And the year is over!!!!

So I am beyond happy to say that in work terms, the year is O-V-E-R!!! Our last start of the year took place today, and I am so relieved to have it all out of the way. And...Unless the world ends between today and next Monday, I will also have exceeded my yearly expectation. It is such a relief to be done with all of this and it would be nice if we had a break, but yeah right.
Today was a super early day at work and I was SO hungry all day, I ate my lunch at like 10:30 and had to go out to grab another sandwich from Quiznos! On start days John is in charge of dinner plans and he decided Chinese was in order- Excellent Call! I ordered some Schezuan Beef (totally spelled wrong), I ate maybe 1/3, there was a LOT of food!
Tonight was pretty low key, a little homework, and no run. Today is a full rest day, 3 days of running Friday off, or maybe some walking will take place I am sure and then we are planning for 2 hilly runs in ATL this weekend!

I am very excited for our trip this weekend, but we are already starting to plan some of our trips for next year! Lets see how well we can max out these vacation days!
Night!

It's Christmas now!

So today was without a doubt the busiest Sunday we havd had in a while, but I did manage to accomplish almost everything on my list. Cleaning came first. Mostly dusting, but also straightening up the kitchen and bathrooms. We had been having some shower drainage problems, but John was able to get it all fixed quick and easy! We started the first of 4 loads of laundry and then headed for the grocery stores. Costco and Publix ended up being the only necessary stops. After unloading all groceries, John and I headed out for an afternoon date:)
We went to J. Alexanders for lunch, we have both been to the one in ATL, but John had not been to the one here since it opened this summer, so we headed up for some lunch with yummy fries!

After we headed to the early afternoon showing of 2012. We had a bit of time to kill so we headed over to Jacksonville Running Company Store across the street for some browsing. John has really been wanting to see this movie, and it ended up being really good, a tad unrealistic, but then again most movies are. It was definitely worth the trip!

Once home I relaxed for about 30 minutes and then laced up the sneaks for 3 miles of speedwork and some weights! I did 1/2 mile at a 10 min pace to warm up, and then 5 intervals of 1/4 mile sprinting at a 7:30 min pace and then 1/4 mile recovery with a combo of walking and jogging at a 10 min pace. That 10 minute pace feels so easy after you finish with that long sprint, that is clearly the idea behind it, and I really attribute my increase in time at the race this week to the speedwork I put in on Sundays. I really prefer to do this at the gym since it forces me to maintain a certain pace and keeps me honest about the distance. I also did some leg weights after my run, and really pushed myself today. I came home and my legs were still shaking for 30 minutes!

Once home from the gym, it was time to break out the Christams Decorations!!!


John helped me get everything out and then I got to work putting up the tree! We received a great deal of ornaments as gifts last year and it was fun to get to put up so many new ones in addition to what we had last year. I did save 1 prime spot to get an ornament for Ms. Peach.
This will be Peachie's first Christmas as a spoiled rotten house dog and she deserves her own spot! We do have an extra stocking that I also plan to put up for her as soon as I get another stocking holder!
I made another Goat Cheese and Onion mini pizza for dinner while I was decorating. And after about an hour and half I had it all up!


Here is our finished product for 2009 and I also have plenty of other decorations that are making their way around the house, including a little gator xmas tree that I have decorated for the bathrooom!

Peachie's First Christmas! We are soooo excited! Off to bed, the last start of the year is tomorrow and I will be SO happy once it's over! Also a mile long to-do list to construct for this week and the month in general!

Rivalry Saturday

So today is one of my favorite Saturdays of the fall- Rivalry Saturday! Almost all teams all across the country are playing their in-state rival today for typically nothing more than bragging rights!
The Gators took on FSU today for Tim Tebow's last home game and what was sure to be a memorable experience. We had some snaffu's today with our plans but ended up watching the game at John's parents house in Lawtey which I appreciated as it was warm and there was beer! Tebow and the Gators looked great all around and left me very eager for the SEC Championship Game next weekend!
This morning I got up about 6am to head to the gym for a bike workout in hopes of loosening up my stiff legs. After 30 minutes it worked great, and I headed home to shower and get ready for work:( We only worked for about 3 hours this morning (I actually managed to enroll a student for our January start) and then John and I settled in for the game. We made it back to Jacksonville in time for a late dinner and to watch the GA/GT game. I am routing for the dawgs- keep it in the conference.
Today was not super eventful, but a very important event for sure! Tomorrow we have a hefty to-do list to tackle....
~CLEANING!!!! I have neglected this for about 3 weeks!
~Laundry
~Groceries (Costco, Publix, Whole Foods)
~Packing list for ATL trip
~Look at homework- a bit neglectged this week
~Lunch date with a special someone (hopefully)
~Put up Christmas Decorations- I have been neglecting this too!
~3 miles of speedwork
~Returns, and hopefully some xmas shopping...
~Catch up on some magazine reading!

Gonna curl up for the second half of the last SEC/ACC match-ups today and then off to bed so I am ready to tackle this list tomorrow!

Rachel Turns 16 = I am getting old

Ok, so this post is for Friday 11/27 but since blogger was being stubborn last night it is JUST NOW going up!

So Friday, the morning after Thanksgiving. I woke up later than usual, about 7am and John and I did some accidental Black Friday Shopping. We had no intentions of going, but ended up at the Avenues Mall, but I did get a few xmas presents out of the way, plus got a shirt for the SEC Championship game for next weekend:)

We had a super late breakfast/early lunch and relaxed a bit during and after eating. Since the weather was SO fantastic, we decided it was more appropriate to do our 6 miles run today at about 12:30 in the 57 degree weather than try to do it early morning Saturday when it would only be 40 degree, yikes! The 6 miles was easier than we thought it would be, and we stuck together the whole way which helped. We ran in 2 mile increments, stopping to walk for about 90 seconds every 2 miles. The last 2 miles I had to stop for 1 minute at each mile though-I wanted to make sure I could finish strong. We finished 6 miles in approx 1:07, which is a teeny bit over an 11 minute mile. My goal for our half-marathon in 10:30 min/miles but when training I have read it is best to spend as much time as possible running/on your feet, so doing slower longer runs is ok since your ultimate goal will certainly be longer than just an hour of running.

My legs were screaming after the run ( I think a lot of this had to do with a 6 mile new ling distance record only 1 day after a 6k race where I set a new personal record) so I decided I needed a small ice bath. Normally I will ice my knees after a long/hard run, but my quads, ankles, knees, hips, etc were all hurting so it was deemed that ice bath= good. It was chilly, but could have been worse. I lasted about 12 minuted before I drained the tub and set in for a quick shower. We were running late to head to Gainesville for my Cousin Rachel's 16th Birthday Celebration. Mom, Michael, and Yssa stopped by to pick up John and I to head to G'ville for the festivities. We were scrambling to get ready and get enough snacks and sugar for the trip to ensure we wouldn't crash before we made it to dinner.

I would certainly say that Rachel is my closest cousin and not just in age. It was just me for so many years and then little Rachel came along. It has been so fantastic getting to watch her grow up and see the amazing and gorgeous girl she has turned into. I am so glad they live closer now! This celebration was for her 16th Birthday this Tuesday- I will not be there so I was so excited to get to go and celebrate with her. My uncle Paul had worked hard to get Rachel her 1st car in time for her celebration with friends and family, and little Miss Rachel had NO Idea!

