Home Gym featuring Under the Desk Elliptical

Ever since the pandemic, I have been building my home gym. It is so convenient to be able to hop out of bed and go to the room next door for my workout (especially since moving farther away from the gym. I have weights, a bike, some bands and other equipment, but I have really been looking for more cardio options. I don’t have a lot of space for more equipment, and that is where the Cubii comes in. This under the desk elliptical is awesome. It gives me more options without taking up much space. I love my bike, but I have been getting kind of bored with it. Although I don’t spend as much time at home (especially at my desk) as I did a couple of years ago, something that can fit under my desk or somewhere else small is a game changer. 

My gym room is pretty crowded and this easily fits. 

In addition to my bike, weights, bands, yoga mat and ball, I am really excited to add the Cubii to my home gym. I have been following the Nourish Move Love workout program which is great for strength and this will add in the extra cardio I have been looking for. 

*this is a paid partnership with responsival 

random rambling...on being a grown up

remember when you were a kid and all you wanted was to be a grown up?!? and then you became a grown up and sometimes all you want is to be a kid? having someone be in charge of making sure i have clothes to wear and food to eat seems kind of nice some days. however, i do like being in charge of my own self. i can basically do what i want when i want.

one of the best things about being a grown up is having nice things. i have dishes that match and kitchen gadgets for everything. i can spend a little more money on clothes and shoes and makeup and hair. i am in charge of when and what i eat. i go to bed when i want and wake up when i want. i can keep things clean or not.

speaking of nice dishes...

nourish

we always had simple correll dishes growing up. they are very functional and do the job. as a grown up, it's fun to have dishes that are a little more grown up. the unique patterns make these a little extra fun. nourish is all about creating beautiful memories around the dinner table-something i really love. maybe being a grown isn't so bad (winky face)

random rambling...on being adventurous

that title is a little bit deceiving. if there is one thing i am not, it is adventurous. i am very loyal, dedicated, responsible, etc., but i would never describe myself as adventurous. i wish i was, but i am not. 

i made dinner plans with friends for this past weekend. the conversation went something like this...

l: let's go somewhere fun. ya?

t: yes somewhere fun...have you gals ever tried hot pot? you basically pick out what flavor broth you want for the table, and then you pick out all the meat and veggies you want and you cook it in your little pot. 

l: sounds fun to me. let's do it

me: sounds fun for tomorrow

i'm thinking this sounds kind of like melting pot-boiling broth, cooked food.the end.

we pulled up to the sketchiest looking place, and right away i knew i was over dressed in my heels. the place was fine on the inside but much different than i expected. we did cook our food in a pot of broth at our table. it was pretty good, and we had such a fun time.

i wish i was a little more adventurous. i was a little nervous instead of excited. i wish i could have more of a fun easy going personality sometimes,but if we were all the same that would be bad. this weekend definitely reminded me that i am not very adventurous. are you adventurous or more of a planner?

random rambling...my autism story

april is autism awareness month! each year i do something a little different to celebrate the month. i've worn blue everyday of the month, gotten my co-workers to wear blue tutus, hosted blue polish nail swaps among other things. this year i am wearing my puzzle piece alex and ani bracelet everyday to remind me and everyone else that autism is everyday.

autism is more prevalent than many other childhood disorders. in the past 10 years the rate of incidence has gone from 1/166 to 1/68. almost everyone either know someone with autism or knows someone who knows someone. there is a lot of promising research in the autism world but there is so much more to be done. autism speaks has a lot of great information. some common characteristics or red flags of autism are

limited eye contact

hand flapping or other sensory behaviors

language delay

poor social skills

difficult behaviors

repetitive behaviors

potential physical and medical issues

sensitivity to light, sound, touch, etc.

the things about autism is everyone is different. it is called a spectrum disorder because that is exactly what it is. everyone has their story with autism, and every story is a little different.

my story about autism started when i was a kid. my cousin was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. we lived clear across the country from them so i did not actually see much of it or know much about it. all i knew was that he didn't talk as well as other kids his age. 

