Successful {Part II}

The other piece to my/our successful weekend was FINALLY completing a half marathon and feeling good the entire run.  I know that sounds ridiculous but the first two I ever ran I was exhausted the whole race AND fighting injury.

My first race ended up being partially enjoyable because I ran with a friend.   My second race was awful - horrible, terrible, no good at. ALL. I know my dad tried SO hard to make it better and keep me motivated but to no avail.  I honestly believe it was the nature of my potential injury (knee) and I thought it was going to be bad so I was freaking out, tired, hungry, scared, upset...gosh all of the 'bad' emotions.

I am happy to report that Sunday's Half in Daytona was AMAZING!

 

The Husband and I met my parents in Daytona on Saturday night so that we wouldn't have to get up at some annoyingly early time to make the long drive out there.  We had a high protein, high carb dinner and went to bed relatively early.  I slept with earplugs in to try and keep from waking up a million times.  I wake up a lot when I sleep in hotels – new noises and what not.  I slept surprisingly well.  I woke up feeling rejuvenated.  The Husband on the other hand fought with the too firm and too fluffy pillows.  He was not thrilled about being up at 4:30.  Breakfast consisted of eggs and a protein drink.  I was ready.

I knew the weather was going to be chilly (for the area) so I was stressed about what to wear running.  Saturday morning The Husband and I bought me a new running shirt that was long sleeved but wasn't made for either warm or cool weather; I only wanted the dry-fit material.  We found something that I felt confident would meet my needs.  I had been hoping for a brighter and more fun color but when last minute shopping, I was just happy to find something that was lightweight and long sleeved.

This race set up was pretty amazing.  You drive down through the Daytona International Speedway tunnel and across the track to park on the grass in the center of the course.  The starting line was on pit row of the speedway. It was so cool!

Bring it on Daytona! 

I’ll save you the details on how each mile progressed.  We ran the speedway and then made the trek out to International Speedway Blvd.  The course takes you up and over the most treacherous bridge I could have dreamt of running across in the area!! It was very steep and took a lot of steps and energy out of us.   You run out to the beach and a quarter mile on the beach.  I was concerned about the sand situation but it was packed very well.  The view was gorgeous – tide was high so you ran right there at the water’s edge.  

The course took us back to International Speedway Blvd and up over the bridge again, through a side neighborhood and the finish was AT the finish line for the speedway. 

That's us up front, getting ready to leave the Speedway Track

It was hard – there was a lot of elevation change and not a bunch of recovery time in between the major changes (like the bridge).   My dad and I discussed running it again next year so that we can gauge our progress.   Whether or not you are getting better is hard to determine when constantly running different courses/races.

The best part about this race was I was able to finish with a smile.  Literally I was smiling as I crossed the finish line.

Almost to the finish and this is when I pass as many people as possible

I didn't PR but I was close to my time from the half last year.  I felt great! One thing though, I think when they hand out water at the finish line, they should also give you a banana.  By the time I finish 13.1 miles I am OUT of energy and the crash off the adrenaline happens very quickly for me. 

So Proud of us! And I LOVE the medals!

After the race, we changed and headed to breakfast where I enjoyed a cranberry mimosa. Um pretty much one of the most delicious things ever.

 

I slept most of the way home – thank goodness The Husband drove.  The rest of our Sunday was extremely low key which didn't hurt my feelings at all!

Last night after work I ran a little over 4 miles.  It is the soonest I have run after a half marathon.  I felt so exhilarated! I hope to remain injury free because there are a slew of races I want to participate in this year =)  Oh and here is a picture from my run last night….

 

AND btw – for those who may be a little lost and confused this week also, it is Wednesday, not Tuesday. 

You’re welcome! 

Successful {Part I}

That is definitely the word I would use to describe this past weekend. I would love to have used a term like ‘relaxing’ or ‘rejuvenating’ but alas, it was neither - we did have a wonderful few days together.

To start, The Husband really went overboard for Valentine’s Day.  We normally don’t go all out – we will do something small and go to dinner (which is how we spent last year) or spend more on the gift and have dinner at home (2011).  This year we discussed not doing gifts and then probably not going to dinner because The Husband has been so busy with his company.  Wednesday (Feb 12!) he informs me that he has bought me something.  Thursday he tells me that we have dinner reservations for Friday.  The news of the gift left me scrambling to figure something out for him before Friday morning.  I wanted to do a bunch of fishing stuff but it stressed me out so much that I went a different route.

