Nov 5, 2011

But mom, it’s only 1 degree above zero!

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So this morning I woke up to my phone ringing too early There was my very excited mom on the other end that said

  • Mom-”did you go for your run this morning?”
  • Me “no, I am still sleeping”
  • Mom- “well you better get going”
Yep- no better way to wake up. So I rolled over told Tim who was on the other line and he graciously offered up an excuse for me not to go.. It was only 1 degree above zero! So then the following text string happened…
Shoot I thought… I almost got out of it! So yes as you can see, I did go! I put on a lot of layers included hat and gloves and just went for it! It felt great and it was a very friendly reminder of how great running can make someone feel!

I let my iPhone drive my workout today and did it with the RunKeeper app that keeps me on track of my running. It was a 2.25 mile workout with slow, steady, and fast running.. oh and the five minute warm up too! The air was COLD and by the time I got back my lungs were in desperate need of my dorky inhaler but it really made me feel great and I enjoyed the run.

It’s funny because now looking back on this mornings run I don’t remember what I was thinking about! I think it was one of those runs that could really clear my head and that didn’t make me think of anything! Just what I needed after a long week of work and a weekend I was looking forward to!

Thank goodness I have my mom to keep me on track and to encourage me (even when i don’t want to be encourged) but she was right. Afterall, I am

Engaged and Running

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Oct 4, 2011

Sorry Miami, FL but you don’t impress me

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So I used to be a little embarrassed when people asked where I went to college and when I answered Miami they said LIKE FLORIDA? And I had to say umm no actually Miami of Ohio.

Yea I’m not embarrassed anymore. Miami, FL is gross haha. Sorry for those of you that live there but I was NOT impressed. So I went to Miami for work and was there at the beginning of last week. I just thought it was generally a little dirty and not impressive. I guess I have been spoiled since my trips to Florida have consisted of Disney World (where I got engaged so I loved it there) and West Palm, which is by no means dirty or unimpressive. So yea sorry Miami but I was NOT your biggest fan. Not to mention the song “I’m in Miami Bitch” never even came on the radio while I was in the rental… what kind of city is this?!

So I did manage to get a decent workout in while I was in Florida. I did 30 minutes of cardio but I find running on the treadmill just BORING so I did a 15 min run at  10 min mile pace and then did an interval for 15 minutes of sprinting for 2 minutes and taking a break for 1 min. I finished off the cardio workout with some burpees, push-ups, and dips. Every time I work out when I am traveling for work I just think about those people that travel all of the time and I can’t understand how they function! While the Sheraton airport hotel was pretty cozy and the workout room was more impressive than I imaged it being it was hot and gross in there. Miami heat for sure.  But regardless it felt good to get a workout in before the workday started!

So part of our trip was to really start to integrate with a recent acquisition, which meant Cuban food…. I realized I am not a fan! The first night we went to this place that served us these decent deep fried ball thing that had potato and bacon inside. We also had these things that I thought were dried up banana peels but turned out they were dried up bananas haha imagine that? Little flavor but served with all sorts of sauces. For dinner I decided on pork chunks… yes the English version of the menu called it out… CHUNKS but I thought they what the heck I’d do it anyway. They were OK- I thought they were a little dry but it served its purpose of some protein and something to fill my belly! I also topped it off with Sangria, which was a little too sweet for me.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel and like a good student I did HW until bedtime!

The next day I got more of a taste of the Cuban heritage.  I somehow missed breakfast because of that workout but for lunch I got a turkey sandwich and skipped out on the bread. Yep you read that right I opted for a turkey sandwich at the Cuban restaurant at lunch. I’ll tell you what- I realized I don’t like to branch out much when it comes to food!

However what I did try and LOVE was this delicious mix of espresso and milk (and a good amount of sugar I would imagine by the way it taste) that was “made by love” as the barista mentioned. So that was the highlight of my Cuban adventure!

For lunch we all decided (well most of us but mainly me) on normal food and went out for a tasty seafood dinner. I had this amazing tuna appetizer that hot the hottest jalapeno peppers on it I have ever tasted.  Mahi Mahi was on the menu for the main course and a DELICIOUS key lime pie was for dessert! All of that combined with a glass of wine made for a very good night! We drove a million miles to get there but the restaurant (which I, of course, forget the name of) was right on the water and had a beautiful setting. So that was the highlight of my trip in terms of the food but from a work perspective it was a great trip

From a falling in love with the city aspect- yea not so much! I think I am more of a Charlotte, NC kind of girl!

