Things I'm Loving Friday

Happy Friday!  This week seemed to fly by, and I can't believe we're already in December!  I'm not really sure where 2016 went, but I'm looking forward to wrapping up this year with my family and bringing in a new one!  I've compiled a list of things I'm loving lately.  Feel free to share what you're loving, too! 

My Fit Bit: I received this as a birthday gift and although it is mad at me every day for the lack of sleep I've been getting lately, it's been fun to see how many steps I get on the average day. (How fun is this color? I love the rose gold trim!)  Now that I know about where I am, I think it's time to set goals to be a bit more active, especially on days when I'm not doing a specific workout.

Training for the Shamrock Half Marathon: I just started yesterday and I was really excited that I seem to be at a decent starting point despite my lack of running lately.  I have high hopes for this training cycle and think that a new PR is in the cards if I work hard. 

Maddux in Cooler Temperatures: It's been so fun to watch my little old man on his walks lately.  He is loving the cooler temperatures and has been prancing, running, and leaping on his walks.  He has also been batting his treat ball around like crazy.  I always worry about him in the summer months, but he acts like a new dog in the winter!

He was not pleased that I went to the gym instead of staying at home to play!

The Down Dog app: I have been really appreciating yoga lately, but studios are costly and I feel bad enough leaving Maddux a couple times during the work week for outside the house workouts.  The Down Dog app has been AMAZING and it's free for the basic (which at this point is all I really need).  I usually do the 30 minute workouts, but am committing to doing at least 15 minutes every day in December to see if it can help me manage my stress a bit more.  The sessions remind me a lot of my favorite class (the music is the best!) and I think this app will get a ton of use from me (Maddux thinks this is the best playtime by the way--I am basically an extra tunnel for him to run under while he chases his treat ball ha!).

The Peppermint Chip Milkshake at Chickfila: Oh my gosh, this is easily one of my favorite desserts (I think the fact that I have a limited time to get it makes it even more appealing).  I'm kind of embarrassed about how many I have already gotten this season and I think it's a good thing that my half marathon training has started!

Thanksgiving Weekend:  I can't believe this was only last week!  I had the best time in Ohio with my sister and her pets.  It was fun just relaxing and eating lots of pie, watching Gilmore girls, and shopping some Black Friday sales (I got so much Christmas shopping done already, and while I try not to buy anything for myself around the holidays I couldn't resist getting a new oven mitt!).

 Anyone else training for a spring half?  How is it going?  What are you favorite yoga apps?! 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

10 Half Marathons, 5 Races

Happy Friday!  I had an unexpected day to catch up on life, and figured the best way to celebrate was with a blog post.  (PS--I can't believe I missed the last official Friday Five!  You can tell it's been way too long since I've last posted!) Things have been a bit crazy around here, but a few weeks ago I ran half marathon number 10!  Since it's too late to do its own recap, I thought it would be fun to do a trip down memory lane!

1. Shamrock Half Marathon: My happiest half marathon memories are at this race.  My first half, my next big PR, and finally breaking two hours all happened on this course.  Plus, the usual beach and best friend time that has become tradition doesn't hurt either!

2. Rock 'n' Roll DC: Guys, I wanted to love this race, but all I really remember from it was being super stressed out because even though I left crazy early, the metro failed me and got me there at the last minute.  Needless to say, I haven't been back for this one.  Maybe one day...

3. Crawlin' Crab Half: You guys know I love this one.  The course is probably my favorite and the craft beer fest at the end is the perfect way to celebrate a race.  This race has always been one that I have run just for the love of running and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I find it appropriate that it was number ten!

4. Nike Women's Half DC: I got really sick leading up to this race and went in entirely under trained, but ended up having a blast!  I loved getting to run through DC and the race was so well organized.  Having multiple metro stops at the start was very helpful and eliminated the stress I had at Rock 'n' Roll.  The Tiffany's necklace was a nice perk, too.

