The Circus, An 8035 CrossFit Event.

Last weekend was nut pure AWESOMENESS. Straight up cray.

Taryn and I came out with a bang! 1st in our heat, 2nd overall in WOD 1. The next few events were quite crazy...other teams started to gather their momentum. We fought hard and were definitely pushed to our limits, but it was so much fun. Here is a glimpse of what happened...

Is this LEGIT or what?!

We busted out our #TittleTrained T's for this particular event called, "The Strongman." Makes sense.

WOD 1: 2nd place overall. This was just absolutely rocked my shh. Running/sprinting with a kettlebell is crazy! Plus, have you seen my quads lately? BRUISES. BRUUUUIIIISES like no other! That was also from the power cleans in this event.

I'm going to be completely honest, I don't know that I recovered from this workout the rest of the weekend.

Throughout the day...

My right side tends to be a smidge stronger than my left. :)

The middle pic is of a 9 min AMRAP we had to do. I could've done that workout over and over. All (basically) body weight movements, AKA: my bread and butter.

Not to brag, but notice I'm on the bar before any of the other teams...not to mention Taryn had already gone? :) #BeastMode

And the AMAZING family that came to cheer us on!!!

Sorry, we missed a lot of you who did come in this photo!!! :(

And then, on the final day, my friends...There was the 100lb sled push/sprint 200m x 2.

I was not about to let the poor girl on the inside of the lane beat me. >Insert super serious face here.<

Overall, this was an amazing weekend. I couldn't have done it without such an amazing, strong, supportive, driven, outgoing, tough partner. She was seriously da bomb.com!

Also, well done to 8035, their staff, volunteers, and the amazing photographer(s). This event was really put together and did not disappoint!

Here's to our next competition in a couple weeks...#CHALKMATES

Happenings!!!

BIG news, folks.

Let's start with what I did yesterday, post-work. Collin and I ventured to the grocery store for our weekend getaway to COLORADO! Don't worry, I'll be sure to update my social media and blog about the trip!

These are my kind of driving 10+ hours snacks! MMMMMMMMM...

Next, Collin had plans to go hang with his friend, Matt, for a while to talk "guy talk" and put music to shred the slopes on his phone. In the mean time, I did this...

I went to my very first DubH workshop! I haven't danced for, literally, a year. Impromtu dances pre or post WOD have occurred, but it's not the same. So this is what I'll be doing this Spring! I found out this morning I was cast in two of my top 3 choices. Pure happiness. :)

I'm in this selfie somewhere!

Then, I RAN in total excitement into the nutrition club, having NO idea that Collin was in there...

I walked in to this...

Oh hey, Collin...adding more snacks to our snack bag? Cool! But that face...Hmmm, what's going on?



Seriously, what are you doing?!

And then...



That, my friends, is Collin booking the Hawaiian vacation in June! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I wasn't already in pure bliss from the dance workshop, this was just the cherry on top!

This is just a glimpse of where we will be celebrating the past year in June:

Do you think I'll be able to twirl fire while I'm there?!

Almond Butter > Peanut Butter

The best thing at a grocery store is #1: the organic section.

The second best thing is #2: the fresh almond crusher into almond butter machine.

FRESH almond butter, can essentially be cheaper than the "already packaged" stuff. If you want to buy  your almonds in bulk, watch how to make almond butter HERE.

See above. Probably the best discovery I've made. Now, 9 almonds is like "a serving." That's not much. But when it's almond butter...oh baby. So my trick: cut up apple slices, put a dab on each of the slices, sprinkle with cinnamon and BOOM.

Almond butter > peanut butter.

Side note: With my "snack" I get my protein source from Herbalife's Beverage Mix . The almond butter is the fat for my snack and the apple = carb. And there, my friends, are your macros!

A Recipe, Healthy...You Wouldn't Even Know

I haven't brought you healthy recipes in a while, huh? Well FEAST your eyes on these bad boys...

One of my friends posted the pancake recipe last week...WHO KNEW?! I am in a CrossFit competition this weekend and will need healthy, somewhat sugary, protein filled, quick snacks in between events, and we all know Quest Bars are NOT good for my tummy and digestive system (Yes, 2015, I am not longer giving in to Quest Bars)...healthy protein pancakes will do the trick!

I was half way through inhaling mine (last night) when it donned on me...TAKE A PIC! So what was left of my pancakes made it to my SnapChat story.

Now, you absolutely DO NOT need maple syrup. What I did here, was get more protein in my meal by mixing 1 scoop of Formula 1 Cookies & Cream by Herbalife with water to make a cake-batter-like consistency. (I know you know what I mean :) ) Drizzled that on top and voila!

Enjoy my friends, these are amazing!

Little Secret

I am going to let you in on a secret...It's super random, but here it goes.

I have been feeling super vulnerable as of late. It's the oddest(eh?) thing. I'm anxious, worried, trying to stay focused and organized in my head, trying to do it ALL.

Last Saturday, before leaving for a morning workout sesh, I caught a glimpse of something beautiful outside of our hallway window overlooking the east side of Ames.

Once I got to the gym, I took a panoramic view of the sunrise.

It's things like this that put my mind at ease when I'm in a vulnerable state. I'm lucky (and very fortunate) to be able to see the beautiful colors of the sunrise. 

To 2015!

Happy NEW YEAR!

What an exciting time of life! A new year, every 12 months. People's hopes, goals, and dreams become reachable again. In a way, that's pretty sad. That's all I'm sayin!

NYE for Collin and I was spent doing so many activities!

We started off at the ISU basketball game. So FUN! I've never been to a college basketball game before this week! Sunday was at UNI (WRC alum reunion!) and then Wednesday at ISU! FUN! Not to mention our friends are amazeballs and scored some bracelets to get into Johnny's!

Post-game everyone was hungry so we stopped for a quick bite and LONG conversation. SO FUN!

Then we proceeded back to the Duchene house where I got to endulge on Taryn's peanut butter protein balls and Collin got to cuddle with Cooper Duchene (red retriever) and Gracie wanted in the pic too!

Not to mention, we got to hit up the OUTDOOR hot tub with some Dom Pérignon.
Don't let me fool you, I didn't know how to say it until I actually looked at the bottle. (I know my sister won't be surprised by this. ha!)

The rest of the night *until midnight* was spent playing Cards Against Humanity and seriously laughing until I was seconds away from peeing my pants! These folks are HILARIOUS!

New Years Day was spent cleaning, meal prepping, and I got to spend time with my sister and Melissa! Always a treat and jokefest (my fav)

I hope 2015 is good to you and yours, and never give up on the goals you set. That's called BEING LAZY.

You're welcome.

Cheers!