We all gathered at Paul's house to wait for everyone to arrive and then bring over the surprise.
During our wait, I was more than happy to love all over Lady, Paul's Great Dane. She is an absolute sweatheart, and I always want to bring her home with me!

Paul did a GREAT job organizing the surprise, and we got many angles of Rachel's shocked face as she discovered her new car in the Driveway!

We had many photgraphers taking pictures of the birthday girl with her new toy!

After many pictures were had and the girls had time to explore the cars many bells and whistles, we headed to Yamoto for dinner. Yamoto is a Japanese Steakhouse in Gainesville, and I had a FANTASTIC meal. I ordered a combination or shrimp and scallops and really enjoyed my seafood mix. I rarely make seafood at home since John does not like it, and its a lot to do for just me, so I try to eat it when I can.

After dinner we headed back for Jacksonville, but not before a few more pictures!

I remember when you were born and I felt like such a big kid that they let me hold the new baby ( I was 7 1/2)!

The family all gathered in Gainesville!

Turkey Day Recap- 35:31PR

Hello blog readers, I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
This morning started early when I got up to eat before our Race, it was Quite Chilly out there, 56 degrees at race time which is a tad chilly for Florida, but it made for great race weather once it started. We got out there early and John finally understood what I was tryinig to tell him yesterday that there were going to be A LOT of people! I opted not to bring the camera, which I am now regretting as this will be a long picture-less post!

So Today was the Outback Distance Classic which is a very popular race here. We chose to do the 6k as we are not yet up to the half marthon, but the next 12 weeks will be here before you know it! We lined up about the middle of the pack, I told John I wanted to start a tad further back and would much prefer to pass people then to get passed, its so discouraging. So off we started about 2 minutes after the gun and we ran into some bottlenecking for the first mile which was where the split took place(1/2 marathons runners went one way, 6k went the other). The bottlenecking was not as bad as it seemed at the time, we passed mile marker one at 10:10 a tad slower than I wanted, but not too bad considering I thought it would be slower. I was able to pick up the pace to the end with my only walking break being through the water station for about 30 seconds total. The last mile of the course was winding through a neighborhood which I feel like slowed me down a tad again. I had gotten mixed messages about the course length and it could have been anywhere between 3.6 and 3.8 miles so I didnt want to pick up my pace too soon and burn out before the end. I kept picking a person in fron tof me to keep up with, but 3 times I passed my self-picked pacemaker which made me happy and I just kept trying to push more. Finally after one curve I saw the sign for 13 miles and knew I only had .1 left so I really picked it up and made it to a congested finish line. My official Chip time is 35:31 which was is a 9:44 pace a definite PR for me, I cannot explain how excited I was/am!!!!! John came in about 20 seconds behind me, at about a 9:55 pace, another PR here too!!!! This got me SO pumped for our next few races AND our Half-Marathon. I want to see if I can find a 10k race before then, I have only seen 5k's in the area b/w now and then so we may have to make a small roadtrip to log 6.2 for a race. THe cool temps definitely helped me to keep a solid pace, I was warm but was never uncomfortanle with how hot/cold so I was able to let me legs do all the work.

After the race we grabbed a banana and some water and headed home. I started in on the dough for the pie crust for my apple pie. Apple pie was my contribution for Thanksgiving lunch (we do lunch not dinner) since I wanted to make sure John had a desser he would enjoy as he is not a pumpkin lover like me, I could eat pumpkin with anything!!!!! After the crust was a quick shower followed by doing the filling, top crust and wrapping it up for the journey.

We ventured over to mom's house at about noon and visited with everyone, finally sitting down to eat a little before 2pm. I was very mindful of my eating today, I definitely had my sampling of everything but was pleased to say I didn't overdo it or go back for seconds. I did take a small bit of leftovers which I have already broken into a bit, and John and I are trying to stay entertained at home tonight- we are both restless and lethargic...an awkward combination.

Tomorrow I plan to go to the gym to ride the bike and loosen up my legs a bit. We have a 6 mile run scheduled for Saturday morning (early and in the super cold) so I want to be ready for it. I am tempted to do some shopping, but really loathe the crowds, so we will see. Tomorrow afternoon we are headed to Gainesville (round 1) to celebrate my cousin Rachel's 16th birthday with the family. Then back to Jacksonville since I have to work Saturday morning:( After that I will be rushing to G'ville for Timmy's final home game and another Gator Victory (I hope)!
Off to find another snack and glass of wine, Night!

Quick Post

Happy Long weekend to most people, I am getting sleepy and needing to get myself ready for my busy AM. Today worked out in my favor: it was poring rain when the alarm went off, so no run, which the legs will appreciate tomorrow. Went to whole food and to pick up race packet before work- my guess is about 1500 runners for tomorrow's races here in Jacksonville. Work was cut short by 2 hours- NO complaints here! John and I browsed for Xmas presents and are watching a movie and relaxing.
I need to figure out my race outfit for tomorrow now that it appears the temperatures will not be above 56-59 during our race- I think some layering is going to be needed- not entirely sure how to do that best, we dont have too many cold run days here in FL. After the race, home to shower and start the pie making and then yummy dinner:)
We are in for some super cool temperatures this weekend, and I am hoping the cool weather will be here to stay. We have our tickets for Saturday's UF/FSU game and I could not be more thrilled!
Better recap post race tomorrow.

Night!

What a Tuesday/ Rainy Wednesday

So Tuesday was not much less than what I expected. Nerves, panic, stress, yelling, you get the picture. Orientation days are never positive you are always sitting their in a nerve-wracked state wondering where the student you just talked to has gone. That being said- I made it through orientation day with no surprises. We also had our potluck lunch yesterday. SOme things were tasty, some were not, and some I specifically avoided all together. I actually managed not to eat too much, I was pleased. I kept the food consumption under control, but had small xervings of several desserts.
Today I actually have to work until 8pm- rediculous I know! So I am trying to decide how to take care of my student who is coming in at 10am when I have NO intention of going in before 10:45am. I need to pick up our race packets for tomorrow, and if I am going to be over there you KNOW I am gonna run into whole foods to pick up something tasty for lunch! It is just after 6am and it is Pouring down rain and has been for the last hour. SO I am thinking soup/chili for lunch today.
Tomorrow is our Turkey Trot and then home to finish the apple pie and get ready for Thanksgiving Dinner, I am quite excited for it now!
Off to do something productive. Happy Wednesday!

