I’ve been slacking off a bit when it comes to my blogging.  Things have been a little busy and since I’m not one of those “whip out a quick post kind of bloggers”, I’ve taken a page from Christine@LoveLifeSurf with a Virtual Coffee Catch-Up Date today.  I know we should all have more of these IRL but until we can, this will need to suffice.

Image: Philippe Lin

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you how you’re dealing with the weather.   – – – – I know my East Coast (and my Mid West) friends have been getting hammered by the #polarvortex.  This might be one of the only stretches of time that I haven’t missed NYC.  I don’t want to rub salt in the wound but California has been glorious lately.  Many Los Angelenos are freaking out about the forecasted rain storm (people really don’t know what to do in the rain here)  but it’s desperately needed.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you if you had any advice on gaining fitness stamina quickly. – – – – The reality that I”m participating in the SoCal Ragnar Relay on April 4th and 5th is beginning to sink in.  I”ll be running this relay with 11 amazing women including Amy@It’sAllAboutTheJourney, Jill@TreeFitness, Carrie@FamilyFitnessFood, Gillian@That’sG, Jillienne@ChasingRaspberries, Debbie@LivefromLaQuinta,  Jamie@FitApproach and Kia@BodhiBear and I’m more than a little intimidated by these athletes.  I’ve trained for 4 half marathons and gotten injured 90% of the way through the training program so I’m doing the anti-training plan and running when I want (maybe it’s not smart but I’m trying to trick my back into thinking we’re NOT training for 12 miles in less than a 48 hour period).  I’ve had a few crappy, labored runs but I’ve had a few decent ones too.  I was very proud to have conquered an exceptionally challenging course at the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K last weekend but I need to get myself running more often and I could use some motivation.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you if you’ve ever run a mud run before. – – – – I’m super excited to be an Ambassador for the LoziLu 5K Mud Run coming to Pasadena on March 22nd but I’ve never done a mud run before.  I’m planning on wearing some old shoes and I’m ready to get dirty but I’d ask for tips on how to deal with being muddy and hopefully not injuring myself for my Ragnar 2 weeks later. BTW, my code: CRJWB can get you 10% on any LoziLu Women’s Mud Run nationwide!

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you how your 2014 fitness and health goals were coming along so far. – – – – I’d tell you that some of my #14in2014 goals were right on track (an Ambassadorship and featuring great women for Friday’s Featured Female) but most of them were not (reading books, revamping the blog and meeting SLB since it looks like there will be no Duran Duran tour this year because the new album is potentially slated for late 2014).   If you having some trouble getting your exercise and healthy eating on track, I’d suggest possibly joining the MAMA SHRED that I’m working on with Bobbi@NHerShoes, for 6 weeks of meal and exercise plans suited for busy women (not just mothers) for some focus before the 1st quarter of 2014 passes you by.

Mama Shred 2014 with nhershoes.com

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you if you are a Mac or PC person. – – – – After nearly 7 years, my trusty Dell Inspiron cracked at the hinge and it was one of the signs that it was time to get a new computer (the battery life dying after 2 hours of use should have been the straw but I’m frugal and that wasn’t enough for me).  After hemming and hawing, I decided to get a 13″ Mac Book Pro and it’s definitely a transition but I’m getting there.  I’m having fun decking out my new baby too (I’m kind of in love with my chevron keyboard cover).  I’m on the hunt for a Duran Duran sticker to put on my snap case (did you like that HLTW reference Duran friends?) and I desperately need a protective sleeve and carrying case so I don’t damage this computer while traveling as I’ve done before.

Bright and shiny computer

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you about how work was going.- – – – Since blogging and nutrition/fitness/wellness are my business, I’d tell you that I was pretty busy with LoziLu and the MAMA SHRED but that I’d also be attending 2 conferences within a week.  I’m super excited to be attending Women Get Social/Bloggy Boot Camp in San Diego this weekend (to get my blogging skills up to snuff) and next week I’ll be attending the Natural Products Expo West and will hopefully be getting the scoop on the upcoming trends in food and natural products for 2014.  I made some predictions last year and I can’t wait to see if this year will really be the year of the cauliflower (among other things).

Image: BloggyBootCamp.com

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you about your family. – – – – I know I’m really lucky to have a great husband, son and puppy.  They made my birthday and Valentine’s Day so wonderful.  They’re always so supportive of the work I do even if it means that I don’t make a regular paycheck (Allie@VitaTrain4Life wrote a great post about this recently) but they see me happy.  They’re understanding of my time away from home, odd hours working or getting my fitness in somehow.  I know I need to work harder on being more present with them so they know how much I love them (I’d likely ask you if that’s an issue for you too and how you deal with it if it is).  I’m looking forward to March and April when we have friends (who are like family) and my in-laws coming to visit.  It will be crazy but wonderful to have them all here in California.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask you about what you watch on TV/Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu etc. – – – – Even though I don’t sleep as many hours as I should, I need to wind down by watching something on my iPad before I go to sleep at night.  We cut the cable cord last year and make up for it with iTunes Season Passes for shows like Breaking Bad (when it was on) and Mad Men (can’t wait).  NetFlix/Amazon Prime/Hulu Plus are awesome and feed my TV addiction well.  Right now, I’m a little hooked on Friday Night Lights (after getting hooked on Parenthood, I decided to give this show a try) and starting House of Cards – Season 2.  I need to catch up on the last episode of Downton Abbey and I can’t wait for the return of Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy and Orphan Black.  Like I said, I watch a lot of TV.  I’d ask what you watch so I could line up my next show.

Image: tchuntfr

By this point, we’d probably have chatted for awhile and we’d both realize the time.  If we’re blogger friends, I’d apologize for not keeping up to date with reading and commenting on your blog and I know I’d likely apologize for talking your ear off (as I’m known to do), then we’d both be out the door saying we’d text or email (I don’t answer my phone often) to make a future date to catch up again soon.

Until next time!

Which topic do you think we’d chat about the longest?