Lue! I hope you had a day that was as wonderful as you are. =)

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Capital Crossfit Games

On October 27th, Capital MMA & Elite Fitness hosted the Capital Games at their facility in Alexandria. My coach told me earlier that week that I should come out & see what it was all about, so I woke up early in order to get there just after it started, 8:30 a.m. On my drive there, I was trying to imagine what it was going to be like; the only other crossfit competition that I've seen is on TV. Well, when I arrived it was absolute craziness. The DJ was blaring loud music, the MC was yelling over the mic & the section for spectators was roped off & they were all screaming, yelling & cheering for their team members, family members, etc. that were competing in front of them. The comical part of the competition was that some competitors were dressed in costume since Halloween was so close. There were maids, a few dressed as characters from The Matrix, pumpkins, a Hulk couple, nerds, etc.  For most of the time that I was there I was standing with my eyes wide & my mouth hung open. My experience changed when I recognized a few people from our box (a/k/a gym); they were competing also. I was able to take some photos of them:

 
Jen doing split snatches. She was partnered with her husband, Steve.

 
Lauren & Chris doing their split snatches - they're also married.
 
During this WOD the MC yelled over the mic, "Does anyone need rotator cuffs? Who needs them? 2 for $5." I laughed.
 
The day consisted of 5 WODs & I was there for WODs 2 & 3. The 3rd WOD was moved to the back of the gym where they have their rings, bars, etc. & more room to move. The first WOD was extremely cramped & very little room to move. Each team had their own rectangle of space to do their WOD in. With heavy weights being dropped, jump ropes being flung & having to do burpees, there were several people that got whacked with the rope, weights dropped on them or hands stepped on from other peoples feet while doing the burpees. I told you....craziness.
 
During the 3rd WOD, there were was a lot more running back & forth & moving as a team. As you can see below, one of the moves was a hand stand push up (HSPU); they also did toes to bar (T2B), thrusters (which is a squat followed by a strict press with dumbbells) & a kettlebell hold (KB hold).

 
Before I left to go home, my coach, Jen & Steve asked me what I thought & if I was ready to compete in March 2013. My response, "I've never been more scared." We all had a good laugh. Shortly thereafter I found this quote online: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood."

If you're interested in seeing more photos from the Games, click here.

Trick or Treat

On Halloween night we had our friends, Mark & Kateri, over to help pass out candy, watch scary movies & eat pizza. It was a good time.


Lexi's costume. =)


Kateri & Mark


 Lexi begging, as usual.



Trying out their Halloween teeth. =)


Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A Night Out in DC

On October 27th, later that night, we celebrated Ashley's birthday in DC. Everyone was dressed up for Halloween, everyone except us. We had alot of fun:


At Current Lounge/Rosebar. (Left to Right: Katie, Ashley, Mel, Elba & Me). Dan took the photo.
 
 
"Man that flash is bright."

 
Yeah, he thinks he's a stud.

 
Lovebirds.
 
Happy Birthday, Ash! =)
 
 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

New York City

The weekend of October 5th – 8th was an exciting weekend for me; not only was it a long weekend but me & 3 of my best girlfriends drove to NYC. It was my first time in the big apple & I was thankful for the group of girls that went. We had so much fun together & it was definitely one of the best road trips I’ve taken. We stayed at a hotel in New Jersey to avoid the added cost of staying in the city; we were hoping to spend less on our hotel & more on touristy things once we got into the city – it worked out. Once we left the hotel, we stayed in the city for the rest of the day & didn’t return until after midnight. We didn’t want to have to pay more tolls & parking just to go back to the hotel & change & then drive into the city again. It was a great plan & worked out really well. Our first day in the city was Saturday & we did the hop-on hop-off bus tour; the main place we stopped was Central Park where we walked around & took photos; we also saw a group of hip/hop dancers where we spent about an hour of time being entertained by them. Unfortunately, the videos that I took of them were somehow deleted from my cell phone. What a bummer. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

On Saturday while we were in Times Square, we were approached by a guy selling VIP tickets to a comedy club, Dangerfield's. We had wanted to catch a show or go to a comedy club anyway so we decided to buy the tickets (at a good price) & go that evening. I'm so glad we did; it was hysterical! One of my favorite parts of the trip. Saturday was our good weather day; Sunday was slightly different. We had chilly weather & on & off showers. Sunday was a day that we used mostly for walking & taking in museums. We went to the City of New York Museum & also stopped by the Museum of Sex...that one was interesting. =)

I've put together a slideshow of the photos from our trip...enjoy!

Highlights:

Lue: “G, you haven’t caught on yet but I always have to be right.”
Kateri: (singing) “Be yourself....be yourself....be yourself....” (taken from the movie Just Friends).
G: “This Italian restaurant better have the best food I’ve ever eaten!”
Lue & I: (singing to G in order to calm her down) “Be yourself....be yourself....be yourself....”
G using her cell phone flashlight to get a better look at the photos in the Museum of Sex.
Dancer in Central Park to Lue: “I’m only gay on Wednesdays” (insert wink).
Our night at Dangerfield's Comedy Club
Getting to pet & play with Sisko the labradoodle puppy on Park Avenue.

Thanks for a great trip, ladies! I had a blast & made some great memories.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Shoe of the Month ~ November

I'm actually on time with this post!!! Super excited about that. I was so late posting the October shoe & felt quite guilty. Things have still been crazy around here, but on a good note, Dan's last football game is this Friday - his season will officially be over as of this weekend & I am so excited about it.

Anyway, time for shoes. I'm pretty excited about this month's shoe, but I'm still uneasy about the heel height. I chose a nude bootie by Qupid:

 
I found this Neutral-95 bootie on DSW's website. I love the suede fabric wrapping around the shoe &, as you know, I love shoes that have back zippers. The heel height is 5 inches, with an 1 1/2 platform - yes the platform helps but after a few hours it may not make a difference. If these are anything like the boots that I bought from Qupid last year, I'll be more than fine. Remember these:
 
I bought them in camel. =) Love these boots.
 
I'm still on the lookout for a pair of black close-toed booties this winter; I can't seem to find a pair that I just have to have. I also can't find them in leather only; I've found several in black suede but that tends to fade faster & shows more scuff marks. If you spot any, send me an email & let me know!
 
Happy shoe shopping!!
 


A Little Motivation...

Keeping with the new monthly post...
 

 
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