Wowza

So despite feeling like nothing happened today, I actually have quite a bit to write about, but I am sleepy so gonna try to keep it short.
Slept in a bit this morning which was nice, and still had plenty of time to make it to work by 8am. The TT who lives at the front desk was absolutely awful today in all respects- would very much like her to go away. AND on top of all else, the A/C was broken when we got to work today, made for a steamy morning, thats for sure. I added some of beloved Goat Cheese to my salad at lunch time today, and by add I mean put the feta on the salad as normal and ate the goat cheese I had brought out of the container with a spoon- no judgement please, it is my weakness!
I came home, John and I were scheduled for 4 miles tonight, but he felt like he was getting some minor shin splints so he took the night to rest the legs and I went to hammer out 4 miles on the revolving apparatus of death (aka...treadmill). I have grown to dislike the treadmill since we have been running outside, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed my treadmill experience this evening. I did 2 miles on the t-mill in the Fox News Cardio Room and then did the last 2 miles in the ESPN Room. I was able to do the first 2 miles in 22:48- but at negative 1/2 miles splits. I am really trying to work on the whole negative split thing so I will be able to push through any exhaustion on race days and I also think it helps me to pace myself- we will see tomorrow when we get back on the road. I only took one- 1 minute walk break between mile 1 and 2. After switching rooms I cranked out the last 2 miles (again at negative 1/2 miles splits) in 21 minutes with no walk breaks! I think I was sufficiently warm at this point and was ready to get home and have a yummy dinner!
John and I had a special dinner in mind and with him taking it off tonight I could send him up to the store to get the 1 ingredient we were missing...Pizza Sauce.
After my little baby pizza last night, we decided to make our own personal mini pizzas- SO smart by the way!
John made several with just sauce and cheese on Arnold Sandwich thins- the perfect size!
I had 2 halves: the first was pizza sauce, mozarella blend cheese, onion, ham, and oregano. The second had pizza sauce, goat cheese:) and oregano! Both were fantastic and I am already craving more!!!!!!!
I only have 1 very short chapter left for my calc class this semester and I have 3 weeks (including this one) to do it, so no homework tonight!
Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Potluck at work, but I am not super interested. Not sure how comfortable I am eating food from some of these people's kitchens (Yes, I am officially a food snob, but if you saw what I do every day you would understand why) but secondly I am trying to save my splurge day for actual Thanksgiving and the Stuffing that is already calling my name!
Bed is calling my name now...Night!

Goat Cheese makes everything better!

SO my Saturday in St. Augustine was Fantastic, Laura and I had a wonderful afternoon catching up! I first stopped by her house to see how big her baby Roy had gotten. Wow, he is SO long and is super super soft!



We then went to this cute little Mexican restaurant for lunch, I had the most AMAZING lunch. Chile Rellanos, peppers stuffed with beef and topped with some kind so yummy sauce- I wish I could have finished the whole thing, it was quite tasty!
We then headed to the outlet mall so that I could indulge and browse the Nike Outlet for some quality workout gear. I have decided that since I am running so much and training for a half marathon that it is more than acceptable to invest in some quality workout gear. I am a VERY sweaty girl when I workout and I have a few dryfit shirts and I have come to prefer working out in these because it is not as heavy and miserable when I start sweating buckets. So I now have a fully stocked dryfit wardrobe- enough to enable me for 6-7 runs before really needing to do laundry. I also have invested in some quality running socks, and I will tell you these are the best things I have ever put on my feet. Under Armour makes my beloved sock, I have found them for $2-$3 a pair at TJ Maxx and Marshall's and stock up on a couple any time I see them.
After getting home, John was making burgers, but I was still too stuffed from lunch. We watched the end of a very exciting Ole Miss/LSU game, I am still not sure why Les Miles didn't have his field goal team ready, but a nice victory for the Rebels. Gators had a big win yesterday too, I am very excited for the FSU game this upcoming weekend.
This morning was quite productive, I woke up, ran, ate a super yummy yogurt bowl for breakfast and then started the first of 6 loads of laundry ( which I am about to have to start folding:(
Next came my favoorite part of the weekend, GROCERY STORES!!! First was Costco, we didn't have that much to get at Costco this week: sandwich thins, perrier, milk, almond butter, and apples for the apple pie that I am making for Thanksgiving! Then to publix for the usuals: yogurt and produce. I prefer to get most of our produce from publix, it is fresher and we eat it before it goes bad. I also stocked up on some Larabars and Clif Z-bars since they were on sale!
We made the remaining hamburger patties for lunch with a few fries which turned out to be a nice little lunch!



As I was switiching out a load of laundry I decided to clean out my dresser to make room for my new workout gear but also because its a good thing to do every once in a while and it has definitely been a year since I have attempted to do anything of the sorts. John headed to Lawtey for the afternoon, and I went to see the family for a 2nd lunch- I wasnt super hungry, but I couldn't resist an individual lasagna roll. After that I headed home to do more laundry and relax with the Peach. I made myself a 6:30 snack instead of a full dinner. It is this recipe I found in college, NO idea where, but I LOVE It. Take 1 onion (I only used half tonight since it was a small portion) either white or yellow and slice and carmalize it. Put carmalized onions on a pita (I used Arnold's Sandwich Thins) and coved in crumbled Goat Cheese which I also purchased at Publix today! Bake in over for 10-15 minutes or until pita is crisp and onions and cheese are slightly browned!
If you like Goat cheese, you will LOVE this, it is SOOOOOOOO good! But then again I realized that Goat Cheese makes anything better!!!!!!!!!!
Now I am off to fold all the laundry I did while John goes to procure our FSU tickets for this weekend:)
Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Happy Saturday!

So I have been looking forward to today all week! Yeah I did get stuck at work:( but I have a fun-filled day planned. The Gator game is only showing on Pay-per view which is not really condusive to me viewing it, so I took that opportunity to head down to St. Augustine to see Laura!
In just 29-hopefully short minutes I will be on the road headed the 30 minutes south to see Laura and little Roy who I've heard just keeps getting longer! My friend Eliza also happens to live right next to Laura, so we may just make a girls day of it. Food is definitely a priority and I really want to go to the Nike Outlet to peruse for some new work-out attire and some possible xmas gifts ;)
We are hoping to also make it to Liza's for girlie TV and wine, but her man is making a last minute trip up to visit so we may not get to see her as planned. Either way, food, shopping, and your long lost best friend is ALWAYS a good combination.
Last night, John and I finally went and did the 3 mile run we had put off, and guess what- we set a new PR, YAY! I know, its not a race, but I think it should stil count if its the fastest I've ever done. I did my first 2 miles at about a 9:45 pace (John was ahead of me so about 9:35 for him) and then I started to fade in the last mile, but was determined to finish in under 30 minutes so averaging a 10 minute mile or less. Well I finished mile 3 in 10:04 putting my total run time at 29:34, YAY!
We talked about our splits as we were walking back to the apartment and I told him I really wanted to focus on doing negative splits for our shorter runs.
After our run, we stretched, entertained the Peach and decided to head to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner. It was getting late and we didn't want to have to wait anywhere. I like Ruby Tuesdays as an easy sit down restaurant because they have the salad bar which I enjoy and its super close to our house! I ordered crabcakes minis with the salad bar. I ate 1 mini crabcake, no sandwich, I was getting too full, a few fries and my whole salad. I also managed to help John polish off a quite tasty chips and queso appetizer- Yum! This was the first large meal we have eaten out since trying to be very healthy and picky with all meals. I don't count our anniversary b/c it was a special occasion and I gave myself full permission to splurge. Last night I was happy I kept portions and food quality in consideration, although I probably should have skipped muching so much on the appetizer, but live and learn.
We stopped on the way home to pick up a redbox movie, John wanted to see Star Trek so we got it. It was enough to hold my attention for a bit, but I mostly ended up checking blogs and reading my magazines. I crawled into bed early and left John and Peachie up watching Kirk? defend the univese. Not sure if thats what was really happening, but I think I got it right.