fast forward a lot of years until i was almost done with college. i worked at the library part time. i wasn't looking for another job, but for some reason i looked at the job ads in the paper. yes newspaper-i'm older than i look. there was a post for an in home therapist for a child with autism. for some reason i called, had an interview, accepted the job, started working with children with autism, and my life changed forever.

i ended up working with several kids with autism during and the year after college. i loved it so much, and it led me to my current job. my story with autism doesn't end there. that's really only the beginning.

i have the opportunity to work with many children with autism and their families. i see the challenges and the accomplishments, the tears and the laughs and most of all the love. my life has been so richly blessed by all the people i have worked with and continue to work with.

if you have concerns for your child or someone you know, go to autism speaks for more information.

everyone has a story with autism. tell me yours.

random rambling...fly on the wall

a few months ago i met a couple of girl friends at pizzeria limone for dinner. we haven't seen each other for a while so we had a lot to catch up on. while we were there a group of about 20+ single people came in-many of whom i have met a few times. i sat facing them and felt a little bit like a fly on the wall.

the group didn't come in all together. a few came in and then a few more and even some people on their own. everyone was excited to see everyone. the greetings were loud and happy and fun. the interactions between the males and females were pretty much what you would expect in a group-lots of laughing and hugging and joking around.

my friends and i sat talking about a couple of things-1. why aren't we over there with the group? and 2. why don't we want to be? my answer is pretty simple. that scene was my life 10 years ago. i traveled in a pack, met up with big groups, hung out with a lot of people all the time, and had the time of my life. i feel like that phase of my life is and should be over. i don't want to be right in the middle of that because that's not what i want in life. i want a husband and kids. don't get my wrong. i like to have fun just as much as anyone, but i don't necessarily want to relive my 20s.

it was interesting being on the outside essentially looking in. although i don't want to relive my 20s or go back to traveling in a big pack, i do need to meet new people. as fun as it is to go to dinner with friends, it is not getting me anywhere in the long run. so, where is the balance? how do i avoid slipping back into the life of my 20s and still meet new people? i'm open to suggestions. really i am.

random rambling...a birth story

i had the most amazing experience last month. before i get to that, there's a little bit of backstory... 

one of the saddest things to me about getting older is the very real possibility that i may never have children. i'm not saying i won't for sure, but the window of time is definitely closing. it's not something i talk about a lot, but it is something i think about a lot. i know i can adopt, freeze my eggs, have kids until i'm old, and every other thing you might be thinking to tell me, but unless i meet the man of my dreams pretty pronto, it might not be in my life plan.

as i have thought more and more about that recently (especially the last year), i realized i also may never have the experience of birth (either my own story or witnessing someone else's). it's not the kind of thing i would necessarily ask someone. i would never expect anyone to invite me to be present for their delivery, and i would never be upset if someone offered and then changed their mind.

somehow this topic came up at bookclub in december. mauri was pregnant with baby #6 and talked about how she didn't really care who was in the delivery room-parents, students, whoever. she invited me to come to her birth. i assured her over and over that she didn't have to, and she also assured me that it was totally fine.

the week came and we exchanged several texts about the plan. she would be induced sometime on sunday-probably in the morning. she again assured me that she was completely comfortable with me being there.

sunday morning came, and she let me know she was at the hospital. she invited me to come and be there for as much of the process as i wanted. i got to the hospital after they started her on pitocin and gave her the epidural. we spent the next several hours visiting in the room. her husband was there of course and her parents came. her mom watched the monitors. the nurse came in about every 15 minutes to check the baby's heartbeat, and we waited.

eventually her midwife came in and broke her water, and we waited some more. we chatted throughout most of the afternoon, and eventually she got tired and took a little rest. the room was so peaceful and quiet. the midwife checked her a couple of times, and the progress was a little slow. she came back to check in the early evening. she checked her and then said it's time to have a baby.