5. Norfolk Harbor Half (formerly known as Harbor Lights!): My birthday race.  The best celebration a girl could ask for, complete with pie.  It rained the whole time, but I loved every minute of it!

(Can you tell which ones are my favorite races? Maybe one day I'll branch out....but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, ya know?)

What are some of your favorite half marathons? Any that you want to check off your bucket list? My bucket list half marathon is the Runner's World Half!

Have a great weekend!

Friday 5: Why I Run J&A

Hello friends!  Yes, it's been a while, and yes, I've written similar posts before, but it is the Friday Five with Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney, and we are officially a month out from the Crawlin' Crab Half!  I'm getting really excited and wanted to share my excitement about some truly amazing races with you!

1. They're fun!  I feel like I always have a goofy smile on my face during these races.  There are always people in costumes (how they run in some of those is beyond me!), bands playing, and of course, zombies on the course at the Wicked 10k.  

Basically always smiling like this.
 (It's really hard to be serious when someone's taking your picture).

2. The food.  Both on the course and at the post-race party.  My favorites are the gingerbread cookies from Surf-n-Santa, the pie on the Norfolk Harbor course (pretty sure they know it's around my birthday), and the crab chowder after Crawling' Crab.

3. Did I mention the post-race parties?  Always lots of good food and plenty of beer.  After the half marathons you get 4 beers (full size).  It's always fun to celebrate, especially when they are on the beach (after the Shamrock Half last year I saw dolphins!).  There's also a PR bell (you know you wanna ring it!) and a board where you can write your new PR time.  

4. Amazing "swag."  <--Does anyone else think swag is a weird word.  The medals are always fun, my favorite running shirts are all J&A race shirts, and I have a pretty sweet collection of beach towels thanks to these races.  I also have a hat for every day of the week.

5. The courses.  (I had to get to the actual running part eventually!)  A lot of them are in Virginia Beach and have portions on the boardwalk.  In my book you can't beat seeing the ocean on your run!  The Surf-n-Santa course is amazing and you get to run under the Christmas lights at night.  The Big Blue 5k ends on the ODU football field.  It's really hard to pick a favorite because they are all different, yet awesome.



Obviously I love these races (and have for the past 7 years now!), so I'm thrilled to be a J&A ambassador again this year!  Hopefully I'll have some good recaps for you in the coming months!

What races do you love?  If you've run J&A, what's your favorite?!

Friday 5: Summer Lovin'

Yeah, so I didn't even look to see when the last time I updated this bad boy was, but it's Friday and I've missed linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney, so I figured I'd give you guys a little update on life lately!  Summer time has been so good to me so far!

1. Best friend time!  My best friend is amazing.  She is always down for a spontaneous visit and it's so nice just being able to hang out.  I got to spend the past couple of days with her and she is coming to visit next week!  I'm really excited to take her to some of the breweries around here and just bum by the pool.

We had to document the pets being so close to each other!

2.  The beach.  It was amazing to be back on the beach (I actually can't remember the last time I had a beach day, which is incredibly sad.).  The Eli Young Band has a new song called Salt Water Gospel and I feel like that sums up my feelings about the beach perfectly.

3. J&A races! (Like anyone is surprised on this one.)  My best friend visit lined up perfectly with the Summer 5k Series that J&A is putting on right now.  Every Wednesday they are doing a casual fun run and I was so excited that I was able to participate!  It was great being able to run on the board walk and they gave you a medal and a beach towel at the end.  Perfect excuse to head to the beach for the day!

4. Bikes.  I bought one!  Not sure I know how to ride it (I'm currently waiting for a tool I need to tighten it--the nice man who helped us fit it in the car explained that the way it was assembled wasn't as safe as it could be and I should fix it before heading out on it.), but I'm really excited to try!  I know they say "it's like riding a bike," but whoever made that up has obviously never met me.  We shall see how it goes.  She's really pretty though and I have a feeling we're going to have many happy rides together.

