Walking to Wrigley... sort of

This morning, to celebrate the Cubs making it to the World Series and playing at Wrigley Field tonight, I took a walk to Freeport's very own, Little Cubs Field. It's like Wrigley Field, only miniature.

Little Cubs Field is a delightful destination in Freeport, IL. It was patterned after Wrigley Field and is the perfect size for a little league team to play T-ball in. Also a great place for a cool party, or just some family fun. The rock out front sums it all up: Little Cubs Field - Where Grown-ups can be Kids and Kids can be Grown-ups.

One of the local artists even carved a likeness of Harry Caray from a tree trunk to watch over the games here.

 

 

Find out more about the field at Little Cub's Field website here. They even have a live feed camera, so you can watch the action from your own home!

 

 

If you follow the live feed camera link right now, you will see a large black inflatable screen in the middle of the field. That's because tonight, Freeport is having a World Series Watch Party right at our own Wrigley Field!! The party starts at 6:00 pm and is free, but donations are encouraged. There will be chili, coffee, and hot chocolate available to buy and lots of company to cheer on the Cubs!

Walking Tour: Just a Quickie

My schedule has just been booked the last two weeks and fitting even little walks in has been next to impossible. After the first few days, I finally just gave up trying to fit in walks all together. It was just too stressful and I didn't need another reason to beat myself up.

The last week and a half has been better without the stress of walking and I have been occasionally hitting 10,000, mostly because I have been crazy busy. Now that the crazy is winding up though, I realize that I need to get started walking again. Let's be honest though, it's so hard to get back to good habits when you have let them slide.

Today, I decided to get out and walk at lunch, to at least start to get back in the habit. It was so hard to get started... even for just a 30 min walk. Then I realized that even a short walk can be made fun by making it a walking tour.

So, here's my favorites from my 30-minute walking tour today:

This house is a little crazy. I think bits have been added on to it at different times, so it kind of reminds me of a Frankenstein house. There still some beautiful details on it.

This is a gorgeous Victorian house that has been many things in its life. It is currently owned by Zealot Tattoo Parlor and they have done some great renovations to it. I can look at this house forever.

Here's a close-up of a detail on the front.

As pretty as the front of this building is, I cannot express how much I love the wrought iron chandelier hanging on the outside of the building!

As I walked this afternoon, I realized I have a thing for stone buildings. I love the variations in color and the variations in the size of stone and how they all fit together into one beautiful pattern.

 
Yeah, another stone building. I love the cottage/castle/stone feel that comes out here.

I have never noticed how lovely attic windows can be. I just needed to look up more. 

It was about 45 degrees out today. I was walking fast which kept me warm, but most of the plants I was walking by were looking like they were about done for the year. Then I passed this little group of flowers that made a gray day seem a little brighter.

This was a little gem that I found when I decided to turn off the street to an inviting looking little walking path in between two buildings. I love local art!

One more attic window. This one fascinates me. The green around the window is an oxidized bronze and I always try to imagine what it looked like when it was new.

When I got back to work and reviewed my pictures, I was amazed at how much I saw in just 30 minutes. I am re-energized now and I can't wait for my next walk!!

Today's Motivation:

This is an Owl City song called "Shooting Star." You can see the actual music video here. This song was my inspiration today to get out and get moving. All the heavy thoughts and stresses from the last two weeks can try to weigh me down... but, not this time!

Walking Tour: Haunted Freeport

Last week's walking tour of some of the yard haunts in Freeport was crazy fun! So, I thought for my tour today I would take it one step further. I wanted to walk to some of the places in Freeport that are actually haunted. The town has been around since 1838, so you know there's a few spirits kicking around.

I had a great time this week planning out this walk. When I started walking though, I decided to add a twist. I have taken pictures of places that are known to be haunted and places that I think look like they should be haunted. Here's the challenge:

* Take a look at some of the cool places that I passed in Freeport.

* Pick which ones you think are actually haunted and leave your guesses in the comments.

* On Halloween, I will take all the entries and do a drawing for a fun prize! I'll also post some of the stories that go along with the pictures!

Enjoy!!

