23 and Counting

Saturday was a big day! A new milestone of running a total of 23 miles was accomplished. I wasn't sure how I would feel after running for such a longer period of time, but a few extra walk breaks, hydrating enough the day before and training consistently definitely played a part in my recovery. Having a wonderful dinner to look forward to later in the day made it an even better Saturday. Although there was a small group of us going the extra distance, I loved trying out a new route and the first 18 miles flew by (sort of) and by mile 20, everything after that was an accomplishment. I was so excited and I can't thank my fellow runners enough for all of the encouragement. Thankfully we beat the rain and I had plenty of time to take a quick nap and enjoy the rainy afternoon indoors. Later in the day, dinner reservations were made at the Ritz Carlton and their restaurant Salt was the perfect dining experience. We started with a seafood appetizer, sampled some of their unique salts and had seafood entrees. The sea bass was phenomenal!! One of my favorite parts was the unique dessert: dark chocolate souffle with a side of salted caramel ice cream. It was delicious and perfect for sharing. It was a very special dinner that we definitely savored!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Holidays! I can't believe 2014 is almost upon us. It has been quite the year and I can't wait for the adventures that next year will bring.

Dawn (one of our awesome team leaders) and I after the long run!

Nathan and I both completed our first 23 mile run, all smiles!

A Very Pink Christmas

Hello and Merry Christmas Everyone!

Take the time to tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them and cherish the little things in life this Christmas season. I couldn't be more fortunate for my family, friends and fur baby Colby!

We have really enjoyed our first Christmas together as a married couple and I can't wait to test out my new Garmin watch! It's been a very pink Christmas (see picture below of Colby with her new pink camo bandana) and I couldn't be happier! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Colby after a walk on the beach on Xmas Day!

loving my new Garmin watch to track my speed/pace on my runs!

Out of the Comfort Zone

What a month it has been so far! After realizing that my last post was around Thanksgiving, I knew I had to get back on track and update you all on how great December has been. The best part is that it isn't over yet and Christmas is right around the corner! For starters, I ran my 2nd annual Reindeer Run last weekend and it was a blast. Our customized t-shirts came out great and I beat my time from last year by 11 minutes! I guess that second wind I felt in the last quarter mile really helped me to get me across the finish line sooner than expected. Our running group split up in to several smaller groups and we all had a fantastic time. Not to mention, after crossing the finish line, we had the gorgeous view of the beach and the weather cooperated with us!
December has been jam packed so far with some great crafty events and I'm excited to share some pictures with you! Last weekend was the quilting workshop at a local quilting store called Lollipops. The store is run by some fantastic ladies and they graciously helped us assemble our quilts which will be gifts for our Navy Men! I can't wait to see the finished product. After putting in at least 6 hours on and off the sewing machine, I amazed myself with how much fun it was. Although it takes a lot of concentration and you have to pay close attention to the detail, I think this was a great way for me to start my own sewing project and I'm actually looking forward to making something else once I finish the quilt! I made sure to get a photo to send my Mom as living proof that I wasn't making it up :) She has been trying to get me to sew for years, so I knew she would be proud!
Just last week a bunch of my Running buddies and I went to a cute little art studio in Jacksonville called, Painting with a Twist. I would highly recommend this ladies night out where you can bring your own beverages, goodies etc and paint! I knew I had to sign up when I saw that it was a Nautical theme painting. I had my doubts about how the finished product would turn out, but overall I'm so happy with it that I decided to hang it up as our very own "bathroom art." I gladly replaced the picture that was hanging in our guest bathroom with my own original masterpiece! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to check out the Army/Navy game today! Any guesses on who I might be cheering for? Even though I'm hardly a sports fan, these types of games are a great excuse to whip up some game day goodies and enjoy good company :)
Happy Saturday!

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!