5. Yoga.  I recently started getting into yoga.  Beer yoga is definitely my favorite (so many breweries in this area host classes and you get a class and a beer which makes it a winner in my book), but I just finished my free week at Core Power Yoga and really enjoyed it.  Guys, I went to 3 classes in a week.  That is a record for this girl!  I'm trying to figure out the best route to go moving forward (I'm tempted to do an unlimited month, but not sure how realistic that is with summer travel coming up...might be cheaper to just buy class packages).

I would love to hear updates from all of you!  What are things you're loving so far this summer?  Have a happy, happy 4th of July weekend!

Friday 5: Things I Loved in London

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five! Be sure to check out what everyone is up to!  So my nice friend and I had been wanting to go to London for ages, but you know how it goes.  There never seems to be a good time to pick up and leave.  I have a friend living in Cambridge (a quick train ride from London!) and after briefly messaging with him and learning that he and his wife were leaving in June, I decided that it was now or never.  We packed our bags and were on our way on our big adventure!  I actually wrote this post up last week, and then realized that it was so long.  I decided instead of telling you every single detail of our adventure, I would give you five highlights instead.

1. Free Europe Tours: I found this tour through another blog I read regularly, and she raved about how wonderful the tour was and said it was a terrific way to see the sights of London.  Although it's a free tour, you tip at the end based on how much you think it was worth.  I assumed since it was a two and a half hour tour that it would be relatively leisurely, but it was the opposite!  Our tour guide explained that we would be booking it to see all the sights in the allotted time.  We had such a good time.  Our tour guide was hilarious and told us a lot of great stories (and lots of good information, too!).  He timed it out so that we could see the changing of the guard and the horse parade.  It was definitely one of my favorite parts of our trip!

2. Arsenal Tour and Game: My nice friend is a HUGE Arsenal fan, so we knew that we had to get in some quality time at the stadium.  I really enjoyed our tour.  We couldn't fit a tour in with one of the former players, but I'm glad that we were able to do the audio tour because we got to take our time in each room.  We got to take pictures in each of the players spots in the locker room and sit on the bench and take in the empty stadium.  The next day we headed back and got to see a big win.  It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad I got to share that experience with him!

3. Museums!  We went to the National Gallery, which was cool because we got to see the work of a lot of amazing artists.  Some of my favorites were the ones by Monet!  (My mom used to teach art, and it was fun seeing some of the paintings we used to learn about as kids!)  I have to admit that after a while I was a little museumed out.  We wished that we had gotten a map so that we could have planned out our route a little better and hit the sights we really wanted to see instead of doing so many.  That place is huge!  We also got to go to the Natural History Museum, and I wish we had more time to visit that one!  It was also gigantic, and we got to see a lot of cool things, but there just wasn't time for it all. 

4.  Kensington Gardens: Our hotel was within walking distance of the gardens, and one morning we walked over and explored a little.  I really loved how peaceful it was (and seeing all the dogs and runners!).   

5.  Cambridge: I had a friend from college (we actually did a study abroad together!) that moved to Cambridge with his amazing wife to get his MBA.  They took us around the little town and told us the best way to see it was by punting.  Essentially you row a little boat down the river and the person steering you does it by standing on a little platform and rows with a big stick.  I know that's a horrible description, but you'll see in the picture.  I opted out of rowing us, because honestly my balance and coordination are not the best and I knew I would be in the river (my nice friend said he was pretty sure I would, too, so it's not just me being a wimp!).  We had the best time hanging out with them, but are definitely ready for them to be back in the States! 

That is our trip in a nutshell!  If you've ever been (or are planning to go!) to London, I would love to hear about your experiences or share additional places to go!  I could have written five times as long about it.  We absolutely loved our time there!  I hope you guys have an excellent weekend!

Another Random Friday 5

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney tonight.  I figured since I have once again dropped the ball a bit when it comes to posting that I would give an update on how things are going on my end.  Feel free to add some random thoughts to the comments!  I'd love to hear what you're up to!