To recap – The Husband is an AVID fisherman and is incredibly picky about the equipment he uses.  I honestly can’t keep up with it all because by the time I figure out what he likes to use, he discovers a product he likes even better.  It is overwhelming! AND have you ever BEEN to the fishing section of a sports store?! Bass Pro is like a million times worse!  I start to wonder what could possibly be the difference but then I remind myself how picky I am about mascara and hair products. Same but different. =)

Friday morning we exchanged gifts – I made up a ‘Man Basket’ for him and he loved it =) He is honestly kind of hard to buy for which is frustrating because I am generally a pretty good gift giver! I pay attention to what people say they like/want/need all year so for occasions where gifts are given, it is usually pretty easy for me to pick something out.  The Husband, on the other hand, doesn't say specifics OR he wants a new scope/ammo/fishing rod…things that I can’t pick out for him.  I know he ALWAYS needs new shirts because he is the type of guy who does some quick repair on a truck or tractor thinking he won’t get anything on the shirt and BOOM! Oil leaks on him or snags it or SOMETHING happens and now he has a new fishing shirt.  Anyhow this was his happy little gift!

He totally blew me away with the gift he decided to pick up for me.  I really didn't see this coming.  I had showed him an initial necklace (J&A) a couple months ago that I really liked.  It was simple and cheap and I figured if he didn't get it for me eventually then the next time it went on sale I would order it. 

Well he remembered that and expanded on it.  He believes that if I like a piece of jewelry a lot then I should figure out a way to get the same thing or idea in a nicer form/piece.  Don’t get me wrong, it is an awesome idea, but I like my fun, loud, costume jewelry.  Anyhow, I did not see this coming:

That’s right, a little blue box.  I was absolutely floored! I was shaking a little tiny bit.  I have never received anything from Tiffany & Co.  That Husband of mine. He is pretty amazing. The gift was even more awesome because he had our initials engraved on the charm.  I love it!

We had dinner reservations for 9:00 pm....NINE people! That's pretty late but hey, that's what happens when you have to make 'last minute' (although Sunday isn't completely last minute in my mind) reservations.  We sat at the bar for about 30 minutes with a TON of other people.  I guess everyone in the first slot of reservations was a good twenty minutes late making every other reservation late AND the normal walk-in wait time was over an hour and a half! We didn't mind waiting for our table to be ready since thankfully we had an actual reservation; we had a drink and just talked with one another and the random people at the bar and bartenders.

Dinner ended up becoming an event: drinks, appetizers, bread, soup…I couldn't decide what I wanted (typical).   Dessert was not in the cards even though we both wanted to order it.  The chophouse we went to is mostly a la carte.  I LOVE that because you can actually pick and choose exactly what you want to eat.  I ended up opting for add-on crab stuffed shrimp and lobster bisque! YUM! After all the extras we had before the actual meal, there was no way I would be able to consume a full plate of food. We had a wonderful night out just the two of us. It was about midnight before we got in.  

I love making our dates an event; something that just takes time where we are out and can’t really do anything but talk to one another and just reconnect.  But then again, I love dating The Husband so any chance I have to cook or go on a date with him, I take it on. 

How was your Valentine's Day?

5th Annual Chili Cook-Off w/ I-nita Chili

For the past three years, Christy’s mom has been participating in the Annual Chili Cookoff.  Each year the weather has been questionable.  The past two years it was pretty windy.  This year it was cold and rainy.  VERY cold and annoyingly rainy. 

This year as a special treat, Christy decided to make shirts for the ‘staff’/volunteers…aka those who have faithfully shown their support and helped give chili away!  I went to a baby shower a couple weeks ago where the mom-to-be cut out some sayings with her cricut in iron-on vinyl and had all her guests put together a onsie with one of the sayings.  I told Christy about it and she decided she wanted to make some shirts.  She bought the materials and I brought over a few of my cartridges.  This process definitely had some trial and error.  We figured it out but not before destroying TWO sheets of the iron-on vinyl – mostly due to not reversing/mirroring the image…that is a VERY important step.

Anyway, after NEARLY giving up because it had been a long day at work and crafting was just not going as planned, we FINALLY got it! Her mom loved them!

We spent the day cooking chili, handing out little cups of chili,  and yelling at the people walking by about chili…this was a chili cook off mind you! We always have such a great time out there no matter the weather. 

      

She didn’t win this year but we didn’t run out for the first time since she started competing.  We are convinced it was because weather kept people away. 

Anita - our Chef - with a local news anchor.

 

Anita with Johnny Magic of 106.7

   

Oh and this is the kind of event that draws vendors who hand out all sorts of goodies.  I left The Husband to wander on his own with Marc…not such a great idea.  This is the pile of ‘loot’ he collected that day! 

