The Sweet Life

That's What I Love

2012-03-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

So my sister's having a baby, right? It's baby #2 for our family and we couldn't be more excited -- especially since she had a lot of issues getting pregnant. And this is what I love about family.

A few weeks ago, Lindsey was going to see if she was having a boy or a girl. Of course I'm sad I'm not there for every minute of this so I asked to be on the phone in the room when they found out.

My mom and Glenn (Lindsey's husband) were in the room and there I was hanging out on speaker. I could hear the thumping of the heart through the phone, imagined the little ultrasound on the screen. Who was this little person?

Not her ultrasound, fyi.

After a few minutes, I heard my sister kind of scream and my mom yells, "We're having a boy!" And then, I felt like I was tearing up! WE'RE having a boy!

In that moment, something kind of clicked for me. WE are having a boy! Yes, this is Glenn & Lindsey's child but our entire family gets to relish in the joy of a new life -- a new part of our whole family.

When Giovanna was born, I was on speaker phone from DC in the room while I heard everything going on. My mom, my aunt, my grandma and my sister were all in the room with the sister who was giving birth.

We didn't know what to expect. But -- wow -- I love that little girl more than I could have ever imagined. We can't imagine our family without her now. She has brought more joy to my parents, especially, than anything else in the entire world ever could.

So -- we're having a boy. And we couldn't be more excited. Thanks to my sisters, Lindsey & Shelby, for letting the rest of us share equally in the beautiful lives you have brought to us.

A Sad Day

2012-03-01T15:06:00.001-05:00

I try to keep my blog as non-controversial as possible. I don't bring divisive politics here. However, a man I knew and respected has died and I want to post what I wrote about him. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you have to respect the fervor and conviction with which Andrew Breitbart lived his life. A wife has lost a husband and four young children have lost a father today. Here is my tribute:

Nearly four years ago, I read a profile piece on Andrew Breitbart in the New York Observer, calling him an “internet guru turned right wing messiah.”

I was enthralled by the energy of his quotes, they radiated off the page. This guy was fearless – completely unconcerned with offending anyone. I tracked down an email address and asked if I could interview him for a story, he responded within minutes “How about now?”, he asked.

In the next hour Brietbart answered every question about his personality and his activism with vigor and excitement. Thank god I was taping the conversation because he had a lot to say – really fast.

Little did I know, he’d soon be known by just about everyone. That inspiring energy I heard on the phone would be the first of many times that a hyperactive Breitbart would make me say, “Man, he’s good.”

His passion and conviction were contagious. He moved fast but always apologized if he was wrong. In that interview four years ago, we discussed the dismissal of conservative beliefs in Hollywood. His disdain for big name Hollywood liberals was well known – and part of what fueled his drive to combat media bias.

"Everyone [in Hollywood] I meet makes me feel like I need to be louder more obnoxious to make sure their story is told so more people feel comfortable to come out of the woodwork,” Breitbart told me that day four years ago.

He always remembered me when I saw him after that interview, though I was usually one among many fighting a big crowd for a chance to say hello.

He was fighting for others, for liberty, for America. He did it with gusto and that big, vivacious personality will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Andrew.

Crossfit: And So It Begins

2012-02-29T06:55:00.002-05:00

This pic is from Trident Crossfit's Facebook page. Obviously, you should go "like" them immediately like I did :)

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Yesterday, I went my first official Crossfit class. The first one was just a free intro session but this one was the real thing! I was nervous. I'm still nervous because -- despite being able to run 26.2 miles -- I'm a huge wimp.

For example, I can't even make it through an entire hour of step class -- and I'm barely alive after 45 minutes of spin. Am I ready for the big dogs of Crossfit?

Gulp. Yes-no? I got a lot of encouragement from people to go for it. Specifically, reading Tina's informative posts on her adventures in Crossfitting and getting some encouragement from Lisa (who is rocking Crossfit while pregnant!) I also stole this rad video from her post:

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What I've noticed both times at my "box" (watch out, Crossfit lingo is gonna be hot soon), is that there are people of every shape and size in there getting their muscle and endurance on. I saw really muscular, Crossfit-pro looking guys & girls but I also saw overweight, tall, thin, petite and people no doubt at every fitness level. It was comforting and encouraging not to stick out like a sore thumb (hello, I have no upper body muscle definition!)

