I woke up at my parents’ house at 4:45 a.m., determined to make the 2-hour drive back to Orlando in time to see Ryan before he headed into work. I missed Ryan and Sadie so, so much while I was gallivanting across Europe with my family and was dying to see my little family!
I realize it had only been 13 days since I had last seen Ryan, but I think that’s the longest amount of time we’ve spent apart since we started dating in 2004. I’m not sure I can adequately put into words how I felt when I saw his face. I literally jumped up and down and into his arms and tears filled my eyes. I don’t know why I was so emotional, but it felt so incredibly good be to back in his arms, with Sadie body slamming up against us as we embraced.
I’m back, baby! 
Workout
Within 20 minutes of my arrival back in Orlando, Ryan had to head into work, so I hit the gym for my first workout since May 4!
Man, I was feelin’ it today! I did basically the same workout I did the day we left for Rome, but my body felt significantly weaker. Gosh, I missed strength training!
Before hittin’ the weights, I completed this 20-minute workout on the treadmill:
| Minutes | Incline | Speed |
| 0 – 10 | 1.0 | 6.8 |
| 10 – 15 | 10.0 | 4.0 |
| 15 – 17 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
| 17 – 20 | 1.0 | 6.8 |
My chest felt tight, but my legs felt great. It’s amazing how nearly two weeks away from the gym can make you crave exercise. It’s been 13 days since I broke a sweat and it felt great do finally do so this morning.
Breakfast
After my workout and a quick shower, I came downstairs and spent a good 10 minutes on the couch just cuddling with Sadie.
I missed my lil’ girl!
Once I could tell Sadie was over my cuddles, it was time to see what we had in the fridge for breakfast.
Since Ryan basically subsists on a meat, cheese and peanut butter sandwiches-only diet when I’m not in town, I was shocked to see a bag of spinach staring at me! I think this may be leftover from when I left, but the spinach leaves weren’t too wilted and I figured I could use them in a smoothie.
In the mix:
- 1 c. milk
- 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 scoop chocolate protein power
- 1 tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 pinch xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
Gosh, I missed my smoothies!!!
Smoothies on Shape
And speaking of my smoothie obsession, while I was on vacation, Shape Magazine’s website featured an awesome slideshow of a whole bunch of my smoothie recipes.
Feel free to pop on over there to see 12 of my favorite smoothie recipes organized together in one convenient little slideshow.
Now that I have a full belly, I’m off to work. Returning to work after being away for so long should be… fun interesting. Here we goooo!
Blogger Bake Sale
If you’re interested in nabbing some yummy baked goods, check out Tina’s blogger bake sale and bid on a ton of amazingly delicious treats, including my peanut butter energy bites!
The bake sale is raising money for Team for Kids, an organization that provides more than 100,000 kids in low-income areas with education about health and fitness.
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Welcome back!!!
YAYAY FOR BEING BACK!! what a great workout esp after a two week break! i know how you feel! i happened to me la year ago after spring break- felt goood to break that sweat!
It must be so awesome to come home after not seeing Ryan for so long! I always NEED exercise after coming home from a trip, and I love that feeling of actually wanting to go to the gym.
I’m definitely going to miss seeing all of the delicious European food… Guess I’m just going to have to go there myself sometime soon 🙂
Have a great day at work!
Welcome home!! Hubbs and Koda were gone for the weekend and I missed them so much- I can’t imagine a reunion after 13 days 🙂
And I love hearing what men it when the wives are out of town- it’s usually so different!
Welcome baaaaaaaaaaaack! You and Ryan (and Sadie!) are too cute for words.
My weimaraner does the same “body slamming” anytime I’ve been gone for more than oh, 5 minutes. Dogs are so funny. Can’t believe how dedicated you are to get yourself to the gym first thing this morning! welcome back!
Aw I love those dogs!
Love the smoothie recipes all in one place! I’m a new reader, so I love seeing all the ones you make, you make me want to have a smoothie every morning for breakfast! (which is the hardest meal for me to eat!)
I’m sure you’ve mentioned it before (again new reader) but what Protein Powders do you recommend? There are tons out there and I know some are good and some not so good!
Welcome back! (and I agree, Lucerne is AMAZING, it’s my favorite place in Europe!)
Welcome back! That’s so cute that you missed Ryan so much :-). And I love Sadie’s little face. Must feel GREAT to be back into the ol’ routine. I am a huge fan of your smoothies so cannot wait to check out the slideshow on Shape. Need to get some of that xanthan gum though!
Wow Julie, that’s so exciting that you were featured on Shape.com, congrats!! I bet it was such an amazing feeling to be back with Ryan and Sadie, even if it was only for a few minutes. Enjoy your evening with them tonight!
Welcome back, Julie!! 🙂
I noticed that feature on Shape while you were gone…it was great!
And I get the exact same way you did when you say Ryan…super emotional. I’ve always been an emotional person when it comes to that stuff, I just can’t help it.
welcome back!!! 🙂
Welcome back 🙂 I can’t imagine how good it must feel to be with the little family again!
i totally saw that on shape! i was on their website and thought those smoothies looked really familiar… thats so awesome congrats!