I don’t know why anyone would need 50 koozies for one household! We are NOT a fraternity here! Oh and as a side note, the 50 koozies mentioned doesn't even count our already ridiculous collection!

Being the Female Bob Ross

Good morning Lovies!!!!  We are ALREADY half way through the week!! WEEEEEEE!!!!

As an update, last night my parents, The Husband, and I all went to visit our friend who I talked about on Monday.  He is doing surprisingly well and it sounds like he has had incredible support during this tough time.  I was glad to see him smiling and up and about.  =)

Tonight I get a girl’s night! YAY! I’m so excited about it!! I get to see some ladies who I haven’t been able to catch up with in several weeks.  We all used to work together but at least half of us were able to escape.  So dramatic sounding, I know! But seriously that place just sucks the life outta ya.  We are going to Paint Night! Yippee!!

I found out last month that I love painting.  I’m not especially wonderful at it yet as far as styling my own design BUT I think I follow instruction exceptionally well!

My mom, sister, and I bought a Wine & Canvas Groupon WAY back in July that would expire February 19, 2014. That seemed like FOREVER away.  To be honest, I think we all forgot about it until November.  We didn’t like the options in December’s calendar so we decided to wait to see what the January calendar had scheduled.  I had seen a painting that I really wanted to attempt and there it was, scheduled for January 16, the Eiffel Tower at Night! YES! I can’t believe I convinced my mom and sister to sign up for that one but they did! I LOVED the painting. 

I’m not going to lie though; I felt intimidated by it.  I have only ever done abstract type paintings …like ONCE! Oh there was this that I did several years ago…it still hangs in our bathroom and I love it!

The class was at a Mexican restaurant that served THE BEST handmade margaritas.  So delicious – I may or may not have had two.  It was a long day at work and I don’t remember why but I felt tired and a little stressed. 

I think the three of us did a great job on the painting and I am really looking forward to hanging it. 

   

 

I have made it my goal this year to complete at least one painting a month for the rest of the year.  I haven’t gone through all the options for the various companies but I am POSITIVE I can find another 9 paintings to complete.  I just hope I can find girls who want to come play!!

I can’t wait to share what we do tonight and I’m definitely looking forward to catching up with my girls!!

Running the Race (Literally)

It is Tuesday y’all!!   This coming weekend I will be running my third half marathon! THIRD people! I honestly can’t believe I’m willing running this far and PAYING to run this far.  I ran cross country for one year in high school but I don’t remember ever running further than like 8 miles MAX!

This will be the first half I am participating in where I feel uninjured and really good about the run so close to race day. 

I injured my quad like 10 – 14 days before my very first half in 2010.  I trained for that one with a couple girls and I was pretty pleased with the fact that I ran the whole thing…really slow at some points.  I didn’t get enough sleep or food the night before and it was HOT! I crossed the line at a run and was pleased to have completed it in 2:30.  I had high hopes of finishing under 2… I have learned that I may never be sub 2 hours! And I am surprisingly ok with that.

 

Last year (2012) I ran my second half marathon and PR-ed the race. 

Me with my dad before the race (2012)

Even though I ran a lot better, I was in a good amount of pain.  About 10 days before race day my knee really started to hurt.  I changed my eating habits about a week before, and I just didn’t feel great on race day.  I had trained for MONTHS with my dad who was incredibly ready to race.  He probably should have gone without me but honestly had he done that I might have cried and walked. I know I’m pitiful.  I’m so incredibly competitive so dealing with an injury AGAIN during my second half marathon was devastating.  This particular injury felt like it wasn’t going to be good. I was stressed and I was scared to go to the doctor.  I’m a worst case scenario kind of girl – which tends to drive The Husband crazy!

I finally convinced myself to go to the doctor to have her check me out.  Turns out I needed to start buying real running shoes.  By that I mean I was the kind of girl who would check out the latest sale at Kohl’s and get the lightest shoes that were the prettiest.  Well now I need to go to a running store, get fit for specific shoes based on my gait and probably get inserts.  I did that at the beginning of February 2013 and since then I haven’t had ANY issues.  NONE! I can’t believe what a difference the right shoes make. 

My dad and I started training again in September 2013 for our next half marathon.  I was stressing because I had such a bad race the year before that I didn’t want to run the SAME race again.  So I told him and training kind of fell apart.  We would still run together occasionally but not like we were the year prior when we had a goal. 

There is race we found in Daytona where you run the Daytona Raceway as part of the course.  VERY COOL!

 

So 42 days ago we started training for our second half marathon together.  I think my dad has run a couple half races in the past – I know of at least one.  Then last year we ran one together.  It is excellent Father/Daughter time.  

