Quote of the day.

Happy Hump Day Beauties, I can't believe how quick this month is going! I'll be back in New York two weeks from today moving my guy and me into our new apartment, I'm extremely excited. But before I go home, I am running a half marathon here in Athens and my cousin Lyndsay will be here next week to vacation with my guy and I, so the rest of February is looking amazing. 

Today's quote is from the movie, Rumor Has It, staring Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner. It's a great chick flick definitely check it out if you have the time. This quote has such a strong message. Life has its ups and downs but it wouldn't be life without them. 

Enjoy!

Life should be a little nuts, otherwise it's just a bunch of ... Thursdays, strung together. 

-Rumor Has It

It's HERE!!! The SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE 2011.

Wahoo, the day I've been waiting a whole year for is finally here, the release of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get my hands on a copy because I'm currently in Greece but with the help of the awesome Sports Illustrated iPad app I was able to download the full swimsuit issue and it even includes videos.

This year Irina Shayk graces the cover and she looks so amazing. The SI swimsuit models take us on a journey to, Laguna Beach, The Philippines, Fiji, Peter Island in the Caribbean, Canada, Singapore, and Hawaii where they make every place a little hotter. They also include a photo shoot of the iconic SI swimsuit painted on bikinis. I am always amazed with  how they look so real.

I think this year's issue is great, very classic Sports Illustrated Swim. All the ladies look beautiful, but my favorite model would have to be Swimsuit Rookie Kate Upton, she's no Marisa Miller but she does come close, I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more of her on the pages of SI. 

Kate Upton

I asked my guy who he liked the best and he went with SI Swimsuit Alum Cintia Dicker. She is one natural beauty, if I do say so myself and has the coolest freckles I've ever seen.

Cintia Dicker

My manfriend then went on to inform me that he himself graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. I assured him that he was indeed my favorite covergirl, I mean guy!

My favorite cover"guy"!

I also loved the spread of Brooklyn Decker called, "A Star is Born", it was very classic Hollywood. Brooklyn Decker is so beautiful it is almost hard to look at her, and she is married to Andy Roddick which totally ups her status in my book.

Brooklyn Decker

All in all this year's issue definitely didn't disappoint, and the iPad issue was awesome because you got to watch tons of behind the scene videos, and learn a little more about the models. And of course the bathing suits were super sexy and I definitely put some on my summer swim wish list, I just wish the boobs came with the swimsuit. 

Well done Sports Illustrated, I can't wait to see what you have lined up for 2012! Go pick up your issue today!

Quote of the day.

Hey there lovers, hope everyone had a great Valentine's day and is now ready to enjoy a great Tuesday. I just had an awesome yoga/core workout only six days until I run my first half marathon of the year. I'm excited to get the first one over with, and I really hope the weather is nice. 

I'm also extremely excited for today because the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was released! Wahoo.

Today's quote is from the popular book, The Secret. The Secret was written by Rhonda Bryne and is based on William Walker Atkinson's previous works and school of thought. This is a quote about getting to your destination and reaching your goals in life. I may not totally agree with everything the book says, but I do indeed like this quote and it's message. 

Enjoy.

Think of a car driving through the night. The headlights only go a hundred or two hundred feet forward, and you can make it all the way from California to New York driving through the dark, because all you have to see is the next two hundred feet. And that's how life tends to unfold before us. If we just trust that the next two hundred feet will unfold after that, and the next two hundred feet will unfold after that, your life will keep unfolding. And it will eventually get you to the destination of whatever it is you truly want, because you want it. 

- The Secret

King and Queen for a day.

Yesterday my guy took me on a little getaway to celebrate Valentine's Day. We drove south from Athens to our first stop Lake Vouliagmeni, where we enjoyed a nice swim on such a beautiful day. After the lake we headed over to Astir Palace which is part of the Athens Riviera, right outside of Vouliagmeni. We checked into the Arion Resort and Spa, and it blew me away.

I couldn't believe the view we had from our room, we were literally surrounded by water. The hotel was immaculate, and the staff was amazing. After enjoying the view from our room, we headed down to the spa, where we were really able to relax. The spa had this huge heated pool, with numerous jacuzzis. Outside the pool room, there was a steam and sauna room, followed by a mist shower and foot pools. The spa was so tranquil, I wish I could be around something this amazing everyday. 

Once we got enough out of the spa we headed back to our room, to hang out and enjoy watching some American television, it's the little things that we appreciate. After some lounging we headed down to the bar to get a drink before dinner. The bar was really nice and the bar tender informed us that the resort get's really busy during May and June, so we really lucked out. We enjoyed some red wine and were looking forward to our dinner. 

