Category: Uncategorized

Hey guys!

I’m linking up with the DC area bloggers Mar at Mar on the Run, Cynthia at You Signed Up For What?! and Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC for the Friday Five linkup. This week’s topic is “food and drink.”

The USDA released the new nutritional guidelines this week (they are updated every 5 years), so I figured that I use the new recommendations as a way to categorize the Friday Five post. MyPlate illustrates five food groups (how convenient, right?!) that are the building blocks for a healthy diet.

I’m going to include my 5 favorites of each of the 5 categories. P.S. I really love the number 5 anyway, so I’m really digging all of these fives. Nerd alert!

1. Protein
   1. Chicken
   2. Tuna
   3. Salmon
   4. Almond butter
   5. Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
2. Grains
   1. Quinoa
   2. Oatmeal
   3. Whole wheat bread
   4. Granola
   5. Wheat berries
3. Fruits
   1. Raspberries
   2. Grapes
   3. Bananas
   4. Honeydew
   5. Strawberries
4. Vegetables
   1. SWEET POTATOES
   2. Bell peppers
   3. Mushrooms
   4. Cauliflower
   5. Squash
5. Dairy
   1. Greek yogurt
   2. Australian yogurt
   3. Frozen yogurt
   4. Cottage cheese
   5. Soy milk (non-dairy calcium alternative)

I have always been pretty interested in nutrition and I actually think that the new guidelines are very reasonable and easy to understand. It’s so important to keep each meal balanced!

Hello and Happy Thursday! You know what Thursday means, right? It’s time to link up with Amanda for some thinking out loud!

I alluded to it in my previous post, but now that we are thinking out loud, I want to expound a little bit about something that I did this week. It was a big step! I gave up my “control” over my training schedule. You might even say that I “let it go.” Cue Elsa and Anna and feel free to sing at the top of your lungs if you so desire. Anyone else get that urge every time you hear the phrase “let it go?” No? Just me. Perfect.

I haven’t ever really followed a set training plan until recently, because I just flat couldn’t do it. I would print training plans online and I even had a coach write me a plan at one point several years ago, but it didn’t matter what the dang schedule told me to do, I wasn’t going to do it. How dare that piece of paper tell me how far or how fast I should run? I wanted to decide that on my own!

This confuses me a little bit because usually I am typically a very by the book, play by the rules type of person, so you would think that I would follow the schedule to a T. But, no. Apparently my rebellious side manifests itself in strange ways. The need to control things obviously applies to a lot of other areas in my life as well, but the running schedule issue is just a good illustration and after all, this is a running blog.

I am fairly certain that my need to control things is likely rooted in fear, which is interestingly enough what our sermon series at church is currently discussing. Faith lies in the absence of control and the absense of (worldly) fear. When we trust that we’re okay no matter what circumstances come our way, we don’t need to micro-manage things. We can simply let. it. go. In order to let go, you have to have the self-awareness to realize that 1) you are entering “control mode” and 2) making a conscious and deliberate choice to make a change. I like to think that I am pretty self-aware at this point. Although maybe it’s just really easy because I find myself needing to control things a lot.

What I am unsure of is the actual root of the issue that makes me feel the need to control things in the first place. I know that part of it is likely rooted in the trauma. When things happen in our lives that we can’t control, it feeds the desire to control all the things that we possibly can. I can’t say that I didn’t have the need to control and contain my world prior to the trauma though, because I most definitely did. The trauma just magnified those feelings.

Back to the training schedule example … up until this week, my training plan was pretty open ended. My coach gave me the workouts that I was to do for the week, but it was up to me to decide what days I did what. He also gives me a range for most days. For example, 3 days a week I am supposed to run between 8 and 10 miles, which gives me a decent amount of flexibility. I pretty much asked to have it this way, because I didn’t think I would do what he told me to do otherwise. The fact that I am even doing the workouts are scheduled is showing progress. I still needed to make the decisions about what days and exactly how far I went … or so I thought.

