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A Few Things I Love for Friday

Besides the pure fact that it’s FRIDAY there is sure a lot of new things that I’m loving… so, I thought it would be fun to share a few of them with you guys.

Concert Anticipation

I just got tickets in the mail and it’s official… I’m going to see Maroon 5! Wait… what the heck??? I’m going to see KELLY CLARKSON, who is touring with Maroon 5. Shame on those boys for not including my girl on the tickets… but I know who’s REALLY performing and I can’t wait to see her!

Trying on Bathing Suits this Week

When I used to try on bathing suits, it felt a little bit more like this….

But now, it’s sort of fun. To prepare for an upcoming trip, I’ve been trying to find a new suit to add to my mix. I’ve tried some on at JCP, Victoria’s Secret, and today I hit the jackpot at Target. They have such cute suits right now…

Here’s the crazy part… I didn’t buy any that were BLACK. Yes, it’s still me, Kelly. Unbelievable right?? Here’s the stock images from Target.com

They’re both still one pieces (of course!) and they don’t look that exciting all flat and on strangers, but I promise they rock! If you’re looking for new suits, check out your local Target.

And… if I can just say it, it’s AWESOME to not be disgusted by bathing suit shopping. So awesome. Don’t get me wrong, I still see the wobbly bits staring back in the mirror, but I am not planning camouflage strategies anymore… it’s going to be ok.

This Little Beauty

I FINALLY upgraded my very tired, exhausted, slow and frustrated MacBook with this super beautiful MacBook Pro. I am BEYOND excited to have a computer that moves at FAST speeds again…

Considering how much time I spend every week blogging, editing photos, etc… I needed this. And, even vow to back it up a little more effectively than I did the last!

A Gorgeous Accessory

No food on the list today, I’m just loving little things today… including this amazing bag.

My grandma has been gone three years this May. To say I adored her was an understatement. I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with my Gram when I was young, since we lived across the street from one another. When she passed away, my aunt gave all the girl cousins a chance to help themselves to some of her fine accessories (which was TOTALLY up my alley.) I snagged this pretty, pretty beaded bag… I know she had to be fabulous carrying it back in the day. I’ve decided to use it as my handbag for Nat’s wedding in two weeks. Something old, something new applies to the guests too, right?

Also… as a bonus, I opened the bag to find a few extra treasures I had stashed and forgotten about. Priceless costume jewelry from my Gram’s nights on the town. Excited to get to wearing this cuteness!

A New Book for Vacation

Sophie Kinsella just released her latest novel Wedding Night this week. While I’m so eager to dive in and read every bit of it, I’m WAITING to read it at Montelucia. There’s nothing like reading a good book poolside, with a cocktail in hand. One more week!

What are you loving these days??

Cool Blogging Moment... Thanks, Kate

Beer Braised Pork Tacos

The Dress

WOW: Hiking Camelback {AKA December in the Desert: Part Two}

Welcome to the Workout Wednesday post, that was supposed to be on Thursday, that ended up being on Friday.

While most of my posts are geared at recapping a story, sharing a breakthrough, or motivating others…. today’s post is really for me. To remind me of why I like to workout and to get me back in the gym.

This weekend at Montelucia, we had an amazing time lounging on property, relaxing in the spa, and enjoying our favorite cocktails. What I haven’t shared with you yet is that we also worked out every single day!

Donna and I have a very different workout approach.

Donna is more SPORTY than I could ever be. She does bootcamp several times a week, enjoys running, plays soccer, and is competitive with her workouts.

As for me, I prefer yoga, cardio activity like treadmill or elliptical, group classes like Pilates or Spin, and an occasional Zumba class.

Very contrasting in our approach, Donna has also worked out consistently most of her life… where I’m still getting my feet wet. As a result, I lean on her experience from time to time.

For the past several years, she has been heading off to tackle Camelback Mountain when we are at Montelucia. In the early years, I would simply sleep late. Over the past few years, I’ve opted for yoga or treadmill time. This trip, I decided to see this mountain that she’s been talking so much about up close and personal.

True Story: This was the first time I’d ever walked off the property. And, it felt like a completely different world… I took quite a few pictures along the way. There were beautiful cacti and interesting decorations as you can see….

We walked about 4 blocks to get to the base of the mountain, and entered the trails at Echo Canyon Park.

There were a ton of people out on the trails by the time we arrived. It was possibly 9am by the time we got there, and I’d definitely say that if you were hiking here in the summer you’d have to get there MUCH earlier so as to not fry yourself in the sun.

The cooler December weather and the shaded path made 9am the perfect time for us to be on the mountain. When I saw international travelers on the mountain, I knew that they had the right idea in shielding the sun and wished I had applied sunscreen before I left the room.

Just the same, we had a huge trek in front of us… there was no time to go back. Much of the path was created with stairs. Many stairs that went up… and then many that went down. Some stairs formed by rocks, and others by beams. My legs were going to be WORKING on this hike.

We made the decision that we would climb about half way up the mountain during this (my first) trip up Camelback. It was such a gorgeous walk… even if I was whining a bit of the way.

About halfway to our destination, this girl needed to take a breather. As you know, the higher you get in altitude the more challenging breathing can become. Even though I live way about sea level (6200 ft. to be exact), these stairs kicked my behind!

Can you believe I climbed up all of this??

This is where we decided to pause. The sun was very bright, so it’s hard to see how the rest of this climb looked. It was DEFINITELY a CLIMB.

Beginning at this point, you would have to literally pull yourself up and rock climb up this steep hill. Hmmm… that’s a little much for this girl. I wanted to see it, but easily made the decision to turn back at this point.

What’s interesting about the way down is that it’s just as treacherous and exhausting as the way up! You have to watch your steps and be careful not to slip on the rocks. I even used the fence a little bit when I got nervous about the downward climb. The last thing I needed to do was fall.

We decided to take one more trail before heading to the base. We spotted a sign for Bobby’s Rock which is situated near a cool canyon and we decided to check it out!

When we finally got to the bottom of the mountain, my legs were super tired. I noticed that I overcompensated a little with my right leg… which I knew I would pay for in the next few days, but the hike was SO worth it.

I had once again done something that I never had done before… and tackled a new obstacle that was in front of me. Maybe next time, I’ll climb to the top, but for now… I’m super happy with my arrival to our halfway point.

Shopping Adventures in SLC

Majestic Mountain Moments

Back from Paradise