Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving day this year started off with a chilly, but very fun local 5k. I couldn't think of a better way to start off the day than a nice little run and a copious amount of thanksgiving food waiting to be consumed for later!
Although this year was a much more quiet Thanksgiving, it didn't stop me from reflecting on the past year's events and to think about how far we have come! To name a few, I'm thankful we have our health and are able to stay active doing the things we love (running, working out, keeping up with our energetic lab!) and I'm so fortunate to have married my best friend and to have had a Wedding day I will never forget. I'm thankful for our friends and family and the never ending support. Even though we are states apart from both of our families, I'm thankful they are only a phone call or text message away!

There are several changes (good ones I might add) that are on the horizon and I couldn't be more excited. Although change can be scary, it's always very rewarding and refreshing. Without change, we'd never know what else is out there and I truly believe that change can be worth the risk.

As I look back on the year 2013, there were definitely some challenges, but overall, I'd say we are in such an exciting time of our lives and I can't wait to see what the future holds! Watch out 2014, we're ready for ya!

We had to get a picture with the awesome Turkey costume!

Colby and I walking downtown on Black Friday!

Colby wanted us to take the tree home, too bad it doesn't fit in our trunk!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Christmas In The Air

Whenever the month of November comes around, do you ever wonder what happened to the rest of the year and start contemplating how soon you will be putting up the Christmas tree? I feel like Christmas approaches sooner every year and I almost forget about Thanksgiving! Even though Turkey day hasn't approached yet, I have many things to be thankful for. Not to mention it already feels like Christmas in our household. The tree is up (yes, against my will it was set up early) and we have Holiday smelling candles on every counter top/coffee table. I can't argue that I love the welcoming Holiday scents every time I walk through the front door or enter a new room. I already have a few gifts taken care of, so I would say I'm on a good track so far this season! Next up on the agenda is getting out the red Christmas bow we have for Colby's collar and maybe have her pose for a few more pictures in front of the tree. It's the little things!!
I hope you all have a great rest of your week! Friday is almost here!

Colby in front of our tree 2013

Throwback photos: Christmas in London 2011

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011

It's not a muzzle!

Walking Colby is always an adventure, oftentimes I hear one of two remarks: the ever so popular (not bragging at all), "What a beautiful dog you have!" or the other comment that has come up ever since we started using the gentle leader head collar, "Why is your dog wearing a muzzle?" Hopefully through the proper explanation of what it is and why we use it will clear up this misconception. Let me just shout it out for anyone who hasn't seen or used these before: It's not a muzzle! As a proud puppy parent, I would not condone the use of a muzzle but I am in favor of a collar that humanely corrects Colby if she tries to jump ahead or walk in front of me.
Have I mentioned lately how much we ADORE our Vet?!! After going in for a routine visit one day, he could clearly see that I may have had some difficulty with Colby jumping on the counter, as she's not always such a proper little lady! After his observation and experience with using the gentle leader head collars, he provided what I didn't realize would be the best solution, ever! It did take a couple of walks for Colby to get used to the collar, but after a few walks, I could tell she knew I was much more relaxed which made for a much better walking experience! Before using the collar, I wouldn't take her in to the pet store alone for the fear that she would jump on everyone and every toy in sight. I don't have to worry about that anymore, which is such a relief. Not only does she get to experience more, I don't have to stress about taking her in to a new environment. It also helps boost my ego (just slightly) when I have random strangers comment on how well behaved she is. Yes, she is our little princess! Moral of the story is, if you have a large sized dog..in our case, Colby is 70+ pounds and you need something that prevents your dog from jumping or pulling ahead, try the gentle leader head collar. Just be prepared for the question that will inevitably come up and repeat (x3) It's not a muzzle!!

The Cheese and I (taken 1 year ago!)

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon

What a weekend!! After months of planning and preparation, I can confidently display the Disney medal we earned from running in the Disney Wine & Dine half marathon. I didn't think I'd be able to handle a night race beginning at 10pm AND to attend an after party until 4am, but we did it! Thank goodness for taking that afternoon nap otherwise I'm not sure I would have lasted as long as we did.
I would say one of the highlights of the race were the number of opportunities the runners had to stop and take pictures with Disney characters. Although some line ups were longer than others to take photos with the dressed up characters, nothing was stopping us from snapping pictures along the way. I did my best to soak up every moment and after this being the first Disney race, I'm happy to mark it off the bucket list! I secretly still want to go back and run the Disney Princess run, but I'll have to wait on that since the 2014 Princess run is already sold out!

Another wonderful highlight of the weekend was getting to visit with Jeff Galloway at the Expo and take a photo with him! He is so friendly and down to earth so it was definitely an honor getting the chance to speak with him briefly and represent our local AI Galloway running group! It's because of his training method that I've been fortunate to run 3 half marathons so far and to train for a full marathon coming up in the New Year! I feel accomplished and strong with his run/walk/run method. Yes, my body is still recovering from a late night race, but I have no regrets! My Husband agreed it was a great race to run and I love that pretty much every mile has something for you to focus on. Whether it was the chance to stop and take a photo, energizing music or videos playing on the sidelines, I'd say Disney put on a great race for us this past weekend. I can't forget to mention that having the Epcott food & wine festival at the end was the icing on the cake!! Thank you Disney for a weekend I'll never forget and for giving us a medal that is almost the size of my head! (Ok, not quite that big, but heavy for sure!) Happy Monday!