For whatever reason, I had this epiphany that I really didn’t want to have the pressure of deciding when to do my workouts and how to schedule them throughout the week. My coach is the expert. I trust that he knows what he is doing. Why was I not letting him do his job? Oh that’s right, because I wanted to be in control. Not anymore! I’ve officially turned over the reins and now my schedule is set. Obviously I will be smart and listen to my body, but I plan to do what he tells me to do when he tells me to do it.

It’ll be interesting to see if I am able to handle it, right?! Stay tuned.

Any other control freaks out there? What do you try to control?

Hey guys! So yeah, I made up a word (workoutless) that pretty much sums up the current state of my training. I haven’t talked a whole lot about my NOLA training recently, and it’s time to fix that. I wrote a long email to my coach this week and I’m going to share some excerpts from our email exchange that will pretty much get you up to speed.

Here is what I told him …

Hello! Let’s chat. I’ve got nothing but random ramblings for you today.

I am currently on Season 2 of Gilmore Girls and this morning I saw Episode 15: “Lost and Found.” In this episode Jess tells Luke, “Great! Then we can hold hands and skip afterwards.”

I have been saying that for years and I didn’t know where I had come up with it. Mystery solved.

Speaking of skipping … I can’t do it. It’s as if I never learned that skill when I was younger or something. I like to think of myself as a pretty coordinated person otherwise, but there is something about the rhythm of skipping that I just can’t do. Just ask Daniel. He can vouch.

Speaking of vouching … I registered for the Big Beach half marathon today using my first-ever Groupon deal. There is a Groupon for half off of registration, so the half ended up being less than $40. If you were on the fence about registering for the half or the full, you should definitely do it! Here’s the link. It’s a pretty sweet deal!

Speaking of sweet … I came to a wonderful smell. Daniel got a dehydrator for Christmas and he is testing it out tonight with some pineapple.

Speaking of dehydrated … don’t let it happen! Drink water. Lots of water.

Speaking of water … the first miracle that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry was changing water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana. Interesting little fact.

Speaking of wine whine … I’m getting pretty hungry and sleepy. Time to eat some dinner and call it a night!

Any tangents that you’d like to share?

Hello! I survived my first day of tax season! Woo hoo.

We aren’t all that busy yet, but something about that first Monday in January that really just makes it feel official. This will be my 8th tax season. I don’t even know how that is possible. I’m getting old.

In a weird way, I am actually looking forward to tax season this year. I enjoy being busy and with my new schedule and new firm, I won’t be working near as many hours or under as much pressure, so I think it might just be the best season yet. Fingers crossed!

Colossians 3:23 is my tax season verse.

I started my day off with an easy 6 mile run on the treadmill, while watching some Gilmore Girls. I love starting my day off with a run! When I walked outside, the sunrise was really pretty. The sky looked like cotton candy.

We face West, so we have a beautiful view of the sunset (as evidenced by the many pictures that I have posted), but we don’t typically get a good view of the sunrise. This morning the entire sky was glowing though.

I have mentioned before (probably numerous times), but when it comes to food I am all about convenience. I don’t leave work for lunch, so I try to take all of my stuff with me in the morning. I am really loving the granola and these hummus and chicken on-the-go meals. So easy. So nutritious.

Daniel and I made it home around the same time and went for a run. I really cherish this time that we have to spend together. It is only recently (since Daniel graduated and started his new job) that we have had any semblance of similar work schedules. Running gives us a chance to get some fresh air and clear our heads after work, while catching up on our days.

Before you ask, yes … I run twice some days. My coach has 2 to 3 double-run days built into my schedule each week. In order to meet the goals that I have for the marathon, we feel like this is a good strategy. It is definitely not necessary for everyone though. In fact, this strategy doesn’t work well for some people. Everyone’s body is different and reacts different to different mileage and training plans. Fortunately, right now I am at a healthy, happy place with my running and I am able to tolerate the higher mileage training.

