A Fitness Update: Working Out While Pregnant

Oh hi blog world! I haven't sat down and written in so long on here but really got this urge to write so I am sitting here typing this out.

If you don't know by now Dave and I are expecting our first child (baby girl!) in June and we are super super excited. It is crazy how much your heart can change so quickly towards a little person you haven't even met yet.

Today I wanted to talk about fitness in pregnancy. I've talked about fitness several times on the blog and you can read last year's post here about how I talked about doing all the hard things. And truth be told, Dave and I knew we wanted to have a family and I figured one of the best things I could do to prepare myself was to be fit. And I gave it 110% last year. I did the crossfit open, I did pullups (hooooray and finally!), I PR'd my half marathon, PR'd my deadlift and a few other crossfit lifts. Basically I busted my butt knowing I probably couldn't push it that hard while pregnant and for some time thereafter. BUT....I'm still working out while pregnant and wanted to share a bit about that journey.

The first trimester was tough to workout during but once I finally did workout I felt so much better. I gagged a lot during workouts but thankfully never vomited and I somehow managed not to hurl barf everywhere when people at the gym had BO. =)

I'm learning that pregnancy will make you feel like the strongest most amazing person and it will also humble you and make you feel like you have nothing in you to do a workout with. I'm learning that little baby J inside me will definitely tell me when she is getting smashed during a workout and I'm okay with backing off or just doing something completely different. Before I get into my workouts do know that my doctor approves everything I am doing. She said since I did crossfit before being pregnant I should keep with it. She said the recovery will be so much better if I stay active. The only thing she told me not to do was to lay flat on my back and do abs after 20 weeks, which I gladly will not do that. So, with that being said here is a summary of what I've been doing while pregnant:



Crossfit: 
Yes, I am still doing crossfit (Shout out to Crossfit Wichita for being awesome). In my first trimester I somehow managed to PR my deadlift with a total weight of 215 pounds and it didn't feel that hard or I wouldn't have done it. I was doing pretty much everything like normal in my first trimester but I was just huffing and puffing and was so incredibly slow. Actually, that is how I really figured I was pregnant. One day at crossfit, the new people were beating me and when that workout was over I went straight to Walgreens and got a pregnancy test and when that positive sign showed up it all made sense.

Now that I am in my 2nd trimester I can't do all the things. I tried to do a pullup the other day and that was comical. I told my coach I could still climb a rope (which I think I could....) but he told me in a very nice way that wasn't a good idea and he had me do ring rows instead. And I'm thankful my coaches are smart enough to tell me no and give me other options. My coaches at the crossfit gym are very supportive of pregnant people and they always find ways for me to modify a workout. Sometimes I cut a workout in half or some days I will look and see what the workout is and decide that isn't the best thing to do while pregnant.

I will say crossfit has been a saving grace for me during pregnancy. It is something I can still do I just modify and listen to my body and the support network there is incredible.

I was 13ish weeks pregnant in this photo and after this crossfit workout I went home and took a 2 hour nap. Keeping it real over here... =)

Running: 
I wish you could see me eye rolling right now. Running is barely happening on my end. Apparently baby J sits really low and running just feels so uncomfortable. I finally bought a Gabriella belly band and that helped so much. In fact, I took off sprinting on a treadmill with it because I was so happy it finally didn't hurt to run. But don't worry, the sprinting didn't last long at all.

When I run I will jog about .10 of a mile and walk some followed by a .10 jog. That's just where I am at now and it's okay. I've done a lot of walking and that has a lot of health benefits too. I will admit it is hard and weird to not be able to just decide to go hop on a treadmill or go out for a run. I can't do that right now. And that's okay it's just different.

YMCA Classes: 
On the days I decide crossfit isn't the best idea for me I usually go to the Y and powerwalk or do a class. My two favorite classes are Barre and LesMills SheBam.

Barre doesn't look that hard but it really targets little muscles and BURNS! I also like that it is a great workout but low impact. SheBam is a dance class. I had no idea what to expect but it was really fun and I got around 5,000 steps in just from a 45 minute class. It's also a great low impact workout.

