Category Archives: marriage

Feeling Sluggish

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Well, it’s been a rough week with all this heat. When the heat waves first started rolling in, I was all eager to prove that it wouldn’t hold me back whatsoever from my running goals. And it didn’t. Two months later however, I’m exhausted from the heat. It’s so humid I can hardly breathe and I’m wet from just walking from my office to my car.
Disgusting.

Anyways, all that to say that I’ve been sluggish lately!

Make a long playlist to stay motivated to keep running!

Last night, however, my husband walked for about 3 miles on the boardwalk and got stuck out in the rain! It got me back in the groove and (thankfully it’s cooled down a wee bit to 79F @ 6am!) I struck out for a little run this morning! It was just under 4 miles, but it felt great to actually get a run in, not a run/ i.can’t.breathe.so.I.must.walk/run.

For those readers who are trying to stalk me by trying to figure out where I run, don’t worry about it. I carry my mace (sold on Amazon for $5.00!), and on a morning like today, there was about 8 cop cars that drove by me. Don’t ask why there are so many cop cars every morning that I run, but there are. Perhaps it’s because I’m on hospital lane? Hmm… either way, it does a lot to make me feel safe. Even though I actually day-dream about the opportunity to use my mace! (does that make me a bad person?)

Back from Vacation!

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Just came back from the best vacation ever! Tyler’s family is much more relaxed on vacation than my family was, so it was an adjustment… and I had to FORCE myself to slow down! We didn’t even have Internet.  Even though it was more relaxed than what my family does, we still did a lot of stuff, and kayaking was one of them! We went twice last week, and I got stuck a couple times because the water was so low- AND I almost died getting stuck over a water fall with rocks jutting out at the bottom! Don’t worry; we only had class 1 rapids on the first two miles, and the rest was pretty calm. :)

Since we were nestled in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, there were plenty of hills to train on. Not that I’m actually training for anything right now, but I can pretend. :)   I was seriously sore every day that I ran. I did a couple four-mile runs, but on those mountain trails, it felt like twice that! It was so awesome to run on such gorgeous trails.Williamsburg Run for the Dream

I did terrible on not eating sugar during our trip, and I’m going to have to pay for it for a couple days. So back to the strict diet from here on in! :) How are your summer fitness goals coming along? What do you find the hardest to maintain during the warmer months?

What am I MOST excited about?!?

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Oh my GOSH I can hardly take my running shoes off—I’m SO excited about our race next weekend! For some reason, I think if I wear my awesome new lululemon running shorts all week, it’ll come faster!? Cuz my second half-marathon ever, the “Run for the Dream” is only 8 days away!

Well… you ask… what you are most excited about!?

1. Honestly? Because my husband was medically discharged from the military, he is considered a wounded warrior (which means we spend a lot of time rubbing his back and running is very painful for him) BUT! they set us up in a hotel. With a hot tub. YES. (I know, I talked a lot about random things before I got to my point).

2. Running in Williamsburg. It’s gorgeous, I love running in the morning, and this will be the most challenging terrain I’ve ever run.

3. OH MY GOSH this is the 2nd half marathon I’ve EVER done, so I’m uber stoked to KILL it. I know I probably don’t have any new PR’s looming in my future, but I’m excited to do really well :)

4. WHAT?!?!?! BUSCH GARDENS!? Yes, we are also given free Busch Garden tickets for the day before/of the race. Seriously. So the day before we are planning on hitting up Busch Gardens and RIDING ROLLER COASTERS! So after running our poor butts off all morning, we get to try out their newest roller coaster the MACH TOWER.

Awesome.

I can hardly wait :)

 

What’s your favorite part about races? The support from people during the race? The beer at the end? The excitement from running with thousands of people at a time? There’s so many wonderful things about races that I can’t even begin to count them all!

My New Pink Shorts!

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Oh my goodness, this week has FLOWN by! I’ve realized, besides being the worlds worst blogger (haven’t posted in a week), I’m also the worst runner in the world. Haven’t laced up my super sweet running shoes in also a week. If I was biking or rollerblading or engaging in other physical activity, it wouldn’t be so bad. But I was literally sitting on my butt. All day. And all evening.

This isn’t a good idea with our next race a mere 15 (well, technically 16) days away!

So, we are heading to Williamsburg this weekend to scope out the trail (well, like 2 miles of it) and enjoy ourselves instead of running a 12 mile run like Hal Higdon advises! ;) I’m excited about the hot tub, walking around the quaint city of Williamsburg and eating unhealthy food.

 

Yesterday, my husband texted me during the day… telling me he had a surprise for me :) Of course, being the inner 5-year-old that I am, I was ecstatic! I LOVE surprises! I came home and he whipped out a CUTEST coral pink running shorts from lululemon you ever did see! I included the link for your enjoyment. It’ll probably be active for about 4 days because they sell out of everything so quick.