I know that there is a fine line though and I think this would be a good post for another time … how my view of working out changed from a place of disorder (in the past) to a place of enjoyment. I truly love it! Bottom line is that it is a change in the underlying intent. I’m not running with a purpose of burning calories. Obviously running burns calories, but in order to keep running at the level and intensity that I want to, I have to replace those calories. I know that would be a good topic of further discussion, but for another day for sure.

As we headed out to run, I told Daniel that there was no guarantee as to the amount of remaining brain capacity that I will have after a day of tax season. I quickly realized that was going to make it really interesting for you guys and for my blogging. I will go ahead and apologize for anything crazy that I say online from now until mid-April. Let’s go ahead and make that the end of April …

After April, I will come up with another excuse!

Hey friends! I hope you have had a wonderful Sunday. It’s been a good one here. I’m going to continue linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin for the Weekly Wrap. I’ve enjoyed discovering new blogs and becoming more involved in the running blogger community!

Rebecca and I got our second run of the #runlovechallenge in this morning. Follow along on Instagram if you are interested! Tomorrow morning we will get our first official “challenge” from Oiselle, so that’ll be interesting to see. We ran 12 miles with our regular Sunday crew this morning, so now we are 32 miles into our 214 mile goal (to meet by 02/14).

It was nice to run the regular route and see everyone after the holidays and of course, hang out at Coffee Loft for a little bit afterwards.

We started a new series at church this morning called Know Fear.

The Bible speaks of fear in a twofold way, as something we should do (fear God) and something we should not do (fear man). In this series we are studying how to distinguish the two and learning about out what it means to fear God.

Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

A reverent fear of God leads us to respect and trust His plan for us.

I am really looking forward to this series. Fear is a huge struggle for me. I have suffered from PTSD and I know what it is like to have your life literally crippled by fear. There is no doubt that fear is one of the enemy’s most powerful weapons that he uses against us. Worry, anxiety and fear can overwhelm us in a shadow of darkness, controlling our every move and decision, but …

God is greater. He gives us the power to live courageously, boldly, fearlessly in this life, when many things that surround us would tell us to be afraid.

Lots of good stuff! I’m excited for the rest of this series.

After church, Daniel and I went to the mall to do a little bit of post-Christmas shopping. I had some gift cards that I wanted to use and he needed some new jeans. We went in Coastal Outfitters and saw this amusing little display …

TigerWear is 25% off, but TuskWear is still full price. We thought this was hilarious. Roll Tide.

While we were at the mall, we discovered something truly amazing! We have a NEWK’S! Apparently it just opened two weeks ago. When I was in grad school, I’m pretty sure I ate at Newk’s at least 3 or 4 days a week. It is still one of my faves! A lunch date was in order.

Don’t even get me started on those cups. I love their cups, especially the red ones! I had a pretty impressive collection of those cups going at one point. They are the perfect size and they are so sturdy. I told Daniel all about my cup collection over lunch and now for whatever reason, I am telling you about it now as well. I was also a fan of the teal straw today, such an interesting contrast with the red cup. Don’t you think? It’s the little things in life. Moving on …

Today I got the new to me Ahi Tuna Salad and let me tell you what, it was so. good. It has seared, sushi-grade Ahi tun, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, radishes and wonton stips with a house-made ginger-wasabi dressing. Because one picture just wasn’t enough …

Daniel got the Pesto Chicken Sandwich and it was so. good. too. It had red and yellow peppers, goat cheese, and a basil, garlic pesto sauce. He also had a side Caesar, but I cannot officially speak to the goodness of it, as I didn’t taste it. He seemed pleased with it though, so I am going to assume it was  so. good. as well. Unfortunately, he didn’t take a picture of his lunch (such a weirdo) so I can’t show you. Bummer.