1. We had such a great time with the foster pup!  Asphalt was so sweet, and while he was all about playing (especially when he was outside), he was also the best snuggler and made sure to give Maddux some personal space.  (Maddux doesn't care to play with the foster pups.)  Asphalt is still looking for his forever home, so if you're looking for an amazing pup, I highly recommend checking this boy out!

2. Mad Pup went back to the vet this week, and now we're moving forward with more tests so that we can finally get on a treatment path.  If anyone has experience with dogs and ultrasounds, please share!  Just for the record, Maddux is acting perfectly fine.  He has been loving his walks still and enjoys playing with his treat ball.  We're just trying to figure out what some concerning levels in his blood work are all about.

3. Still a Body Pump addict.  I wish I could go more than once a week! (It's rather expensive, so I have to settle with my once a week, but I LOVE it!)  I have been able to add some more weight, which is really exciting. 

4. This wine made me laugh so I did an impulse buy last week, and I'm glad I did!  I'm really enjoying it.

5. Some companies really are just better than others.  Cabot obviously cares a lot about their community of cheese lovers.  I applied to be part of the Cabot Fit Team (which I knew was a long shot, but I also believe that if you don't apply you will definitely never be accepted!) and although I wasn't ultimately chosen, they sent me this amazing package.  Wine and cheese party, anyone?

Have a great weekend!

Friday 5: Thoughts on Fostering

Happy Friday!  This weekend seemed like it was a long time coming.  While I have a busy weekend ahead, I'm really looking forward to it!  I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five today.  Make sure to stop by!

So, my nice friend has been pretty stressed at work lately and when he was looking at the Lucky Dog website (he was going to help me drop off some donations and was checking the address....he doesn't just peruse the site for dogs like I do ha!) he came across this puppy and it was love.  Neither one of us has time for a puppy full time right now, but I figured we could at least over night foster so we can get a bit of a puppy fix.  I haven't fostered in so long, and I started thinking about the process and how it has changed for me over time.  If any of you have fostered before, feel free to comment below!  I would love to hear about your experiences!

1. I have to remember they aren't my dogs.  Maddux is the most spoiled pup in the world and I'm pretty sure the older he gets, the more I give him whatever he wants.  You never know what the foster pup's future family will want from them, so you have to give them more boundaries than you might give your pup.  Not always easy!

Bless her heart, Cream knew nothing about boundaries.

2.  It gets easier.  I used to be one of those people who said they could never foster because they would want to keep every dog.  (I actually almost did!  I feel in love with my first pup, and basically the only reason I didn't fill out paperwork to adopt her was because I wanted to prove to all the doubters that I could be a successful foster haha!)  I have mostly stuck to the over night fosters, so it is a little easier to say goodbye, but I have to admit there have been some tears!  I cried like a baby when I said goodbye to my first foster, and then I had a couple of other pups who were so scared and shy that I hated the thought of leaving them in boarding.  I was positive that there would always be water works, but surprisingly enough, I have gotten much better as time has gone on!

3. You are doing something great for these dogs.  Sometimes I have a hard time with fostering, because you are bringing a dog into your home for a short time, yet in that short time many of them get insanely comfortable.  They don't understand why they don't get to stay with you, and often they bond pretty quickly.  This is where I have to keep reminding myself that it is so much better than the alternative.  If I didn't offer them a place to crash for the night then they would be stuck in a scary shelter with an unpredictable future.  In the long run, they find their forever homes and can live the life that they deserve.  At this time, I know it wouldn't be fair for me to keep any of them on a permanent basis and if I did decide to adopt I wouldn't have room in my home to foster any others.

4. Adoption updates are the BEST.  Lucky Dog is really great at posting adoption updates, and I always get so excited when I see one of my former fosters loving their new homes.

5. Meet my new foster!  I'm so excited to hang out with this cutie and know he won't have any trouble finding a home.  Look at that face!  I'll be sure to post updates for you guys, but if you are interested in meeting him click here for more information.

Thanks to Lucky Dog for the picture!

Have a great weekend!