So this moring I set out to do 3 miles on the treadmill because I knew that would force me to run the speed I set it at. Well I managed 3 miles of negative splits today! That being said...Saturdays are our long run day, but this week only called for 3 miles so I told myself it would not be bad to do a slower 3 miles because I have read the goal of a long run should be about completing the distance and actually spending more time on your feet because the race you are training for is typically longer than your training run so taking 5 or 10 minutes longer is probably a good thing. So I did 3 miles this morning in 35 minutes (seems slow now, but a few short months ago this was a goal for me)
So I did my splits in 1/2 mile intervals as to not burn out from doing 2 runs in a 12 hour period but also to keep it interesting since I was on the treadmill. Splits, if you want to call them that, look like this:
Mile 0-.5: 12:00 pace
Mile .5-1: 11:19 pace
Mile 1-1.5: 11:00 pace
Mile 1.5-2: 10:30 pace
Mile 2-2.5: 10:20 pace
Mile 2.5-3: 10:00 pace
Nothing overly impressive, but it was nice to know I could do it and see how it feels to progressively get quicker.

So thankfully the last hour here has now gone by much quicker since I was able to update you on my weekend adventures. About to head out, will be back later with a recap and hopefully a Gator Victory. Sunday will consist of Peachie time, grocery shopping, Laundry, and CLEANING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Gators!

Change of Plans

So tonight we were scheduled for 3 easy miles, but both John and I decided we were not in the mood and are going to stick them in tomorrow morning before work. The "long" run on our schedule this weekend is also 3 miles (this is week 4 of 1/2 marathon training) so we figure we can do 3 miles 2 days in a row. I am actually thinking SAturday for our "long run day" we will do our 3 miles at race pace and then do a mile or so of sprint work. I must say it feels nice to have a rest day and to relax with no schoolwork and no running, good to be home from work early!
Life is quite boring today, but I do have a date with my BFF Laura on Saturday after work to catch-up and have a puppy visit! I am SUPER excited for our Turkey-Trot race next Thursday, hoping to beat my previous 5k time on our 3.6 mile run!
I am off to relax and contemplate the feasbility of negative splits. Night!

No White Condiments Rule!

Well as some of you may have read a few weeks ago, I cleaned my fridge of all white condiments. The only white substance in our fridge is greek yogurt and I think we still have some FF sour cream hanging out as well. I made a pledge to myself that I was going to nix all white condiments, and after a solid 3 weeks I can truly say I am not missing ANY of it! I have a lot of other really fantatic dressings that I enjoy and also some healthier ways to make other foods I like- Chicken Salad being a huge example!
I had someone today come ask me if I had mayo and I was so proud to say, Nope! I don't think I ever thought I would be able to part with the white creaminess that went into my salads and sandwiches, but at this point, the idea of thick blue cheese dressing or mayo really grosses me out- My cousin Kelli would be so proud:)
However, as these thoughts crossed my head today I was puzzled with this next question...
"What do I put on my thanksgiving leftover turkey snadwiches?!?!" I have always used Turkey on white bread with mayo (is this reminding anyone else of being 5 years old?)
White bread and Mayo are 2 things that no longer exist in my home so I am wondering what will become of leftover sandwiches, any helpful suggestions are appreciated!
Ok, time to head home play with Peachie, and watch Top Chef!

Peachie is Famous for a Day!

We will get to Peachies star glory momentarily...

When the alarm went off at 5:15am it was all I could do not not break it and go back to sleep. After about 5 minutes or debating in my head I decided since I was mentally awake it was time to get up and run as planned. With today being my Late Day this week, that meant I was running before work today and was also going to be running alone. I do not run our normal route unless John is with me as it is not the safest or most well-lit place. Well last night I decided since I was running by my lonesome that I would do 2- 1 mile loops around our circle (we really lucked out that it is exactly a mile) and then I would go to the gym (only 1/4 mile from our front door) to do the last 2 miles on the treadmill (maybe even some sppedwork).

Well at 5:20 the idea of running in 2 huge circles when I was not super motivated just did not sound fun to me- so I headed straight to the gym. I told myself I had to do at least 3 miles on the treadmill, which I thought was do-able as this was the only way I used to run when I first started, well after about a mile and a half I was ready to chew my arm off in boredom, wierd, I Know! Even with the news rolling and all sorts of new scandals to listen to I just couldn't get in the zone. I ended up getting my 3 miles in and decided I would do the last mile on the bike. We me being in running mode assumed I could do a solid mile in about 10 minutes, boy was I wrong! 4 minutes later I hit 1 mile on the bike and decided I would still ride for the intended 10 minutes (about how long it would have taken me to run a mile). So I rode a total of 2.5 miles which I think makes up for the lack for running by 1 mile, and I used some different muscles, see I am so efficient!

I am feeling guilty though and may run Peachie for 1 mile tonight just to say I did 4 miles today:)

I had the normal breakfast of FF Plain Yogurt with Blueberries plus 2 slices wheat toast (one with apple butter and one with PB and Banana) Yum!

Dont forget TOP CHEF Tonight! There are only 5 chefs left and I think they certainly are the top 5. Since tomorrow's run is after work I will most likely stay up to watch said new episode this evening.



Now, onto the exciting story!

Let me preface this story by saying that I have become an avid blogstalker in recent months and have found a good handful that I check at least 2-3 times/day. One girl who I check religiously has a Jack-Russell Puppy named Maddie, and my littel Peaches LOVES to check the blogs with me at night to see Maddie updates, pictures and videos! Well I managed to snap a picture of Peaches attacking my laptop the other night trying to play with Maddie who had some new pictures posted on Meghann's Blog, and last night I sent it off to Meghann so she could see her new fan, but also Maddie's blog friend!

Fast Forward to this morning...

As I am about to walk into my daily 11am "meeting" I went to check my fav blogs that had not been updated when I left the house this morning. And Meghann had posted my email and pictures I sent her last night!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, My Peachie is Famous in the larger blogger Community for a day!
Check out Meghann's Blog to see her super sweet Post featuring Miss Peach!http://graduatemeghann.com/

I got so excited to see it and that Meghann had enjoyed my email and blog-loving dog as much as I enjoy hers! I tried to find a co-worker to listen to my exciting story only to find none available:(

So I immediately sent John and crazy email telling him to check it out, he laughed, as usual, but I am super excited!

Hopefully Peachie and Maddie will get to meet one day! Off to do work now and will be back this evening!