Naturally, this was all it took to get me out of my FUNK and out running during the gorgeous weather and on the boardwalk :) I did a quick little 4 miles to get back in the groove and sat at Starbucks with my husband on Facebook for an hour on his awesome iPad. Yes! I LOVE break week!

What do you log onto Facebook with? Your phone? Laptop? iPad? I usually log on with my phone, hence the short messages and likes I do… and occasionally (like yesterday) on a machine with a keyboard so I can actually write a novel that people are hoping I’ll send as a message!

Are you guys experiencing the same schizophrenic weather we’ve been having?! It’s seriously muggy and GROSS in the morning, gorgeous in the afternoon, and rains all evening. And then the next day it’s FREEZING. Repeat. Then back up to 85F… (which is not awesome to run in) hahah

Being Intentional

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It’s so easy, for example, to go on vacation and throw your entire diet (of healthy eating) and training schedule out the window, only to have to start back up from square one when you get back (Thank you Christmas break!).

Spring break is coming up for some people (does that mean anything anymore that I’m not in grade 7?) and Easter (the 3rd best chocolate holiday in the WORLD), which is desperately trying to sabatoge my training schedule like Christmas. In case you need a kick in the butt, try out the ever eipc Biggest Loser Trainers Bob’s Vacation Workout.

IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! WE ONLY HAVE EXACTLY 52 DAYS to get in the BEST shape we’ve ever been in and race on the hilly track for 13.1 miles! 

We’ve using Hal Higdons 1/2 marathon training Schedule: Novice 2 as our coach and the most amazing weather =) I’m enjoying this training plan because we just ran a 1/2 marathon last week, and it’s giving us a bit of a break, allowing us time to work back up to 13 miles. I’m working this running thing in-between my work schedule, school, and being around for my husband. It’s a lot, but thankfully he’s running with me =)

It’s about being intentional about your goals. Whether on vacation, or just getting caught up in life, be intentional about getting where you want to be. Dreams without deadlines and plans of actions are just… dreams.

I’m probably going to fall slightly short of my 60 miles/March goal, but I’m proud of all the progress I’ve made AND for setting a new PR: Running 13.1 miles!! I’m still so proud of myself!

Ps. if you are at all enjoying my posts, please leave a little love (aka: comment on my BLOG people! I know your reading it!!)

MACE

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Last weekend, my husband Tyler bought me MACE to take along on my runs. This might not seem like a fabulous gift to you, but this meant the world to me. This means I can go running late at night in sketchy neighborhoods… JUST KIDDING!! I think every girl should carry one of these when they are running, I just never got down to the sporting goods store to purchase one (Thank you Dicks)!

 

I’m even tempted to Mace the cars that almost hit me. It probably wouldn’t do any good!

Happy Monday!

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I recently found this mantra on facebook, and fell in love with it. I’m often accused of overdressing. I LOVE pink… clothes, nail polish, shoes, scarves, shirts, and note books.

Obviously laughing is much more fun than running, and it burns a heck of a lot of calories!

Kissing makes me the happiest girl in the world, and I beleive it’s the best medicine for our marriage :)

A pretty girl turns BEAUTIFUL when she laughes, so I’m going to try laugh at everything… jokes, myself…

And this isn’t on the list, but I believe you can get whatever you want with a heck-of-a-lot of work, and I’m not afraid to step up to the plate and go get it! I’m determined to be strong when everything seems to be going wrong, and see the good in it. God’s in control and he won’t let anything happen to us outside of his plan.

Hope this makes you smile like it did to me, and make your day a little better!

Happy New Years day!

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We had the most wonderful Christmas holiday with my husbands family! We flew into Dallas 2 days before Christmas and have been incredibly busy watching old movies, spending time with family, eating the most amazing food in the world, playing cards, and yesterday I even brushed down a horse!
I’m so grateful for my amazing new family, and love getting to know all the cousins and aunts and uncles.

 

Annnnnnd our New Years Kiss :)

This hasn’t been the best running weeks for me… I’ve done about four 3mile runs since Christmas, which is a far cry from the 1/2 marathon training I hoped to do! But all the unhealthy food I consumed made it almost impossible to do anything more than what I did!

How was your Christmas? How did you guys do with your holiday health?
Here’s hoping for a butt-kicking year, with two half marathons in view! Good luck to everyone with their New Years Goals :)

It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas…

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We had the most amazing weekend EVER! We spent Saturday in Williamsburg… which included several destinations:

Williamsburg Antique Mall
We spent about 2 hours wandering around the Williamsburg Antique Mall… truthfully, I read most of a Nancy Drew while Tyler looked around (haha). It was really fun wandering down the aisles and tucked away in a corner reading a book!

Williamsburg Premium Outlets
This place, unlike Williamsburg Antique Mall, was PACKED! After spending about 20 minutes looking for parking, we scored a sweet spot RIGHT in front of the Coach store. Except, they had a line out the door and around the store, so we went to cheaper stores (since Coach is a little out of our Christmas gift budget!).