i wanted to make sure to be completely out of the way, and everyone else wanted to make sure i could see. since it was baby #6, things went pretty quickly. the delivery went very well. the whole thing was so incredible. mauri was completely calm the whole time. she talked a little between contractions, and it seemed almost effortless. i saw the baby's cute little head, and i could barely contain my emotion. the baby was born, and there were tears in the room (the baby's, grandma's and mine for sure). words cannot adequately describe the sweetness of the experience.  

i stood back and observed as they finished taking care of things and taking care of the baby. i didn't plan to stick around too long after the baby was born, but i did wait until everything was pretty wrapped up. dad held the baby and then passed her to grandma and grandpa. i got to hold the baby before i left. there is something so completely precious about a brand newborn. i held her for a few minutes and savored the sweet experience. as i congratulated my friends on their new arrival and thanked them for the experience, i felt so much emotion. i witnessed a miracle that day, and it is something i hope i never forget.

random rambling...thinking about the why

i had some great conversations this weekend with some friends about the why. this wasn't the first time i have thought about this. there was a presentation last year at build your blog on discovering your why, but unfortunately i missed that class. it seemed like a great thing to think about, but i quickly forgot about it.

jordan bree photography

my conversations this weekend centered around blogging and social media posting. why am i blogging? why am i posting on instagram? what is my purpose? and what is my goal? are my actions matching up with my why? 

these are all great questions and got me thinking beyond this space. right now is a really great time for me to evaluate all areas of my life. are the things i am doing helping me achieve my purpose?

before i'm ready to discuss more about my why, i need to do some serious thinking. in the meantime, i want to hear from you-tell me about your why.

random rambling...slowing down

like i said the other day, i try not to use the excuse of being busy, but seriously i have been so busy lately. work has been insane-more than it should be. a lot of the rest of being busy is self inflicted. i make plans basically every night of the week and weekend. i actually like having a lot of plans. my favorite thing is spending time with family and friends, but things have gotten out of control. my life has been so scheduled lately that I have zero time for the unexpected. 

things reached a bit of a breaking point last week. every single minute of every day and half the night was scheduled, and then the unexpected happened-a friend passed away. she was a healthy 32 year old girl. everyone was completely shocked. i felt very sad for her family and close friends, but i didn't have the time to properly mourn. i made time to attend the viewing because when things like this happen, you make the time. i ran from work to the viewing to a craft night with little time to even process. when 2 of your close friends tell you they are worried about you in the same day, it's time to stop and think. 

i am in california right now. it's been the perfect break from everything. it has given me time to slow down and realize that slowing down is exactly what i need. i need to make time for things that are most important to me and let a few other things go. it seems a little weird to make plans to slow down, but that's exactly what i'm doing.

random rambling...biting the bullet...

i posted these pictures on facebook (because I needed them) with the caption biting the bullet...

i'm not usually one for vague posts on social media, but i kind of wanted to see what people would say:) some people commented on my dress, my shoes, etc, and a couple of people commented on the caption.

i've been pretty vocal about my avoidance of online dating. i had one excuse after another for not doing it, but

1. i'm running out of excuses 

2. i'm not meeting anyone any other way

3. turning 36 is scaring me to near death

i was visiting some friends last night. in the middle of chatting, dana grabbed my phone off the table and started signing me up for tinder. i didn't stop her. 

dana has done online dating with a lot of success (and a few good stories), and she's been trying to get me to do it ever since we met. she's offered to do it for me many times. i decided earlier this year if anyone was serious about doing it for me, i would let them. so when she started i didn't stop her. (side note-she definitely wouldn't have done it if I didn't let her).

she picked my pictures, and we decided i needed one of just me. since tinder pulls from facebook, i had to post the few pics we took to have access to them. she wrote a very brief profile and started swiping. we've been good friends and roommates so i totally trust her. 

part of me wants to tell the whole wide world. the other part of me doesn't want to tell a soul, but here i am sharing this experience for the whole wide world. 

since we're being honest my biggest excuse for not doing it was/is i don't want to have to do it. i want to get set up on an amazing blind date (doesn't anyone have an amazing single brother or cousin or neighbor?!?), meet someone at a marathon or church, or pretty much any other way. the bottom line is I'm not meeting anyone any other way, and i really don't want to be single forever so here i am. the bullet has been bitten. i'll check back in soon and let you know how it's going. 

