A Wilted Flower

As you read yesterday, the roommate and I got up to run early in the morning to beat the heat, and then I had to go on a field trip to help out my co-workers with 88 (a correction from yesterday) children in our summer camp program.

My co-worker Stephanie, from Mrs. SPJones, and I greased up with copious amounts of sunscreen. I left the house without my sunscreen, so I had to stop and get some before meeting up at the school. I grabbed Water Babies 50 SPF. And let me just tell you, that stuff does not rub in. I rubbed for what felt like days and, then, just gave up. It was no use. The sunscreen had caked on my skin and created a white sheen that was a force to be reckoned with.

Now this field trip was a TRIP compared to the last one at the Bowen School of Law. Stephanie and I started out with a group of four kids. Not far into the hike, Stephanie fell behind me. I credit this to her God-give short legs and my God-given granddaddy long legs. We tall people were made for climbing, as are children.

Not long, I was down to two girls under my charge. They wanted to go to the top. I've climbed Pinnacle Mountain a number of times and reached the top.  But yesterday was a test. My group started climbing at 12:30 P.M. in the height of the afternoon heat. We finished at 3:30 P.M. We took lots of breaks, and I made sure my girls drank plenty of water and Gatorade going up and climbing down. It was the first time both girls had ever climbed to the top of Pinnacle. They were thrilled they had made it to the top, nervous about being so high up and terrified after spotting two baby lizards. Typical little girl fashion.

By the time I got back to our group, I was ravenous and terribly thirsty since I gave the girls most of the Gatorade and water. Every place that my t-shirt touched my bare skin was soaked with sweat. But my Water Babies didn't fail me. That white sheen never left my skin, and I didn't get a sun burn. Yay for skin cancer prevention.

Check out Stephanie's blog for my pictures from yesterday's outing and our awesome "after" picture.

By the time I got home, my brain was on autopilot turning over the same three ideas. SHOWER. SHOWER. SHOWER. DINNER. DINNER. DINNER. BED. BED. BED.

After a luke shower, I stumbled to the kitchen to whip up a rice and bean recipe from Fit Foodie Finds. I can't find the actual link Lee posted with the recipe, but lucky for you, I copied the recipe into my notes via iPhone when I originally found it.

I call it a healthy verison of rice and beans.

What you will need:
1/2 C. cooked brown rice
1/4 C. black beans (mine were from the can)
1/4 edamame
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne
(Lee also includes cilantro, but cilantro has a soapy taste to me therefore I omit it.)

Cook the brown rice via the package direction. My rice called for 1/2 C. uncooked rice with 1 C. water dash of salt and a spot of oil. Cook for 40ish minutes until rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Stir in the black beans and edamame. Add cumin and cayenne to taste. I also gave it a hit of sea salt to kick it up a bit.

After I ate the entire batch of rice and beans, I became a bit delusional and basically fell asleep while still being awake. I was tired to the bone. By the time I crawled, yes, crawled into my bed, I was barely aware of how great it felt to know I was going to get some quality rest since I had nothing to wake up for today.

My internal alarm rang at 8:30 this morning, and I was up checking my favorite blogs and sipping coffee to help the wake-up process.

I, then, proceeded to have the same breakfast as yesterday, except I used a bigger plate and a different coffee mug. Poached eggs rock my socks off right now. By noon, about two hours after I ate the proached egg feast, I was hungry again. I chalk this up to excessive activity from yesterday's run and field trip. So I made a chocolate banana smoothie.

What you will need:
1 1/2 frozen bananas
A splash of liquid (I used half-and-half because that is what I had. But you can use milk, heavy cream, almond milk, soy milk, etc.)
1 1/2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder
2 tspn honey (give or take. I was at the bottom of the honey bear, which makes it hard for me to be certain).

Throw it all in the blender and blend until smooth---hence the smoothie part of this recipe.

It tasted straight up like chocolate ice cream. I would usually put a cup of plain Greek yogurt for that extra creamy texture, but all my yogurt was out of date. Lame. I also threw some Chia seeds on top for that oh-so-important added nutritional benefit.

If you haven't had chia seeds, you definitely need to add them to your diet. They give you an extra source of fiber and other good things your body needs to function. I put them in my oatmeal and overnight oats, on top of peanut butter and honey bagel thins and things like that.

Well I've got to get a move on. I'm trying to wash my sheets, towels and two small loads of workout clothes before the roommate and I leave the city for a weekend at the lake. It is Fourth of July weekend after all. My bags are packed,  but my beach towels have not made it to the washing machine yet...and the roommate gets off work at 4 P.M.

And don't worry the roommate and I will be running this weekend. Happy Birthday America!! You guys be safe this weekend, and keep it classy. I don't want to have to come bail anyone out of jail.

One Fine Day

So I had a successful day at the zoo Sunday. One of the best days I've had in a while. I've got some highlights of my little trip. I provided some commentary of my thoughts and views from the animals perspective. Something about giving animals human attributes makes it much more fun.



This is Karen. I'm pretty sure Karen is a male, but when I saw him my mind said "Your name is Karen." He gave me some pretty great poses. I think this one really captured the essences of Karen. Look at those lashes!



This is Ernest. He did not like the fact that I put my iPhone in his face to take a photo. I loved the ways his eyes look, even if it's kinda strange and maybe a little gross with all those knots. Regardless, he is a very handsome pelican.

My most favorite: The Penguin. I was all too happy to watch these little guys swim. The Little Rock Zoo has a total of nine penguins so far. They hope to have baby penguins in the future. This African penguin loved to show off for the crowd and get his picture taken.

This is Bo, the Sloth Bear. When this picture was taken, he was in the middle of his daily exercise routine. I watched him flex his paws and lean over to touch his head down to his feet. This was the oh-so-important neck stretch. Pretty photogenic, if you ask me.



This is Camille. She enjoys sitting in the shade while all the roosters and chickens walk around acting like fools. She's a goose and wants nothing to do with the poultry. Camille is a bit diva-ish with her flowery feathers, but that is what makes her such a looker, don't ya think?



Pinnacle Mountain was saved for later in the afternoon. Probably not the best idea since it was so hot. I have officially gotten my first sunburn out of the way. But I burned in some strange places. I'm pretty sure I will have Farmer's Tan and a sweet line from my V-neck shirt on my chest. Great. I love the hodge-podge of suntan lines. But I think the view was totally worth it.



The best view in Arkansas. The top of Pinnacle Mountain is one of my favorite places. The only thing that could top it is a beach. But I'm not complaining. The perfect view to end the perfect day.

I hope you liked the zoo pictures. I am going to try to do better about posting photos. I love looking at photos so I should do better about sharing some of mine.

Until next time...