Another Snowy Day in NYC

I'm so sick of the damn snow.  Snow today and more snow this weekend.  People who never have to live with snow do not understand how crappy snow really is.  If you have to park on the street, you have to dig your car out.  If you have to walk anywhere, your pants get all wet because when snow melts, everything around it gets wet.  When there is rain mixed with snow, it's called slush and it makes everything slippery and icky.  The day after a snowstorm, the snow that is left out (meaning what hasn't been shoveled or plowed), becomes a mountain of ice.  If you haven't dug out your car by now, good luck trying to get it out.

This is the view outside my window:

Looks pretty huh?  These are of the street:

Not so pretty, right?  Having to walk through all that slush is not fun.  Ugh, trust me.  I get to do it every winter and it's not cute.  It only makes me wish I were back in Puerto Rico.  Or anywhere warm for that matter.

This has been such a crappy winter.  Stay warm my lovelies, xoxo.

Puerto Rico Trip

This past week was spent in Puerto Rico with two of my brothers.  It was one of those spur-of-the-moment trips for me, meaning I didn't spend half the year to plan it.  I sort of just picked a place and booked a room and bought plane tickets.  Why Puerto Rico?  First, because plane tickets were cheap but most importantly, I knew it was going to be HOT.  I'm sick of the cold and the snow here in New York and I needed a change even if it were only for about a week.

We stayed at Gran Melia.  The resort was HUGE.  It was so big that we needed golf carts to take us to our rooms.  The walk wasn't too bad but it was a lot if you do it multiple times a day - it was best to make sure you had everything you need when you left the room.

The room was perfect for the three of us.  The staff was great.  Everyone was amiable so I really have no complaints there.

The restaurants, on the other hand, extremely pricey for the quality.  The breakfast buffet, for $23 per person, was just eh.  The Asian restaurant was less than eh.  I ordered salmon sushi and I was better off with the ones you get at the grocery store.  The Puerto Rican restaurant was probably the best one there but still not the greatest.

The best part of the resort was probably the pool and the placement of the beach chairs around the pool and around the beach area.  Whoever planned the layout, did a great job.  If you wanted peace and quiet, there were chairs and hammocks for you.  If you wanted to be next to the action, meaning the swim up bar and the dj booth, you had a spot carved out for you.  We had our favorite chairs and spent most of our time there.  We also had our spot by the beach and by the grassy area.  It was so relaxing, soaking up the sun, listening to my music, tuning out the world while still bonding with my brothers.

While in Puerto Rico, we had a chance to visit the Bacardi Rum Factory and visit Old San Juan.  The Bacardi factory is the biggest distillery in the world.  If you have your own transportation, the tour is actually free and you get two drink tickets with it.  The Old San Juan tour was brief but worth it, although I wish I could have explored for a few more hours.  In Old San Juan, we tried more Puerto Rican fare, shopped for souvenirs, had amazing coffee and walked around the cobblestone streets and took pictures of the colorful buildings.  I wish we had time to see Old Cristobal Fort but we ran out of time.  Service is a bit slow so lunch took a while.  We were told that the people run on "island time".

This last part of the trip is probably my favorite - a visit to El Yunque National Forest and kayaking the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo.  It was a LONG day but a lot of fun, as I'm sure my brothers can attest.  This was probably their favorite part of the trip as well as it was the most active.  The day started out with a short presentation and history about the rainforest in their visitor center.  It was followed by an hour and a half hike through the rainforest where we learned about the flora and fauna.  You probably don't know this about me, but I love this type of stuff - being one with Mother Nature.  It is so humbling and just so breathtaking.  We hiked through trees and waterfalls and rocks and more trees.  The air was so fresh and the water was sparkling.  James even filled his water bottle with water from the falls.  Supposedly it's good luck and great for staying young - it must be good luck because I received a phone call for an interview that same day!

After the hike, we were dropped off at Luquillo beach for lunch.  My brothers picked a Puerto Rican restuarant and were treated to beach views while we ate.  After lunch, we headed to Fajardo Bay for our sunset kayaking trip to experience the bioluminescent organisms - only can be seen after dark.  It was probably the hardest two hours I have ever experienced.  Kayaking is hard to begin with, but kayaking in the dark, with the tide coming in....hell.  I had jello arms when we were done...but surprisingly wasn't that sore the next day.  I did have some swelling in my injured arm but even that didn't last that long.  Anyway, it was an awesome experience and wouldn't have traded it for anything else.  James probably wanted to switch with Justin after a while though, LOL.

Next time I visit Puerto Rico, I want to stay on the other side of the island or maybe even in Culebra.  Well, I guess it depends on who I travel with.  Til the next adventure...

XOXO

Get Lean Beginner Program Recap

I just finished the Get Lean Beginner Program.  Thirty days - 2 runs, 30-min workout x1, 45-minute x1 and 15-min yoga per week.  According to the app, I completed 65% of the workouts.  I call BS though.  I have a non-conventional work week meaning the days I work changes from week to week.  The problem with the app is that the workout days are a little bit too rigid.  For the Get Lean program, I had to switch some days around but the program thinks I skipped those days.  It's great for those who keep strict schedules, not so great for me.

Overall, I think this was a great beginner workout program.  After 30 days, I can actually run on a treadmill instead of just walk.  Combined with a healthier diet, I also lost about 6 pounds.  For the next 30 days, I am still undecided on which workout program to try next.  Whatever it is, I hope it works with my schedule.

PS - The last week of the program was completed while on vacation in Puerto Rico while also enjoying rich Puerto Rican fare.  Still lost 6 lbs at the end.  Like I said, not bad for a beginner program.