Loving Tuesdays and Intro to Crazy Ideas

So let me just start off by saying as of right now, Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week, minimal schoolwork, no TV shows requiring my attention, and it is our off night from running.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my runs, but it is so nice to get home from work, make dinner, do my homework and look at the clock and realize "it's only 8:30 and I am done for the night". One would think I would spend some quality time with my live-in Hottie, but I know he appreciates his time to do his things too, so I usually try not to be too demanding, at least until 9pm, ESPECIALLY on a night where he unloaded the dishwasher for me (my LEAST favorite thing in the whole world!) and made it EVEN better by loading the dirty dishes too, he is the BEST!!!!!!!!
Something new, starting tomorrow I have switched late nights with Liza for the rest of the year so she can do a bootcamp class she is excited about. I welcome the change in schedule to break up my week, and I am also looking forward to long-run Wednesdays. We typically do a little longer run on Wednesdays so it will be nice to knock it out first thing in the morning:) 4 miles tomorrow, but I am on my own:( SO I am planning 2 1 miles loops around our circle, plus 2 miles on the treadmill for some speedwork, psyched? Well, I'm getting there.
Onto my crazy thoughts for the evening... John and I have been discussing running a Full Marathon, crazy? Yes! Excited? Absolutely! We are looking at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon for December 2010 which would require us to start training in August 2010, I think plenty of time to get prepared and Excited! We will see how this comes to fruition, or if we select a different race, but no matter what I am getting excited to schedule my 2010 race seasons!!!!
Now onto a more serious note...
Today was an interesting Tuesday, I realized that I should be SO thankful for so many things in my life that I never take the time to reflect on. As many know I am an avid blogstalker, but reading one today made me realize how lucky I am and how thankful I should be. So in following suit, I am going to start my "What I'm thankful for posts", especially with Thanksgiving around the corner, you really should think about it.
What I am Thankful for #1
STABILITY and Support
I have been so fortunate as to never have a truly unstable life. Sure, at the time I may have acted like my life was so dramatic, but I realized today how lucky I am that I have a stable life, job (for the most part), and family to depend on, many people cannot say this. I am so glad that the people I love and who love me in return are well taken care of, and have just as strong a support system as they provide for me! Some people do not have much to look forward to, but find the best in what they have, and hopefully everyone out there, no matter what their circumstance has someone looking out for them.
I send thanks to all my family and friends for being my support system!

What are you thankful for?

The little extras

So last night which should have been a quick evening, turned into barely making it to bed by the time I planned. A little bit of everything kept getting in the way.
I overslept yesterday morning, no doubt due to our fun filled and sleep deprived weekend, but I did manage to make it to work on time:)
I ran to target on a late lunch break to pick up a couple things we needed, and managed to find John and waterbottle more suited to run with ( squirt top rather than a twist top).
After that is when it all spiraled out of control, I was late getting out of work, had to get dinner ready, run (that went well) 3 miles in 31:20, average pace 10:27. My knee was really sore after this so I iced it during dinner.
I made stir-fry for dinner, nothing fancy but it was easy after a run.
I ended up with 1 more homework section than I had thought I had, so again, was running behind with no time to relax- this is why I permanently build in relaxing me time every night. Bath Time! I had a super hot bath which felt good on my tired muscles, and caught up on my latest magazine.
I think morning bloging may fit in well with my schedule as I give myself nothing else to do in the mornings except eat breakfast and get ready for work.
Today= work, dinner, homework, maybe some weights- it is technically an off day for cardio so I might take advantage of this and get some weights in as I have been neglecting it recently.
Off to get ready. Have a great Tuesday!

Exhausted!

So we made it Columbia and brought home a win! Nothing pretty, but most people don't pay attention as long as you are 10-0. We were up bright and early Saturday morning to pack up and let John wear Peachie out since she would be left alone all day to nap. We hit the road right at 7am and here is my sexy driver for the trip! The drive up was painless, and there were lots of fun random things to see!

Once we got there we did some walking of the city and snagged a snack before heading to meet our friends at their tailgate.

One of our hostesses with all three generations of their family! I love these ladies and am So glad we got to spend the day with them in their town! I am already excited to go back for the 2011 game (yes I am wierd!).

John and I looking pretty! The weather was perfect and we also were trying to capture a photo of these cabooses that Gamecock fans/alumni can buy for $250k a pop! We have some even better pics.

THe 1st half was pretty good, a tad close, but not too nerve-racking. The half time performance was really awesome. They were doing a special presentation in observance for Veteran's Day this past week, and they did a great job with recognition of all military branches complete with a fun flyover!

They also did a balloon release at the end which looked really cool with the sunset in the background.

The 2nd half performance was a nail-bitter until a 4th quarter interception gave us a 10 point lead and the momentum back.

We had a fantastic time, and want to thank all Gamecock friends for their hospitality!

YAY! We won, now it was time for the drive home...not as bad as it could have been...

This was a shot of some of the cabooses (I know I am spelling this wrong) all lined up and taken from up high! The area around the stadium is specifically designed for maximum tailgate opportunities since the stadium is not on campus. But they really have an awesome set-up here!

We headed back and made it in the door at 12:30. Peachie was very happy to see us and we took her for a quick walk and then crashed about 1am, WAAAAY past my bedtime.

As I anticpated, Peachie woke us bright and early, and John was SO Sweet and took her out so I could sleep some more. We lounged around for most of the day, ran some errands, grocery store, and then laced up for our long overdue 5 mile run- my longest distance run to date.

I will say it was a tad warm but went really smoothly and finished in 54:13, good pace considering we were not pushing ourselves to a race pace.

Peachie and I celebrating the 5 mile run, there was no more standing at this point.

And now its bedtime, I am BEYOND exhausted from our fun filled weekend. All worth it!

Hope y'all had a good weekend!

On the Road...

That's right folks its 6:15am on a Saturday and John and I are about to hit the road for South Carolina. We are expecting no delays and a 4 hour drive. Our friends who made the trip yesterday gave us directions on where to find them and advised me that we were looking at a 4 hour drive Despite any construction.
Our tickets are upper level but on the 30 yard line, no complaints here, we are happy to get to go!
Mom and Michael are coming to tend to The Peach today while we go to route on The Gators! She is excited to have some new friends to play with, but is exhausted from her 4 mile walk that John took her on to ensure that she sleeps all day without feeling abandoned.
We are about to load up, Happy Saturday and GO GATORS!!!

Updates Galore

Sorry for no post yesterday, there was lots to be done and time got away from me. Due to inclament weather John and I have not been able to run since Tuesday morning. Yes I am aware we have access to many treadmills, but that is just SO boring. We are however going to do 3 miles when I get home in the brisk 50 degree weather that we have had all day!

This morning I got up early hoping to do my 5 mile long run for the week to find it 47 degrees and still drizzling- No Thank You! I decided to start watching last night's DVR-ed Top Chef episode. You have NO IDEA how excited I am that Robin has gone home and who I truly believe to be the top 5 chefs are left! I cannot wait to see next week's episode. I did manage to get some homeowrk done before work and then I was off to run some errands which we all no usually never ends innocently:)

I had to make a return to Marshall's which is not anywhere near my house, but luckily I also had to drop off out registration for our next race which is close to the Marshalls. So I got to Marshalls pretty much right when they opened at 9:30 because normally they are slow and have a line and I didn't know how long it would take. Well it was super quick so I found myself with 20 minutes before the running store opened so I popped into Whole Foods which was also in that neighborhood. Thank goodness I only had a mere 20 minutes to kill or I would have gotten into some serious trouble! I did manage to find some Honeycrisp apples at a good price (cheaper than publix) and immediately picked up a few. I have only ever had 1 honeycrisp before and it was good, but I see/hear people (mostly other bloggers) raving about them all the time, so I had to try a few more. Well needless to say it made its way straight into my lunch bad and I consummed it as an afternoon snack.