Trident is less than a mile from my house so when it gets light out, I will probably just jog there rather than drive. This morning, my alarm was set for 4:55am but I was filled with nervous energy so I woke up at 4:35am. In my head, I thought -- you are going to be sweating your butt off in less than an hour, you might as well get up. So I did.

(*Everytime I get up early, I think of a song my mom used to play to get us up for school that went, "Wake up you sleepy head, get up get out of bed, see how the sun is shining! Get up and move your toes, tell them it's time to go! We've got a lot to do today!" Anyone else?!)

You know what's cool to me? A room full of people ready to work out with energizing music playing in the background at 5:15 in the morning. Am I a weirdo? Maybe.

They keep the people that are on "less than 3 months" on an easier plan -- which is fine by me. I worked with a trainer the whole time today, who showed me how to do the moves correctly and was really helpful. If you start day #1 with burpees, watch out. Ugh!

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After class, it was time for paperwork. Apparently, since I first inquired the price has gone up $10. Now, I'll be paying....$179/month for six months. YIKES! I kind of wanted to just run to my car and pretend I never even thought about this whole Crossfit thing in the first place. In my head, I saw nearly $1,000 that could go towards a new car.

But...this matters. As I saw in a recent quote: "Nothing changes if nothing changes." You know I've been down in the dumps about some stuff recently. For that reason -- and because I need a new fitness challenge mentally, physically and spiritually (no joke), this is important. I've also heard Crossfit has an awesome community aspect where you find new friends and a lot of amazing support. That's totally my vibe :)


It was fun revving up for MCM with these ladies. Everything is better with strong & supportive community!

Just like entering races, paying for a gym membership (I have cancelled my gym membership in exchange for Crossfit) and buying the right gear, it's a priority to me. My fitness-related goals are a huge part of my life. They actually help keep the rest of my life in the best shape it can be as well.

Should I Run a Marathon Without Having Trained?

2012-02-28T07:19:00.000-05:00

Post-Baltimore Marathon...after I PR'd and thought I was going to start running like a marathon a month. And...#fail.

Have you ever run a marathon without really training? I signed up for the DC Rock n' Roll Marathon back in November or so -- fully intending on training like a pro throughout the winter. I bought some winter running pants, gloves and printed out a detailed schedule of training from Smart Coach. It was happening!

And then. The wicked Mr. Winter came in and broke me down. What is it about the bone chilling cold that causes your body to malfunction like whoa? It sure did for me. It's like the cold invades my body and turns me into an old woman, with inexplicable back pain, weird joint aches and half-colds that never actually go away.

The back issue came and went, a couple times, but finally feels gone for the season. But then I had weeks of just feeling totally exhausted. I'd wake up on a Saturday after a full 9 hours of restful sleep and struggle to get out of bed. What was up?

This is how the cold made feel. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!

Whatever it was, training was put on hold as I struggled to just get in minimal miles. I decided I'd just be running the half marathon, instead of the whole. For some reason, I couldn't get myself to change it online though. I could change my registration to the half or just wait until race day and decide then. According to the website, if you downgrade to the half, it will automatically register on your shoe tag so I can essentially decide on race day which I'm running.

I'm 95% sure I'm running the half. I know I should. What is it that tugs at me to just "try it" on the full? It's the nagging knowledge that I know I'm capable of running a sub-4 -- but not without real training (I think.) Still, I know I will be jealous of the "fulls" at the end of the day. But, I keep reminding myself, I'm no SR -- she's one of a kind!

"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming."
-- Frank Shorter, 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist

This seems to be my problem. I've forgotten the sheer agony of mile 22 alone! I remember only the glory of the finish line -- that is, just before and after I'm done feeling nauseated :)

When I get real about it, it seems like a bad idea. I remember the awfulness of Marine Corps last year, running a marathon not two weeks after I'd just run one. Oh, the unforeseen hardship! I had no idea how hard it would be since I'd just PR'd like a rockstar. I think it would be the same with this. And, I'm not sure having "on more medal" would be worth the anguish of an untrained race.