1. Sunderland underground mausoleum in the Freeport City Cemetary

2. Winnesheik Playhouse - the current home of the Winnesheik Players. This building was built in 1936.

3. Taylor House - currently the home of the Stephenson County Historical Museum.

4. Jeanette Lloyd Theater

5. The Office Building on Stephenson St. 

6. The old Freeport Public Library

7. The Well in Read Park

 Leave your guesses and your stories in the comments below. I'll share mine on the Oct. 31st! Good luck!!

Total distance today: 7.5 miles
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Pace time: about 19 min/mile

I was a little slow today, but totally worth it. 

What I do when life gets busy

This is one of those weeks in which I have things scheduled back to back to back. Walking to work is just not going to happen this week, no matter how much I want it. I am not even expecting to get in 10,000 steps a day.

I was actually feeling a little frustrated earlier tonight because I just don't have the time to do the walking I want to. What I realized is that I do have the time for strength training though. Might as well make use of my TV time at night. So, instead of moping about not walking, I am going to get back to that strength training I keep telling myself I should be doing.

I do not have a love of strength training. I just don't think it is fun or interesting. There are so many options when it comes to strength training though, sometimes it's just a matter of sifting to find the one that works for you. Here's the ones I like:

Strengthen and Sculpt Your Body Plan

At my last physical, my physician gave me a handout of exercises that could be done with a stretchy band that would help do some all over muscle toning. The link above has all the exercises in his packet. At first I did them halfheartedly, just do say I did them, but now I love them. Mostly because I can do them while reading the subtitles on Korean dramas! That makes any exercise more palatable.

Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates

I got this DVD about 10 years ago when I decided I was going to train for a triathlon. I picked it because the routines were only 10 minutes long and I could pick what I wanted to work on - Belly, Butt, Thighs, or Total Body. I love it because I can do just one routine or mix and match what I feel like working on. Or, if I am feeling ambitious, I can do the whole thing... that doesn't happen that much. The link above goes to a Youtube Video of the Belly section. I was going to link to the video on Amazon, but apparently the video is out of print now. Too bad. I totally recommend the video if you find a copy!

Here's to strength in the middle of a crazy week!

Walking Tour: Yard Haunts of Freeport!

I love Halloween. There is nothing better than a holiday in which you get to both dress up and eat lots of candy. Plus, I love the Halloween decorations.

There are small ones, like this one, that lend an air of Halloween to the premise. 

Then there are the moderate ones with the basics. Ghosts, cobwebs, etc.

Then, there are the people that go all out and do the yard haunts. These houses just amaze me. First because of the sheer amount of Halloween stuff that people have. And second, that they are willing to put the energy in to setting it all up. Just thinking about it makes me feel tired.

Today's walking tour took me all over Freeport and I found some of the best yard haunts in town. So in no particular order, here you go. Hope you enjoy!

This is from Garfield

Lincoln

Oak

Also on Oak

Stewart

Revere

 As cool as these look during the day, they are even better at night! Some of them even have video loops playing in the windows! Today, I am sending a huge Shout-Out to all those who set up the yard haunts. Tis the season to be scary!!

Total distance 6.78 miles.
Total time 1 hour 58 min.
Pace time 17.23 minutes/mile or 3.48 mph

Today's Motivation:

Some days, I feel like I can walk anywhere. And some days, I would rather NOT walk anywhere. Today was one of the later kinds of days. It may be because I started my day with a walk and yoga. It may be because I stayed up rather late last night. Whatever the reason, by mile three, I was ready to call for the van. Stubborn determination is what motivated me today and sometimes, that's OK.

Homecoming steps!

Getting my steps today while marching in Freeport's Homecoming Parade with the Girl Scout Daisy troop. Here's a couple of pictures that I snapped before we got started.

The high school is putting on the Little Mermaid this year. I loved their float! I wish I had gotten a better picture. One of the kids was in costume. It looks like it will be a great show!!

I have seen this car all over town the last couple of days. I am not what it is for or if it is just a cool car, but, man! It is a cool car!!