Daniel worked this morning and wasn’t able to run, so he was wanting to run when we got home. I biked with him. It felt really good out! I may or may not have been way overdressed, but I didn’t get very hot so I’m gonna count this one as wardrobe victory.

That’s pretty much it for today. I’m going to leave you with this beautiful picture of the sunset at the Fairhope pier. Photo cred on this one goes to my mom.

Good night friends! See you tomorrow!

Howdy!

Today was a long run day, and I must say, we did it up right! Rebecca’s birthday was yesterday and so we ran our “special occasion” route to celebrate.

I don’t remember exactly how this tradition got started, but we have done this route on her birthday a few times, on her wedding weekend and on my birthday, so now we basically just refer to it as the special occasion route. It takes a little bit of pre-planning to pull it off, and today we #nailedit.

Rebecca and Jessica met at the Grand Hotel this morning and left Rebecca’s car there. Then we all met at the Coffee Loft and piled in Daniel’s car. He had to drive to Mobile for work today anyway, so he dropped us off at the Battleship on his way in.

We then began the 20 mile journey back across the bay. The first few miles flew by and before we knew it we were almost across the Causeway and back to the Eastern Shore. We made a quick pit stop for water and a bathroom at the Meaher State Park. The scenery on this run is gorgeous! The first few miles are right along the water as you run across the bay.

The rest of the run flew by as well! There is not much that beats a good long run with friends. We ran through Daphne and Fairhope and ended up at the Grand Hotel. We talked the entire time and didn’t let the Montrose hills get the best of us.

We stopped our run with exactly 20.16 miles (thanks to Rebecca’s brilliant idea). 20.16 miles for our first long run of 2016! Pretty epic.

Rebecca and I are doing the Oiselle #runlovechallenge and today was our first official run of the challenge.

#RUNLOVECHALLENGE – JOIN IN!

1. Pick a partner, or shall we say a run lover.
2. Set a mutual goal to be achieved on/by February 14th. 
3. Check in on the Oiselle blog each Monday for our challenge of the week and complete it with your run lover near or far.

Since the challenge ends on 2/14, our goal is going to be to run 214 miles together by that day. It will end up being close to 5 miles a day (or 35 miles per week) together. School starts back next week for Rebecca and tax season will officially kick off next week for me (eek!), so it will definitely be a challenge for us. I think we are up for it though.

We are also going to try to coordinate our outfits (or at least one part of the outfit) for each run that we do together, hence all the pink today!

As per usual, we hit up Coffee Loft after our run. Cheers!

After a super active morning, I pretty much spent the entire afternoon being lazy. Brooks and I played a little bit and then I laid down to take a nap and ended up reading the whole time. Eventually I got up and watched last week’s sermon from church that we missed while we were out of town. Our small group leader really encouraged us to watch this one if we were gone and we were supposed to text another member of our group to make sure that they saw it as well.

It was based on words spoken by Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:41 that says, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” I know this is a running blog, but that’s definitely not the miles we are talking about here. Pastor Chris basically explained that as Christians we are called to do more than the bare minimum in all areas of our lives: in our marriages, in our careers, in our involvment at the church and in our walk with the Lord. It was a great message. Our small group will be doing an in-depth study of the Sermon on the Mount this upcoming semester and we are all excited to delve deeper into the Word.

Currently, I am enjoying a wonderful sweet potato. I could eat one of these guys every day. Heck, I pretty much do. 6 hours in the crock pot (on low) and they turn out so good! Add a little bit of cinnamon and sugar and they are even better!

You can just disregard the whole paper bowl and plastic spoon thing. We are keeping it super fancy … actually, I like to think of it more as living simply. Has a nicer ring to it that way.

This has been a wonderful day of running and relaxing. I am so thankful for the friendships that running and our small group have brought into our lives. Philippians 1:3.

Enjoy your evening! See you guys tomorrow!

Hello and Happy New Year!