(not) like the movies

a while ago i met up with blogger friend sharlee for dinner. we had the best conversations about so many things. since that dinner i've thought a lot about some of things we talked about. one conversation has really been on my mind.

LIFE IS NOT LIKE THE MOVIES

obviously right?!? we all know the movies and reality aren't the same thing at all. my life is not hollywood so why do i sometimes expect life to be like the movies??? i'm not a big movie or tv watcher, but i do love a good reality show and romantic comedy. things always end the same. boy meets girl. sometimes some crazy and funny stuff happens. in the end, there's a fairytale. in real life, the end isn't always a fairytale. sometimes the guy doesn't get the girl. sometimes the ending isn't happy. sometimes bad things happen to good people. for a lot of years i expected the fairytale ending. i expected to meet a guy at a party or church or a race or a blind date. i somewhat ridiculously thought that after waiting so long, the dating game would end, and magically my life would be like the movies. saying that out loud in my conversation with sharlee/typing it out makes me realize how ridiculous that is. life is full of hard times and struggles and hard work and success and even happy endings, but it's not like what we see on the screen. so until i figure out what that happy ending is for me, i'll keep struggling through the dating game/lack of dating, and if you know any amazing single guys, send them my way.
i want to hear your thoughts? do you wish life was like the movies?

random rambling...change

i'm not generally a big fan of change. i wrote about it a couple of years ago, and things aren't much different. even with all the exciting possibilities of change, i still dread it. i moved over the weekend. it really has been the biggest mess around my house for a few weeks. i can't wait to get settled, but i am also a bit sad about the change. i haven't even lived there that long, but i really liked it. i really like the girls i lived with. even though we all kept busy with our own lives, we all got along really well. the decision to move came quickly and unexpectedly which makes the change a little more difficult.

i moved into a new cute place with some great girls. i am quickly getting settled, and there are a lot of things to look forward to. like or not, change happens. although i'm a little sad about the change, i'm also excited to see what this new adventure brings.

what about you? do you like change

random rambling...marathon hiatus

several times last year i thought about taking a running (or at least racing) hiatus. my experience running the st. george marathon last year solidified that hiatus. my pace has gotten increasingly slower to the point that it's way way way too long to be out there. i promised myself and told everyone i know that i'm taking this year off. i've been firm in my hiatus until i went to the salt lake marathon last week.

 i love the race atmosphere. there's so much excitement and energy. i miss that! it's amazing to see so many people working on the same goal. sometimes it seems like people think it must be easy because i have done it 10 times, but it is not easy. marathons are HARD!

this marathon has a half marathon and a bike race. while waiting for my friend i saw one of the hand cyclists somewhat struggling to get up a pretty long steady hill. right beside him a biker was off his bike helping to push the man up the hill. i was overcome with emotion as i watched this happen.

we planned our run that day purposely along the course to see our friend Sharon, but timing doesn't always work out. we were so happy to see her, and i'm pretty sure she was happy to see us too. i felt happy and excited for all the runners and also a little sad that i wasn't out there. it took me a few days to convince myself that i really do need to stick with my hiatus for now.

random rambling...far away family

i've talked about my family and living away from them before. in case you're new around here, i grew up in north carolina, far far away from any extended family. i moved to utah (with my family) for college. they left (half way through my freshman year) and i stayed. here i am all these years later living far far away from my family. i actually live closer to some of my extended family now than my immediate family. it is hard, but it is also very normal for me. aside from a few semesters of my sisters living in utah for parts of college, i've spent my whole adult life away from family. i wish things were different. i wish i lived close to my family.