My guy made reservations for us at The Grill Room, which was a Mediterranean Restaurant specializing in seafood. I was so excited because we really haven't had much seafood while we've been living in Greece. I had an amazing shrimp and scallop dish accompanied by a spicy risotto, Kyle had the Grouper which was out of this world and we shared a lovely bottle of merlot. 

After dinner the lady at the front desk told us there was a chocolate festival over at the Westin, and that we should go check it out. Now being that Kyle and I are both chocolate lovers and that is was Valentine's Day we took her up on the offer and headed over to the Westin. When we arrived it looked as though the festival was over for the night, but the great staff set us right up with a table. They brought out a variety of chocolate dishes and two different types of wine. The first glass they gave us was a chocolate wine, and it was so amazing my taste buds were going crazy, the other glass they gave us was a nice merlot. 

Our little getaway turned out to be an amazing day followed by an even better night. I'm very lucky to be able to experience the things I have in my life and I'm even more thankful that I get to share it with an amazing person. We make a great team, and it's nice to know I found someone that really loves the me I love. 

Happy Valentine's Day to You and Your Special Someone.

Here are some pictures of our day, followed by a cool video of the beautiful landscape and water.

Quote of the day + Two Tunes.

Happy Valentine's Day Lovers! Sorry for no posts yesterday, our hotel didn't have wifi. I guess it's good to disconnect from technology every now and then. Yesterday was an amazing day and I just have to thank my guy for always being so thoughtful, love you babe. 

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day, it's not a day just for couples, it's a day to show your love for the people closest to you. So eat some chocolate, have some wine and enjoy your day.

Today's quote is from the great movie, Juno. I figured since it's Valentine's day I should include a mushy quote. I adore this quote and truly believe everyone deserves this.

Enjoy!

Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with. 

-Juno

Here are two wonderful songs, the first is by the band, Boxer Rebellion. You may recognize this track from the movie, Going the Distance, the song is called If You Run. 


The next song is a classic, I love it and especially this  version. Enjoy Van Morrison singing, Have I Told You Lately that I Love You.

 Happy Love Day.

Quote of the day.

Yay, for Saturday! I'm so happy it's the weekend. Today I had an off day from running but I did manage to do a great tabata/yoga workout. I love the rest of the day following a great workout, I feel it leaves me much more positive.  

Later on today my guy's team has a game at home, which means I get to watch them in action against Olympiacos. Tomorrow we head to Astir Palace, Greece to enjoy our little getaway and the weather is looking fantastic, I'm really looking forward to it. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and spends some time with the ones they love!

Today's quote is from a Eddie Vedder song called Rise, it's off the Into the Wild soundtrack. This album is amazing and so is this song. The lyrics are basically saying to rise up, face challenges and be great! After the lyrics, I also included the song, I just love this song so much!

Enjoy!

Such is the way of the world
You can never know
Just where to put all your faith
And how will it grow

Gonna rise up
Burning back holes in dark memories
Gonna rise up
Turning mistakes into gold

Such is the passage of time
Too fast to fold
And suddenly swallowed by signs
Low and behold

Gonna rise up
Find my direction magnetically
Gonna rise up
Throw down my ace in the hole

-Eddie Vedder, Rise

Making Excellent Happen.

Now that I am training for a Half Ironman I know I have to step my training up a notch. This morning I did a great yoga workout followed by some tough core work at the end.  I knew I needed to do another workout out today, I planned on doing the Crossfit Endurance workout of the day, but I was procrastinating, maybe I'll just do two tomorrow.

My guy headed off to practice and I was on the computer, going on Facebook for the billionth time, then I went on YouTube  and watched some great motivating videos.  The next thing I knew, I was in my running clothes and out the door. Sometimes it takes that little extra something to get me going, and today it was a Nike and a New Balance commercial. 

I'm not going to lie, it is really tough training day in and day out alone, you can easily slip. I must say it is hard to slip or go easy when you live with a professional athlete who's so in tune with working out but the temptation is there and I do have days where the couch and Nutella are way more appealing then the gravel trail in the park. 

Then I think, why am I doing this? I do it not for the end result after months of training, even though that's an amazing feeling. I do it for  the moment right after my workout, it's this sense of accomplishment that no one can take away from me, it's knowing that I gave an hour of my day to my body and mind. And the days when I feel like working out the least, that sense of accomplishment is even bigger because I beat that lethargic enemy that everyone possesses within. 

So tonight instead of seeing who updated their status on Facebook, I jogged over to the park, did the CrossFit Endurance workout and it totally kicked my ass. I didn't let my inner lazy demon win, which has brought me one step closer to being a Half Ironman Finisher. 

Thank you Nike and New Balance!