40 and Fabulous Surprise Birthday Party

I can't believe that I just typed those words. But, it is true. I turned 40 last week. Craziness.

Actually, I think that my kids were more excited and anticipated it more than I did.  I can tell you that I don't "feel" 40 . . .whatever that is supposed to feel like.  At least I don't feel like what I thought 40 would feel like.

On the day of my actual birthday we were enduring yet another snow storm here in St. Louis.  Little did I know, though, that my husband and friends were scheming and planning.  I told Scott that I really didn't want/need anything big but would just like to go out to dinner with a couple of friends.  Well, they sure surprised me.

I can't tell you the shock that I had when I saw a room full of my friends.  My friend, Janice, is a fantastic party planner so I guess Scott just put her in charge and boy, did she come through. 

The room was absolutely beautiful.  We had a private room surrounded by natural wood and coolers full of wine. 

I "might" like to drink a bit of wine.  Loved my "40 and Fabulous" wine gift from some really great friends, Angie and Kori.

I also "might" like to gamble a bit . . .

Janice made tons of picture props . . .cigars, mustaches, glasses.  They were so much fun!

Janice aka "Party Planner Extraordinaire" and me

 Angie and Kori gave me the great wine glass

 After party at the casino

 Corey (my Sunday Funday buddy) and Ann--great neighbors!

Although you would think that it goes against my personality but I truly am not a "center of attention" person.  I always feel like I am putting people out.  This is why I really appreciated all of the time, effort, and secret conversations that took place to make this a surprise for me.  It was great to celebrate with everyone.  It was definitely a birthday to remember!

 My sister and me

 Hottie Scottie

Sue and me

TRAVEL REVIEW: Hyatt Zilara (formerly THE ROYAL Cancun)

I just returned from a weekend at the Hyatt Zilara (formerly THE ROYAL Cancun) and here is my honest review.

First of all, let me be upfront and tell you that I am a travel agent. I went to this resort because I have 12 couples booked here in May. With the change of ownership, I just wanted to make sure that everything is still up to the same standards as the Real Resort. I was not disappointed.

Check-In: We were met with champagne and led over to a table in which the concierge asked us about our preferred pillows, when we would want have maid service, and what kind of aromatherapy for the room. We also were able to make reservations for dinners right then. Not all restaurants require reservations but since we were there for only 2 nights, I wanted to try one of the specialty restaurants. We chose Maria Maria (more on that later). 


Our room was not ready until 3:00pm. I don't know why everyone makes such an issue about their room not being ready until later in the afternoon. Check-out is at 11:00am, they clean the rooms, and then they check you in. Just come prepared . . . we packed our swimsuits on the outside pockets of our carry-ons, changed, and got on with our weekend. It really is no big deal!

Room: We stayed just in the entry-level Junior Suite. If you cannot afford to upgrade, don't worry! Every room at this resort is ocean front! The view, as you can tell from my pictures, is absolutely amazing. There is a large spa tub right in the bedroom. We never used it. Some people love them, some people hate them. I just don't really take baths on vacation. The shower was huge with about 6 different water spout and it is big enough for two. The drains are not that great and the water did stand a bit but once the water was turned off, it drained rather quickly.
There is a mini-bar in the room stocked with name brand liquors, beers, soda, juices, and water. There was also a full bottle of wine waiting for us.
Turn down service was fantastic and little candies were left each night.

Service: I cannot say enough about the service at this resort. Every single waiter, housekeeper, concierge, bartender . . .everyone went out of their way to make sure that they gave us the best service possible. There is a pool waiter that walks around and will clean your sunglasses. The waiters hand out frozen grapes. They all are just great.
In particular, we loved Felipe at the Lobby Bar. He was so much fun and really made us feel so special. I loved talking to Felipe about his family and about Don Julio 1942 and Real(ha!). I also loved Nava's mojitos down at the beach bar. They were great!

Food: This is the one area where I can't go on and on. In all honesty, I was just there for 2 nights so I don't have a huge selection. Some of the standouts were the Mexican Coffee at Tapas & Pinxtos, my husband loved the tuna at Maria Marias, the flank steak tacos at Pelicano's were great as was the guacamole. I wish we could have tried the Chef's Table . . .another reason to go back.

Entertainment: There are nightly shows in the lobby along with other special theme nights (ie Disco night, etc). The flamenco dancer and singer were fantastic. Him singing Ava Maria was unforgettable. I also enjoyed fondue night. There is also a lady who rolls some fantastic Cuban cigars. She is great.

