Cheers to a new month! While I’m sad to see summer slip away, I’m happy to have the dumpster fire that was July behind us. Things quieted down here this week, which is a good thing. Before I get into it, here’s how the workouts went. Things were pretty routine on that front as well.
Monday: Walk 4 miles, Rest
Tuesday: Walk 4 miles, Trail Run 3 miles
Wednesday: Walk 4 miles, Lower Body Strength
Thursday: Walk 4 miles, Trail Run 4 miles
Friday: Walk 4 miles, Yoga, Posture Workout
Saturday: Walk 4 miles, Trail Run 5 miles
Sunday: Walk 4 miles, Heavy full body strength
Trails continue to be my joy and stress release
The final week of July evened out a bit here. My dad is home from the hospital, my MIL does not need surgery on her shoulder. Because Thing 2 has another ZOOM flute recital this weekend, I mostly spent the week taxiing her around to outdoor rehearsals. Add a week of Volleyball Camp to the mix, and I found myself in the car much more than usual.
We celebrated the last of our 6 July family birthdays. My baby is 15. How’d that happen?? While I love festivities as much as the next person, I will say all the birthday cake not to mention trips to our favorite frozen custard place have taken a significant toll on my waistline. More on that to come. Ugh.
DMV Dumpster Fire
I took Thing 2 to the DMV so she could take the written test required for her learner’s permit. I know this process is never any picnic, and of course the pandemic exacerbated the process big time, but I wasn’t prepared to see at least 200 people in line, camped out on blankets and in freaking tents that wrapped across the front and all the way around the back of the entire shopping center and to the front again. Seriously, does there not come a time when a line gets too long and someone just has to say go home? I wasn’t about to spend the entire day camped out so we’ll have to slay this dragon another time. Sheesh.
Spandits Sale
Spandits! Sale. If you’ve ever wanted to try the fun-patterned shorts and leggings you see me wear constantly, now’s the time! Through the month of August only, save 15% at Spandits! when you use code FRIENDSANDFAMILY15. Be sure to tell them Marcia sent you.
New On YouTube
Glute Strength Workout. Glutes are a runner’s powerhouse. If you don’t activate them and keep them strong though, they get lazy and other muscles will step in to compensate. That’s how we get injured. This workout will teach your glutes to fire and keep them strong. Try it!
The Week Ahead
Thing 1 finished her Summer School finals and now it’s time to prepare for her departure to Atlanta for the fall semester. As much as we’ve enjoyed having her home for a “bonus” 5 months, it’s time for her to get on with her collegiate life. In the event a Covid breakout occurs and school shuts down, her plan is to stay and learn remotely from her apartment, so we won’t plan on seeing her again until Thanksgiving.
How was your week? Been to the DMV lately? Fave cake? Do you do glute activation exercises?
I’m linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down. Join us!
I agree, July was just too much drama all around so we’re due for a chill August. Isn’t it amazing how much time we spent in the car pre-pandemic? Although I’m WFH I do have to go to my office every couple of weeks to get paperwork. It’s a 30 minute drive if traffic is good, which of course it always is right now but OMG it feels like it takes forever.
Wow on the DMV! I believe ours are by appt only now. That is crazy! So glad that your dad is feeling better and out of the hospital. Love your 4 mile walks everyday. I was doing well w those daily until it got so darn hot. I think it’s time for me to try the spandits! Thanks for linking!
Holy moly, tents and blankets?? Yikes. That is out of control. Gees…hopefully they get caught up and the lines get better quickly! That’s insane.
Lots of positive news from your family this week- good to hear!
I’m always amazed at people’s ability to stay patiently in a queue!!! I can’t think of anything worse, LOL! Happy 15th Birthday to your “baby” girl! What a gorgeous girl she is.
Happy birthday to your daughter! That’s such a bummer about the DMV. What you described sounds like an absolute nightmare. I hope that the line is way more reasonable the next time you go there.
So happy to hear that positive news about your dad and mother in law!
Luckily we got to the DMV before the s*&t hit the fan to get our real ids. Of course the joke’s on us since we ain’t going anywhere.I can’t even fathom people sleeping out there. Are they homeless? Seriously, what’s up with that? I’m sure your daughter wasn’t super happy.
Sounds like a lot of good new wrapped up July! So happy for you that your Dad is out of the hospital.