That sums up what I have been doing while being pregnant. People sometimes ask you what your "why" is for doing something. We were asked that at crossfit and I can tell you that now my "why" is labor, delivery, recovery and a healthy baby. I know me working out helps baby J too. I also think pushing will be like the biggest crossfit workout and marathon rolled into one and I can't imagine not training for it. So many people keep telling me that recovery will be easier if I workout so I am hoping they are right.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. If you were pregnant let me know what you did while pregnant, I'd love to hear what worked for you and what didn't.

10 H A L F M A R A T H O N S

This past weekend I ran my TENTH half marathon. I myself can not believe that I have ran that many halfs, let alone one. I never in my life dreamed I would be a runner but I'm so thankful for this sport God gave me. It's been a big blessing in life. This was my fourth time running Rock the Parkway and you can see last year's recap here if you want to.

I want to give a bit of a recap about my training and then about the race itself.

T R A I N I N G

My training started January 25th and was eleven weeks long. The training was hard, very intense, but also doable. I decided to work hard at each run, to push myself at crossfit, but to also listen to my body, and if I needed to take it easy a bit to do so, as injuries are no joke. 

I averaged two to four runs a week with two to three crossfit sessions a week too. I often just tried to knock them out both in the same day and that seemed to work really well for me.  

This winter was also really cold so the treadmill was my really good friend. I think it paid off in the end because for some reason I like to get on those thing and push myself very hard. I think it makes it easy because you can just push a button to make the belt go fast and your legs have to just run it. I did a lot of runs where I would warm up and then just continually increase until the end of the run where I would give an all out sprint. I think that helped me get some time off of my miles. 

At crossfit for these past eleven weeks I competed in the Crossfit Open which is basically a worldwide competition and those who do really well advance to regionals and then the crossfit games. I'm no where near advancing but the point was to test your limits and to push yourself. Some of the workouts they had us do were things I didn't know I could do (hello pullups!). However, when you have no option but to do something or else not get points in a competition it is amazing how your body and mind cooperate. It was eye opening for me and definitely help me to realize I can do things I didn't know I am capable of. I also used crossfit into training because when I really didn't want to do something I would imaging the finish line of my half marathon and imagine beating my personal record and it would help me endure and push.

The last week of training I did two really easy crossfit sessions and didn't run one single mile for a training run. Sometimes you just need to listen to your body. 

Also, this year I changed some of my eating habits and I think I feel so much better because of it. I've eaten more fruits and veggies, healthy smoothies and have eaten smaller portions. Now, you all know I'm on Team Beef so you know I'm still eating but I think my relationship with food has been better and I'm so thankful. 

R A C E D A Y

Oh my word! Friday evening it dawned on me that I mentally was a week past my race but I hadn't yet ran it. That's not where you want your brain to be the night before a race. I didn't know what to do so I just told myself I'd give it what I could the next day and let what happens happen. 

Friday night I had steak, potatoes and broccoli because you all know what happened last time I ate pasta before a half marathon.....(insert eye roll). 

Saturday morning was chilly (40'ish degrees) but I had layers and knew I'd be okay. At the starting line I started to get nervous, which is a good sign for me. I had ran this course three other times so I knew what to expect. I knew where the hills were, I knew mile 1-5 were straight out, that miles 5-8 were through a neighborhoods with a ridiculous hill around mile 7/8 and that miles 8-13 were straight back. 

We started out and I decided to pace a little slower than last year because last year I took off and come mile 10 I was out of energy. Miles one through three just were really horrid. My legs felt heavy, I didn't feel like running and I thought I should just quit and get a "Did Not Finish." That's a great way to start out, right? However, I told myself that I'd warm up and start feeling better and I did! After mile three I felt really good. I ran miles three to seven just fine and then that big blasted hill came. I prayed really hard and asked God to just help me through it and I really know He did. I walked a little bit of it but it was so much better than last year. 

