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!

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!

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!

Friday 5: My Blogging Hiatus

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday Five.  My life has been a bit chaotic the past 6 months, and while I've had tons of things to write about, I just haven't had the motivation to do so.  Here's a quick look back at some of the highlights:

• I moved:  I had been thinking about it for a while (you know the whole rent goes way up, apartment doesn't get any better thing) and I finally found the right place.  Maddux is loving our new neighborhood.  I ran 8 miles in my neighborhood without getting bored or having to run the same streets over and over.  I can definitely get used to it! My new place is quite a bit smaller than my old place, but I am slowly getting organized and making the most of the space I have.  It's also been a good chance to declutter a bit. 

Side story: I bought Maddux this bed years ago.  This is the first time
he has EVER got on it on his own.  It was a very exciting 2 minutes for me.

• My little brother got married!  It was the most perfect, special weekend and I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law!  

• Lots of J&A races:  The Wicked 10k, Harbor Lights Half (on my birthday!), and Surf-n-Santa 5 Miler were all amazing races and I'm glad that I was able to make it down for them.  

• I went to Vegas:  Over the summer my aunts and I decided that we'd run away together to go see Reba and Brooks and Dunn.  It was my first trip out and I loved getting to see my idol again.  

Reba and corgis.  My favorite things.

• Shamrock training has begun:  Well, kind of.  Honestly, 2015 wasn't a huge running year for me.  I finally PRed in the half and 5k and since then it has been really hard to be motivated to train.  I had been working so hard to get those PRs and when I finally did I wasn't really sure what to do next.  On the plus side, I started Body Pump a couple of weeks ago!  I'm hoping that the added strength training will help my running.  I'm also going to try to incorporate some yoga into my plan, too.  

Life is calming down a little now that the holidays are over, but since I now have a working camera you might see a few more updates from me from time to time.  I'm also going to attempt doing a weekly training update, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.  

Have a great weekend!

Friday 5: Harbor Lights Half

Hellllo!  It's been FOREVER since my last post (I actually refused to look because I'm pretty sure it was longer ago than I want to admit).  I figured the best way to make my way back to blog world was by joining up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for my favorite link up!  A couple of weeks ago I ran J&A's Harbor Lights Half Marathon.  I wanted to share some things about it with you since I had such a good time!

1. It was on my birthday!!  This was a huge influence on my decision to sign up for this one.  I couldn't think of anything I would rather do on my birthday!

2. There was pie! Ok, real talk here.  The fact that it was on my birthday and there was pie felt like a sign.  It was like they knew it was my birthday and wanted to party.  I had a delicious mini chocolate pie and it was the perfect pick me up.  It actually was a great motivator.  I wasn't sure when the pie stop was and so at first I convinced myself to run at least the first 10k (I had hurt my foot a couple of weeks before the race which put a kink in my training and confidence).  After the 10k I decided that I should keep going until the pie stop.  The pie ended up being at mile 9 and at that point it seemed silly to take a break.

3. It rained the whole time.  Luckily I checked the weather and knew to bring my wind breaker and a hat (not completely waterproof, but much better than if I had just been wearing a normal tech shirt!).  It was one of those times when you kind of had to just laugh because if you couldn't laugh then it would probably have been miserable.  At one point I was running around two girls and we decided just to go for it and jump in the puddle instead of avoiding it because there was no way our shoes could have gotten any wetter.

Free race photos! 

4. The Grand Illumination Parade was the night before!  This was a bit of a surprise for my nice friend and me and we got to our hotel right in time before the roads closed.  It was fun to be able to watch the parade from our window.  Just a side note about our hotel: it was within walking distance from the race start/finish (wooo!) and from the Norfolk Tap Room that had a lovely selection of beer.  Gotta have my lucky pre race beer!

5. I loved the finish.  It was right on the water and they gave us one of those space blankets after we got our medals and snacks.  It's the little touches like this that make me love J&A so much.  (One time after a particularly hot race they gave us cool towels which was the best ever!).  We didn't end up staying for the after party.  I was cold and ready to be out of the rain, so I grabbed my stew and we headed back to the hotel.  Huge shout out to my nice friend for venturing out in the rain to get me to my starting corral and for cheering me on at the finish line.

Apparently can't have my time be over by even a second!

Thanks again J&A!  I would definitely run Harbor Lights again!

Oh, and just a side note--I have a new phone which means that I can finally take pictures that aren't "selfies!"  I know you guys will be disappointed not to see those masterpieces (been perfecting them for over a year now!)  My instagram game is about to be crazy good.

Happy Friday!!

Friday 5: Things I'm Loving

Hello again!  Double post this week--watch out world, I may just be getting back into a groove yet.  I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for the Friday 5.  Luckily for me, it's a free topic (I have trouble actually following along, and then once I see the topic I am usually sad that I missed it!).  I'm going to do my semi usual things I'm loving for you!  All photo cred goes to my sister!  I figured y'all might enjoy a break from my selfies ha!

1. Sister time. Last weekend I took advantage of the long weekend and headed to a small town near Cleveland for some much needed sister time.  It was so much fun just hanging out and we managed to pack in a ton of stuff in the short time we had together.

2. Luke Bryan.  The reason for our sister time, and every bit as incredible as you might imagine.  No idea how he works it like he does in those jeans, but I'll take it any day!  Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, and even little Dustin Lynch were amazing, too!  It was a terrific concert and I wish we could "play it again."  ;-)

3. Unusual, but amazing food in unusual, but awesome restaurants.  My sister took me to a few different places for meals that I would highly recommend if you are ever in the Cleveland area.  Before the concert we went to Willoughby Brewing Company.  I think she said that the building was an old rail car repair place.  I always enjoy trying some new beers (the chocolate peanut butter porter was awesome!) and I couldn't resist trying the mashed potato pizza.  In case you were wondering, it was every bit as good as you might guess.  We even contemplated going out to buy a cooler and ice so it would last through the concert, it was THAT good.  We also went to Covered Bridge Pizza Parlor (you may have guessed it was in a renovated covered bridge!) and Heavenly Creamery for ice cream in a renovated church.  Just FYI, the turtle sundae is totally the way to go although my sister would probably try to sway you over to the s'mores sundae.

4. Maddux getting in the water.  So Maddux really hates getting his paws wet.  Like if he steps in a puddle he frantically lies down and tries to lick all the water off.  If it's raining he refuses to go out.  After a walk at one of my sister's favorite parks, we took the dogs down to the beach area to cool off.  I tried my hardest to persuade Mad Dog to get all the way in the lake, but he was not having it.  It was still fun watching him attempt to avoid the waves.

Silly boy ran for the sand after the waves touched his toes!

5. Liane Moriarty books.  I'm reading The Last Anniversary right now and I really love that her books switch perspectives.  It's like getting a bunch of stories in one and makes for a quick read.  I've been staying up way too late this week reading!

What are you loving lately?  Have a great weekend!

Freekeh Giveaway Winner: (y'all made this easy!)  Congratulations to Beth!  She has been notified.