What I've Been Cooking Lately

Happy Friday!  Today I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five!  Today's theme is food and drink, so I thought I'd share some of the things I've been cooking lately.  My parents gifted me with a new set of pots and pans and a cookbook for Christmas, so I've been more motivated in 2016 than usual to try out some recipes. 

1. Roasted vegetables.  Guys, I don't know how this has been off my radar for so long.  I'll admit that I often just toss some frozen vegetable steam fresh bags in the microwave, but these roasted vegetables are AWESOME.  I've done a couple batches of broccoli and some butternut squash.  Easy and delicious.  (I literally googled "roasted butternut squash" and "roasted broccoli" to find out how long to cook and the temperature.)

2. Runner's World Cookbook recipes.  This is probably my favorite cookbook I have ever owned.  The recipes are pretty simple for a non-chef like me and the ingredients are easy to come by.  One of my favorites is their lasagna.  It's so simple to throw together and incredibly good.  Every time I bring it to work for lunch my coworkers comment on how good it looks.  I usually throw in some zucchini in place of the mushrooms.  I also recently made the creamy potato and spinach soup.  I wasn't a huge fan of this (I just need to chew my food), but then I put it over some rice and it hit the spot. 

3. Mystery Writer's Cookbook recipes.  This was a fun gift I received for Christmas that features recipes from different mystery writers.  I really like this cookbook and the little stories that accompany the different author's recipes are fun to read.  I will admit though that at first I was nervous to make food by people with twisted minds (think Gillian Flynn!), but the chicken enchiladas and spicy crock pot pork are quick and easy to throw together and are well worth the effort of cooking. 

4. Mac and Cheese from Cook Yourself Thin.  I don't often use this cookbook because I find that the recipes generally take a long time to make and in my opinion aren't worth the effort.  I love this mac and cheese though.  I make it when I need a quick and easy week night meal.  While yes, it's still mac and cheese, it's better than a lot of other recipes out there for you, and it's definitely better than the boxed stuff I frequently ate in college.  Just a note--I always use normal cheese.  I don't believe in reduced fat cheese!

5. Recipes from Around the Web.  I make Kate's banana baked oatmeal at least once a month.  It's easy to make and feels a little more special than my typical bowl of oatmeal I eat during the week.  I also made Julie's frozen waffle breakfast strata with a few substitutions last weekend.  I had a different brand of waffles, and I substituted the sausage for bacon since it's what I had on hand.  I also added a little cheese, because what is bacon and eggs without some cheese? 

What have you been cooking lately? I'd love to hear some of your favorite cookbooks, too!  I like books with accessible ingredients that don't take a lot of pots and pans to make happen!

Thinking Out Loud #3

Happy Thursday!  This week has been flying by and I can't believe we're almost to the weekend already.  It has been a busy week for this girl!  I'm linking up with Amanda for her Thinking Out Loud Thursday tradition.  Be sure to check out some of the other random thoughts.  I hope you guys are having a great week!

1. Grass is finally in sight!  It's muddy, but it's there.  We had just piles of snow after good ol' Jonas came to visit and I know my pup is happy that he can visit the backyard a little easier.

We've been having to stick to the roads lately, but sidewalks are finally clearing off!

2. I added some weight this week in Body Pump!  This was really exciting for me, but I've got to say a couple extra pounds makes a huge difference.  I'm taking the class through June, and I can't wait to see how strong I can get!

3. Speaking of Body Pump, I have had this song stuck in my head for days.  It's been our warm up for the past few weeks and then I heard it on the radio and haven't been able to get it out.  What can I say, Body Pump is my type of party!


4. Yoga is hard.  I know we've been over this, but man, my hamstrings are always sore the day after.  Although my instructor isn't someone who I would consider to be super zen like, I appreciate that she really wants us to understand how to do the poses correctly.  She takes the time to adjust us and wants us to understand where the effort and force should be coming from.  I wouldn't say that I'm getting any more flexible, but the poses are starting to feel more fluid now as I move between them and I am definitely more confident than I was when I first started. 