I am really excited about the idea of brand new year, with a fresh start and a blank page! I also am really loving the idea of sharing something every day this year. 366 days (it’s leap year!) of sharing. Let’s do this.

My First 5 devotional really spoke to me this morning. I realized that the door is wide open for me to share the hope that I have with someone, not only today, but also every day. The blog is the perfect platform.

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I have been tossing around the idea of posting each day. I really think that this will help me to stay more in tune with myself (spiritually, physically and emotionally) and with the world around me. I want 2016 to be a meaningful year, and so I am going to be intentional about finding that meaning and sharing it with you guys here.

By no means am I promising to share something profound each day. I’m sure there will be days that I am not feeling it and I will probably have to get creative to come up with the content. I might start writing about itemized deductions and tax credits … who knows, but I think that taking 30 minutes out of my day each evening to reflect will be very beneficial.

I’m excited! Let’s get to it.

We woke up to a rainy morning here on the gulf coast. I mean, really? Is it ever going to stop?! We’ve had a very soggy month and I am ready to see some sunshine.

I would like to say that I didn’t let a little bit of rain spoil my plans, but I kind of did. I was planning to go to the group run at Running Wild, but when I woke up to rain and temperatures in the 40s (don’t judge), I decided against it. I did, however, have to brave the elements to tame the beast take Brooks out.

Every now and then it is nice not to have to rush out first thing in the morning to go somewhere. Daniel had to make rounds at the hospital today, so I decided to just enjoy some quiet time at home. I was especially thankful to have a quiet day at home, considering that this is technically my last weekday “off” of work from now until April 18th (gotta love it when Emancipation Day makes tax season just a little bit longer for us).

Eventually the rain subsided and mom and I got out for a walk. It was so chilly out! I think it felt colder than it actually was because it was a wet cold, which I am not used to at all. The temperature was steadily dropping throughout the time we were out and I was slowly turning into a human popsicle. I sat in front of the space heater and drank some hot chocolate as soon as we got home.  That definitely did the trick!

I semi-patiently waited for Daniel to get home so that we could go for our first run of 2016 together. Thankfully he got home not too long after mom and I got back from our walk and we set out for an easy run to ring in the new year. But not until after some stretching and rolling …

You can’t really tell, but Daniel is working on that pesky little piriformis issue on the Trigger Point. Brooks wanted to roll his muscles out as well. Crazy dog!

I didn’t have anything to roll (I have been icing my feet, but that’s another story for another day … fingers crossed that it’s nothing serious), but I wanted to get a picture to show y’all my snazzy running outfit that Daniel got me for Christmas (with a little bit of help from Lizzie at Running Wild)!

The tights are by Lucy, which is a new to me brand that I must say, I am now quite fond of and the top is by Oiselle, which is definitely a favorite running brand of mine.

We got in 7 miles at around 8:10 pace. It was a good run. I am really thankful for the time that we get to spend together running. It’s a great time for us to talk and catch up on life.

Once we got back, we chopped some firewood and made a fire. Daniel is pretty into all of the college football bowl games on right now (and I’m not so much), so I decided to take some time to just relax. Wait, what? Who am I? I did a little bit of reading, while listening to Pandora (the Chris Stapleton station is on point).

We grilled out and sat by the fire for a bit.

I’m calling it an early night. I’ve got a long run on the schedule tomorrow. It’s gonna be a fun one. I’ll tell you all about it soon! Gotta run!

 

 

 

 

Hello and happy Thursday (aka New Year’s Eve)! Here in blog land, Thursdays are for thinking out loud. So without further ado …

I’m pretty excited to be taking part in this blogger’s linkup this week. It’s one that I have thought about joining many a time, but it seemed like I never could quite make the time to get a post done in time.

Speaking of posting, I’ve been thinking out loud about things that I want to write about and what the purpose of the blog is. Honestly, when I started out I had no clue what I was getting into or really what the purpose of the blog would be. I felt like I was supposed to share my story and I did that. Now what?

