Browsing Tag

travel

Our California Adventure

September 14, 2013

We got back from California and 4 days later, I hopped on a plane to Cleveland for Content Marketing World. It was fun to attend a conference but I am exhausted. I was going to post this sooner, but was too busy.

In Cali, we spent every day moving quickly from beach to beach to look at potential wedding venues. Instead of boring you with words, I created an infographic about our trip.

California Wedding Travel Infographic

 

Where is your favorite beach in Northern California? 

 

Our Trip to London

July 1, 2013

Our trip to London was so much fun! Other than the obvious reason, we had so much fun just hanging out in town, walking around the beautiful city, and exploring the neighborhoods. We spent our days roaming the city and nights hanging in our awesome AirBNB flat (highly recommend)! Just had a blasty blast! Here are some of my favorite photos:

westminster abbey

Westminster Abbey

shoreditch street art

Shoreditch street art

Shoreditch Street Art

More Shoreditch street art

Breon and I

Swan on the Lake in front of Kensington Palace

Swan on the Lake in front of Kensington Palace

Leaving Harrods - Such a beautiful buidling.

Leaving Harrods – Such a beautiful buidling.

At Leeds Castle

At Leeds Castle

On our drive to Dover, Fields of Gold.

On our drive to Dover, Fields of Gold.

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral windows

Canterbury Cathedral windows

Me standing in the English Channel

Me standing in the English Channel

Breon being serious

Breon being serious

Near Picadilly, we went shopping

Near Picadilly, we went shopping

At Borough Market, some produce for purchase.

At Borough Market, some produce for purchase.

In Shoreditch, a pretty street

In Shoreditch, a pretty street

building

We toured this house, where The Dutchess was filmed.

We toured this house, where The Dutchess was filmed.

Covet Garden hidden gem, Neal's Yard.

Covet Garden hidden gem, Neal’s Yard.

Garden

The Guards at the Tower of London

The Guards at the Tower of London

I love doors!!

I love doors!!

Tower of London

Tower of London

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle

Garden Maze at Leed's Castle

Garden Maze at Leed’s Castle

Mr. Peacock thinks he is pretty!

Mr. Peacock thinks he is pretty!

Earned, Not Given: Anytime Fitness Annual Conference

September 18, 2012

Inspiration. Motivation. Education. Bleeding Purple.

Those are the words that come to mind when I think about this past weekend. I spent the weekend photographing, talking, dancing, crying, and laughing with my fellow Anytime Fitness family. As I reflect on the weekend, I realize how fast it went by and how tired I am now as a result.

We (Lee and I) woke up at 4:30 am to be at our 6:30 flight! I was so exhausted that I slept on the plane (something I rarely am able to do). After landing, her awesome mom and dad picked us up and drove us to Chicago…where we hung out all day, walking Chicago’s Loop.

After getting settled in at the hotel, we spent the evening watching funny videos, listening to the “State of the Franchise,” and laughing at jugglers. With an early morning Friday, I called it a night.

I woke early Friday morning to photograph the morning Bootcamp workout. It was an intense session, lead by none other than Shannon Fable with the Bodyworkz team. Everyone was having fun while sweating their guts out. Plus, one of the Anytime Fitness Trainers, April Calderon, set the World Record for number of pushups done on 3 medicine balls IN FRONT OF THE BEAN! What a true inspiration. She showed the world that if you put your mind to something, you can do anything.

Friday was very busy with a speaker from the Ritz Carlton and a marketing and branding session.

The 80s party brought out the best in our Franchise. We showed that we not only can we do something as silly as dressing up “80’s style”… we will do it, do it together, and do it in style. We stick together and that is why we are so successful. People showed up in Ninja costumes, Mario and Luigi… plus a ton more!

The true inspiration came on Saturday. We awarded 3 of my favorite bloggers the 2i awards (2 inspire). Meet Annie, Meghann, and Cassie.