5. Mar is amazing (seriously, she keeps it real and is super encouraging!) and she is hosting an Instagram challenge.  Every day until February 14 you post a picture of how you are practicing self care.  You can read more about the challenge here.  Valentine's is all about that love and we can't forget to show ourselves a little!

6. Still trying to figure out what's going on with my pup.  We recently delivered a urine sample to our vet (yep, about as fun to collect as you're probably imagining) and it was once again inconclusive.  He's been on his liver supplement for a couple of weeks now though, so we're retesting his blood soon to see if his levels have improved.  Keep your fingers crossed for my little man!  I'm hoping we will have some answers soon.  (Just for the record, he is acting perfectly fine, but our vet was concerned when we got his yearly blood test results done.  She recommended the yearly tests when he reached "senior" status so that we can stay on top of his health.)

The picture of health!

7. This weekend I have 6 miles on the calendar.  I've had some great 5 milers the past couple of weeks, so even though I haven't been running a whole lot, I'm still excited to start getting into longer runs.  I have it mapped out so that I will do a 6, 7, 8, 9, and hopefully two 10 mile long runs before Shamrock.  I'm not going for a PR this time around (I just don't have the base built up), but there's no reason I shouldn't be able to have a strong race if I buckle down and get those long runs in. 

8. This week has been full of fresh veggies!  I got my first Hungry Harvest box and have been really enjoying it.  My box included kale, potatoes, a tomato, apples, some tangerines, a couple of pears, beets (eh not sure how I feel about those!), and broccoli.  I was surprised at how large the "mini harvest" option was and I feel good about the quality and quantity I received for the price I paid. (For all my fellow grad students--they have student discounts!) It's definitely worth looking into if you are looking for a fruit and veggie delivery service.  I forgot to snap a picture of the box before I unpacked it, but here's a picture of the box so that you can get an idea of how much produce you're getting! 

9.  My sister got me a subscription to Foot Cardigan for Christmas and I just got February's sock of the month.  How fun are these?

10.  I finally got a new plant for my zebra planter.  The mini poinsettia was a fun holiday plant, but we have moved on to the mini orchid.  Here's hoping I can keep it alive! 

Have a great rest of the week!

Friday Favorites: Maddux Edition

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney today for the Friday Five.  It's a free topic week, and since I got so much random rambling out yesterday, I figured I would do a more focused post today.  As you guys know, Maddux is my heart and soul.  He's my best bud and now that we're going on five years together, we have quite a collection of favorites.

1. Treat balls.  Maddux LOVES these.  The IQ treat ball is his absolute favorite, but this one is a close second for when the first one rolls under furniture.  My pup is not the most energetic guy (even when he was younger!), but you should see this dog move to get his treats.

2. Bil Jac Little Jacs treats.  Maddux is a short legged fella, and weight is something we always have to keep in mind.  Even a couple of extra pounds can be tough on his old joints.  These are small (sometimes I even break them in half!) so they are ideal for our walks and to put in his various balls and puzzles.

3. Treat Puzzles.  His favorite one is a bottle spinner toy that my mom made.  I bought a couple others from Petsmart, but he figured them out so fast that they don't hold his attention for quite as long.  Like I said earlier, that dog loves his treats!   

4. Burt's Bees wipes.  We have been using these constantly through this whole snow thing.  The salt they put down isn't the best for pup paws, and I feel better knowing that he is getting a wet wipe and a towel wipe.  Which brings me to the next point.... 

5. Muddy Buddy towel.  This is like the "shamwow" for dogs.  It dries really fast and to me it is easier to use than a towel because of how your hands can fit in the little pockets.  Maddux loves getting dried off with it!

What products does your pet love?  Maddux used to get a Bark Box, a monthly subscription with treats and toys, but we quickly got a huge surplus of treats and Maddux has enough toys for an entire city of dogs.  We loved it though, and will definitely go back one day!  We actually got the Muddy Buddy in one of our boxes!

Just for the record--This is just a list of our favorites and I am not being paid in any way to give them a shout out.  Have a great weekend!

