To Keep or Not To Keep

Obviously, this is not a photography blog.

Last week I was in Whole Foods and saw that they carried Tom's. I've wanted a pair of Tom's for a while now, but had never bought them. So I purchased these and they've been sitting in my closet ever since.

I really do want a pair, but I'm just not sure this is the pair I want. I got black because they are practical and versatile and I liked that they weren't super plain, but then again, they are pretty plain.

It's been a while since I've agonized over a shoe purchase, but it has also been a while since I've paid this much for a pair of shoes that are flat and uneventful.

Any thoughts? Should I keep them? Should I take them back and get the burlap ones or the sparkly ones? Should I keep this style and go for red instead of black? Or navy?

St. Louis Site - Upper Limits

Anyone else find some great deals through Groupon? I have and this one was another winner.

Hubs turns 29 tomorrow and so I bought a groupon to Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing Gym. I had  wanted to go there with Hubs for over a year now, but I knew it needed to be a special occasion because it wasn't the cheapest activity. With the groupon, however, we paid $15/person for a 2-hour Rock Climbing 101 class, rentals (harnesses, belay system, chalk, and shoes), and a full day of climbing (regularly $30/person).

You know me. Always ready for a new adventure and this sounded like one for sure.

In the class, we learned all the basics to climbing and belaying - tying knots, important gear, technique, etc. Then, we practiced climbing and belaying while being supervised by our instructor. Once he passed us, we were able to climb on our own.

I think Hubs was slightly nervous about me being between him and falling hundreds of feet to the crushed rubber ground, however, I didn't let him drop. Talk about a trusting sport. I found it to be pretty hard and only made it to the top one time before my arms feeling like jello and not being able to go further. Hubs, however, made it to the top 3 times on more difficult routes before feeling the jello.

We both enjoyed it so much. Not only was it a fun thing to do, but the staff and instructors were great and I'd recommend anyone to try it.

After you take the class, they give great coupons to come back and climb again. Coupons that we will definitely be taking advantage of in the next month. Also, tomorrow (1/20) they are having a sale with 50% off their yearly membership. That's a great deal if you are interested in making climbing a full-time hobby.

Friday Photo - Smoothies & Milk

New thing. Friday Photo. I'm going to try to take a random photo each Friday and post. Maybe I'll be more committed that way.

This week's photo is of my favorite breakfast these days :: protein smoothie. I am working out with P90X again and their nutrition schedule as well. I really liked my results last time (2009) and I needed to get back into a good routine. I will admit, that without Hubs doing it along side of me, I am not nearly as strict, but I still get in a solid workout about 4-5 days a week. And I've allowed myself 1 cheat day per week on the nutrition plan. I am once again surprised at how satisfied I feel following their guidelines. 

Usually, I just make my own smoothies without a recipe, but since I was using their nutrition plan, I followed their recipe (with my minor adjustments) and it is so, so good.

1 cup skim milk*

1/2 banana

1/2 c frozen raspberries** (any berry will work, but raspberries are my fave)

1 scoop protein powder***

*I started out only using coconut milk. Dairy gives me some stomach issues, so I try to cut back on it. It was very good. Then, I decided to use 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 Kalona super natural organic whole milk (grass-fed cows, pasteurized at a low temp, non-homogenized). The Kalona milk is so, so good and easier for my body to digest (still not 100% comfortable). I use 1/2 of both milks because the whole milk is $3.99/half-gallon and it is super fattening, so I limit my consumption.

** They actually call for non-frozen berries and then add ice to the smoothy. Using frozen berries makes the smoothie smoother and doesn't water the flavor down but still makes it cold. 

***I ran out of vanilla protein powder but have a TON of chocolate. So, I've been putting a scoop of chocolate in and can't even taste much of a difference.

I'm also super happy with how fast this protein shake is to make, the consistency is very drinkable, and the amount it makes is perfect. Unfortunately, it uses up my allotted amount of fruit each day, so I don't drink one every morning.