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Weekend trip to San Diego and my weekly workouts

February 26, 2018 By Ashley 12 Comments

Hi, friends! How are things? I hope you had a good weekend!

Since we last chatted in Friday’s post, Dave, Brady and I flew down to San Diego and came back home to the East Bay. I didn’t want to mention too much about the trip on the blog, because we were heading there to surprise Dave’s dad for his 65th birthday, along with the rest of Dave’s siblings, who came from all over — NYC, New Hampshire, Southern California and Northern California too. A big spread!

Mission complete, because Dave’s dad was very much surprised when he came home on Friday afternoon and walked into his house to find all of his children, most of their spouses and their children, all waiting in the living room with party hats on! Who doesn’t love a good surprise?

Let’s do a quick weekend recap, heavy on the pictures, light on the words (well, as light as I can be, because you know I always write long posts). Here we go …

Brady’s first flight 

We finally took Brady out of town other than to wine country! It was nice to get away, because I hadn’t actually been out of town since my wonderful baby shower trip to Florida in August — guess I’ve been busy with having a baby and moving into a new house and all. We left on Friday morning, and I brought my breakfast on the go …

Purely Elizabeth oatmeal breakfast on the go by A Lady Goes West

I was a little nervous for Brady’s first airport and flight experience, yet it went off without a hitch. Granted, the flight to San Diego is only a little over an hour from us, but it’s still a flight.

We were fully prepared with our gear — we checked the stroller and car seat at the gate, we did family boarding on Southwest and secured a window seat for me, and I nursed Brady on take-off and landing to make sure his little ears didn’t bother him with the altitude change.

Brady's first flight by A Lady Goes West

The fam on Brady's first flight by A Lady Goes West

He slept the rest of the flight on the Boppy on my lap and barely made a peep. It couldn’t have gone any better! He was so darn cute, just looking at everyone around him on the plane and in the airport. What a champ!

Surprise birthday weekend in San Diego

On Friday, we arrived around lunch-time to San Diego and met Dave’s younger sister, Gwena, at the airport (she flew down from Santa Cruz), and then we got picked up by Dave’s mom and headed to their house on Coronado — a beautiful island connected by a bridge to San Diego.

We picked up quinoa burgers on the way …

Quinoa burger in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

We immediately said hello to all of the other visiting siblings (Dave has four sisters!), let the babies meet (Dave’s older sister, Chrystn, has a baby girl just five weeks older than Brady), and then we hung around enjoying each other’s company all the way until Dave’s dad came home and was surprised to have us all there. He was so happy! And it was super fun to watch his reaction!

That evening, a chef came over and cooked our group a delicious vegan spread after the babies went to bed (well, let’s be honest, Brady ended up waking up and coming back out to sleep in our arms as the evening went on with the adults, because that’s just his style).

Dave and Brady at 21 weeks in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

Dave’s parents are vegan and have been for over a year, and so all of our food for the weekend was plant-based, and it was A-okay with me. Soooo much delicious and nutritious colorful food, without a stitch of meat or cheese or animal products in sight. I definitely don’t mind eating vegan meals at all, but I don’t see myself ever giving up any food groups any time soon. 

I wasn’t able to capture any good pictures of the catered dinner that night, because we ate later and flash photos are a no-go, but believe me — it was GOOD! We had beet bruschetta as an appetizer, an incredible kale salad, then an apple lentil loaf, carrots and cauliflower rice with garbanzo bean gravy as the main course, with the most delectable vegan donuts and coconut ice cream for dessert. I had seconds and thirds. Ummm, yum. I’ve always wanted to have a private chef make a meal for a party, and it was as cool as expected. She even served us and washed the dishes! Yaaaasss! A great night! We went to bed full and happy.

On Saturday morning, after a simple breakfast, for some strange reason, I felt the urge to get outside and hit the pavement, which I NEVER do. In fact, I really couldn’t tell you the last time I went on a run just to run, and it must have been more than three years ago (although I’ve always done plenty of running on treadmills and in group fitness classes — just not recently or even since getting pregnant last year).

Simple breakfast in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

Post-run pic in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

Dave and I did two miles in the sun around Coronado and sprinted at the end, and it felt awesome (note the post-run smile above). I’m not sure I’ll become a runner or anything, but I liked it. There’s something about getting out there and moving your body in the great outdoors with zero equipment. So convenient and anyone can do it!

Later that day, after showering up from our run, we went for a family picnic at a park on Coronado, and I wore Brady in my carrier, and he slept a good portion of it, as I tried to keep his face in the shade — while eating and chatting.

We had quinoa veggie wraps, fruit salad, sweet potato chips, kombucha and some super tasty vegan birthday cake — and it was quite the spread. It was sunny, yet chilly, and it literally couldn’t have been a more perfect day to be outside.