Around that big hill I saw another guy wearing a Team Beef jersey and we started chatting. I literally told him this was my tenth half marathon and that I was hanging up my jersey after this race, and I truly meant it at that moment, but not so much now. Anyways, my new Team Beef friend's name is Scott and he was a hero and ran with my from miles 8ish until mile 11ish. At mile nine I hit a wall and just wanted to be done. At mile ten I think Scott saw it in my face and he looked at me and said "Don't let it get to your head" and he was so right! I just kept pushing. There are two really big hills on miles eleven and twelve and I am pretty sure I walked a bit of those but Scott really encouraged me to just walk for 30 seconds and then to to pick it back up. At mile 10ish I looked at my time and knew if I kept running I could get a PR. I told myself I could do anything for a few more miles. 

This is Scott. Also, how do people look so nice post races? I look like death. 

At mile 11 Scott said bye and he took off. As I saw him run away I was just so glad he helped me push for those few hard miles. I looked at my watch and knew it was time to keep pushing but I also knew I had a PR! I ran that last mile fast and when I saw the finish line I sprinted and finished that beast. I cried when I crossed that line. All that training paid off and I was so so so thankful and glad. 

Here are a few numbers for all of you who like numbers. I think they are fascinating. 

It's funny because before the race and during the race I told myself this was my time to get a PR because this was my last half marathon. Oh us runners, always saying crazy things. But here are my thoughts ... if I ran a 2:09:59 in hilly Kansas City what can I do in a flat course in Wichita? Can I break 2 hours? I think I can! It will take more heart, sweat and training but I think I can do it.  

My short term goals are to PR my 5k in May and to bust my rear at Crossfit and to continue to improve there. I don't just want a 10 second PR either. I want to shave minutes off that race and I have about six weeks to do it. 

Lastly, last year I told you that a runner collapsed at the finish line and passed away. I thought about him a lot this year and prayed for his friends and family a lot too. At the start of our half this year they did a really nice tribue to him. A lot of his family and friends ran this race and I was proud of them for doing that because I know it was not easy. His family and friends also started a run in his honor and the benefits go to various charities. It is in Kansas City on May 19th. If you want more info on it you can check out their FB page right here. 

Let's Talk Crossfit: The Pros & Cons

Today's topic: crossfit! People have a vast array of opinions about crossfit and today I want to share my experience with it to hopefully give a balanced view of it. I was first introduced to crossfit in the fall of 2011 and attended classes for a few months. When I moved to Woodward a gym opened here and I have been attending since July of 2013. 

*disclaimer* - These are my opinions. Just clarifying that one. I'm not a professional or anything like that.

What is Crossfit? 

That's a good question. The official definition is the following: "functional movements that are constantly varied at high intensity." (source) Personally I think that definition is confusing so I'll define crossfit as how I know it. Basically, every day you are doing something completely different. One day you could be doing sit-ups and running and the next day you could be doing weights with barbells. The purpose of it is to vary it up a bunch so your body doesn't know what is coming. It isn't a class where when you know the exact routine. In fact, you never know the routine until the day of. I'd also like to make a suggestion that crossfit should rename the program to slaughterfit because seriously, After some workouts I feel like i got slaughtered (in a good way of course)! 

Toned Left Arm & Abs - Let's just get to the good stuff first. Never in my life have I had a toned left arm. It's been pretty flabby all these years but crossfit has given me some muscle. I also have a much stronger core because of it. No, I don't have abs of steel but that's ok with me. Overall I can tell that my fitness level has improved a ton!

Posture - Crossfit classes are very focused on safety. Your back always has to be straight, if you are doing a movement and not doing it correctly you have to take weights off or scale down a workout for safety. Because of that I'm much more aware of how I lift things. Even yesterday I bought 35# of cat litter and when I went to lift it I bent my legs and had a perfectly straight back. 

Coaching  - Every crossfit gym I've attended have had phenomenal coaches. Classes are generally small so they can take time to work with each person. It's nice to know that someone is watching how you perform movements so you can be safe and also build strength. 

