Pound Cake, Workouts & Other Happenings

Morning ladies! For a chilly Monday morning, I'm in a pretty good mood. Don't know why exactly - since I overslept and my back and neck were sore when I woke up - but I'll take it! Maybe it's because I'm back here in blog-land, and blogging always seems to make me happy. Last week was fun with all my special birthday posts like: a recap of my 25 Before 25 list, my new 30 Before 30 goals, a fun giveaway, and some random facts about me.

BUT! I'm ready to get back into some 'regular' posts again, and hopefully meet a few more of you lovely followers! There are more and more of you every day, and that just floors me sometimes. So glad you're here! You should definitely introduce yourself if you haven't already, because I'd love to exchange an email or two to get to know you!

So, onto the obligatory weekend recap! Friday night was my shared birthday dinner with my Grandmother, out at my Grandparents house, with our entire family. We had a fun night of dinner, presents, ice cream & cake, and just talking and laughing and sharing stories! We always have a good time together :)

German pound cake my Grandmother made.

Saturday morning, my parents and I went to Maclay Gardens to go on a hike around the lake trail out there! It was quite cold, so I wore two long-sleeved shirts, and a jacket, and I actually felt great. And it really is so pretty out there! I love getting to do some of my exercising outdoors, rather than be stuck inside all the time. Thank you Florida :) We hiked 3.53 miles, and I burned 540 calories! What a great way to start the day. When we got back, I did Day 2 of my Fab Ab February challenge, did some laundry, and got showered. 

I went to pick up Jeff, and we got some special Taco Tueday deal from Tijuana Flatts, even though it was Saturday, and they were so yummy! And I was a good girl and got the 'healthier' options, on a wheat tortilla  and I only ate about 6 of the chips... And then we went back to his house, I packed a cute little box of Valentine's goodies for my swap partner, and then went to the post office to send it off! We hung around his house a little bit longer, then we went up to Backwoods Bistro to meet a couple friends for my birthday dinner! (I was a bad blogger and did not take one single picture there...) Then Jeff and I went back to his house, and he let me pick our Netflix movie, since it was still my birthday week :) I decided on a slightly cheesy-sounding 'rom-com' called "The Decoy Bride," but it actually ended up being super cute, and Jeff even liked it too! (Probably because it was set in Scotland, and the main girl was also the voice of Merida in "Brave" and he loved that movie too!)

Sunday morning was Sunday school, church, and then lunch with my parents, aunt & uncle and cousin at Red Elephant. We had a great time chatting and just being together again! Then right when we got home, my parents and I all changed, and we headed to my high school alma matter right down the road, to hit the track! They walked the whole time, but I did walk/run intervals, and surprised myself with how much of it I actually ran, and how great I felt afterwards! I did 1.66 miles, and burned 250 calories. And I'm pretty proud of myself for that :) Baby steps here people! I came back and did Day 3 of Fab Ab February, some more laundry, and then headed to Jeff's again! We made a trip to Publix for a bit, but most of the day was spent watching more episodes of "Fringe," as usual :)

So once again it was a good weekend. I was able to spend lots of time with my parents and family and my boyfriend! I was also able to eat pretty well, and exercised twice!  And now today, I get to announce that the winner of last week's favorite things giveaway is Breanna! Congrats girl! I just sent you an email to find out where to send your goodies! (P.S. - I used the random number generator thing to pick the winner...) Thanks to everyone who commented and sent birthday love! I really do appreciate it all!

I hope y'all had good weekends as well, and that your Monday is also off to a good start! I'm hoping that this good mood sticks around all day today, and that this Monday goes by quickly! Tootles!

Oh, and today I'm linking up with: Covered in Grace, Sami's Shenanigans, and Synfully Delicious.