Picnic lunch in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

Ashley and Brady at 21 weeks in San Diego by A Lady Goes West

That evening, we hung out at Dave’s parents’ house, played with the babies and and all of that good stuff. Our big group had take-out Thai food for dinner, followed by a large selection of all sorts of stuff for dessert, and then we all hit the hay pretty early, after a fun and social day.

Ashley and Brady outside in Coronado by A Lady Goes West

On Sunday, we decided to take Brady on his first visit to the beach and walked around Silver Strand State Park with the family for a while watching a couple of surfers and enjoying the sea breeze.

Brady was not too sure what to think, but I’m positive he liked it. I can’t wait to take him to Florida to actually put his little feet in the water too. (It’s way too cold in the Pacific most of the year for any bodily contact with the actual ocean.)

Brady outside in Coronado by A Lady Goes West

Beach family in Coronado by A Lady Goes West

Beach in Coronado by A Lady Goes West

Shortly thereafter, we showered up, packed up, said our goodbyes to the fam and got some sandwiches on the way to the airport — Dave’s dad dropped us off. And our flight home was just as easy as the flight there … thank goodness.

On the way home to Pleasant Hill, we swung by our friends’ house to pick up sweet Rudy (our maltipoo, in case you’re new around here), who had been hanging out for the weekend. We call these friends Rudy’s “godparents,” because they are so good to him and always take care of him when we go out of town. They are the best!

We were home and unpacked and showered up by 7 p.m., ready to dig into some grass-fed burgers and red wine for dinner on the couch with Rudy, after we tucked Brady into his bed. Because even though we loved every healthy and delicious plant-based veggie meal we had all weekend, Dave and I were both ready to bite into a juicy piece of meat!

Overall, it was a super relaxing and nice weekend, in which Brady got to spend time with his extended family, and we were all able to give Dave’s dad, (who is also named David), a spectacular surprise birthday weekend! We love family time, and we love visiting beautiful San Diego too. Weekend success!

There’s the report! 

My postpartum weekly workouts

Now that the weekend report is done and because it’s Monday, let’s look at how I’ve been exercising this past week …

Weekly Workout Recap by A Lady Goes West

At 20 weeks postpartum …

  • Monday: Took 1-hour BODYPUMP class, 10 a.m. (Woohoo!)
  • Tuesday: 30 minutes of CXWORX at home, 30-minute walk, 12 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 30-minute POPSUGAR weights workout, 30-minute walk, 12 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1 hour and 20 minute walk, 10 a.m.
  • Friday: Rest day
  • Saturday: Ran 2 miles, 11:30 a.m.
  • Sunday: Rest day

A lighter week, which started with an in-person BODYPUMP class, woohoo, and had two full rest days, as well as a nothing-but-walking day! I only did two workouts with weights this week, which is less than my ongoing goal of three-resistance-sessions-a-week — but because we went out of town, I think it’s totally okay. You’ve just got to do what you can, when you can and not stress about it too much.

That’s all I have for you today, my friends — and I didn’t finish this until quite late on Sunday, so I hope it turned out alright! 🙂 See you soon!

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway on Instagram for collagen peptides yet? It closes tomorrow, so head there and enter today! 

San Diego adventures and a weekly workout recap on A Lady Goes West ... Click To Tweet

Questions of the day

How was your weekend?

Do you like flying?

What’s a meal that you look forward to having on Sunday nights?

Filed Under: Travel, Weekends, Weekly Workouts Tagged With: beach, Brady, Coronado, flying with a baby, San Diego, Travel, Weekends, weekly workouts

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About Ashley

I'm a mom and fitness instructor in Charlotte, North Carolina. And A Lady Goes West is where I share fitness, wellness and clean beauty tips, as well as stories from my life.
 
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Comments

  1. Patricia @sweet and strong says

    February 26, 2018 at 4:27 am

    Aw so glad Brady did well on his first flight and so cute you all surprised Dave’s Dad. My sister isn’t 100% vegan but she orders from Purple Carrot and gave me a free week, Tom and I both loved the meals but I just couldn’t imagine giving up meat and cheese. And yay for running! Sometimes nothing beats hitting the pavement. Have a great week.
    Patricia @sweet and strong recently posted…Latest Favorites in Food and FitnessMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 26, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Hi Patricia! I’ve never heard of Purple Carrot, but I guess it’s a vegan meal kit? There’s something for everyone out there, huh? So cool! I like to be plant-based at least a few days a week, but like you, don’t plan on saying goodbye to meat or cheese or ice cream heehh! Hope your weekend was a good one, lady!