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Aug 17, 2011

Taco Meatloaves and Organization Turn Me On

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No rain on Tuesday morning so we laced up the tennis shoes and headed out to hit the pavement. It was a very chilly morning so I had to wear pants and a long sleeve shirt but Tim didn’t care and headed out in his t-shirt and shorts. Again, another reminder that the weather in Ohio gets very cold very quickly. Before we headed out I visited my old friend Peanut Butter Puffins and Almond Breeze Almond Milk. I don’t know why but it felt like I hadn’t had these in forever so it was like going to see an old friend from college when I poured them in my bowl! Tim stuck to the usual peanut butter on an English muffin.

 

Tim's pre-run treat

Hey there old friend!

We decided that since my Susan G. Komen 5K is in just a few weeks I really need to set a plan for myself to make it through the next few weeks so this week we decided on doing at least 2 miles every morning. Next week step it up to 2.5 then 2.75 and then 3. That should take me perfectly into the 5K. This morning we ended up running a little over 2 so that was pretty awesome except that the hill toward the end was almost the death of me. We made it through though and I was at least happy that Tim was struggling just as much as I was! It is always better to struggle together rather than separately right? I mean, of course, I would rather no one suffer through it but hey everyone likes good company.

So anyway, after a great run we came in and I rushed to get ready for work so I wasn’t late for my first day of training. Training this week is rough because we do so much sitting. They do a great job at letting us get up and move around for group projects but we are still sitting uncomfortably in chairs pretty much all day. They feed us lunch so I ended up eating some chicken fingers, I did sneak in a few breaded ones but stuck mostly to the grilled ones, with some mixed veggies, salad, and fruit. I don’t usually like these catered lunches but this one was OK. Not great… but OK.

I was home a little later than usual because on top of the week long training class they also hosted a reception at this restaurant called the Galaxy in Wadsworth. It is a pretty good restaurant- I have been there a few times with my parents and our proms were hosted there.  The good is good and they have quite a variety of different rooms you can eat at. There is a bar, a more formal dining area, and a few others big rooms to host functions. Worth checking out if you are ever in the area and well, kind of the only place in Wadsworth to check out!

When I got home Tim had dinner ready already! TACO MINI MEATLOAFS! My sister introduced Tim and I to mini meatloaves- kind of the typical meatloaf but in mini sizes and Tim mentioned it to a girl at work and she suggested we make them with taco seasoning and TADA… it was so good I wish I could eat it every night. So I just had it one night (well and left overs) with some taco rice on the side and some corn on the cob that Amanda brought us (BEST CORN EVER)! Tim sure can make one of the best dinners! Not to mention it was so nice coming home to a nice meal waiting for me after a very long day. So if you do want to make these yourselves just start with a regular meatloaf recipe, add in taco seasoning, and cook them in a muffin pan! You will not be sorry- I promise!

Looks at that beautiful plate

Ok but on to the BEST part of the evening. So we moved in over15 months ago and we have HATED our pantry area since the day we loved in. I mean it wasn’t even really a pantry it was just a big open space under the stairs and in the kitchen that was the best place to put a pantry. So this area has been this ridiculously messy and disorganized and it sort of makes me twitch every time I open the door. We tried this ugly cheap freestanding plastic shelf and didn’t like it so we bought this nice freestanding steel thing and it has been working pretty well but was still too small. So when we went next door and saw that Mark and Casey put in a Rubbermaid Pantry kit and screwed the wire shelves into the wall and just created this beautiful masterpiece. I immediately told Tim “WE NEED TO DO THAT” and sure enough I came home from my day and Tim had the wires all out and was already working hard. NOW it looks beautiful. I can’t wait for my parents to come over and see Tim’s handy work- my dad also twitched every time he opened that door. So there you have it… over a year later and we are finally making improvements haha. YAY US. So yea you have no idea how excited I get to open that pantry door… I just do it for fun now because it makes me so happy. Who knew that organization could turn a girl on?

My present!