Community - This is by far one of my favorite things about crossfit. The community is very supportive. If I am the last one to finish a workout I have the rest of the class there cheering me on (and yes, I've been last on numerous occasions). I even competed in a competition and placed second to last. I was bummed but you know what? The people at my gym were super proud of me and told me so! It made the whole situation a ton better. 

It's for Everyone - A lot of people are intimidated by crossfit but they shouldn't be. If you can't do a certain movement a coach will find something similar to that movement so you can still get a workout in. For example, if pull-ups are in a workout and you can't do them then you can either do push-ups (regular or from you knees). If you can't do pushups, no problem! They might have you do standing pushups to a wall. Basically wherever you are in your fitness journey a good crossfit gym will accommodate to you. 

Pro-Military - This is a big one for me because I love the USA and have family in the service. Crossfit is very good about honoring military serviceman - both alive and fallen. They often times have 'hero workouts' where they do a workout in honor of a fallen soldier. They will tell the name of the soldier, where he served, when he died and more facts if they have them. I know it is sad but I think it is good to remember the price of freedom. 

If I'm completely honest I will have to admit there are a few things in crossfit that in my book are cons. They aren't huge deals but I think just a few things to be aware of.

Obsession - This card here describes it perfectly. I'm not here to pick on anyone in particular but something I've seen from the crossfit community in general is the obsession with crossfit. I'll raise my hand as guilty because I used to be crossfit obsessed. It's what crossfitters talk about, post on FB about, tweet about, post more about it on FB and then talk more about it. Don't get me wrong I think it's fun to share a big achievement and I think it should be celebrated but I personally don't feel the necessity to post on FB every time I do a workout.

Also, I think life is like a pie and crossfit (fitness) should be one piece of the pie not the whole pie. However, that's probably a bad analogy because most crossfitters don't eat pie which leads me to my next point....

Paleo - the diet that many crosssfitters live by. I personally don't agree with it and I wrote a full article about that here. I do think there are some great things from the paleo diet (more vegetables & healthy fats) so I take the good and leave the rest. I say before starting any new eating habits I'd fully research both sides first.

That's my journey with crossfit! I reall am thankful for this outlet I have to excercise! What do you do to stay fit? Have you tried crossfit? Do you have any questions about crossfit? 

My 1st Crossfit Competition - more than barbells and burpees

I'm not even sure where to start writing about my 1st crossfit competition. I've had a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts about it so I hope you'll stick with me as I write this. 

For starters - I'm thankful for crossfit but it is hard. There is just no way around it. I've been doing crossfit for almost a year now and it's still tough. 

Second, the day of the competition I was a nervous wreck. As in 'nervous' I had tears kind of nervous. I'm always like that before a big event. I was like that before my first 1/2 marathon and full marathon. Once I got started on each event I was fine. I also had a good support system to cheer me on. Dave stayed with me the whole day, I had a friend I knew there to cheer me on and my sister-in-law made it out for the last event. 

The competition started at 9am. It's a full day event as you wait your turn to compete and I was there for about 8+ hours. However, my total time working out, split between 3 events, was 18:33. That's it peeps! BUT those 18:33 seconds were really hard! 

The competition had 3 events. All together I did a power clean ladder, rowing, pull-ups, box jumps, burpees, thrusters, a sled push and jump roping. Mind you, I had never pushed a sled by myself and that made me more nervous too. 

Throughout the day I refused to look at where I was placing. I knew I wouldn't place super high and looking at results would have messed with my brain. Anyways, the events in and of themselves were great. They were hard, challenging, but fun at the same time. As soon as I finished my last workout we left. There were still other people who needed to compete but we went ahead and left. 

Well, Monday morning rolled around and right before I left to attend my normal crossfit classes they posted the results. You guys, I got 34th out of 35th place. I cried. A part of me felt like the biggest failure ever. I've never placed so low in anything in my life. I know crossfit is a battle against yourself but I was just struggling. On the way to crossfit I had this conversation with myself:

boo-hooing Beka: "I'm so embarrassed! 34th out of 35th??? I'm not telling anyone, ever. Except Dave, and Kirsten and my Mom. whaaaa!" 