One of the bicycle repair shops in town was representing at the parade today. Take a good look at what he is pulling behind his bike.

I have to say, this was my favorite group of marchers. I may be a little biased though. ;)

Happy Homecoming, everybody! And, go, you Pretzels!!

Today's Motivation:

 It was totally worth walking in the parade with my daughter today. I think those are the best steps that I have taken this week!

How I do lunch

Today, I want to talk about my lunchbox. I love my lunchbox! Taking my lunch to work has always been one of the best things I can do to keep myself on track. It has also saved me hundreds of dollars because when I go down to the cafeteria, I usually spend $8-10 on lunch.The trick has been finding a lunchbox that worked for me.

When I worked nights, I carried a soft lunchbox that fit a lot of food. It was great, but I always had to find tupperware for what I wanted and I ended up with all different sizes and lids that never matched the bowl I wanted to use. Not the most efficient, but it worked.

What really fascinated me though, were Bento boxes. I loved the idea of one box, with separate compartments that would hold everything I wanted. I tried several different version, but it was always hard to find one that met all my requirements. My box needed to:

* Hold a good amount of food - enough for a 12 hour shift.

* Not spill all over my bag if it were turned on it's side.

* Hold liquids because I like to take soups and foods with sauces

* Be microwave safe

* Have multiple compartments and keep the food more or less separated.

* Fit in my shoulder bag comfortably so that I can walk to work and not have it bother my back.

 Right now, I am using the Cool Bites Bento Lunch box. I've had it for about 6 months and it has been great. It holds plenty of food. I have enough space for lunch and a snack during the day. It seals well, and no matter how it turns in my bag, I have not had it leak on my stuff. It will hold liquids, but they don't stay in their compartment, so most of the time if I pack soups, I either pack them so that I can add the broth later or I put the soup in a small canning jar which I can just throw in my bag too. It is microwave safe and comes with a freezer pack to keep foods cold if needed. Plus, there are plenty of compartment options. There are two tiers. The bottom tier has removable bowls that fit in the one large compartment. I rarely use those bowls because the two compartments on the top and one big one work well for me. And, it fits perfectly in my shoulder bag!

Here's my lunch all packed for today. Salad with a condiment cup of dressing, red grapes, celery sticks and string cheese, a green apple, and a canning jar of Butternut Squash, Carrot, Ginger soup. (BTW, the soup is delicious! You should check out the recipe here.)

I still have a cloth lunchbox for those times when I still want to carry a bag. My bento box fits into it well. But I love that I don't have to carry the cloth bag to keep everything together.

Today's Motivation:

There was steady drizzle this morning when I was getting ready for work and I love walking in the rain! The weather is cooler, there are not a lot of people out, and I get to use an umbrella. (That's right. Just like a 5 year old, I still get excited about carrying an umbrella.) I was so happy I could just throw my lunch in my bag and leave today. With my lunch in my bag, I had my hands free to walk and carry an umbrella. Totally worth it!

Wow! I did a great job last Thursday!

 I got a walk. I kept within calories. I was a nice person to everyone I met on Thursday. I did a great job!

Today, was not one of my shining day. I did not want to get out of bed today and definitely didn't make it out for an early walk. I kept forgetting little things all day and was more than a little cranky. Calorie counting did not so much happen today and I got 10,000 steps, but not through any big efforts. I was just busy.

But wow! I did a great job last Thursday with my big walk and careful eating. I did a lot of great things. So I had a bad day today. That doesn't mean I have to do it again tomorrow.

Today's Motivation:

Today's motivation is to do better tomorrow and not beat myself up about today.

Week in Review

I still haven't figured out what I want to call this bit. It's that day I take every week to look back at what I have done and figure out where to go from here. Maybe I should call it "There and Back Again: A Walker's Tale." Too geeky? The Neverending Review. A Tale of Two Reviews. Gone with the Review. Tell you what. If you have a suggestion for what to call these summaries, leave it in the comments section. I obviously need help.