Thinking Out Loud #2

Happy Thursday!  I'm joining Amanda again for her Thinking Out Loud Thursday link up.  It's kind of nice having a place to dump some of my random thoughts.  I'm looking forward to seeing what's going on with you guys this week!

1. Snow days are wonderful.  For some reason I associate snow days with organizing.  I guess it's like you have a bonus day where you have nothing else planned so you may as well deal with the piles of crap?  Anyway, I unpacked two boxes that have been sitting and waiting for months and it feels so good to have a better handle on life.

Living room is pretty much done!  Woohoo!

2. Shoveling is an awesome workout.  I'd prefer to never have to do it again, but at least I earned all those cookies I ate while snowed in.

3. Body Pump is still my favorite.  Although at first I was kind of bummed that our songs stay pretty much the same (the instructor changed around a couple this week!), I'm kind of glad that they are consistent.  I have a better idea of what is coming and I feel like I'm finally ready to add a little weight to some of the tracks.  Even though I haven't had nearly the mileage that a half marathoner in training should have, I am proud of myself for my cross training this time around.  Stretching and strength are bound to help in some capacity, right?

Didn't want to do push ups anyway.

4.  Why is it that when I have decided to try to save some money I find a million races I want to do?  So far I've been strong and have resisted and I keep telling myself that these races are good ones that will be around next year.

5. Ok, so still on my Gilmore Girls binge and every time I can't understand what Lorelei sees in Jason.  Yuck.

6.  I'm ready to run again!  I realize it hasn't even been a week yet, but I finally am feeling like I want to run and it's killing me that I can't.  I'm really hoping that the sidewalks will be cleared off by this weekend, but at least my neighborhood isn't super busy so I should be ok on the roads.  

7. I really want a bike, yet I know nothing about bikes.  I found a cute one that is reasonably priced, but who knows if it is a good one.  I would use it more for errands than for high mileage, so that probably makes a difference?  Anyone have any advice?  (Also, does the saying "it's like riding a bike" really hold true?  It's been a while.  Am I going to completely embarrass myself?)

8.  I'm going to leave you with a random fun fact from my calendar: Buzz Aldrin's mom's maiden name was Moon!  How crazy?  Did anyone else love the Astronaut Wives mini series on ABC?  It was fabulous. 

Tell me something random going through your mind!  Any fun facts you have learned recently?  What workouts are you loving lately?

Uh, Sunday 5?

Hello from the frozen north!  (AKA DC area) I missed posting on Friday because it was my nice friend's birthday and we have been filling our snowy days with the perfect amount of laziness.  I can't wait to read how you guys have been spending your weekend!  Be sure to check out the Friday Five link up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney!

1. I went for one last run before the snow hit!  Guys, this run was just what I needed.  I have been in such a weird place with running, and this run was really fun.  Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but it was one of those days when I just wanted to keep running.  I also found a new trail near my house! I ran into a fellow runner who told me of plenty of other connecting trails, too.  I see many happy exploring runs in my future!

Honker, I mean hunker down geese!  Hope they stayed warm.

2. We beat Mario.  Super adults.

3. We finished our puzzle! 

4. We did (part of) this work out by Julie over at Peanut Butter Fingers.  It was a great way to break a little sweat when we couldn't get out of the house.

Thanks, Julie!  This was a good one!

5. I started reading Bart Yasso's book.  I've been meaning to read it for a while, but it kept getting pushed back because of library holds coming available and people lending me books.  Let me tell you, it is dumb to read a book about running fun when you can't actually go outside for a run.  I'm ready to get those roads clear so I can make Bart proud! (Who knows, I might meet him again at Shamrock!  Just for the record, he is the nicest guy and really fun to chat with!  I was lucky to have the opportunity to hang with him while working the J&A booth at the race last year.)

Who else was snowed in this weekend?  How did you spend your time?  I spent plenty of time napping, Netflixing, and cookie baking, too.  Perfect snow day activities!  Stay warm, friends!