That Good Life Vibe: 2014

KILLER Lower Body Workout || At the Gym

Monday, October 6, 2014

HOLY. HELL.

So, I do "leg day" on Monday's. One reason is because, after taking two days off (Saturday & Sunday), I feel pumped and ready to get back at it come Monday. I need all the energy and motivation I can get when it comes to lifting my lower body. It's the hardest workout for me to get through; but one of the most effective and worthwhile. My "favorite" lift day is actually when I get to do shoulders and triceps... I love pretty shoulders, and muscle-defined arms!

But, back to leg talk..... this morning I did the lower body section of this 30-day program by Jamie Eason. That was a mouthful. I actually came across this awesome program on fitness coach, Erin's, blog. Her blog is by far one of my favorite places to go to look for a new workout. She also has a million different clean-eating tips, tricks, and meal plans. I highly recommend checking it out!

My legs were shaking by the time I finished this workout! That means it was a good one, right? :) Of course, I like to add a little bit of core at the end of all my workouts, so I did the following before calling it quits:

3 sets of 15 reps each

Russian twists w/ weighted ball (30 altogether)

Crunches

Reverse Crunch

Medicine ball pike-ups (or knees to tummy)

And there you have it! If you try it out, let me know how it went for you!

H A P P Y M O N D A Y ! !

Blogtober || Challenge || If I Won the Lottery

What would I do if I won the lottery?

Goodness, once I actually start thinking about winning a lottery..... it makes me feel quite stressed!! I'm not quite sure I would like to win, to be honest. At times money can be tight, or financial stability can seem unbalanced, but I would still rather overcome those struggles through hard work. However, that money could be a blessing as well, if used right, that is.

If I won the lottery, here are a few things I might do:

Put money into my little sisters college fund account. The girl has big things ahead of her!
Give money to my parents to save for their retirement
Give money to my Grandparents for them to use on whatever they want. They have after all, spoiled me rotten, as well as the rest of my family, for years; they deserve a turn
Give money to my oldest sister and brother-in-law to put towards building their dream home
Pay off all loans
Put money into my own retirement
Then, after all my family is treated, I'll splurge on myself a bit by buying lots of workout clothes
I may also make myself a little account in the bank that will strictly be used for Starbucks & fro yo runs
I might book a trip to New York City, and attend a Rachel Ray show. OR I might book a trip to Europe. Either would be a win in my book :)
Then, if I still had money left over, I would put it into my savings; you never know when there could be an emergency

So, there are a few things that I would do if I won the lottery. In all reality, it wouldn't happen, though. Why? Because I don't really do the whole "lottery" thing, lol!! What would you do if you won the lottery?

Sunday Post #5

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Ohhhhh my word, I can't believe I'm writing my 5th Sunday Post right now! Technically, this post should have been written about three weeks ago, but unfortunately school took over my life in that time, which left me with little time to write a post. *Sigh* Last week I experienced a little break down in my car while talking to my sweet mom. For real though.... I have no clue what I would do without my caring, helping, loving mother. She always knows what to say, and how to fix whatever problem I'm dealing with. She is my best friend (and yes I'm 19 and still sometimes hold her hand). In last weeks case, it was stress. I was feeling overwhelmed with various things related with school, and I just, hit my breaking point. On a positive note, allowing myself to cry a little made me feel 99.9% better! :) Lesson: It's okay to cry; you should every now and again, quite frankly. We all do it. No shame!

So, last night I went to see the movie Gone Girl! It was definitely worth my 11 dollars (eleven dollars!?!? SERIOUSLY!? Like ten dollars wasn't enough already? Seriously theater people... you're killin' me). The movie was suspenseful, mysterious, and mind-blowing. Once the credits started rolling everyone kind of, silently sauntered their way out of the room. It left you with that feeling like, "What just happened?" Haha, but it's a definite must-see if your into those kinds of movies! Personally, I am glad I hadn't read the book yet; I liked not knowing what was going to happen. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you of the yummy treats that I snuck in (because I refuse to buy an 8 dollar tub of popcorn or a 5 dollar bottle of water!). So, I went to Sprouts, and bought a bag of Popcorn Indiana - -Parmesan and Herb popcorn! It's only 40 calories per cup, and still tastes amazing. Oh! And then I also bought some dark chocolate covered blueberries, because I knew after a salty treat, I'd want something sweet. Delicious!

