theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for September 2018

Monthly Favorites | September

filed under: monthly favorites

1. I am usually not a fan of pre-packaged oatmeal (I’d rather make it fresh), but these Strawberry Raspberry Oatmeal* cups from Trader Joe’s definitely work in a pinch and when you’re on the go. They’re low in sugar and pretty tasty. I brought a couple of them along on my field trip last week.

2. I’ve been using the Maybelline Super StayⓇ foundation* the last few weeks and it’s become one of my go-to drugstore foundations. It says it’s full coverage, but if you apply it lightly, it doesn’t look like full coverage at all. It just nicely evens out my skin tone.

3. I really enjoyed the TMAC20 Fitness Challenge* this month. It made me want to put more effort into being active EVERY day (20 minutes should be doable most days!) and also work on a positive mindset and I’ve decided to continue with the 20 minutes workouts on the days when I don’t run.

4. I admit I haven’t really been consistent with foam rolling, but I’ve been using my T-pin Vector* foam roller more this last month (making an effort!) and I love it, especially because it’s been helping me to release muscle tightness or trigger points after a workout. Have you been using a foam roller to help in the recovery of your muscles after workouts? It’s truly been a game-changer.

5. I’ve been living in my Birkenstock Gizeh* sandals all summer. They’re my favorite, most comfortable summer shoe and I think next year I have to invest in a new pair. I also wear a pair of Birkenstock Arizonas around the house.

6. Asada Burritos. Do I have to say more? We’ve been on a burrito kick around here lately and it’s our once-a-week takeout treat. I usually get a lunch for the next day out of it, too, because the burritos are so huge.

7. Mrs Meyers Dish Soap* has been our go-to dish soap for a while. It’s made with plant-derived cleaning ingredients and its concentrated, biodegradable formula is tough on grease. I usually soak my pots and pans for a few minutes and then just have to rinse them clean. I personally love the basil fragrance for the kitchen, but they have others to choose from.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

Thinking Out Loud #25

filed under: Thinking out loud


Hi friends. It’s been a little while since I checked in with you. Today I am going to catch you up on my world by linking up with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking out Loud.

+ As you might recall, I was in the desert for work for 7 days (and I got to play with drones. Yay!). Including the 2 days in the office, before I left for my field trip, I worked 9 days straight and I accumulated 32 hours of overtime. Needless to say, we put in some really, really long days. I am not sure if you’re interested to know what a field trip at my job entails, but let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll blog about it sometime.

+ I’ll be off for the next few days (thank goodness, I need it!) before going on my next field trip on Sunday.

+ I had no coffee for the 7 days I was in the field (except for one iced coffee, I remember now). How I survived the week without coffee, I don’t know, but the hotel coffee was terrible and there was no easy access to the only coffee shop close by (Starbucks) because we worked such long days, so I went without it. The first cup of coffee back home yesterday was pure heaven in a cup.

+  I completed the 20-day fitness challenge last weekend. I wasn’t sure if I was able to finish successfully as the last days of the challenge happened to coincide with my field trip, but I made use of the hotel gym a couple of times and my fieldwork involved some hiking, so I was at the very least able to get my steps in. I am going to recap my experience in a different blog post, but for now, I’d like to say: it was a really fun and motivating experience! Thanks again to my friend Susi for inviting me to the challenge.

+ The Red Sox clinched the AL East playoff berth against the Yankees as the best team in the history of the franchise. Yes, yes, yes, amazing! There are a few more games left, but it’s been a really fantastic season for our team! Now on to the World Series!

What is on your mind right now?

Currently | September

filed under: currently

HANGING OUT | in the Mojave Desert for work. NBD. If you follow me on Instagram, keep your eyes out. I hope to post a few pictures there.

FEELING | a little rushed right now with two field trips back to back. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting out of the office, but two week-long field trips back to back can be, well, long and exhausting.

WEARING | my new running shoes. Did I mention that I won another pair of running shoes through an Instagram giveaway? Best timing ever, as I was looking to get new shoes soon anyway.

EXCITED ABOUT | leaving the windows open and shutting off the AC more! It’s been so, so nice around here. Warm during the day, cool at night and I love it.

READING | Turtles all the way down by John Green.

EATING |  raw almonds. I go through phases, but I am into them right now.