Yankee Candle Store
Next on our stopping list was the Yankee Candle Store because:
1. We’ve never been there.
2. We wanted a candle.
3. It’s decorated AMAZINGLY for Christmas.
4. It was on the way :)
We were SHOCKED at how cool it was inside and store, and it’s obviously going to be a future stop every time we’re in Williamsburg!

 

 

Mermaid Bookstore
This is one of our favorative stops in Colonial Williamsburg, we purchase our cups of coffee and head over the fabulous little bookstore. We exchanged numbers with the owner so he could give us a call if he has any old Jane Austin books come in!

Colonial Christmas Shoppes
We checked out about 10 little Christmas shoppes, doolled over the ornaments, bought chocolate peanut-butter fudge and cumin gouda cheese. Mmmmm…

then on Saterday…

We went ICE SKATING! This picture is mere proof that we made it onto the ice! Tyler and I skated around hand in hand for nearly an hour, and he did SO well for the first time on the ice. I was so proud  of how wonderfully he did. His brother and girlfriend also came along and they had the best time too (and we even caught them kissing!). Afterwards we found ourselves some hot chocolate and told family stories. I’m so grateful for the amazing family God’s put me into, and thank him on a constant basis for His faithfulness in my life!

My favorite moments of 2011…

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As our year is ending (in 15 days!) I’ve been thinking my favorite moments of 2011…

March 19, 2011- Our proposal…

Tyler picked me up at about 6:30am Saturday morning for the Shamrock 8k race, which we ran in 53 minutes! He ran along me and encouraged me the whole race, and practically carried me across the finish line. We then got all cleaned up and he took me to Fort Story to see the beautiful lighthouse on the beach. It was a breath-taking view with all the barges merrily floating down the coast. The water couldn’t have been bluer or the sky brighter!
After enjoying the magnificent view from the ancient lighthouse, he suggested we walk down to the beach… which of course I would have suggested had he not. Since it was a little chilly, he offered me his hoodie and we started to wander by the water.

He got kinda quiet, which is slightly unusual… and then started telling me things that he loved about me, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, and how precious I was to him. I tried to grab him in a hug and tell him the same things, but he pulled back…

so he could…

get down on one knee… whipped out the ring box… (which, at this point I was completely SHOCKED) and asked me if I would marry him. 

As per tradition, after big questions, I just hugged him instead of answering him. Poor guy had to ask again, at which I just laughed at him and answered “Of course!” And then I pulled that ring out the box and slid it on my finger before that boy changed his mind! We just held each other for awhile… until this older gentleman came up and asked if he could take some pictures…. which is how we have pictures of our special moment.

In early May my friend Jody came out to see me, and we tried to lay out on the beach, got coffee at Starbucks (wasn’t a huge fan of the Starbucks pictures we took, so I grabbed one of my wedding, in which we look SO much better!) and drove up to Williamsburg! It was so good to talk about our lives, relationships, start planning my wedding, and vent about our jobs! I’m so grateful for you in my life, Jody!

 

My Next Favorite Moment was running the “Run for the Dream” 8k in May… a rough run in Colonial Williamsburg, but we finished and enjoyed the most needed relaxing weekend ever, with my sister.

Because Tyler was medically discharged from the military and considered a ‘wounded warrior’, his registration was free, PLUS we got SPOILED to hotel rooms and Busch Garden tickets! It was an incredibly fun weekend and one of the highlights of the year for me! =)

The next highlight is obviously our wedding on August 6, 2011! It was such a beautiful day, and I could honestly go on-and-on about how blessed we felt by Tyler’s family and friends. Some of my best friends flew to Texas to hold my hand while I made the most important decision of my life… and I will forever be grateful for the love they showered on me! It was a small but intimate wedding, and we had a wonderful reception with speeches, dancing, and looooots of wine! (Saved a bottle for our six month anniversary!)(This is a picture of my amazing bridesmaids that come out for my wedding – SHOUT OUT TO ELINA FOR FLYING FROM VANCOUVER ISLAND!)


My best fall moment, I think, was our Halloween Run in October! It was a wonderful 10k (6.2m) run in 55F weather! We had the best time running averaging a 9:30 pace, and finishing at 59:35 min! I was really excited because running the race in under an hour was one of my October Goals! We didn’t dress up this year, but NEXT year we’ll dress up as something obnoxious, and will spend all fall thinking about it!

Finally, a little shout out to ME- I finished my SEMESTER! (I know it’s not a big deal, because I only did one class) but I’m REALLY excited! No more papers, classes, tests, and posts until Jan 3rd! YES!

I know Christmas is going to be AMAZING and I’ll obviously add some days and moments to my favorite days in review, but this was a pretty incredible year!

What are some of your favorite moments/days of the past year?