 

Here we are 6 days before the race and I feel great! Last night was our last long run before the race – only 8 miles.  A few weeks back we went a solid 10 and felt fantastic, I knew I would have been able to push out another 3 miles.  I am very excited because this is the best I have felt in the days leading up to the race!  I’m so amped I want to go running again tonight but I know that is a baaaaaddddd idea! Thankfully I have all sorts of crazy things to do this week and don’t have time for any kind of distance run until Sunday!

Some Days Are Darker Than Others

I can’t believe how many days have passed since my last post.  Life has been crazy busy and exciting; business is fantastic and I’m so proud of The Husband.  I sat down this morning to start posting again.  I thought about it last night as I drifted off into Never, Neverland.  What would I post?! Life has been IN.SANE!  Non-stop and so much fun! We have tackled a couple projects that I want to share; gone to parties; and just had an all-around great time.

But then I think about the posts/e-cards/memes that talk about being real.  Being true and showing both sides of the coin.  Let’s be honest, we all know things aren’t glitter and rainbows 100% of the time.  Don’t get me wrong, things with The Husband couldn’t be better.  Yesterday was the first day since before Thanksgiving that we spent time alone with one another.  We put down our phones/social media for the most part and eliminated as many distractions as we could. 

I’m always so torn when less than perfect things happen – I don’t want to the Debbie-downer blog on a Monday but this is kind of my safe haven, where I can get my thoughts out. 

You see, The Husband has a friend who he has known since little league t-ball.  This friend has such a big heart and would do anything for anyone.  Last week, he did just that.  His mentor needed a kidney and this friend happened to be a match. He went through all the testing, the paperwork, psych evals, all of it.  He was donating his kidney to this woman, his mentor, who needed more time.  He made it through the surgery flawlessly; we couldn’t believe his selfless act to give this woman more for her family, friends, and community.  I woke up this morning and read a post from our friend - his mentor passed away last night.

I didn’t know her but I am devastated for our friend.  I sit here heartbroken wondering how to comfort him.  I don’t know what to say or how to reach out to him.  I ended up texting him this morning; I know he received 80+ comments on his FB post letting everyone know what has happened.  I wanted to know I had physically reached him on some level, any level.

I scrolled through my blogger dashboard this morning wondering whether to post this, on a Monday no less.  I saw January Baby posted about life being too short and the very next post was How to Make Strawberry Roses.  It was a tough decision - the sugar coated, sparkly, upbeat posts are way easier to digest.

My friend’s news has been weighing on my heart since I found out.  I am thankful for lots of work to keep me focused and a long run with my dad this afternoon.   I keep checking my social media feed to see if maybe I misunderstood, maybe we were all wrong about who and what was lost last night.

‘the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5)’
‘Recovery begins from the darkest moment’
‘I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightest’ – Dalai Lama

These things keep running through my mind as I work, as I drove to work, as I sit here praying for my friend and the families mourning their loss today.  I pray for our friend to find the Light and find healing and peace. 

I don't mean to be a downer here kids - I'm just heartbroken for my friend. I wish there was more that we could do or say to help his healing process but I know it is up to him and all we can do is sit in the wings waiting for him to call us to the stage.

80's Themed Birthday Shenanigans

We're going back a few weeks - about four...yes FOUR weeks.  We have just been a whirlwind of activity in our house.  The big event after Thanksgiving was our friend Christy's surprise birthday party.  This was a TOUGH surprise to plan.  AND it was even harder keeping her hot OFF the trail!

I even created a FAKE Christmas party invitation.  You see the only way to get her to our house and keep her from thinking it had anything to do with her birthday, we told her we were having a Christmas party.  What she didn't know is that we (her mom, our friends (Christina & Meghan), and I) planned an 80's themed surprise party. 

We all panicked a little that maybe she was putting the pieces together, so I asked her to bring brownies... the idea being that no gets asked to bring something to their own party right? RIGHT!

when she walked in the house, we all yelled 'SURPRISE' and sang happy birthday.  She was VERY surprised thank goodness!  We had an outfit waiting for her to change in to once she arrived and got over the initial shock.  I could have easily posted all 200 photos that were taken but to save you from being bored, I selected only a handful of fun!

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

There were parents and friends, family, some people who were expected, some people who weren't.  It was so much fun and the birthday girl was definitely surprised! Meghan took a video of Christy coming in and being surprised.  She posted it to Instagram but her page is private and I can't figure out a way to download it to share here.  I will spend the rest of the day trying to figure it out - if someone knows how please help! Otherwise I hope you enjoyed the crazy bright party pictures =)