Category Archives: Inspiration

Two Lovely Women

Today I had two separate conversations with two separate women from totally different friend circles. We spent a lot of time talking about our lives, as women do. Griping about our small problems and being thankful for all the other amazingness around us.

Both women left me with the same message: don’t be so hard on yourself.

Forgive the fact that you skipped that last hill on your run. For leaving the dishes dirty in the sink. For laying in bed at 9pm instead of going out for a night with friends. For that extra scoop of ice cream.

I hold myself to some pretty strict standards, but maybe it’s ok if I don’t meet them every time. Maybe no one besides myself even notices the difference!

I’ve been trying this for a couple of months now. It works. So just relax your standards a bit … I promise you won’t miss them.

Big hug and a kiss- Ash

Life Update: Happy Birthday to Me!

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This weekend was pretty epic. Mike’s best friend and his girlfriend Amber flew in from across the country to celebrate my 25th birthday and explore San Diego with us. My one big birthday wish from Mike was to not have to plan any of the festivities. He did a fantastic job taking the pressure off.

Thanks to my relatively flexible schedule, I got Friday off and another friend of mine (shout out to Kim!) took us on a hike at Torrey Pines Beach. We took a route straight up the hill, down to the ocean, and then across the beach. It’s the first time I’ve been to the beach since we settled here and I quickly remembered the lovely smell of the salty air and the soft sand sliding under my feet.

That night we went to SkyZone. If you’re unfamiliar, SkyZone is a big room filled with trampolines. There was a basketball hoop, foam pit, and dodgeball court, as well as an open jump area. We spent an hour jumping and playing like 12 year olds. It was great fun and holy bajolies it was a workout! I definitely plan on going again.

After SkyZone we took Kevin and Amber and our 2 pound burritos to the velodrome where we watched people race their bikes. It was cool to show other bike-savvy people the sweetness of the track.

On Saturday I cooked a big breakfast of sweet potato pancakes and we spent the afternoon at the beach. It was a gloriously sunny day. Perfect temperature and not a cloud in the sky. While the boys went boogie boarding, us ladies jabbered away.

Mike has perfected the pale person’s beach visit.

Kevin and Amber, soaking up the sun.

It’s so amazing sometimes to be with like-minded couples. I felt that I was hanging out with Mike all weekend but also having a girls/friends weekend.

That night we went for my birthday dinner and a stroll around Old Town with my parents. It’s a great neighborhood a few minutes drive from our apartment. Lots of old, spanish style and adobe buildings. It has become of a bit of a tourist trap but it worth visiting for its excellent restaurants and ambience. Especially this late in September, the number of tourists was definitely bearable.

After dinner our foursome met up with a few other couples and singles. We went to a very chic, new bar around the corner for one drink (I was NOT cool enough to be in there) and then spent the rest of the night in our local dive bar.

We were feeling kind of slow on Sunday so we spent a couple of hours perusing and munching at the farmers market and later in the day we went on a walk through the gorgeous Balboa Park.

It was an incredibly packed, fun-filled weekend. Mike and I finally feel that we’re starting to make friends here in San Diego and it was wonderful to have Kevin and Amber here to meet everyone. San Diego is truly starting to feel like home. I’m a happy chappy 🙂

Have a great week and a relatively productive Monday. Love and a big hug -Ash

Workout Wednesday: Loosey Goosey Plane Ride

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Our visitors this weekend live very similar healthy lifestyles to Mike and me. Amber, a new friend of mine, is a fitness and nutrition enthusiast and we found common ground in our health goals. It was a breath of fresh air to be around someone just as analytical and knowledgable about natural health.

Before they got on the plane, they wanted to get in a workout. I totally understood their plan. It always helps to have exerted yourself before a long flight. It gets fluid to your joints, stretches out and activates your muscles, and frees any built up energy so you can relax more easily once you finally board the plane. It can even help you sleep!

So try to squeeze in one of my workouts before a flight, and lessen the discomfort and staleness.

I hope you’re all having happy days :)- Ash

Mindful Monday: AHH! Too Many Options!!

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For the last year or so, I’ve been deeply entrenched in the exponential growth of the natural health industry. People are realizing, slowly but surely, that the typical Western diet and lifestyle leads to a very unhappy and diseased body. Finally.