My Handy Man

YAY For Organization!

 

Tell me! What do you HAVE to have organized or you will go CRAZY?! 

Filed Under: Good Eats and Treats, My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
Aug 1, 2011

A Breakfast and Lunch Worth Reading About!

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It has been just a crazy few days! But here I am finally updating you on my life!

Let’s starts w/ Wednesday’s Run

I think today was the easiest run I have had yet. Putting aside that I once again forgot my inhaler (I sound like suck a dork!) it was great. It has rained the night before so it was a little muggy outside but it was kind of nice to just get out there and run. The interval app works wonderfully so that was just an added bonus and Tim and I got to talk about the weekend activities. I did get a few more tid-bits on where people lived and who was who’s tutor but I don’t remember most of that but it was interesting when I heard it!

Today I started to realize that it is really important to take care of your body. You wash your face every day right? You brush your teeth every day right? Well, running for me is becoming one of those things. I have really started to see the value is treating yourself well. First off, it’s nice to feel good about yourself. I can’t say for sure whether my body has physically seen any changes from this new adventure but I feel better. I feel like I walk with my head a little higher and that I have some more self-esteem that I was missing before. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Generally speaking I am always an outgoing in-your-face kind of girl but we all have those things about us that make  us a little self-conscious. I realized that I feel really darn proud of myself when I tell people I get up in the morning and run and I feel like I want to share it with more people. I mean, I am not that type of person that actually likes to wake up before the sun isn’t out so this has not been an easy task for me but I am trying… and I feel like I am getting there. This may very well be one of the hardest things I have done in my life though. I am constantly challenging my body (especially those big soccer girl legs) to get out there and work themselves. I just know that when I get home and I get in the shower I feel like my body smiles at me and says “thanks”. You know it says “that was tough and I struggled but I got through it and I’m proud of myself.”

So yea I am telling you two things right now… #1 My body talks to me in the shower, try not to be too jealous about that and #2 It feels good to challenge yourself to do something out of the ordinary so let me ask you this… What have you done to challenge your mind or body today? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Wednesday Breakfast

It was sooo good!

Breakfast Sandwich

Cooking up the egg whites!

Check out that baby hu? I made it all by myself haha! I made 2 fried egg whites (1 just isn’t enough) and melted some Munster Cheese on top then added some tomato and basil on an everything bagel thing. I mean this thing tasted like a dream. I can’t even tell you what part of it I loved the most… the mixture of everything was just perfect. I enjoyed it in the car on the way to work even though I had Brody in my face trying to steel it from me. Don’t worry- I would just breathe on him so he would pretend to taste it haha.

Wednesday Lunch

Today’s lunch was a delicious Morning Star Burger… so good! It was a veggie burger and it turned out to be burger day in our cafeteria here at work too. So Casey went to buy lunch and snagged me some delicious toppings that I didn’t bring from home. So I enjoyed my burger with 2 pieces of lettuce wrapped around it instead of a run and had tomato and pickle on the burger. I also had 2 of Casey’s curly fries which were very good! Other than that I don’t think I had anything else… or at least I can’t remember.

Wednesday Dinner
I wanted to branch out a little for dinner but we hadn’t already thought ahead to thaw anything so we had to go with something we could cook frozen or thaw easily. Tim and I opted for the thaw easily option and got out some salmon from the freezer. It is just plain salmon so once thawed we coated it with hot chili powder or something and then put it on foil and on the grill. While it was cooking I was trying to rummage through the fridge to see what I could do with this and I decided on making a fish taco. We have an enormous amount of tortillas that looked delicious as we walked through Sam’s Club one day so I thought that would be a good open.

The other fillings to my tacos consisted of chopped up tomato, cilantro (yes I LOVE cilantro) lime juice, and some jalapeños. I mixed that all together added a dab of sour cream and salad on top and added some green onions mostly to make it look pretty. And WOW it was so good! I will definitely be making these again and maybe even get Tim to try it. He kept it nice and simple with just the piece of fish and a few side dishes. It still looked really good though but I thought mine looked MUCH better!

Toppings on the fish taco!

Mixed this up myself!

We concluded our evening with some high quality TV of course and then headed off to bed early so that Thursday morning wouldn’t feel soooo early.

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