work

Oh, my dear readers…. I got the BEST news about a week ago.

You probably remember that I changed jobs about 6 months ago, and I’m very lucky to work for a fantastic company. That same company made the decision about a week ago to change my job responsibilities DRASTICALLY. And, as part of this shift, they are changing where I work on a daily basis.

Changing where I work?? Why the heck does that matter?

When you commute in Denver traffic to the Denver Tech Center on a daily basis… you get VERY excited when you hear that you don’t have to do this every single day.

It was just a matter of time before I went Michael Douglas on someone.

I know that Denver is not like LA or Atlanta (not nearly as bad.) However, if you live in Denver, the LAST place you want to commute daily is the Denver Tech Center. EVERYONE works there, and they all take the same interstates to get there. It’s adorable once you arrive, but quite the bear to get to.

Now, I’ll still make trips to our office from time to time, but more often than not, my new office will be fairly close to home. Saying goodbye to the two plus extra hours I’ve spent in my car for the past 6 months does not break my heart. Think of what I can do with those extra two hours!!

How I Plan to Spend the Morning Hour

I have always thought it would be amazing to have the option to workout in the morning. When I was leaving my house at 6:30am, working out in the morning was completely impossible. Afterall, my gym doesn’t even open until 5:00am. Now, however, working out in the morning is TOTALLY a possibility! I worked out on Tuesday morning (my first day on the new job) and I plan on doing it moving forward! If I’m at the gym by 6:15am, I can be home by 7:15am and ready to work by 8:00am. That’s PERFECT!

I’ll still get to see sunrise in Denver, but the skyline won’t be in the backdrop. Instead, I’ll see a view of the mountains (which I can see from my gym.) I’m definitely okay with that.

ALSO… I’ve never mentioned it here, but I am NOT a morning person. So, let’s also pause for a moment to consider that waking up an hour later and getting those morning endorphins will also make me MUCH more pleasant. Maybe that was my boss’ real goal in re-designing our department??

How to Spend the Afternoon Hour

Wait a second, when I get home from work… I don’t have to rush to the gym because I already did it?? That’s the best ever! Instead, I can do whatever I’d like. Keep up with my DVR, experiment with new recipes, run errands, enjoy an evening with friends, do laundry, write more blog posts, take classes I’ve been thinking about taking… I mean, the list of options are ENDLESS. The great news is that the time is MINE.

I don’t really plan to sit in a grassy field like this… but it’s my hour and I’ll do what I want to…

I’m also not opposed to doing an extra workout in the evening. I always have that struggle between cardio and yoga… which one to do. If I do cardio in the morning, the afternoon is wide open for yoga (or a second walk at the gym!) There’s also a few classes that traffic always keeps me from (i.e. 6:00pm Zumba on Mondays, and 5:30pm Yoga on Wednesdays.) These are all possibilities now!

Let’s pause to talk about steps for a moment. I am also REALLY excited about bringing more steps to the table on a daily basis! As many of you know, I’m an avid Fitbit fan and I love to talk about how it helps me with my daily fitness goals. Over the past 6 months since working at my new company, my steps have been EMBARRASSING. Walking out of the office at the end of the day with less than 3000 steps can be a little disappointing. And, many many steps from my goal.

Those days are over, my friends. Yesterday, I clocked about 6,000 steps from the workday alone. Uh-Mazing!

Even though I’ve been given the gift of time, I always remember this as well….

There’s always time to get it done. Always. I’m just thankful to have a little more flexibility in choosing when exactly I do it moving forward…

Do you workout in the morning or the afternoon? Any tips for morning workouts for extra energy throughout the day?

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WOW Randomness

Gourmet Spoon Cooking School

The average day on the job consists of a lot of email, a lot of phone calls, and usually a lot of time with my friend Excel.

On Wednesday, I had a chance to do something SO DIFFERENT and SO right up my alley! I had a chance to participate in a team builder this week that was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

We went to the Gourmet Spoon cooking school for a day of learning grilling techniques! The only female in the group, I was curious how the whole event would go. Seeing this sign when we walked into the classroom, I knew we were in for a treat.

I took a picture of this sign for my sister-in-law because she’s always using butter… and I’m always trying to find an alternative. Still, if the spirit of Julia Child was present, I knew we were going to be cooking some fantastic food. You just can’t quote Julia without bringing it!

Chef Dan was our instructor and he did an awesome job of leading our crew through grilling techniques. He kept his instruction concise, yet full of incredibly important tips about grilling.

The biggest one I picked up on: Your food should be DRY when it hits the grill, including your veggies. How many times have I put a piece of chicken on the grill soaking in marinade? When you remove the excess liquid, your food cooks better! During the class, I had one of the best pieces of grilled chicken ever, and it was only seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Our lunch was to include some steak, salmon, and chicken grilled to perfection with two different sauce options. I got assigned to the salad team. This wasn’t actually my team’s team builder, so I let myself fit into open slots. I was SO excited to be chosen for the salad team. The salad team was responsible for cooking a Nicoise Salad with Grilled Tomato Vinaigrette. This was a vegetarian Nicoise, so it lacked the tuna…. and this salad was incredible!

Check out those gorgeous veggies. Here’s the crazy part… we seasoned everything we ate only with olive oil, salt, and pepper. These veggies were a few of those featured in our salad. Our salad included a beautiful platter of the following:

Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Tomatoes, Grilled Potatoes, Grilled Red Peppers, Grilled Onions, and (wait for it) Grilled Romaine

It was AMAZING! The chef would task us with different activities that we would be responsible for, and he challenged me to arrange our platter.

Check out my gorgeous veggie platter!

The romaine lettuce was grilled to perfection by simply brushing it lightly with olive oil, and setting it on the grill for about 30 seconds to let the lettuce wilt slightly. Then we chopped the lettuce and placed it on the platter.

Uh-Mazing….

Serving up my salad

My beautiful lunch

Here’s what I loved about this class (besides the food, of course.) Food is really the great unifier. All people, all ages, and with all different interests come together when you put them in the kitchen. Seeing this same mixed group break into huge grins when they saw grill marks on a beautiful fresh tomato was remarkable. Seeing them get excited as they planned to make these dishes for their wives, and seeing them practice new knife techniques… it was just awesome.

While my company graciously paid for me to take this class, it made me realize I want to take more classes like this in the future, including a knife skills class. Our local Whole Foods, Sur La Table, and Williams-Sonoma stores all have free classes that they offer, and I’d suggest you check your local stores as well for classes like this.

I’d also suggest that this might be a great thing to add to your Christmas list. I guarantee you’ll walk away with new skills and a new appreciation for a new ingredient. I certainly did.

Have you ever attended a cooking class?

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