We have a battle most of the time when we decide where we want to do takeout from. Mr. Judy pretty much loves anything fried or heavily carby or saucy. Which neither one of us needs. Sushi is actually the one thing we can agree on. Only lately he’s taken to getting fast food when I get my sushi. I can’t drill into him that he’s shortening his life to save some $$, or that he really doesn’t need all the carbs.
One of my patients got her license last week–it took her 6 HOURS! She went to Kildeer. I have to go to renew my license. Seriously, they want me to take the vision test? Are you freaking kidding me? I hear that Des Plaines is the place to go. I will find out more…
Ugh, the DMV 🙁 Interesting that learners permits start at 15 yrs. Our is 15 1/2, so we’ll be doing that in December for my son. I think having a 2nd child learn will be way less stressful than the first was! ( I hope!) Thanks for the glute video. I have been slacking on my exercises. This is a good set of exercises that I did for PT, and it will be nice to do exercises “with someone” 🙂
Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter! They do grow up so fast, don’t they? It seems like I blinked and they were gone.
That line for the driver’s license test is crazy! I wonder if you could hire someone to keep your place in line for you! 😉
Safe travels to Thing 1 — and I hope you do OK with that.
THE DMV is bonkers. Camping out — no, just no.
Glad to hear the good news on your father, MIL.
That DMV situation sounds like a hot mess! My youngest also turned 15 this week and I heard things at our MDV were similar so we’ll just be holding off on that for a while!
Glad to hear your Dad is home and there’s no surgery on the horizon for your MIL.
That would be a hard pass at the DMV. I don’t wait like that for ANYTHING.
I don’t love cake, so my favorite is actually ice cream cake LOL!
Happy birthday to your youngest and I hope the college experience goes as smoothly as it can.
Neither my license, nor the hubby’s, are due for renewal, but we want to go and get the gold star on them. We had a trip planned for late September, but that just got the kabash this weekend, so I guess there’s not a big hurry at the moment. I don’t think we’d have that kind of a wait in Iowa, but who knows? All that daily walking! Go YOU!!
That many people at the DMV? And camping out in tents? I am just trying to understand the reason for that many people.
Favorite cake is chocolate! I do like the one from Portillo’s. 🙂
Happy Birthday to your daughter! I hope things go well for your daughter in Atlanta. I can imagine it must be stressful for her and for you.
That DMV experience sounds crazy! I haven’t been to one in a long time, probably since I got married? Happy birthday to your daughter and I hope the transition back to Atlanta for your other daughter goes well!
Oh my goodness, not seeing your daughter till Thanksgiving – that’s hard! Will there be lots of zoom calls etc? I will watch your video as I think I need to work on something with my glutes for sure!
Yikes on the DMV. That is ridiculous! Glad you didn’t ^haven’t^ to get it done that day. I’m glad Thing 2 is getting to do some things — outdoor practice has to be better than Zoom, even if the acoustics aren’t right. I’m sure it is bittersweet to be sending Thing 1 back to Georgia.
I need to try your glutes workout and those spandits!
I thought you were going to say you stood in that line. Good grief! What a mess!
I’ll be trying out that glute workout. Keep them coming. 😊
I had an update to make to my license that needed to be done in person, so I got up bright and early Saturday morning to get there as close to their 7:30 opening as possible, since Saturday was the first day everyone was allowed back. I had the same experience! The line went around the entire parking lot and doubled back on itself when I got there at like 7:45 – and you know these suburban parking lots are not exactly small! I didn’t see any tents or blankets, but I bet people started arriving no later than 3 a.m. based on the length of the line. I didn’t even get out of my car: just turned around and went back home. I went back around 12:45 in the afternoon and was very pleased to see that the line was down to 35 people and at least 85% shorter than it was in the morning. I managed to get in and walked out at 1:57 – three minutes before they closed! (Though I think they followed “voting rules,” at least on Saturday – i.e., if you were in the building before 2:00, they let you stay. They weren’t kicking anyone out, at least, and there were a good 10 people or so who still needed help, so I assume they let them all finish.) I hope you have better luck later on this month!
I renewed my license in the mail…my photo must be 40 years old…no joke. That is crazy when you went thru at DMV.
Good news for your father and can’t believe it is August already. It’s probably because I’ve been stuck in my home since march. All the days blend together,
Your trail runs look so pretty. Are they near by?? No need to drive. My trails are not really ones you run on (not very long) and I have to drive.