Beach: The beach is wide and gorgeous. The chairs are nice and the beach service was great. The ocean was very rough and not very swimmable but you can't judge that because next week, it could be great!

Location: This resort is only about 15 minutes from the airport. It has a great, walkable beach. If you want to venture out, feel free to jump on the city bus for only $1 and go to local restaurants, bars, and shops.

If you have any particular questions about this resort, please feel free to message me.

Tag Team Throwdown

When I started at CrossFit O'Fallon back in July 2011, it never entered my mind that I would someday enter in to a CrossFit competition.  In fact, I didn't even know that CF competitions, throwdowns, Garage Games, or CrossFit Games even existed.  I had never heard of any of them.

Over the past 17 months, though, I have grown to love CrossFit and it has become a part of my life that I don't even question anymore.  It's not something that I do, it is something that I am . . .as corny as that might sound.

When my CF coach, Josh, mentioned that he was going to be hosting a Tag Team competition back in September, the thought actually entered my mind, "That might be fun to try." Even back then I had no lofty ideas of winning, placing, or even finishing in the top 10 or 20.  I just thought it would be fun to compete and to be around other people who love this stuff as much as I do.  I ended up pairing up with an awesome firecracker, Jesse, and we set out to go in and do the best that we could do.

Fast forward until the day before Thanksgiving, 1 1/2 weeks before the competition, and I ended up falling down my stairs at home.  In this fall, I re-injured an old tailbone fracture and it caused my lower back muscles to really contract and inflame.  I was so upset not only for myself but also because I had a partner who was depending on me.  For the past week I have taken more Ibuprofen than I have in my entire life, stayed off my feet, sat on a donut, and kept going back to my chiropractor, Dr. Matt.  We made the decision on Wednesday that I could compete, knowing that I wouldn't be 100%, but at least there was no danger of hurting myself any farther.  It would be painful but I could make it through.

So, that's exactly what I did.  I must say that I am paying the price for it today but the experience was amazing.  It was so inspiring to see so many people giving it everything they had in them.  People of all shapes, sizes who, just like me, had no expectations of winning but just wanted to be a part of it. 

The Tag Team Throwdown was held at the St. Louis Rams Training facility.

My partner, Jesse, is awesome!  Our team name was "Meet Me at the Bar"  (you can order shirts from my friend, Rob, HERE)

The day consisted of 3 WODs (Workout of the Day).  The first was strictly strength and the last two were strength and cardio combined.  I'm not going to lie, it was hard especially since I hadn't worked out in a week and a half.  We had such a great time, though.

WOD 1

12 Minutes for 1 partner to establish a 1 rep max snatch and 1 partner to establish a 1 rep max clean and jerk

WOD 2

13 Minutes to complete the following:

-Partner 1 rows 800 meters

-100 35lbs kettle bell swings to be divided up any way you want, does not have to be 50/50 per partner

-100 over-the-boxes (20 inches) to be divided up any way you want.  While one partner works, the other partner holds the 35lb kettle bell.  If the KB touches the ground, the team will be assessed a 5 burpee penalty.

-Partner 2 rows 800 meters

WOD 3

15 minutes to complete the following:

Teams can break up the work any way they choose.

-50 115lb dead lift, 20 pull-ups, 15 over-the-bar burpees

-50 85lb power snatches, 20 pull-ups, 15 over-the-bar burpees

-50 65lb snatches, 20 pull-ups, 15 over-the bar burpees

Here are some pics of me snatching.  I ended up snatching 80lbs, no new PR but still glad to have it that.

Jesse hit a new PR with a 115lb clean and jerk!  (sorry for the blurriness)

Jesse rowing out that 800 meters.

35lbs kettle bell swings

Over the box

 

Because of the whole tailbone issue, I was "dying" on the 800 meter row.  I just closed my eyes and tried to get through it.  Oh, how I wished that I could have taped my donut to that seat.

Overall, I'm happy with how we did.  We ended up finishing 27 out 42 scaled teams.  I would have loved to have made it in to the top 20 but there were a lot of strong women's teams and by the third WOD, I was in serious pain.

I will definitely compete in another competition.  Of course, I want to do better. . . isn't that the point?    I can't say enough, though, about the sense of community in CrossFit.  Even though we were in competition with each other, if you weren't busy with the WOD then you were cheering on other teams.  It is one of the strangest but yet best aspects of this CrossFit world . . .yes, I want to beat you but I also want you to do the best that you possibly can do. 

Now . . .on to more Ibuprofen, a hot bath, and rest!