A Wee Hike

A week ago Monday was my 26th birthday. Birthday's are a big deal in our family, as are Christmases and random "Happy Tuesday, I got you this present day!" days.

We like an excuse to celebrate in our family basically. It probably has something to do with being Irish. Anyway....

We generally go all out. We swear on our lives and pinky promise that we won't, but we can't help it. The birthday person gets to pick whatever they want to do, and then the whole fam damily joins in. Down through the years we've gone parasailing, hiking, camping, shooting, swimming....you get the idea. We have fun. Eating an enormous amount of food is par for the course as well.

I decided to wanted to go hiking and rock climbing....so that's what Adrian and I did! Our hike was...well it was a tad long and we didn't make it to the summit before our legs gave out. I am determined to go back and reach the top. Next time I will start earlier in the morning and take more water!! The info I read on the trail we took (The Tunnel Trail) said it was either a 4-mile hike or a 11-mile hike. Adrian used a GPS thingy on her phone and said we hiked uphill for much longer than 11 miles. I'm glad, because I was a bit worn out from our "wee" hike and I would have been really upset with my level of fitness if I was that tired from a 4 mile hike!!

How do you celebrate birthdays in your family? Do you have any long-standing traditions? Let us know, we'd love to hear about them!

You know how I'm obsessed with Marvel comics? My sister got me Avengers paper plates and plastic cups....swoon. There's no way I'm 26.

My mother sent our dogs Happy Unbirthday presents......horse toenails wrapped in tissue paper. Bam.

At the beginning of the trail head, before the sunburn and the mountain kicked our butts! 

Tunnel Trail 

Los Padres National Forest 

Hiding from the sun and devouring protein bars. 

A beautiful day for a hike...you could see all the way to the ocean. 

Sisters that hike together....

 Stay together. :) They also get sunburnt together. Oops. 

"You want me to climb THAT?" 

Learning the basics. If you are in the Ventura area and are looking for a climbing gym, check out Vertical Heaven! They're the best! 

Adrian had a gluten free chocolate cake made especially for me!! Thank you so much sissy! 

xo xo Liz 

Quote of the Week

“Do the things you used to talk about doing but never did. Know when to let go and when to hold on tight. Stop rushing. Don’t be intimidated to say it like it is. Stop apologizing all the time. Learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph. Spend time with the friends who lift you up, and cut loose the ones who bring you down. Stop giving your power away. Be more concerned with being interested than being interesting. Be old enough to appreciate your freedom, and young enough to enjoy it. Finally know who you are.” 

-Kristin Armstrong

 

xo xo Liz & Adrian 

Yoga and a Cocktail

I have been supplementing my running and lifting weights with yoga twice a week, and I LOVE IT!! It’s almost addicting….you think you’re going to keep up just fine with these skinny little gals in their stretchy clothes and you think, they’re basically just standing there holding poses. It can't be that hard, right? I buck hay, run for miles and lift, like, iron you know?? And then you stand there, just ya know, holding a pose, and your legs start to shake and you actually start to sweat quite profusely. 

Like I said, LOVE IT. It’s a challenge I didn’t expect and learning some of the more advanced moves is not only difficult but it’s exciting. Who doesn’t want to be able to balance in strange positions like Spiderman?? Unless of course, you’re not Marvel comic obsessed like me.

Here’s a yoga routine by Tara Stile that I did this evening to help stretch my sore muscles from a week of hard training, and help build other muscles that I wouldn’t necessarily use otherwise.

If you try it out, I’d love to hear what you think! Let me know! 

The end of this yoga routine and the beginning of the six o'clock hour brings us to another happy custom. 

Cocktails.

I come from a family where cocktails and horderves are an evening ritual. When we don't have time to have supper together, we make sure to have a little communal something, even if that's just sliced cheese and apples and a glass of red wine. 

I generally like single malt scotch, or a gin and tonic so when I found this recipe on Pinterest I couldn't help but try it. Even the name is fabulous, if not a little naughty....the Suffering Bastard. And since I feel slightly like a suffering bastard myself this evening, I'm going to toddle off and try it! 

And oh, here's the recipe in case you want to be a suffering bastard, too! ;) 

The Suffering Bastard

Ingredients       

1 ounce bourbon 

1 ounce gin

1 ounce fresh lime juice

1 dash Angostura bitters 

4 ounces chilled ginger ale 

Good night to all and to all a good night!! 

xo xo Liz 

Here's To The Freaking Weekend

What are your plans for this weekend? I have so much homework I feel like I'm drowning, but I know I'm going to find a way to go climbing at THIS wonderful gym, go for a hike in the LOS PADRES FORESTand maybe even catch a nap by the beach!