I emailed John Immediately, this is the mosy Fantastic thing I have EVER eaten! It totally earns its name too, each bite was SO crisp, and juicy, but not too much! The flavor is pretty awesome too, and I cannot say enough nice things about this apple, I think it will be my first choice from now on, but I do think they are seasonal, does anyone know?

I also got into a few other things at whole foods...

Pumpkin scone which was a 2nd breakfast or mid/morning snack depending on how nit picky you want to get.

And some Awesome chili which became my lunch! This totally hit the spot considering how cold and gloomy it was out today!

After my food adventures I dropped off our race registrations and headed to the office. For those who are not aware, today is my 1 year Anniversary at my job. In some ways I am suprised I made it this long as there were points this summer where I was about to cave, but I am happy with how this year has been and really enjoy the team I work with- cheesy, yes , but true! Heather and Eliza I know you are reading, and yes I Love you both:)

I am really excited about our trip to South Carolina this weekend, and am even more excited that the weather will be perfect! Tomorrow is a SUPER busy day

Wake-up

2-3 miles speedwork at the gym

Breakfast/Make myself presentable

Work

2 1/2 hour graduation (for work)

Home to get things together for tomorrow and sleep

Wow...thats lots to do! Have a good night!

Uber-Productive Tuesday

Hello all! I will be keeping this post short and sweet as I have a super sleepy doggie stretched across my lap:)
This morning started early early with our missed 4mile run from yesterday's rain, my legs were a bit tired but once I pushed through some pain about mile 2 it was smooth sailing til the end. There was a nice breeze due to the nearby hurricane but no complaints there only about the rain.
Work was super super busy all day and I didn't even get a chance to check my blogs until I got home tonight. After work Mom and Michael came over to spend some time with Peachie as they will be babysitting for us on Saturday, I really think my mom just likes any excuse to come play with a cute puppy! After they headed out I threw our pesto chicken on the grill, but John was extra hungry so he requested Mac and Cheese with him. I was just going to have some spinach, but I may have stolen 5 or 6 bites of the cheesy badness!
We watched the new episode of NCIS as I caught up on some schoolwork and then it was a quick bath with last months Glamour which I am still working on finishing (I am saving all new magazines for this weekends trip). I have spent the last 45 minutes (CRAZY) catching up on all missed blogs from today- I think I may have found too many! I am off to sleep now, past my bedtime, and I am attempting some exciting new exercise routing tomorrow AM. Stay tuned for the recap!

Headed to Columbia!

That's right folks, John and I are venturing to South Carolina for the Game! We have toyed with going for the last few weeks and said "If we can get tickets" well I found a fairly priced pair on Craigslist this morning and have managed to secure them as of 20 minutes ago! The obstacle was that the tickets were in Gainesville, and we sadly are not:( Well the stars aligned and we were meant to go, my mother headed to Gainesville today for some Drs appointments and was able to pick up our tickets from this nice long time Gator Booster.
John and I owe Mom some serious THANK YOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for being so helpful and picking up our tickets, and thank you for coming to watch Miss Peachie this Saturday while we make the drive to watch our beloved Gators Further solidify their SEC East seat for the SEC Championship game!
We are so excited for our road trip and have been talking about making this trip for the last 2 years they have been. Some time ago John and I agreed that at some point when we are still young we want to travel to all the other SEC Teams Cities/Stadiums to watch them play Florida, and watch us win! So this is the 2nd one we can cross off our list. We have ventured up to Knoxville twice and will make a third trip next fall.
So moving on from today's football escapades, I went to work and spent some time looking at a few thing John and I want to do while in ATL for the SEC Championship Game. Due to being stuck at work about an hour longer than planned I had to forgo my 4 mile run tonight as dinner was waiting for me AND I had to get my test answers submitted. So I am taking the time to update the blog and get in bed early so I can make up the 4 miles in the morning which was a scheduled off day, so no big deal to swap days. Also, I have moved up Saturday's 5 mile long run to Friday since we will be heading out quite early for Columbia Saturday morning.
Tonight was slow cooker tacos for dinner, they were just ok. The meat could have used a bit more spice/flavor. I suggested onions and John suggested cumin- both probably would have been a big help. After my test I had a quite full glass of Red.
Off to clean the kitchen and relish in my success for our last minute weekend adventure!

A bit of a Lazy Sunday

So I will say that I did get through my test today, I haven't submitted my answers yet, but that is what tomorrow is for! I do feel good about it though and John was kind enough to help me with a couple that left me feeling defeated.
I had a fantastic time grocery shopping at Costco and Publix and got some yummy things for us this week. Once home I unloaded the groceries and thoroughly cleaned out the refridgerator when I got home and am very pleased with how much cleaner and organized it is. I have done all the laundry and have put most of it away:)
Not on today's list, but was still very important: I spent a good amount of time with this month's Runner's World and catching up on my blog reading and getting ready for this week. I did go to run earlier also. Sunday's I have designated as the treadmill/speedwork day, but I think John and I are looking forward to going to run on a nearby track next weekend for this workout. I managed to do a 1/2 mile jog to warm-up, followed by 2 miles of intervals: 1/4 mile sprints at a 7:30 pace and 1/4 mile jog/walk to recover. That put me at 2.5 miles so I walked the last 1/2 mile at an incline to mix up which muscles were working. Today was only supposed to be 2 miles so I am glad I kept it pretty balanced, but my legs and abs can still feel the push from the intervals.
Tomorrow John and I have 4 miles on the books- we have only ever done 4 miles before on a weekend but our week day mileage will be increasing over the next few weeks so might as well get used to putting in the time. I may consider moving longer weekday runs to the mornings to avoid skipping them after a long day- perhaps we will start this next week.
Well, I am going to embrace the last little bit of my lazy Sunday and read in bed with Redbook- Yes I am aware that my magazine habits are out of control!

Sunday's To-Do List

So last night we went down to meet our friend at the 5 points movie theater to watch the Gator Game on the Big Screen! It was fatastic, great picture and they serve beer there! Can't beat that.
We came home after the win and immediately crashed.
This morning I woke up starving since I had no dinner and made a huge omlet, toast and a kiwi:)
I am now a little over halfway through this weeks Calc Test and can say with some strong confidence that I feel much better about this one.
Today's to-do list is quite lengthy, so I have split it into tiered priorities to help make sure I accomplish the most important things before letting myself do the fun stuff!

Tier 1 (complete or die)
-Test
Tier 2 (these must also get done today, but everyone will live if one gets missed)
-Costco
-Publix
-Laundry (both washing and putting it Away)
-Clean out the Fridge ( I really hate doing this, which is why it has reached it current state)
-2 mile speedwork
Tier 3 (would love to get these accomplished, just not likely unless tinkerbell comes and sprinkles me with super fast moving fairy-dust)
-Clean(dust, sweep, bathrooms, kitchen counters, wash sheets)
-Clean out closet/dresser...its getting a tad full
-Target return I have been trying to do for weeks
**On a positive note John has already said he will be vacuuming and bathing Peachie when they return from Lawtey today, bonus when you can get someone else to clean for you:)
This mostly happens because I do NOT vacuum. I am not such a fan of vacuuming, I always break something or miss a spot and I get so hot and worked up its not worth it! Thank goodness he doesn't mind. I will sweep or mop any day and actually enjoy these tasks, but the 3 I LOATHE are:
-Vacuuming
-UN-loading the Dishwasher (so easy I know, but it annoys me)
-Folding and putting away the clean laundry- wish it was already done for me

What are your least favorite chores?