DRINKING | Vanilla Honey Chamomile Tea. It’s not quite fall here yet (when I will start drinking huge amounts of tea!), but a cup of chamomile tea in the evening helps to calm me down before bed.

(always) LOOKING FORWARD TO | seeing my giraffe friends on my runs!

ENJOYING | my 20-minute morning workouts. I am planning to write a post about my experience with the 20-day fitness challenge, because it’s been really good.

TRYING | hard to keep up the good new habits that I formed over the last 2 1/2 weeks!

LISTENING TO |   Pod Save America. I’ll never be an avid podcast listener, but I’ve been listening to episodes of this podcast on and off lately. Maybe because it’s an easier way for me to stay on top of the news without actually following the news.

What’s up with you currently?

September Link Love

filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

Did you read this response by David Frum to the anonymous Op-Ed article in the NY Times?  On point.

So you wanna work in America? Have you ever thought about how hard it is to get a visa for the US?

Sitzfleisch: the German concept to get more work done.

How America killed transit. “[…]better service will attract more riders.” Duh.

Fundamental attribution error: why we make terrible life choices.

Don’t be paralyzed by idea debt. Don’t (over)think, act.

Are audiobooks as good for you as reading? As someone who doesn’t really do audiobooks, this was an intriguing read.

The recovery threw the middle class dream under a Benz.

Around the blogosphere

What can a high performing fitness tracker do for you? Do you use one?

16 ways to reduce your spending that actually work. Well, true. But what do you do when you do most of these already?

Ultimate Guide to Shopping at Trader Joe’s. Not that I need any help with this. Ha.

For my runner friends

How to jog: a guide for women. Basically this.

How to stay fit forever: 25 tips to keep moving when life gets in the way.

How accurate is the indoor run mode on Garmin?

Deliciousness

Are potatoes good for you? Yes. Yes, they are (if prepared right).

Please tell me I am not the only one…  how to CORRECTLY open a can with a can opener.

Herby buttered balsamic mushrooms ravioli. Give me all the mushrooms!

Breakfast zucchini cookies. Intrigued.

Share a good link with me in the comments!

Thinking Out Loud #24

filed under: Thinking out loud

I am linking up again with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking out Loud because apparently I need a little kick in the butt this week when it comes to blogging. I haven’t been around here in a week. Ahem. No better way to restart here with a little bit of a brain dump.

+ On Sunday was my 17th California-versary. I wrote a little bit about this life-changing move for me here a couple of years ago and about the decision to come to California in the first place here. I still can’t believe I’ve spent such a long time in this country already. Sometimes it feels like I just got here yesterday, and then again, it feels like I’ve been here forever.

+ I don’t know how to put this in words, because we don’t have adequate words to describe what I am about to share, but I’ll try anyway. Sometimes, when I look back at the time that I lived here, I get glimpses of how I first “saw” this country as a foreigner when I had just arrived. It’s like, I see the same things now, but I don’t see the same things, if you know what I mean. There’s been a shift in my perception and it’s really hard to put in words what that actually means. A few days ago, I was talking with J about my first night in the US, when I came to stay for my exchange semester, and I told him that I felt scared and overwhelmed and that I asked myself “what the hell I was doing here”, and he asked “why?”. I think, unless you have traveled or moved to a different country all by yourself, this is just really hard to explain, but I’ll just say, talk about getting out of your comfort zone.

+ My 20-day fitness challenge is halfway done and I am still going strong. I didn’t really know if I could make it happen, but so far  I’ve hit my step goal, did my 20-minutes workouts, meditated and made my bed every morning for 10 days in a row. I also ate healthy(-ish), which I am trying to do  most of the time anyway.

On days, where I don’t run, getting 10k steps in is surprisingly hard. You have to be really intentional with moving around every day. But hey, you know what, it feels pretty good when you do accomplish your goals… and since they say that it takes about 21 days to form a habit, I might end up with some new habits when the challenge is over. Win-win.

+ I recently sold a couple of things on eBay. I hadn’t had much luck with consignments stores or ThredUp and some of the things I wanted to get rid off, I didn’t want to just give away (although I’ve done plenty of that as well). I am really happy I got a little bit of money by putting them up for sale on eBay.

+ My employer covers 50% of my gym membership and I think that’s awesome. I just got a nice little reimbursement on my last paycheck. Woot! Does your employer sponsor your physical health in any way?

What have you been thinking about today?