From Left: Annie (@MamaDweeb), Meghann (@MealsandMiles), and Cassie (@BackToHerRoots)

Annie

Annie is from Kansas and received the 2i award because of her amazing abilities during the #SurviveOn35 challenge. She made a grocery budget of $109 dollars look commendable for a family of FIVE! With exceptional planning and care, she was a co-winner of the challenge! She writes about family, food, fashion, and more on her blog Mamma Dweeb. She encouraged hundreds, that eating healthy on a budget doesn’t have to be expensive!

Meghann

Meghann is from Florida and received the 2i award because of her unforgettable efforts in the #SurviveOn35 challenge. She constructed creative and healthy meals while documenting every cost for her readers. She illustrated the true meaning of eating healthy on a budget. She blogs at Meals and Miles. She is also an ultra-marathoner, amateur photographer, and globetrotter. She is constantly supporting her blog readers to live healthy lives through education and motivation.

Cassie

Our first 2i award is from Indiana and received the 2i award because of her ability to put her whole heart and soul into the Anytime Health community, her motivational writing, and her health. She writes about food and fitness on her blog, Back to her Roots, where sheencourages people to live a healthy lifestyle through clean eating habits and exercise. She consistently brings outstanding content to the Anytime Health blog with encouraging and attention-grabbing content.

On top of that Saturday night was spewing with inspiration with four incredible member success stories that didn’t just involve losing weight or dress size but included a limbless woman, bullied kid, husband showing love by getting healthy, and a woman who had just lost her way. These people were just people trying to make themselves better…little do they know how they will impact anyone who watches their success videos. I was to the point of full on tears watching these videos!

This conference was my second. Nonetheless, it was the best. Even with exhaustion looming over me, I was still moved and excited to get to work and continue to move our brand towards awesomeness!

Reflections from Camp Van Vac

September 8, 2012

Sitting and listening to the breeze, waves, loons, and laughter are just what I was hoping for when I reflecting on our trip to Ely. This past labor day weekend, Breon, Sen and I traveled to Ely to spend our long weekend “camping.”

I use the word camping lightly because we were in a cabin. Cabin 11 to be exact! A very very rustic cabin. No sink, no bathroom, concrete floors, etc. you can see just how rustic it was by watching the video.

Saturday

Upon our arrival, I was so excited to see how gorgeous the view was from the cabin. Through the windows, there was a beautiful panoramic view of Lake Burntside. It was just breathtaking.

We grabbed a canoe and tested our abilities, we felt comfortable…more on that later.

Sunday

A long awaited trip to Pebble spa on Sunday morning. Breon bought me a spa package that included foot soak, sinus and head massage, and 60-minute massage. What an awesome boyfriend…I mean come on! 🙂

We spent some more time in Ely before heading back to camp to go fishing/canoeing.

After getting Sen comfortable in the canoe, we put the rest of the gear into the canoe. We heard a few warnings from folks leaving.

“Oh, its windy out there. I turned around!”

“You two will have a time of it getting back.”

But we ventured out anyways. We crossed the big lake with ease…it wasn’t until we came to a cove the we realized there was some serious “windage”.

We tried to keep the nose in the waves but it was just one second of unbalance and we went in. The canoe, sen, and us in the water. After finding that we were all okay, we pulled the canoe onto a random dock and waited.

We were a little nervous heading back. But with good communication, we made it back just fine. But we didn’t fish.

Monday

A fun and relaxing day with a walk, swimming, drive up echo trail, and a mini hike in the boundary waters. During the mini-hike we found a really cool mushroom that we were both enthralled over. I think Breon’s photo is the best (seen below)! After a nap, Breon made delicious chicken, potatoes and soup.

(c) Breon Nagy 2012

Tuesday

Having to leave Tuesday, we spent the morning getting ready. Then we ate at the Taste of Ely. Delicious breakfast in our tummy we went to the Wolf Center. Alas, those silly wolves were napping or so I believe in my mind. Next time, we’ll see ’em!

It was a wonderful trip and just what I needed. I love being near the water and being a couple of steps from it made the trip that much better. Reading, listening, looking, swimming, canoeing (tipping), laughing, relaxing, warming by the fire, and all I hoped. Camp Van Vac…we’ll be back.