Ehh, well technically I shared an overall summary, but there is still much more to write about. At some point, I want to write a post about my eating disorder story, my running story, my journey of healing from trauma, etc. I’ve set up the big picture for you, but I want to delve more into the details of the specific parts of the story.

I wanted to make blogging a big part of my life. When I started the blog, I was taking a break from a stressful work situation (which I may or may not blog about more in depth at some point) and for a hot minute I thought that I just might be able to turn this thing into a full-time, paying gig. So yeah, that is much harder than it seems.

One thing with blogging that I definitely struggle with is the line between self promotion and staying humble. The thought of promoting my blog really makes me uncomfortable. From what I can tell, if you want to have a successful blog, you have to really put yourself out there and promote it. I have posted links to some of my posts on Facebook and Daniel has as well, but I don’t want to get too carried away with that. It just seems a little bit self-absorbed and pretentious to think that I actually have something worthwhile to share.

I’m sure there is a balance to be found, but for now I am still searching for that. I’m writing because I really truly enjoy it and if someone out there enjoys reading it, then that’s even better! I pray that the Lord will continue to guide my path and reveal things to me that He wants me to share. I am merely the vessel.

Since it is New Year’s Eve … I have been thinking out loud about goals for the upcoming year. I haven’t really ever been a big “resolution” person, but there is definitely something wonderful about having a clean slate, a fresh start so to speak, for a whole new year. I don’t really see the point of waiting until January 1st to make a big change though. We get a fresh start every day! His mercies are new every morning!

Let’s talk about resolutions for a minute. The word resolution is defined as “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” I don’t know about you, but “firm decisions” don’t work for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am really good at following rules and being rigid with myself. I am actually too good at it. In fact, it’s what gets me into trouble. Eating disorders and perfectionistic, workaholic tendencies thrive in an environment of rules and rigidity.

Now, let’s talk about goals for a minute. The word goal is defined as “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” Goals are fabulous and we all need to have goals. Goals help us focus our time and energy, form plans and live a purposeful, intentional life, which helps us to feel accomplished.

What are my goals for the coming up year you ask? I have two overarching, somewhat intangible goals, which are simply to be kind to myself and to find joy and meaning in every single day. I have some other more tangible goals as well … you know like to run a marathon under 3 hours, save enough money to buy a house, conquer the world … things like that.

I have been thinking out loud about the idea of writing a short blog post every day. As part of my whole goal to find joy and meaning in every day, I thought that maybe sharing something every day would help me to stay accountable with that goal. But perhaps, that makes it seem too much like a resolution. I resolve to post every single day. Yep, sounds too rigid. Maybe I will just try to take a picture of something meaningful every day and then share my pictures with you guys once a week. This one is still a work in progress …

The point is that it is way too easy for me to slip into a routine of just surviving life, not really living it (if that makes any sense). The blog has become a way for me to articulate the meaningful events and the important thoughts. Choosing what to write about helps me to discover meaningful things even in life’s simple moments. I promise it won’t be 365 posts about coffee, y’all. Don’t fret.

Part of this whole find joy and meaning in every single day is inspired by one of my all-time favorite quotes by Marcus Aurelius (forgive me if I have shared this one before) … It says, “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” I just love it. Absolutely love it. Every. Single Day.

The other part is inspired by my grandmother, Momel. She passed away in 2010, but I still think of her often. One morning last week I was out throwing the ball for Brooks (part of our daily routine) and happened to notice the beautiful sasanqua tree in the yard. I’m sure the tree has been blooming for quite some time and yet, I hadn’t noticed it. My grandmother loved that tree!

I can’t really explain it now, but for some reason, the moment when I first noticed the blooms was a big moment for me. I was a wonderful reminder that I need to slow down and enjoy the beauty (and also the joy and meaning) in everyday life.