Spiritual / logical Beka: "Um, 34th place? That's not a big deal. You went out there and worked hard. Why does this even matter. I'm a Christian and of all things I should be glad my name is written in The Book of Life. Jesus saved me. I have friends and family that support me. It's not a big deal."

boo-hooing Beka: "I'm gonna cry anyways and I'm definitely not working out today! I'll pull the 'I'm tired from my event' card."

Spiritual / logical Beka: "That's ridiculous. You are going to come back and work harder."

Yes, I have conversations with myself. Anyways, I got to my gym and people asked me how it went and I replied with a simple "fine." Sorry, crossfit family but I was holding back tears so that's why you didn't get a good answer. I told one friend how it really went and she was nice and understanding about it. But mind you, I still didn't say much because I was still fighting tears. I worked out and felt better but was still upset. 

THEN I went home and opened up Instagram and WALAAAA! I had won an IG giveaway! I teared up again! This was God's way of picking me back up. I looked at the t-shirt and immediately was humbled. It was if God was saying "Beka, life isn't about barbells and burpees it's about love, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, etc.". Oh, it was humbling you guys but I'm so glad God showed me that. I went to the website to further check out the shirt and it is a print of Colossians 3:12-14! GUYS!!! I just finished memorizing Colossians 3! No lie! I was blown away. God's love and timing is just perfect and I'm so thankful. 

So yes, I got 34th out of 35th place but in the big grand scheme of life I'm not going to let that get me down. God has clothed me with strength (hence the shirt I wore) and I'm pressing forward. I think this event was a big spiritual lesson for me. It was a reminder to put on Christ day in and day out. 

Also, I secretly want to do another competition. Just because I learned something from where I placed doesn't mean for one second I'm not going to train harder. Fitness isn't everything to me but when I am being physically active I hope to give it all I have. 

Ok, here are some pictures from the event. 

workout 1:

power clean ladder - basically I had 90 seconds total! There were barbell stations with weights and each station increased by 10 pounds. The first station started at 55 pounds. You had a total of 3 attempts at each station. I ended up getting to 95 pounds and managed to get 2 reps in. 

workout 2: I don't have pictures of this. It was 12 minutes long. It started out by rowing 1,000m. With whatever time we had remaining I had to step up 10x to a 20" box, do 8 jumping pull-ups and do 6 burpees. I got to repeat that over and over until time ran out. I don't know what I scored on event 2.

workout 3: 

15 thrusters with a 45 pound bar, sled push, jump rope, sled push, 

9 thrusters, sled push, jump rope, sled push

6 thrusters, sled push, jump rope, sled push

*I finished this in 5:03

*the sled weighed 50 pounds and they added on 75 pounds. After each round we got to take 25 pounds off. 

*thrusters - I have no idea why crossfit calls them this but a thruster is basically a power clean that goes into a squat then you have to stand back up and lock your arms over your head. 

So that is my story friends. As much as I struggled, I'm proud of the work I did and I'm thankful God has given me the ability to do it. As much I would have liked to have placed higher I don't think I would have learned what I did if I had placed higher. 

Also, a big huge THANKS  to Dave for waiting around and for cheering me on all day. A big huge thanks to my friends there who cheered me on and a big huge thanks for everyone who cheered me on via social media / text messages / etc. 

Some Random Facts about Yours Truly

Hi! Hi! So, sometimes I think I write but don't share a lot about myself. It's an easy thing to. Maybe I do share a lot about myself and just don't realize? I don't know, but I do know that I have 5 facts about me to share with you today. Here we go...

1. I have dual citizenship.

I'm one of the rare people that gets to have dual citizenship. My parents are both American but I was born in Brazil when they were missionaries. Therefore I am American by blood and Brazilian by birth. I actually am really glad I have a Brazilian citizenship because it makes me feel like I can still somehow hold onto my Brazilian childhood. Speaking of Brazil did you know they actually spell their country like this - Brasil? When I moved back to America I was so annoyed at everyone putting a 'z' in there instead of an 's'. 

source

2. Hair

I used to faithfully color my hair just about every 3 months. I'd do all sorts of different things but my main two colors were red and blonde. When I moved to Korea I dyed my hair back to a brown and let it be 'free'. I let it air dry more and started fixing it less. My kindys even called me 'Teacher Beka Lion Hair.' Now, that I've been back for a year I still don't color it as much, fix it or trim it. I'm thinking about doing something drastic (red, blonde & bangs) soon but we shall see. 