I'm pretty sure that Fall fever has 100% hit me, now. Why? I have never really been a crafter, nor have I aspired to be. Until now. Everywhere I look I see DIY crafts being made! And since my roommate and I love the holiday's, as well as decorating, I thought it fit to take a trip to Hobby Lobby to spruce up our apartment. So yesterday I decided my first project would be to decorate our kitchen dining table! I'm giving myself a pat on the back for this one, because I composed it all by myself! What do you think?

I finally had the chance to watch Gods Not Dead, last night. Wow. What a great movie! I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet!

This morning I got my exercise in over at a park nearby. I don't usually workout on the weekends, but still like to keep active, or else my body gets super stiff! I really just wanted to get a nice breath of the fresh, autumn air. I jogged a couple miles, performed a few jump lunges, squat jumps, mt. climbers, hi-knees, burpees, and sit-ups. It was a great workout to start my Sunday! I'm thinking I need to take up yoga again to get back the flexibility that so quickly disappeared after high school! What are your plans for today? My tasks today are to go grocery shopping, and get prepared for this weeks classes. Happy Sunday!

Weekend Getaway | Salt Lake City, UT | Washington vs. Utah

Monday, September 29, 2014

This past weekend I traveled to Salt Lake City, UT with my awesome roommate, Taylor, to attend a Washington State University vs. Utah State University's college football game. I have never been to a college football game before, and couldn't have wished for a better, first experience! I am originally from Utah; you would think I was cheering for the Utes, but I sure wasn't! You see, Taylor's dad is one of the coaches for WSU, so of course I was cheering for them! ;) #traitorandproudofit Oh, and the best part.... the Cougs won by one point!

Salt Lake City bound!!

Rainy, cloudy, wet, but still beautiful.

The team getting on the bus about to head to the stadium!

Have you ever attended a football game where it down-poured the entire time, and all you could cover yourself with is a thin plastic poncho?! Yeah... I hadn't either, UNTIL NOW, ha ha. Grey clouds covered the beautiful city of Salt Lake all weekend; I wasn't complaining, though! Rainy days are my favorite, especially when you can eat breakfast inside a cute bakery such as Kneaders, have a warm cup of hot cocoa or coffee, and watch the raindrops swim down the cold, glass window, all while listening to classical music. Yes, we did this on the morning of Saturday before exploring City Creek Mall.

And of course there I am... doing what I always do... taking pictures :P

We stayed two nights in The Marriott hotel, located smack-dab in the middle of downtown. Wow. That's all I could think when stepping inside the gold-swinging doors. It was absolutely beautiful. The hospitality was amazing; right as we pulled up Taylor and I were greeted by the valet men who opened our door, helped take our bags inside, and took our car to the parking garage. The view from our room (on the ninth floor) was breath-taking (the first picture up above). There is something about those bright city lights...and my most favorite part of the hotel was the restaurant that was located inside of it, La Belle (I will be writing a separate post dedicated to La Belle, soon).

And of course, my most favorite part of the entire trip was....... THE FOOD!!!! I am a total, and complete #foodie at heart. I swear I was trying to capture a picture of every single delicious thing I ate, but that was a challenge. Why? Oh, because Tay likes to make fun of me for taking pictures of EVERYTHING!... I can't help it, ha ha. This was my first time meeting Taylor's parents....thank goodness Tami, Taylor's mom, didn't think I was some crazy person for stopping every five seconds for a picture! :P I think everyone feels like they are allowed to eat more treats than usual while on vacation, and I couldn't agree more! A few of the yummies that I treated myself to were: buttery/stadium popcorn, creamy/chocolatey hot cocoa, creamy/sweet/vanilla custard filled chocolate crepes, warm/oatmeal w/ crunch granola, fruit, and brown sugar, and soft bread rolls dipped in olive oil & vinegar.