      Reply
  2. Susie @ Suzlyfe says

    February 26, 2018 at 5:21 am

    I can’t get over how cute Brady is. Seriously, we are setting him and Emmie up.
    Also, you have totally given me hope that our flight this coming June isn’t going to go up in smoke. I’m glad to hear that you flew SW and it went ok!
    Susie @ Suzlyfe recently posted…Mental Physical Developments (Weekend Catch Up 2/26)My Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 26, 2018 at 8:55 am

      Hi Susie! Yes — the family boarding after A group will definitely allow you to have a window seat, if that’s your preference — and they were nice about checking our stuff at the gate too — so Southwest worked fine for us, and I’ll be flying on SW alone with Brady very soon! 🙂 It wasn’t bad at all! Hope your weekend was great, lady!

      Reply
  3. Courtney says

    February 26, 2018 at 5:27 am

    Sounds like a glorious weekend! And yay for Brady’s first flight being a success!

    Sounds like a nice little change of pace with the vegan eats. I have some days when I eat meat free and I really don’t miss the animal products at all. I doubt I could go longer than a few days because I love eggs and fish and chicken so much! But if someone else were making me plant based foods on a regular basis, I could easily adapt.

    Happy Monday!
    Courtney recently posted…CurrentlyMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 26, 2018 at 8:57 am

      Totally! If a vegan chef wanted to do all my meals, I would NOT complain hahah! 🙂 Hope your weekend was good, Courtney!

      Reply
  4. Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups says

    February 26, 2018 at 6:50 am

    What a fun surprise! I’m glad Brady did so well on his first flight!
    Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups recently posted…Weekend RecapMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 26, 2018 at 8:56 am

      Me too! I think I was more nervous about the flight than he was heheh! Clearly! Hope your weekend was great, Emily! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Richard Lockhart says

    February 26, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    Hi Ashley from Clermont FL. Here watching college softball games. You had a wonderful weekend. I love seeing pictures of Brady. This was such a good idea to take a short flight for his first. We like SW airlines. I like a nonstop flight to Indy. I am not surprise you enjoyed your veggie meals. One of my favorite Sunday evening meals is chicken fried rice. We are enjoying our short stay watching niece start her senior season.

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 26, 2018 at 2:35 pm

      Hi Richard! I hope you have a wonderful time in Clermont! And I also hope you are having nice weather for watching the games! And you know me — always happy to eat a lot of veggies hheheh! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Laura McRae says

    February 27, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    Ashley! This is crazy because I was a HUGE runner. I ran cross country, a couple half marathons, and continued to run, but I have not run in FOREVER! But… recently I have had crazy urges to run too!?? We will have to see how it plays out for us!
    Laura McRae recently posted…Manage Plugins in the WordPress Mobile AppsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Ashley says

      February 28, 2018 at 9:23 am

      Hi Laura! So funny! I would have NEVER considered running before getting pregnant, but I guess I just felt like moving my body out on the pavement, I love to hear that you’re considering it too. Let me know how it goes when you get out there! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Ashley. I'm a mom and fitness instructor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love to help you live a balanced life with no extremes, making sure you never skip a rest day. A Lady Goes West is where I share my workouts, simple meals, clean beauty tips and wellness insight with you. Find out more about me and stay awhile!

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I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer t I've got to be honest, I'm much more of a writer than an Instagrammer and many times I feel like what I want to share doesn't fit well into a grid. But I'm able to bring much more long-form content to my blog each week. Speaking of that, this week, I debuted a new series called "A Lady Goes West Advice Corner" which has been something I've wanted to put together for a while. In this series, I'm taking totally anonymous questions from YOU and giving you some neutral third-party advice on it all. Here are the questions I addressed in the first advice corner edition:
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-“I became a first-time mom last spring and am currently dealing with all things motherhood. How do I deal with my expectations vs. reality of being a mom?" (such a good one, and I've been there)
-“How do you deal with days when you don't love your body? I think we can all relate to looking in the mirror and being disappointed with what we see?" (this happens to us all)
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The answers are long, they come from my heart, and I hope they can provide some value to you! If this is something you're interested in, head over to A Lady Goes West today to check it out, and you can submit a question for the next edition.
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HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Char HOME! We closed on and moved into our home in Charlotte over the weekend, and we're so excited to get settled in our new neighborhood, city and state after many weeks of transition. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought it would be fun to look back at the places Dave and I have lived together over the last 12 years. Here's what it has looked like -- and each place has been special for different reasons:
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-2009-2012 in a high-rise condo in downtown Orlando, where we lived when we got married.
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I wrote a whole post about this topic on A Lady Goes West this week if this is of interest to you, and you can head on over and check it out. I'd love to know: What's something (random or not) that you've added to your life in the last year that you now love?
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