3. I love Bible doctrine.

I wasn't sure how to word that one but I really do love Bible doctrine. I think our lives and opinions need to be based on Biblical truths / doctrine. I also like to use Blue Letter Bible to study the Greek / Hebrew meaning of words. Sometimes people will tell me some Biblical idea and a little red flag will go off inside me and I just go crazy until I can study it out and know exactly what the Bible says. My Dad is super good with doctrine too so I might of inherited that trait from him. I've even tossed the idea around of going over some foundational doctrine on my blog. I think knowing our Bible is something my generation is missing. 

4. I've been doing crossfit

You probably already know this one but I'm writing it again because I'm participating in my first crossfit competition THIS WEEKEND! I'm all kinds of nervous and excited. The competition is at a gym in Wichita where I first started crossfit in 2011. I never even imagine doing crossfit in Woodward let alone compete! I will tell you that God opened the door for me to attend a gym here and it has been what I needed this year. It helps me stay accountable with my fitness and it has allowed me to meet some wonderful friends that are a big blessing in my life. 

5. Adventures of Dave and Beka

Did you know I met Dave when I was 9? When I came back to the US I attended a Christian school and that is where we met. It was love ridiculousness at first sight. Him and his friends said I looked like a dog (all behind my back of course) and I thought he was such an annoying kid playing pranks on everyone. I did look pretty tom boyish coming back from Brazil but that's what happens when you climb trees and play outside. And now here we are - married!

Now it's your turn to share!

I want to know a random fact about you. 

Do you like these kind of random facts / updates?

Lately #16

This past week we had temperatures in the 100's! Hot weather always makes me want to eat more fruit. Mangoes have been my go to lately. What's your favorite fruit?

The hot temps caused some wildfires near Woodward. Wednesday God sent a short but much needed rain. The rain clouds split and made for a beautiful sunset. I took Static for a walk and we enjoyed the pretty skies and outdoors.

I've been loving my Hawaii mug and use it just about every day. Coffee and time in the Word are cherished moments.

I ran 4 miles with one of my best friends on Saturday in my favorite area of Wichita. We of course ran knowing coffee was our reward at the end.

Happy second, first anniversary to Dave and I! We had two weddings (3/24/13 + 5/11/13). This weekend we re-created our first date which consisted of riding bikes and having sushi, hence the picture above. =)

We celebrated my wonderful Mom and granny! My mom and I got mani/pedis, took her and granny to dinner and spent time together. I'm super thankful for both of them.

Looking Forward To

Going to OKC for a Korean reunion with two of my girlfriends.

A visit from my two good friends Kirsten and Shenel. They'll be coming to Woodward on Friday. Quiche, coffee and good laughs! I can hardly wait.

I start a new job this week. I'll be helping oversee the water park, swim lessons, mini-golf course, the pond with boats and the stadium that has rodeos. I'm really thankful for this opportunity and am looking forward to it.

I signed up for my first cross-fit competition. It's June 7. I'm all kinds of nervous and excited.

Blog / Sponsorship Updates

I made some change to my sponsorship page. I feel like there is always something to learn and room for improvement with sponsorships. Here are what the changes include:

* entries into the monthly group giveaway - each sponsorship purchase will include entries into the group giveaway. I want all costs to be upfront and I didn't like the idea of e-mailing everyone again asking for more money. If there aren't enough sponsors for a giveaway on the month you purchased an ad spot you will be included in the next giveaway.

* featured posts - all spots will be included in a featured posts. My hopes is that these posts will be informative while at the same time allowing opportunity for other bloggers to get to know you better. 