However, I do remember just reading about Courtney's on-a-whim decision to run a marathon in Hawaii and I think that's what got me to this precipice! But...then again, she and her friend ran it leisurely and for fun. And I have no fun friends with which to do that with! (Anyone?)

Just after the very rough Marine Corps Marathon.

In the end, I think I'd be just fine. I wouldn't get injured and I'm fully confident my body could handle running a marathon. But, at this point, do I want to push through a really tough 4+ hours of running -- or breeze through 2 and join my friends for a fun, post-half brunch? I'm not saying I 100% won't run the full but I'd need some really convincing to do it at this point!

BOMF: Open-Mic Night!

2012-02-27T09:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the 2nd annual Back on My Feet DC Open Mic night. Each team location was to perform a skit or song and individuals could sign up for talents as well. I wasn't really sure what to expect and having been to a rare few open mic nights in my life, I was wondering about this one.

I was NOT disappointed! By the end of the night, my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing so much at all of our wonderful acts. Some were funny or silly while others were chillingly deep. We had comedians, singers -- even a magician!

I love this one of CSS because Herman is just gettin' down.

After hearing a performance of Otis Redding's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and watching a well-coreographed and awesomely performed dance remix from the Baltimore crew, I can safely say the following were some of my favorites.

My video quality isn't great but please listen to this amazing poem by a res member who has truly overcome:

I wish I could do a video montage of all my favorites because there were so many but I'll leave you with one more of the best. This was a delight because I was not expecting someone to get on stage and leave me speechless. We ended up giving her a standing ovation -- one of the only of the night:

The thing is, it's Friday night. That's a rough time for some people in recovery because Friday's are a "party" night. Sometimes people have known nothing but heavy drinking and drugs -- especially on these nights. So it was nice to have an activity that was full of joy and laughter that was sober as could be. I know I smiled more here than I have at any recent weekend outing.

Though some of our comedians got a little bit inappropriate with the jokes (there was no PC language goin' on, let's just put it that way!), we managed to see a few people shine.

Want to get involved with Back on my Feet? It's easy and you can be as involved as you want. It can be from a fundraising perspective, running one day a week, helping at an event or getting as involved as being a team leader or coach.

BOMF welcomes any kind of giving you've got so check it out and attend an orientation meeting.

What are you waiting for?

Running Against The Wind

2012-02-26T08:29:00.002-05:00

Well, I wasn't wearing shorts but this was how I felt starting off! (source)

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Yesterday, I ran against the wind. I woke up to see pretty little snowflakes dancing outside my window. How quaint. NOT. If I never saw snow again, I'd be okay. Maybe in a Christmas movie but no need for snow in real life. I think I was meant to live in Florida.

But it was Saturday -- long run day! I have a love/hate relationship with such. Lately, I've not been training for anything but still trying to get 10 miles in on Saturdays to keep up my running levels. Rick was going to the gym and I felt like ditching the cold in favor of a nice & toasty treadmill.

SO true for me. How 'bout you?

Two reasons held me back: 1) I knew I would only do 7 miles tops if I succumbed to the tread. 2) Mizuno just sent me some awesome new winter running gear that I was dying to wear.

You have to understand something. I'm a runner who really never had "gear" until the past year.

I ran in sweat pants and pulled hoodies over my freezing cold knuckles. I wore those cotton cheerleading shorts from Kohls to run in (thus, many unnecessary bouts of inner thigh chafing). I complained about sports burn rub and came away with a sports bra encrusted tattoo around my upper body with no idea what to do about (um, Body Glide exists Ericka!).

Best running gear ever invented? Maybe!

Since last year, I got serious about running gear:

I bought real running shorts -- with the built in undies.
I started using body glide faithfully, I got two pairs of running gloves (one lightweight, one not).
I purchased UnderArmour dry fit tanks.
With a beloved Lululemon gift certificate, I bought a not-so-cheap running jacket with built in hand warmers!
I finally took shoes seriously and bought my first pair of Mizunos (will NEVER go back!).
I even bought some of those insanely tight but necessary running tights.
Most recently: Saucony arm warmers, Nike ear warmers and a knee brace.