Music Notes

Even though I have fallen off the X Factor band wagon, I still tune in every other week to see what is going on and to get a taste of what snide remarks Simon Cowell has come up with. Last night I decided not to watch X Factor but tuned in to the Country Music Awards. Even though I never really used to listen to Country Music, after meeting my Husband, he slowly started influencing me and I've started taking more interest in it. That's not to say that I know all of the lyrics to the Country legends like George Strait or Kenny Rogers but I really enjoy the upbeat music of some of the newer country groups out there. I didn't realize how much a song can really impact your mood! After hearing Lady Antebellum's "Compass" performed live and watching Florida/Georgia Line rocking out on the stage, I realized how uplifting music can be.
Music can lighten up any mood and help jump start an otherwise slow morning. I couldn't help but replay the Compass song on repeat a few times last night and this morning. I may have also danced around a little bit, but we'll skip over that part!
I know how much Colby enjoys music too. Whether I'm humming a tune or playing a song that makes me jump around, she gets right in to it with me. Her tail starts wagging and she gets really excited.

I'm sure that anyone can relate to associating a certain group or song to a happy memory. It's a great feeling! When American Idol was in its prime, it was a weekly tradition for my Dad and I to watch the show together and pick out our favorites as the competition heated up. He would educate me on the songs I wasn't familiar with and I could keep him up to date with the more "current" music (for my Dad's sake I won't mention any eras)

Whenever the Holidays roll around, I know my Mom and I never hesitate to break out the N*SYNC Christmas CD. I think it is safe to say that we know pretty much all of the words to each one of the songs on there. Another prime example of why music is so great! Are there any songs out there that you could listen to over and over? I'm sure I can think of a few!
Happy Friday Eve folks!

Noodle Free Veggie Lasagna

I promise this is a recipe worth trying! After loading up on fresh veggies last Saturday afternoon, I was well equipped to make this awesome veggie lasagna and please allow me to emphasize again that this is completely noodle free!!! This dish is hearty and will fill you up with the assortment of veggies. The ricotta cheese adds another layer of flavor and adding the shredded mozzarella cheese on top is another bonus!

Before the masterpiece went in to the oven

The end result was a deliciously cheesy oven baked veggie lasagna!

Try it out and feel free to share your feedback or try out your own modifications! The next time I make this recipe, I want to try subbing in extra lean ground turkey instead of the veggie crumbles. I always enjoy Morningstar products but they seemed to disappear among all the veggies. I think that ground turkey crumbles would hold up better. I'd also recommend adding more spice, but then again we do love dousing just about everything in hot sauce around here..it's completely a personal preference!

Veggie-rific Noodle-Free Lasagna 

Ingredients
 

• 3 medium zucchini, ends removed, sliced lengthwise
• 1 large portabella mushroom, sliced into strips
• 1 large eggplant, ends removed, sliced lengthwise
• 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• One 16-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, thoroughly drained, patted dry
• 2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
• 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1 cup ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the kinds by Boca and MorningStar Farms), thawed from frozen
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lay several paper towels next to the stove. (As you cook the veggies in the next step, transfer them to the paper towels to drain excess moisture.)

Bring a very large grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Evenly place zucchini, portabella mushroom, and eggplant in the pan, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes per side. (If you don't have a very large pan, just cook veggies in batches.) Set aside on paper towels.

In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes with garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Mix well and set aside.

In another large bowl, combine spinach, egg substitute, ricotta cheese, basil, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Evenly coat the bottom of an 8" X 8" baking pan with about half of the seasoned crushed tomatoes. Evenly layer half of the sliced veggies over the tomatoes. Spread half of the spinach mixture into an even layer over the veggies. Top evenly with soy crumbles.

Evenly layer remaining veggies into the pan, placing them perpendicular to the first layer, followed by the remaining spinach mixture. Evenly cover with remaining seasoned crushed tomatoes. Evenly distribute mozzarella cheese and grated topping over the crushed tomatoes.

Bake in the oven until lasagna is hot and mozzarella cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, cut into quarters, and enjoy!

Polka Dot Craze

I have to say that I'm loving the fact that everywhere I turn, something has polka dots. I'm noticing them popping up more and more and I can't complain!! Yesterday I wore my bright blue polka dot headband at the Gator/Bulldog 5K in Jacksonville which was so much fun. Turns out one of my running group buddies Natalie had her polka dots on as well. Then today as I was wearing my polka dot chambray top, I brought home Colby's new bed cover which is full of guess what?! More polka dots!! If I have a choice to pick an item that is printed, ranging from nautical to plaid, stripes or paisley, I'll choose the print over the solid no questions asked. Perhaps its the way a print can spice up an outfit, or make something more feminine that I love. Lucky for Colby that she is a girl because nautical printed leashes look so much better in pink!
Here is a quick glimpse of some items that I'm loving right now containing the beloved polka dot:

Gator/Bulldog 5k (photo courtesy of Natalie Nelson) rockin the polka dot headband

ON Chambray top

polkadot headbands (these are perfect for running)

Last but not least, Colby's new bed cover. Thank you Targay!