Free to Breath 5k

Happy Game Day to All! I will update you on the end of my week as well as Today's activities.
So Last night John and I went to Maggiano's for our Anniversary dinner, a change from our orignal plan, but it was Fantastic and a nice carb load before this morning's race. After we got home we played with Peachie a bit and packed up for my day today.
THursday night I brought home Dessert from Cheesecake Factory, I had the Pumpkin Cheesecake (delish if you haven't tried it) and got John the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake ( yes it is as awesome and fudgy as it sounds!), so we each had a nice tasting when we got home last night too.

Saturday morning I got up at the normal time to eat and warm-up before the race. I was scheduled for 4 miles today so I did 1 mile before heading down to the race, and John brought Peachie (just to walk) but she was running her short little legs off, and did such a good job keeping up! After a quick run we headed down to Hendricks Ave Elementary which was not at all prepared for the turnout of this 1st year race, but there were a solid 500 runners and walkers and parking was a disaster.
John and I met up with mom and Michael and at that point he became our official photographer since he did not sign up to run.

A Shout out to our great picture taker, thanks for staying the whole time!

Taking pictures before and waiting for all the others to arrive. I was pleasantly surprised it was not as cold as I was expecting it to be. I decided to weat neon orange so John could spot us as we finished.

One of our spectators!

The runners right before the start

I did this race with my mom, it was her first 5k and she did Awesome! We paced an average of an 11:49 mile which is great for a first run. Hopefully I didnt scare her from running with me in the future.
While we were running, mom decided that my iPod was an awesome idea and certainly made the running a little less monotonous (do I hear Christmas idea...)

I didn't see this until I got home today, but While the boys were waiting for us to finish, this doggie made her way over to the course. She bears a strong resemblance to Abbey, Mom and Michael's dog. Just had to put this shot in because who doesn't love a good puppy shot!

Here is us headed towards the finish line.

Please ignore all strange faces

Pushing hard to finish!

I think she was very excited to be done.

The sweaty after picture, never a pretty one.

After the finish I had to hurry and get off to work while mom stayed to watch her 2 co-workers finish. When I made it back to the car, as we had anticipated my car was blocked in, but we did manage to get the car on the sidewalk, fold in the windows and manuver between a sign and a street light without waiting around for the other inconsiderate drivers or hurting my little car!

All in all, a good race, I was not running for time, but for us to run the race together. I am really excited for John and my next race later this month and hopefully set a new PR.

From the race, I went to work, some quick shopping at Marshall's they carry the socks I like for $2/pair instead of $10/pair so I headed out to the beach to stock up! John and I had leftovers for lunch and are watching the Bama/LSU game before the Gator Game starts later!

Happy Saturday! Go Gators!!!

Happy Anniversary!

So today is our 5 year anniversary, wow!!! Tomorrow we are going out to celebrate since I am stuck at work tonight until 8pm:( All works out though he is going to help a friend with a speaker project. Since today at work is sucking almost as bad as Last Thursday I decided I needed a mid-day pick me up. Thank goodness I managed to pack enough food for lunch and dinner because I cannot leave the office today due to all the unexpected "set-backs" to this months activity. This is what happens when you work with people and why I trust None of Them!!!
Thank you all for listening to my repressed anger.
This AM we ran 3 miles nice and early, but I really need more time and fuel before running so next time we do this there will be food involved, I almost died I was running on Empty. I did manage to get all my errands in this morning and make to work early as planned, only to find out the appointment I can in early for had been rescheduled:(

We have some big weekend plans though: Anniversary dinner, 5k race,work (could live without this), Pedicure(hopefully), Calc Test 3(looking to be aLOT easier than the last), UF/Vandy Game, cleaning out my fridge, relaxing, and maybe the fair too!
What are your weekend plans?

Last Minute Race

So my mother and I had been toying with doing the Free to Breath 5k this weekend, and at about 4pm today we decided to sign up! So Saturday morning we will be running 3.1 miles to help support lung cancer research. I am excited to add one more race in and it will fun to do it with just my mom. I am planning to run with her, so no PR's this weekend, I am saving the good one for our 6k Turkey Day race in a few weeks:)
In other news, I woke up a tad early to do all my homework this morning, and it was SO nice to have it all out of the way! I made a nice big omlet which I couldn't even finish, and it definitely kept me full til snack time!
Tonight John and I had a 3 mile run on the schedule which took me about 33:30 to finish due to some Serious Calf cramps- I realized as I was about to fall mid-run that I had not stretched AT ALL after our Monday run- silly me, so we had to take a couple walk breaks, but I was pleased that I still made it in a reasonable time. I do have 1 more 3 mile run tomorrow in which I was going to do some speedwork but to make-up for today and keep the calves fresh for Saturday I plan to just do 3 miles at race pace!
No new Top Chef tonight:( They are showing and All Star Reunion show...not really what I was in the mood for after the World Series has messed up my TV viewing for 2 weeks in a row now!
Well Peachie and I are headed to bed with a very lengthy to do list for tomorrow morning:

~3 mile run
~Homework( last 5 sections before the test this weekend)
~Get ready for work- really wish I could skip this one all together
~CVS to pick up Rx
~Target: NO I am not real shopping, I have to return a workout top I don't like and I need Toner and sunscreen because I am Out of Both (Don't neglect the Sunscreen, folks!)
~Work...boo

In fun news, tomorrow is John and my 5 year Anniversary- that sure did go by quick, huh?