Oh yeah, running, it's ON. So when the lovely peeps at Mizuno offered to send me some gear for the DC Rock n' Roll Half Marathon, I was pumped (slightly more than a normal person.) Yesterday was toooo cold to wear the Mizuno Exodus 3/4 pants so I opted for the pink & black zip up and couldn't wait to bust out a long run in it. It was settled, I HAD to run outside if for this reason only.

I loaded up my ipod with the latest playlist and took off in the deceivingly warm looking sunshine. Oooh, it was cold. Then, the wind hit. Like so hard that I felt like I was running in virtual molasses. Kind of like running in place, really. Anyone been there? Yeah, but I kept on. I was using RunKeeper on my iphone to keep track of pace, etc. and figured this wind was putting me at like an 11-minute mile.

Luckily, after about two miles, I got out of the wind and onto my favorite trail. I actually didn't know how far I was going to run. I have been running for so many years tracking mileage by time that I was excited to see just how far this one particular route was. I brought with me Double Latte Power Bar Gu (kind of good but on the fence) and planned top stop at Starbucks for a water break.

Source.

I really just wanted to finish by the end because I had little time to shower and leave for an event. It was such a beautiful, cold morning that once you are into the run it's kind of glorious by the water. I sprinted till I thought I would throw up near the end (good feeling, weird, I know) and ended up with 11.3 miles in 1:45. Yay! Saturday long run success!

The Writer In Me

2012-02-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'm a magazine reader and one thing I love that many mags have been doing lately is devoting a page to author bios. I particularly like Marie Claire's section because they pull out a fabulous photo of the author and fill in their paragraph with interesting info about them, like their choice for a last meal on earth, style description and what they do to stay in shape.

Secretly (or not so much anymore!), I long to be on one of those author pages. I want to be a Marie Claire contributor. I want my name followed by such sentences as, "Ericka Andersen has also written for Shape, Glamour and Vanity Fair. Her new book will be out in the Spring of 2013."

I'm not a girl who said she wanted to write a book on a whim. I wrote two books (that no one read, on wire-rimmed notebook paper) before the age of 15. I once won third place in a local writing contest, wrote for my school paper and majored in Journalism and English Ed. I'm a passionate reader and have at times written some pretty awesome paragraphs, maybe a few good articles too.

Read MORE below.

My first real job was as doing journalism for a small political newspaper and I naturally transition from journaling to blogging after that. I start keeping a diary at the age of 8 and since filled up over 10 books of hand written pages. In my late teens and early 20s, I wrote on everywhere, getting my depression and angst out through poems and long-winded rants that I probably never want to read again. The worst days produced some of my best writing. But it was all depressing and disconnected. Like a brilliant paragraph lost in space with no book or piece to which it belonged.

When I was 22, I bought the "Writer's Market" guide that gives you all the details and guidelines for magazines and publications that accept submissions. After submitting a few articles to women's magazines and getting rejected, I lost my spunk. I must not be that good, I figured, and hardly anyone makes it as a writer. I stopped submitting things and stopped trying to write because it was so disheartening. I'd spend hours on a piece only to find it was going nowhere. Was it really worth my time?

That first job was unlike my personal writing. It was news writing -- straightforward and slimmed down. I enjoyed, though I was okay at it but it didn't fulfill me in the same way. My second job allowed more creativity but I received a lot of criticism that really stole my confidence. After that job ended, writing became a lost dream. I got a job that didn't entail much writing and I was secretly glad to lift the load of pressure off of myself.

I'm back on a job now that allows me to write. The same demons of low self-confidence that trampled me before are back. A part of me knows and believes there is a good writer inside of me. But I continue to feel discouraged and struggle with any kind of criticism. Constant thoughts of negativity interrupt any momentum I get going. I recently began writing a biography of my boyfriend's life, due to a fascinating story he has to tell. I interviewed him on tape for hours and begin putting the story together. I came up with about 1/5th of a book and can't get myself to continue on. Is it really possible I could write a real book, that would be published?! He's got quite the story but if I can't put the words down the right way, who will read it?