Breakfast at Kneaders :) Pumpkin Bread, Coffee, and an egg white omelet.

Japanese Chicken bowl for lunch!

Food/Dessert at the La Belle <3

Dessert at the La Belle <3

Buttery, stadium popcorn!

Late night cravings called for a slice of Tiramisu cake!

Road trip snack, of course!

I would love to hear about your weekend; It's storytime! Ready....... GO! :)

I'm Linking Up With:

F R I D A Y || W E E K E N D P L A N S

Friday, September 26, 2014

Good morning, friends! I hope your Friday is starting off as well as mine is! So far this is what I have accomplished:

Woke up (believe me.... that's a chore in itself)
Dragged my booty to the gym (did a nice full-body lifting workout)
Checked all social media updates (Pinterest, IG, Facebook, Bloglovin', ect.)
Ate breakfast (actually still eating it right now... what am I eating you ask? Oh, just those delicious Pumpkin Oatmeal Squares I posted on the blog a couple days ago...tastes like cake!!)
Watched ~~am still watching~~ The Today Show
Wrote ~~am still writing~~ a good morning post to all of you beautiful people :)

W E E K E N D P L A N S

This weekend I will be headed to Salt Lake City, UT to attend a University of Utah vs. Washington State Cougars football game with my roomie!

What do we plan on doing while there? Oh, we will probably go site-seeing around downtown Salt Lake City area, eat lots of yummy food, maybe go shopping (at the beautiful City Creek Mall), drink hot cocoa, laugh a lot, take lots of pictures (be aware that my social media accounts will be blowing up with photos this weekend), and make wonderful memories!

Do you have anything fun planned this for this weekend? :D

Healthy P U M P K I N Baked Breakfast Squares

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

I don't know about you, but now that it's "OFFICIALLY" Fall, I am going P U M P K I N CRAZY!! Thanks to Robyn, I now have a new, favorite breakfast meal! I kid you not when I say that this is my new favorite you guys..... I felt like I should feel guilty for eating something so deliciously wonderful and moist so early in the morning! Yes, I could, and probably will, eat this for dessert, too! :)

I topped my slice of heaven with Jiff's Whipped Peanut Butter, fresh banana slices, MORE cinnamon (you can never have enough), and paired with a side of sugar-free maple syrup! Oh Fall.... how I love you so, can you stay forever?

E N J O Y ! ! !

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees

Bake time: 35-40 min

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice [I used cinnamon]

1/4 tsp salt

2 sweetener packets (I used stevia)

1 tsp vanilla

3 T warm water

1 cup of libby's pumpkin puree

1 2/3 cup of unsweetened almond or soy milk (I used Vanilla Almond Milk)

Directions:

First, mix together first 5 ingredients. Then, mix in the rest of the ingredients into the same bowl. Mix Mix Mix, and pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake! Let cool for 5-10 min. before diving in! :)

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What's your favorite Fall Recipe?

The Mountains Are Calling, And I Must Go...

Monday, September 22, 2014

I had the chance to go home this weekend, and go on a hunting trip with my Mom, Dad, Uncle, and Grandpa. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. The time spent with my family was exactly what I needed after a long week of school; it's also one I will treasure forever. Good company + good food + good laughs + good memories = a happy Kenna <3

Grandpa was diagnosed with cancer last year, and had not been hunting since. This was his first hunt since his diagnosis; he was hunting a buffalo. Needless to say, Grandpa's still got it! ;) Hunting to my grandpa is like ice cream to little kids. He can't get enough of it, and his face lights up whenever he's in the mountains.

I think I will now let the pictures do the talking.

Pictures really are worth one thousand words.

Enjoy!