Thanks to my Mom, I was exposed to the alternative diet and exercise routine from a young age. Natural health in ingrained in me. But as I grow older and talk to more and more people about their personal stories I have realized: there is no such thing as the correct health routine. Continue reading →

Wednesday Workout: 16 Minute Total Body #1

One Year Later

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Yesterday was my blog’s birthday. It’s been 365 days since I wrote my first post on Anxiety and Depression. When I started this little blog space, I actually had almost no idea of what a blog was. All I knew was that I had a lot of ideas and was tired of getting up on my soap box in the grocery store line. I was tired of talking to people who didn’t want to hear my advice. (Fair enough for the poor people who mentioned one thing about gluten and then had to hear me talk about it for 30 minutes straight).

One year later, this blog has given more than I could have imagined. Of course, I’ve cut back on my number of posts, everyday is just too much. And I’ve narrowed my focus to life updates, health experiments, recipes, and workouts (yep, that’s a narrow focus, hah). But this thing is still a lot of work and there’s a reason I keep going.

This blog has connected me with long-lost friends and new awesome strangers. It (and some advice from my bff) led me to start my Happy Bootcamp. It has helped me focus my cooking energy on healthy meals and my workout energy on a manageable routine. It holds me accountable.

This blog helped me channel my design energy when I couldn’t get it out at work. And when I finally moved on, it helped me get a new job! And now, when my work isn’t health related and I want to talk health, I come here!

But finally, and most importantly, this blog has helped me stay in touch with friends and family all over the world. When I reunite with family after a long time and they know exactly what I’ve been up to, I know it’s all worth it. Because although I may not have any clue that they’re even reading, I know that if they want to pipe up and say hello, they can. The loved ones in my life are my main reason for writing. I miss you all so much, I just don’t want to lose a connection.

This blog has become an extension of me. It represents such a huge part of my personality, health and happiness.

So please … keep reading and I’ll keep writing. I hope you’re all having wonderful Wednesdays. Hugs and a big smoocheroo (yep, you’re all getting birthday kisses today) – Ash

Workout Wednesday: Total Body #5

Marvelous Monday: Ashley Life Update

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Whew! What an incredibly busy and awesome last two weeks. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this yet, but since getting hired at the amazing new architecture firm, I also scored myself a second job!

I recently sold my car (we are now a one car “family!”) and had to get a bunch of work done on it. It turns out the mechanic I saw was looking for an office manager and voile! I’ve been working there about two weeks now and it’s perfect. A few hours tacked on to my normal Mon-Fri work day. Easy work, great atmosphere, perfect.

So one week after I started there, we left for a nine-day vacation to Maine. It could not have come at a better time. This was at the tail end of several months of uprooting and settling and then starting my 60 hour weeks. I was exhausted.

We, of course were on our way to Maine to see Mike’s family. Everyone of his family members lives there so we try to go back as often as possible. Mike’s parents have a “camp” (Maine word for awesome uninsulated house) on a lake there. It is, as my dad so perceptively named it, “my happy place.” So quiet you can actually hear the woodland animals, surrounded by huge, beautiful trees, great Maine sight seeing and hiking in the area, and they have a speed boat for wakeboarding, tubing, and water skiing! Doesn’t get much better. Continue reading →

Friday Story Time: Gay Pride

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Weekend before last was Pride Weekend in San Diego. I’ve been looking forward to it since we moved here last month because I LOVE Pride festivities. I know it makes many people uncomfortable and if you fall into that category, stop reading now. If not, enjoy this story time.

Pride in Hillcrest is all-consuming and very intense. Our apartment is one short block from the parade route and we couldn’t have been happier about it. I am not gay and don’t have any gay tendencies but it’s so hard not to be happy at this massive celebration of love. Gay people everywhere know distinctly the feeling of being out-of-place. Very few neighborhoods are accepting of two men or two women kissing or holding hands in public, let alone dressing and acting flamboyantly as many gay people feel most comfortable.

If you are straight, can you imagine not being able to hold hands with your partner without drawing dirty looks and even shouts of disgust? Can you really, truly imagine? Continue reading →