Super Slow Tuesday

Happy Tuesday to all, today most certainly crawled by here in my world. Work has started off very slow this week, and as you can imagine that does not make the boss happy. I had the usual breakfast today, but decided that tomorrow morning I want to make some eggs, so I am making sure I have all veggies ready to go to toss in there in the AM!
I again made my new chicken sandwich for lunch- Arnold Sandwich Thin with Laughing Cow Cheese, roast chicken and some Honey Mustard- YUM! I also paired it with spinach and feta salad and my last peach! The spinach hit the spot, and I have some more fun ideas for sandwiches, but I figure I will finish off this chicken first.
I really had every intention of doing some cross training tonight and going to the gym to ride the bike, but working late, plus some laziness and Homework led to me deciding to forego the Bike. I don't feel too bad about this because today is a scheduled off day anyways and I ate perfectly today- No Bad Snacking! Although I am toying with a quick AM bike ride tomorrow...
Yesterday John and I decided we wanted some warm fall food and decided to make soup and grilled cheese for dinner! I LOVE the V8 Soups that have come out the last few years, and we buy this anytime we want tomato soup and I add a little skim milk to make it a little creamier. I also bought a roasted red pepper and butternut squash flavor to try- It will probably be me trying and John eating something else, but I think they will be quite tasty.
I mady my grilled cheese on an Arnold Sandwich Thin ( I seriously Love these little guys) and put half chedder cheese and half swiss-perfect combination! If you have not yet tried the sandwich thins, I urge you to do so- I will even send you one of mine to sample that is how awesome I think they are!
So today I only managed to fit in 30 minutes for lunch (oh well) and finished my magazine. Although I still have 2 at home to read and a 3rd arrived today.
Last fall I went a tad overboard with magazine subscriptions as I kept getting great deals on several magazines I liked all produced by the same publisher. To date I am getting:
~Cosmopolitan
~Glamour
~Marie Claire
~Self
~Redbook
~Shape
~I also still find myself buying other ones from time to time
I know! Like I said, out of control!!!! Since most are up for renewal I have been thinking about what I want to keep and what I can chuck
~Cosmo: Still undecided, but will most likely hang on to it
~Glamour: Ditch it! Read it in College b/c my roommate subscribed to it and I thought I really liked it. I can live without it for sure
~Marie Claire: Indifferent...Say Bye Bye!
~Self: My new fav, it will be renewed For Sure!!!
~Redbook: I do enjoy this one, it is very well balanced and is dirt cheap- $12 for 2 years! I know, will probably hold on just for the deal!
~Shape: This was a recent addition and I really do like it. It helps give me new workout ideas and has some awesome recipes that John and I have tried! Also keeps me from slipping into bad habits.
~ now for the new ones... I will be adding 2 Magazines to the list
...Fitness and
...Runner's World
Yes I seem to be taking this whole running thing pretty seriously, but I really am having fun and it has a nice competive edge with all the races, and the magazines are keeping me super intruiged and pumped up about it all!
SO it total I will still be getting 6 monthly subscriptions, but at least I am consistent right???
How many magazines do you get?

Yay November

So about 2 days too late, the fall weather has moved into Jacksonville. Today (and all week for that matter) we are looking at highs right at 70 and lows in the low to mid 50's. This is my absolute favorite weather, cool, but not too cold; can wear sweaters or sandals and still be comfortable!
If Anyone knows a place where I can find this weather 10 months out of the year and still be within 30 minutes of the beach to take advantage of the 2 lone months of 80 degree weather, then PLEASE sign me up to move there ASAP!
Today I made it back to work after my long weekend to find that corporate was getting whiney about how much overtime we have had as a team the last few months and we were all told we had to take a full hour for lunch every day. I should have been excited, but unless I have errands to run... what the hell am I going to do for a whole Hour in the middle of the day when there is PLENTY to get done at the office? My first thought was Calc homework, smart, right? No! We can't stream video for me to watch lectures and it doesn't format the hw questions right, Boo! So today I decided after I ate to head out to sit in the cool weather and read the magazine that I had luckily (and randomly) thrown in my purse this morning. Karma was looking out for me. But so now I am trying to figure out what the hell I am going to do for a whole hour every day...Who is that slow or dumb that it takes them a full hour to eat when they are alone, and not cooking the meal first??? Blows my mind, but I guess our Corporate Office is in Kansas, so I think that explains it all.
I left work at ten til 6 to walk outside and remember "oh yeah, its dark now" Can't say I am such a huge fan of this, we may be moving to morning runs. Although I will say it did make the temperature Even better for our run at about 6:30. No humidity and the perfect temp made for a FANTASTIC run! We had 3 miles on the schedule for tonight, which was cranked out pretty easy. I maintained my 10:06/10:07 pace for the 1st 2 miles but took a short walk break going into mile 3 and then had to stop for about 10/15 seconds to make sure I could still see John (really, it was THAT dark!) so I attribute that to my slightly slower 3rd mile- which means I may be able to pull of this half-marathon at 10 minute mile paces which is my goal for that race!
Tonights Splits:
Distance: 3.0 miles
Time: 30:34
Mile 1: 10:06
Mile 2: 10:07
Mile 3: 10:22 (with 2, 10 second walk breaks)

Also in other news, I decided today that I am no longer going to eat White Condiments (the only exception is Fat Free Sour Cream).
I have been toying with this idea for a few weeks and I wanted to see how much I actually ate these, or more importantly even wanted them. Well the answer is the wanting and eating was truly minimal and I think it is very smart in helping me to eat healthier and lose weight. The Mayo is probably the biggest sacrifice, but I have allowed myself 1 exception, b/c I saw no other option, and that is that I am allowed to have a small amount of mayo on thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwiches, because you simply CANNOT make one without a little mayo. But I typically only put mayo on some sandwiches, burgers, and mixed with some things like chicken salad ( I have found greek yougurt to be a good substitute here).
Ranch and Blue Cheese Dressings were the other 2 that are falling off the list, I cant say I will miss them that much as I have really come to prefer vinegarette and french dressings recently. I am sure my chicken wings will be lonely, but I probably shouldn't eat those anyways:)
I am sure as we speak my mother is reading this and her chin has hit the floor because I was the kid who put mayo on EVERYTHING! There was not a sandwich or piece of chicken that I ate that did NOT have mayo on it- but I feel it needs to be eliminated (or consumed in extremely rare occasions) so please pick your jaw up off the floor b/c all white condiments have officially been thrown out of my fridge!

Florida/Georgia Recap

Ok so after a day of recovery, cleaning and relaxing my favorite weekend of the year is officially over. We had a blast and made it a 4 day weekend this year. Daddy, Michele, Brooke, and Macy arrived Thursday night. We walked down to the landing and had dinner before I headed back to spend an evening alone with Ms. Peach since John was in Charlotte.

Friday was a busy busy day. I woke up early, did a hot and humid 4 mile run and then came home to start the baking! I found a football shaped cookie cutter at Hobby Lobby and decided we needed football brownies for the tailgate!

These little babies were most certainly my pride and joy for the weekend!
After baking, the fam came over to meet Peachie before we went to do a little shopping and get some pictures for Brooke. The Peach was so good and everyone seemed to love her! After our afternoon escapades they all headed back downtown and I put the pork in to start its 11 hours of sweating. We headed to the landing for dinner early as we had skipped lunch and ate with Crystal before the rest of the crew showed up. After dinner, we went back downstairs and some crazy non-fan hit it off with Michele and the girls, I found him creepy, see for yourself.

We took lots of pictures here, and he somehow has managed to sneak into at least half of them.

Thankfully not all of them and we were able to get many good ones!

Saturday brought a fantastic tailgate and we got to see everyone, but unfortunately I took NO pictures until we got to the game:( Game was good, VERY hot and I now have a tan line from my necklace, so it is a permanent necklace line, although If I am trying to be postive, the good news is that I will never be without a necklace. Also I have a remote-sized bruise on the back of my right leg from hitting the armrest on my seat a few too many times-ouch!

After the game when we got home I did manage to remember to do our Half-Marathon Registration because it went up another $20 today, so I wanted to make sure we got that in. So it is official, we are running our First Half- Marathon, the 13.1 with Donna at Jax Beach February 21, 2010, and it seems that John's sister Penny may be running it with us too!

Today we had breakfast at the Hyatt with everyone before they hit the road, and then John and I ran some errands and spent the day relaxing with Peachie. I did manage to sneak in a 3 mile run as the sun was going down super early. And Now I am going to get in bed and read before crashing early.

Happy Florida/Georgia weekend to everyone, and yes, we are already planning for 2010!