* social media - I'm no longer promising X amount of shout outs per sponsorship. I will however, gladly share blog posts that I really enjoy or that will be beneficial to my readers. I want to be genuine and sincere when I promote other people's blogs not just a 'promise to tweet x amount of times'.

* discount code - I'm currently offering 20% off all sponsorship with the code SUNSHINE.

Photography Friday 9 - From a Low Angle

Welcome to week 9 of Photography Friday. Photography Friday is a 20 week challenge to help improve our photography skills. There is a weekly prompt / theme for each week that you can be as creative with as you'd like. This week's theme is a from a low angle and next week's theme is from a high angle. For further information please click here. 

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From a Low Angle

Can I just be honest and say that I don't really like this week and next week's theme. I know! I'm the one who picked the themes but I purposefully picked a couple I didn't like to force myself out of my normal routine. =) 

Even though shooting from a low angle isn't something I'm familiar with I ended up having a good time taking some pictures. I don't mention it much on my blog but I do crossfit. This past week was the opening season of the open workouts. The open workouts are open to anyone, anywhere. Those who do really well advance to the next level until they reach the crossfit games. 

I didn't sign up for the open workouts but the owner and trainer of our crossfit gym did. Her name is Callie and she was nice enough to let me take pictures while she worked out. The crossfit gym doesn't have great lighting and I wasn't about to use my flash especially while someone was competing. I still got some great shots and Callie was in beast mode! She did a great job and I'm glad I got to capture some of it. 

 ISO 3200  f/1.4  SS1/250

ISO 3200  f/1.4   SS 1/250

 ISO 3200  f/1.4  SS1/320

 ISO 3200  f/1.4  SS1/320

Here are my photography questions - how do you get a clear picture in low lighting? I know my images are pixelated but getting an action shot in low lighting is hard. 

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Please feel free to link-up your Photography Friday Post. I'd love to see what you capture and I'd also love some feedback on my pictures.

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Today I'm over on Oak & Oats helping host a fun giveaway. Hope on over and check it out here. 

Friday's Letters . 5

Dear Mt. Wheeler, thanks for only being 8 miles instead of 14. I think a 13,000 ft. mountain is a good reintroduction to mountain climbing. Dear Sister, I'm beyond thrilled that you are coming to visit for the weekend. Don't let this small town fool ya, a fun schedule is in order: roller blading, crossfit (bring a friend day, whoop! whoop!) and a local concert by a fantastic artist.  Dear Static, you are super cute and all, but please, quit eating bathroom trash as well as the whole bag of cat food when I'm gone. Dear Crossfit, this week I got my first open blister and as much as I never wanted one, I earned it! I PR'd my dead lift and couldn't of been happier. I have some awesome crossfit friends who cheered me on and pushed me. Thanks!!! Dear Woodward, this week I was driving down the road and it hit me that after living here 6 months it felt like a familiar place and like my 'temporary home'. Don't get me wrong some of your weird OK cultural is still odd to be but I'm getting used to it. Dear Dave, Thanks for helping me hike up a big mountain and for going 'Beka pace' even if it did slow you down by 1 1/2 hours. You're the best. Dear Sandy, Can I just say how glad I am I wore the Korean scarf you bought me up this mountain!!! I neglected to pack a jacket or a long sleeve shirt for the top of the mountain and the coldness was extreme. The scarf was my saving grace, so thanks!

What are your weekend plans? Have you ever hike a 13,000 or 14,000 foot mountain? (you totally should!). Hope you all have a great weekend.

Lately #11

Thank you, Hobby Lobby! Bring on the DIY crafts and Christmas cards! 

This past Saturday, my Mom and I, went to the Farmers Market. I got zucchini, squash, garlic, kale and basil. 

My Crossfit shoes arrived just in time. They fit perfectly and are oh so comfy. 

This post is short and sweet because I've been packing. Tomorrow I am hopping on a jet plane to Idaho. A sibling reunion, sky diving, squeezing and hugging my two cute little nephews, and birthday celebrations are in order. It will be the best birthday ever.  

What have you been up to lately?