Friday Favorites: USA Edition

After a long day of travel, we arrived in the USA late Tuesday night. The first couple days of our return always seem a little crazy with that running on fumes feeling. It's totally worth it though. We are visiting mrC's family (crashing at my sister-in-law's house) until we go to the Cape for a family vacation and this weekend we headed to Newport.

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite things about being back in the USA.

Hanging out with LittleC. She drove in from Boston to hang out with us on her day off. It was short and sweet, but we will have her for two weeks on the Cape soon. (what I'm wearing: tank and shorts)

Roaming around the grocery to see what new things are on the shelves is super fun. We discovered some dairy free cheese that I've been wanting to try. It smelled terrible to me when I opened the package, but it tasted just like regular cheese sprinkled on my salad.

Easy to make smoothies. I make smoothies all the time in China, but nothing compares to a Ninja blender. I was also excited to use more of the new line of Bob's Red Mill protein powders. It was really good.

My sister-in-law has a pool and even though I didn't swim (just got my hair cut and colored), I love just hanging out with my feet in the water while everyone else takes a dip.

Morning workouts outside. I've been missing this a lot lately. It's just too hot in China to do outdoor workouts. This morning I fired up the iPad and did a Fitness Blender video right there on my SIL's patio. It was awesome!

Newport. One of my favorite places. It's where we got married. I love coming back here. Today we went back to City Hall to get a certified copy of our marriage certificate for our Hong Kong resident permit applications.

We ended the day on sunset watch at Castle Hill. Some much to love here: cocktails, Adirondacks, and gorgeous views. I appropraitely wore my pineapple tank since I'm in the city of hospitality. Shop my look here, here, and here.

Our weekend plans include sailing and bike riding. We shall see!

Dairy free products: yay or nay?
Can you do outdoor workouts where you live?
Does your city have an official symbol?

Fitness Friday: Playing Tag

Jen from Running With The Girls tagged me with a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thanks Jen!

Here are the guidelines that go along with this award:
- display the award logo somewhere on your blog
- link back to the blog who nominated you
- state 7 things about yourself
- nominate 15 (or less) other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs
- notify those bloggers that they have been nominated and of the award's requirements 

Here are 7 things I am looking forward to:

1. Newport, RI - This weekend we are heading back to Rhode Island. Saturday we'll be getting in a long run along the Newport Half Marathon course before hanging out at the beach. Saturday evening we will be enjoying the tunes of Survivor at the Naval Station Salute to Summer Concert & Fireworks Show. Finally on Sunday we'll be getting in a day of sailing.

2. Reach the Beach - In a few weeks I will be running my very first relay race as part of Team One Track Minded. I was invited to the team by my running partner Daisy who has run both NH and MA RTB Relays. I'm both nervous and excited for this running adventure, but know that I am in good hands. I read some really great relay tips from Sarah at Once Upon a Lime. Now all I need is to get my hands on a reflective night vest and head lamp! 

3. ZOOMA Women's Half Marathon -  The weekend after RTB, I'll be traveling to Cape Cod for another weekend of running fun! It all starts on Friday night with a Mocktail Hour sponsored by HINT at the Reds Poolside bar where special guest The Fitnessista and all the CC ZOOMA Ambassadors will be hanging out! Want to join us? All Cape Cod runners are invited, just RSVP here. Not signed up for the race yet? Register here and don't forget to use my discount code CCAMB8!

4. Fall - I'm really looking forward to the cooler running temps. I love summer, but I am a cold weather runner. In NH we are already getting some glimpses of the cool fall weather in the mornings and some little teasers of the fall colors to come. And, all that summer training means faster running in the fall.

5. Giveaway - Coming soon I will be sharing an awesome giveaway with you featuring some of my favorite running gear. If you follow my blog, you might be able to guess what might be on my list, but stay tuned! Be sure to check back for more details.

6. Soccer Season - I grew up a soccer junkie and now I'm lucky enough to be the step parent of one. My step daughter is starting her second year of high school varsity soccer and I am really looking forward to watching her play. Did you know soccer players typically run 5-8 miles during the course of one game?

7. Running with my Husband - I love that my husband is my #1 fan. He drives me to races (sometimes super early), takes pictures, hangs out while I talk to friends, and cheers for me. What I love most of all though, is running WITH him. He has a crazy work schedule, but I'm really looking forward to adding many more miles to our running shoes together.

What are you looking forward to?

Tag. You're it:

Janine @ The Purple Giraffe
Samantha @ Running and Cupcakes
Dani @ Weight Off My Shoulders
Abby @ Back at Square Zero
Krysten @ The Misadventures of a Darwinian Fail
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama
Michelle @ Running with Attitude