Speaking of coffee (we were talking about coffee, weren’t we) and while we are still thinking out loud why in the world is it that coffee beans smell so heavenly? Don’t get me wrong, I like the taste as well, but the smell of the beans is so much better than the taste. Every now and then I make the coffee at work, and I always take a deep breath and just inhale that wonderful aroma before I start the pot.

Being the curious person that I am, I decided to do a little bit of research on this phenomenon. Apparently, the fact is that although we have sensors on our tongue, eighty percent of what we think of as taste actually reaches us through smell receptors in our nose. When you swallow the coffee, this sends a burst of aroma up the back of the nose from inside the mouth, activating the second sense of smell in the brain that is less receptive to the flavor, causing a completely different and less satisfying sensation than when you just take a big ‘ole whiff of the container.

There you have it. Science.

What are you thinking about today? What are your goals for the upcoming year?

Hey friends! I can’t believe that this will be the last week end wrap-up for 2015! I’m going to be linking up with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin again this week for their Weekly Wrap.

We have been go, go, go for the last few weeks and I think it finally caught up with me. I slept until almost 10 a.m. yesterday, which is way later than I ever sleep. I must admit, it was quite glorious.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with my family and then we headed to see Daniel’s family on Christmas Day. We got there around lunch time and we were greeted with a delicious meal, wonderful gifts and lots of quality family time.

Daniel made both of his sisters’ gifts this year and they both loved them! He made his older sister Moses Basket Bassinet and he made his younger sister a bib and medal display. His older sister is having a baby in February (which will officially make us Uncle Daniel and Aunt Sam) and his younger sister just ran her first marathon a couple of weeks ago, so the gifts were very timely and appropriate.

Daniel’s mom always goes all out for Christmas. She definitely spoils all of the kids and their spouses. It’s so sweet! Daniel’s dad got a basketball goal this year, so we had some fairly intense games of “horse” and “pig.” Sadly, I didn’t win, but I did at least put up a respectable showing, considering I haven’t played basketball since I was in high school. Speaking of intense, there were also some intense games of Phase 10 that went down. Brooks really wanted to get in on that action, but since he doesn’t have opposable thumbs, he had to just watch from the sidelines.

Leigh-Ann and I got in 10 miles Saturday morning before we had to head back home. I really enjoyed spending some quality time with her out on the roads!

We got a group shot before we left.

We decided to stop by Rouse’s Market on the way back into town. I hadn’t ever been there before, but I had heard good things and I wanted to check it out. We came out with some really old fancy cheese (the entire wheel of it was > $150, we decided to settle for one little piece) and some new to me granola bars. We weren’t super impressed, but it might be worth another trip at some point.

After we unpacked and settled in, it was getting pretty late, so we went to bed pretty early and slept pretty late. We have been out of town the past three weekends in a row, so I was ready to just crash. It’s been a wonderful month of traveling and spending time with family, but all that fun can really be exhausting!

I was supposed to do a 16 mile steady state run Sunday, but the thought alone of that run was just too much. The weather is so hot and humid, it’s like we have July in Christmas. You know how people always talk about Christmas in July, well we’ve got it the other way around. I settled for a walk with mom and then Daniel rode the bike with me while I ran (nice and easy).

His piriformis has really been bothering him recently and so he has not been able to run. He was nice enough to bike along with me though and I really appreciated the company!

Sunday afternoon, we took Brooks to visit his new cousin, Thatcher. He is absolutely adorable and is a very chill pup. My cousin, Catie, was home for Christmas, but we hadn’t gotten to see her since we had been out of town. It was really nice to catch up for a little bit and let our “babies” play together.

Sunday evening we grilled out. This seems to becoming more and more of a regular occurrence. I can’t say that I am upset about it.

Now it’s back to the grind. I’m loving my new Coffee Loft coffee mug that Daniel’s mom got me!

It seems like the Christmas break flew by. What was the highlight of your Christmas vacation?