If you're on Instagram, tag your adventures with #buckaroobarbie! We'd love to see what you're up to!


Take a look at THIS amazing fairytale home a father built for his family.



Adrian and I made Giada de Laurenitiis's Roman Chicken recipe last week....it's drool worthy.



Cooler weather makes me want to paint my nails vampy colors like THIS.



I can't stop listening to Katy Perry's new song ROAR....and I'm not even sorry.



THIS mother decided to help her 5 year old daughter look up to some real-life heroines instead of just pretty Disney princesses.....go mom!!!



Try this HIIT workout that I found on Pinterest...if you're tough.



Coconut oil and Alzheimer's? 



10 Braid Tutorials 



A NEW JK Rowling book. Oh my....

xo xo Liz & Adrian 

How To Have an Amazing Life

Be Thankful

Look for the blessings you have in your life, and then vocalize why and how you are thankful they are in your life. Watch THIS CLIP and tell me it didn't affect you. Go on, I dare you!! ;)

Write It Down
Take a piece of paper, a deep breath, and write down everything you want in life. Don't think about the people that told you the things you want are unattainable, or how you're not smart enough to attain them. Write it all down. Did you do it? Good job. Now write down some goals that will help you attain what you want in life. Hang up your goals and dreams in a place that you will see every day. Liz hangs her goals up by her bed so they are the first thing she sees when she wakes up, and the last thing she sees when she goes to sleep.  Adrian hangs hers up in her closet because, well, she loves her closet. :) You will be happier when you feel that you are actively working towards making your life successful.

Turn SOMEDAY Into TODAY
We are all guilty of using the term someday as an excuse.
"SOMEDAY I will go take that white river rafting trip I've always wanted to take." "SOMEDAY I will learn Spanish." "SOMEDAY I will go skydiving." "SOMEDAY I will take my family camping on the weekend." "SOMEDAY I will teach that recipe to my daughter that my mom taught me."

If you put things off till someday, that day will come and go without you every noticing. Do the things that you dream about NOW. And if there isn't enough time or energy to do them, maybe the other things in your life that do have priority deserve to have their position reevaluated.

Take Ownership of Your Health
In our media-centered lifestyles, we are constantly bombarded with quick fixes that promise to make us look like the latest and greatest celebrity. Forget all that mumbo-jumbo crap. Don't just rely on what E! has to say about health. Once you lose your health, that's it. It's pretty darn tough to get it back. YOU are responsible for your own health and body. Educate yourself on nutrition, health and fitness. There is no confidence like that of pushing yourself physically and finding out that your body can not only achieve the goals you set for it, but shatter them. Quit eating shitty foods. Quit justifying buying crap and blaming your lack of energy on your kids. Food your body fuel. Take care of it by exercising. And focus on doing things you couldn't before instead of what it looks like...i.e. take up mountain biking, run in a 5k, learn to rock climb, start snowboarding....while you're concentrating on being able to accomplish new things, you'll discover one morning that your body has been sneakily changing.

Wake Up Early 
Watch the sun rise and be amazed at the sheer beauty of it. And then go start your day. You'll feel empowered and productive. And it's pretty hard to be down in the dumps when you feel empowered and productive.

Give Back
Focus on serving other people. If we think of life as a place that's all about making ourselves happy, our lives are probably going to be a pretty lonely, hard and disappointing life. Give to the people around you. Help people for no reason other than to help them. If you have an opportunity to be kind, do it. Even if you won't have the chance to Facebook it later on. OK, especially if you don't have the chance.

Go Outside
Our lives today are amazingly cushy and full of incredible things like TV, the internet (blogs like this one!), and music streamed live into our kitchens. These are all things that should be enjoyed and used! But we've also become totally removed from the outdoors and nature as a part of that progress. Take time, at least once a week, to do something that connects you to the earth. Be out in the sun, sit by a stream, watch some animals and just be a human outside. You'll be glad you did.

Don't Complain
OK, we don't mean never complain ever because that is just ridiculous to expect. Instead, try to focus on the good instead of the bad. You can't help but feel more positive if you are thinking positively. That sounds obvious but you would not believe how many people quote inspirational sayings, but approach their actual life expecting the worse. If you approach life expecting the bad, you're going to have things go wrong simply because of your attitude!! Look for the good in your life and you'll be surprised to find that it's looking for you!

Enjoy Life
Life is awesome. And it sucks because, well, it's life. We're all given a certain amount of time here on this earth. Enjoy it while you're here. Drink that glass of wine, tell your mom you love her and help that old lady out of her car. Your life is your story, live it out loud.

xo xo Liz & Adrian 

Photo Credit: Tumblr