Thank you! I was pretty excited about it!!
Welcome back — and that is great that you got to see Ryan before he went off to work!
Welcome back, Julie!!!! 😀
Glad you had a great trip!!!!
Welcome back!! It must have felt so good to be reunited with your family 🙂
How’s the jetlag?? I’m SUPER impressed that you are already headed back to work and managed to fit in a workout this morning (I feel like such a slacker!).
Welcome home. Looks like you had a blast in Europe!
Welcome home! It must have been great to see Ryan and Sadie this morning! 🙂
Welcome back, doll! I’m sure Ryan and Sadie were just as glad to see you as you were to see them.
I’m impressed that Ryan had spinach on hand! I was kind of wondering what he would do for meals while you were away. 😉
Welcome back, Julie! I’m so happy you are back with Ryan and Sadie! 🙂
Welcome back!!!! Loved all of the guest posts & Europe posts!:) glad you and your family are back safely!!
Welcome home Julie! Congrats on the Shape.com feature…so exciting! I may have a smoothie bowl for breakfast!
Welcome home, and congrats on the Shape feature – that’s so neat!
Welcome back! So neat that your recipes are on Shape!
Oh I bet you were so excited to see Ryan and Sadie! My husband is going to India in June – I’m trying not to think about him being gone!
You are back and u mean business! Super impressive that u already got in a workout, and a killer one too!
Welcome back! I get so excited to come home to my pets. Melts my heart!
No matter how amazing a vacation is, it always feels SO good to get back into the “usual” groove after a trip! Enjoy the time with Sadie and Ryan (and the Vitamix, of course) this week!
Welcome back!! I can only imagine how excited you were and YES, that is a long time. Look at you bouncing back into your routine- awesome!! And congrats on the Shape Shout-out!
Welcome home Julie!!! I am glad you had an amazing vacation and got to be reunited with your perfect little family when you got home!!! 🙂
Congrats on your smoothie article! We LOVE our vitamix. I copied down a few of your recipes to try! Do you have a name for your Vits Mix? Ours in Bertha, lol.. My friend named hers Mince…
So glad you’re back, but also glad you had a great time. I loved your guest posts everyday while you were on vacation. I’m now addicted to reading a few new blogs!
Welcome back! It’s such a wonderful feeling to see the one you love after a long absence : )
I missed your regular posts but Europe looked like a blast! Being away from loved ones and then finally seeing them face to face again is the best feeling in the world. I go to college 10hrs away from my hometown and when I came home fore christmas break I embraced my family in a 10min long hug. I get to experience this overwhelming joy again in 10 days!
I totaly understand how you feel, and how you’ve missed your hubby and Sadie. My boy moved to another country two weeks ago, and I miss him like crazy!
Welcome back btw, and enjoy your little family 🙂
Yay for being back! The Husband and I did a long distance relationship for a long time, so it doesn’t phase me tooo much when we have to go a while without seeing each other. However, once I’m back home I always feel so much better. Sadie looks so happy to see her mommy!
Glad you are back!!
Welcome back! You’re so good jumping back into working out and eating healthy right away!!
Aw, you must be SO happy to finally be home! I bet it was so nice to see Ryan, even if it was for only 20 mins! And Congrats on the Shape Smoothe Slideshow… way exciting!
welcome back 🙂
I’ll miss hearing your Europe adventures but glad to have you back! And we’ll get the chance to hopefully see each other in a few short weeks when I head to FL.
So glad you are back. That’s awesome that you went straight to the gym…I don’t think I would have the will power.
Welcome back!!! I got a little teary eyed when you said you jumped up and down when you saw Ryan. Makes me think how I’m going to be when I see my husband when he comes home in September. 🙂
I love getting back into a routine after a trip.
Must have been an amazing feeling to be reunited with your hubby and pup! 13 days is a long time when you are sued to being with someone so often!
Awesome that your smoothies are on Shape! What a nice little treat welcoming you back to the states 🙂
Welcome Back! I am glad to hear you are safe and sound. 🙂 Did you gain any weight from your trip? I was curious because they say Europeans are healthier because they eat small amounts of fat unlike here in the U.S. where people eat low fat foods instead of indulging. You ate so healthy while indulging once in a while. I admire that about you!
Welcome back, girl!!! I bet that felt amazing to see Ryan and Sadie again. YAH for being reunited. I think leaving for a bit adds a lil’ fire into a romance<—so sometimes it is a good thing to leave for a bit.
Have a great day back in the US!
Welcome home, Julie! It’s so much fun to travel, but it’s the best feeling to come back home after being away 🙂
YAY! Welcome back! So glad you had an awesome trip 🙂
Welllllcooommmeeee backkkkkkk. Glad to see miss Sadie again on the blog. I do have a question. Does shape or any other publications pay you to post your stuff and do they let you know that they are using it? I know you were one time surprised to see yourself in a magazine.
So glad you’re back and got to see your family! I’m sure they were overjoyedto see you too 🙂