i spent last week in california with both of my sisters. i love being with my family more than anything. my sister has a newborn baby so the trip was very low key. we spent most of the time at the house holding the baby, playing with the kids, and helping around the house. it was the perfect trip! 

saying goodbye is always the worst. i start dreading the goodbye well before it's time to leave. that dread was especially bad this time. when we were all single, we got together with all of our family at least a couple of times a year, but now that my sisters are both married, it's a lot harder. we don't see each other nearly as often as we would like, and we don't have a plan for the next time we'll be together. i think that's the part that makes me the saddest. i hope to go back to california this summer, but my other sister/brothers/parents won't be there.

on a daily basis living far away from family is the norm. yes it's hard, but it is all i have ever known. but, when it's time to say goodbye, there is nothing normal about it. it's so very sad and hard. airport goodbyes cause the worst ugly cry tears, and this time was no exception.

random rambling...spring has sprung

a lot of people get super excited for fall. while i do actually love fall, most of the time i don't enjoy it. fall means winter is coming, and i really don't like winter. spring is totally different. spring means summer is coming, and i LOVE summer!

i run outside all year, but spring running is my fave! the weather on saturday was 100% perfect.
summer means  sun pool days bbqs fireworks long nights tennis sandals bright colors and so much more are you excited for summer or are you dreading it?

random rambling...crazy

running is a pretty big part of my life. i talk about it a lot and shared my full running story. i don't really love to run. i love the people i run with. i love the challenge. i love setting and accomplishing goals. i love pushing my body. i really do love it.

i realize getting up before the birds to go running in the cold seems a little absurd. i also realize running 26.2 miles (10 times) can seem a little crazy. i have a really hard time when people tell me i'm crazy. i feel like it's important to help each other out and celebrate each other's successes rather than making people feel like they are out of their mind for setting goals. running is really hard for me. i'm not that good at it. i am not competitive at all, and i am really slow. BUT, it is a huge and very important part of my life. i get pretty sensitive when people call me crazy. i know my friends and family don't mean to hurt my feelings, but it really does make me sad. i would love to hear your thoughts. am i just being oversensitive?

random rambling...on turning 35

i've talked before about age and getting/being old. i've been dreading turning 35 for several years actually. no one ever thinks i am as old as i am, but i really am 35...today. when i turned 30 i made a big list of things to do before i turned 30. the list worked. i felt a major sense of accomplishment as finishing my list. i thought about doing something similar for turning 35 but decided on something different.

for the past 35 days, i have done something small for someone else. i didn't even keep track of all of the things. my whole point was to take the focus off of myself and help others. the small random seemingly insignificant things we do, usually mean a lot to the person on the receiving end.

so, instead of being sad today, i am happy. i am happy i was able to forget about myself and help others, and i am happy for the great life i have. here's to another year...

random ramblings...the grass is greener

i'm in mostly sunny hawaii soaking up the sun and relaxing(something i rarely ever do). i ran this as a guest post a couple of months ago, and today seems like the perfect day to post it here on my blog.

life is kind of funny sometimes. most of us have some kind of idea about how we want life to go. we have plans and hopes and dreams for the future, BUT life rarely goes the way we plan. life throws curve balls and kinks into our plans. it's so easy to look at other people and think their lives are going exactly the way we want our lives to go. it's easy to look over and think the grass is so much greener over there. it's so easy to think of the what ifs and if onlys. the big problem is that's so dangerous. comparison is awful! even if it were possible to switch lives with someone, we wouldn't find the grass to be completely green. we're all familiar with the expression "the grass is always greener on the other side". so often that seems true. i actually prefer a different but similar expression... "the grass is greener where you water it." like most other people, my life isn't turning out at all how i thought it would, but at the same time it is turning out so much better than i ever planned. when i nurture and water the life i have, it is so much greener than i could have ever imagined. thanks so much following along as i attempt to water my own grass.
how do you avoid thinking everyone's grass is greener? what do you do to water your own grass?