Anyway, here's this week's summary:
The Good: I found out that journaling really helps with my emotional eating! That's huge for me. It gives me a chance to work out what the actual problem is and I can solve that. Sometimes, the solution actually is food, and sometimes it's not. Sometimes that solution is taking a walk, or taking five minutes to my self, or taking five minutes to be with my family. Solving the actual problem has really helped with calorie intake this week.

The Bad: If I look at my goals from last Saturday, I didn't really meet any of them. I stayed within calories 3/7 days this week. I walked 10,000 steps everyday that I was well and did no other type of exercise other than walking. I was even pretty fickle with my 1-3-5 planning. I'm not thrilled I did not meet my goals.

The Unexpected: I learned a lot this week by not actually meeting any of my goals and that knowledge is really more valuable to me than if I had actually meet every goal 100%. I learned how to cope better with my emotional eating. I learned that goals are not enough, but you need a plan too if you really want to get something accomplished. I learned that just trying to select foods that are more healthy when I am hungry makes a huge difference in the number of calories that I eat and is the only reason that I was under calories  at ALL this week. Also, planning times to eat while I'm at work makes me think about food less and I also mindlessly eat less. Finally, I learned that I don't have to scrap my goals just because they aren't working out like I think they should. I just need to change my plan of attack. This was not the summary that I expected to be writing today, but I am glad that I am.

Goals for next week:
* 10,000 steps  for 6/7 days this week. Sundays are a day of rest after all. And one big walk - shooting for 7 miles.

* One other kind of exercise 3 days this week. This will actually be my priority goal. I would hate to become a one trick pony.

* Plan out meals this week. After all, it's easier to stay within calories when I have a plan.

Today's Motivation:

Yeah, I'm still listening to The Martian. There's so much truth in the book though. "Work the problem." "Duck tape is magic and should be worshiped." And, the idea of not giving up because of a "failure." This was not a failed week. This was an amazing week. And now I can use it to make next week even better.

A Walking Tour: Downtown Freeport and Beyond

I have enjoyed walking so much more since I started considering every walk as a little tour. I am looking up and looking around and seeing some amazing things that I hadn't noticed before. I am also falling more and more in love with my town as I do it. This town has some great features!

Today, my walk led me back through downtown Freeport, then onto the Jane Addams Trail starting at Tutty Crossing. The Jane Addams Trail is amazing. If you have never been on it, you can check it out here. The trail goes north from Freeport and actually ends at the Wisconsin State Line. At that point it changes to the Badger Trail, which will take you all the Madison, Wisconsin. I'm not going to lie. One day, I would like to walk the entire thing. Baby steps, though.

So here's some of my favorites sights from today's walking tour.

This is the brown stone church from the Piety Hill District. I got a picture of the white church across the street last time, but I love this one too.

There's a lot of old store fronts in downtown Freeport that now house offices or grocery stores, but when I look at the details that are on the building, I can't help wondering what their original purpose was.

Here's a couple of beautiful store fronts that have been cleaned up recently.

You can still see some of the old advertising painted on the buildings though.

The Rawleigh Company was huge at one time here. Now the factory is pretty much derelict. A remnant of what once was. I love the painted windows though that were done by the high school to brighten up the building.

And this building was once an old train station. The tracks are still there and I think still used. I'm glad that another company moved in and kept the building from falling to pieces.

Moving out of Historic Downtown Freeport along the Jane Addams Trail, I moved into the Historic River District. That area is so cool! Some of the buildings have plaques noting when they were built and there are some lovely houses there!!

And, heading out of town towards the Interstate on the Jane Addams Trail is this little gem. It reminds me of an old service station. The sign out front is for Morning Glory Lofts - Fancy Pigeons and Bantam Chickens. Those are some lucky chickens.

Total distance today - 6 miles
Total time - 1 hour 45 min
Pace time - 3.42 mph

Don't get me wrong, no town is perfect. Every town has those neighborhoods that are run down, houses that are on the verge of being condemned, and areas that you would not walk in after dark. More and more what I am seeing though is how people try to make the best of what they have. They do little things to improve their property. They add little touches to make an area distinctly theirs. It is a beautiful thing to see.

Today's Motivation:

Even on a grey, drizzly day, I had a beautiful walk when I took the time to look.