I've been feeling "off" lately and this is part of it. I can run a million marathons but if I don't expand my goals, I will remain stagnant. I've conquered the marathon, I love running. I am fulfilled there. But after two years of leaning on that, I know it's time I stepped it up in other areas. Like writing. I must stop being afraid to try.

Getting Out Of My Way

2012-02-23T05:47:00.000-05:00

When I saw this the other day, I immediately grabbed it to save. It's the definition of my life at times -- at too many times.

I want to be better at my job, I want to write a book, I want to improve this blog. I want to run a better marathon and save enough to be a homeowner. I want to be proud of myself.

Sadly, sometimes I feel like the only thing I am truly disciplined about is exercise. I love it -- you guys know that -- but always wonder why I can't translate that discipline and dedication to other parts of my life more effectively.

I've recently come to the conclusion that my disorganized life & thought processes are a real problem. I struggle with staying focused and lack the detail orientation necessary for things that are important. In the past, it's been an endearing quality people associate with me. People often jokingly ask if I lost my keys or my phone or my wallet "again" and chuckle about "that's just Ericka." But I really started to hate that part of me.

I recently purchased a book called "So I'm not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?" Ha. When I saw the title of that book sticking out like a sore thumb at Barnes & Noble, I was immediately drawn to it. Did you know that I think one of those things nearly every single day? And the truth is, I know I'm not any of them.

The book is written for people who may have Adult ADD. I seem to have several qualities associated with the problem. While I may not be diagnosed, I am hoping it helps me identify the issue and take steps to overcome these attention-related issues that have truly been holding me back. I'm not lazy, stupid or crazy. I have a lot of goals & I can't let myself be the only thing standing in the way.

Have you ever wondered how you can have the discipline to run 10 miles at 6am on a Saturday but struggle with other important parts of your life like budgeting, professional responsibilities and following through with commitments?

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

2012-02-22T05:54:00.001-05:00

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It's kind of hard making almond butter look pretty. I don't have any fancy containers, cameras or light devices. But, it's not really about how pretty it looks -- it's about how awesome it tastes. And this is just grand.

One of the reasons I wanted a food processor was just so I could make almond butter. It took me over two months to actually use it for that purpose. First, I accidentally bought cashews so I went ahead and tried cashew butter (good but not like almond!).

Then, I made hummus (hint: add more olive oil!) and finally, I slapped down $8 for a big old bag of almonds to crush into butter. Not just plain old almond butter though -- maple cinnamon almond butter, which I found on Oh She Glows.

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It's so painfully easy that you barely need a recipe! I also ended up realizing how easy it is to make those awesome hot nuts you always see sold at mall stands and carnivals. I'm such a sucker for those brown sugar glazed pecans and other delightful flavors.

For these, I simply coated 2 cups of raw almonds with 1/2 cup maple syrup, baked them at 300 for 30 minutes and then processed for about 10 minutes -- adding 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla in the end. Just remember to check back to scrape the sides when necessary!

Of course I'll be eating as my favorite breakfast this week: toast with almond butter, banana slices and honey. I also like to toss almond butter in ice cream, smoothies and sometimes, just a spoonful out of the jar :)

Happy Birthday, My Friend

2012-02-21T05:37:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Michelle's 30th birthday at Jaleo! (pic from That's So Michelle)

For many of my friends, it's a year of big birthdays. Why? Because we are all hitting 30 and while it's reaaallly hard to believe, it's not all that bad. I certainly don't feel like the old lady I once thought 30 was.

Even when I met Michelle at 24, I never imagined our lives at 30 -- still living in DC and hanging out all the time. But here it is! We've been through a lot -- heartbreaks and crazy nights, cool jobs and big ideas, hurt feelings and forgiveness, reaching goals and finding love...and a whole lot more. (Did I tell you about the time we met Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner? And Dick Cheney & Tony Snow -- a few others too :)

Just chillin' with our friends, Ben & Jen. You might know them.

We've laughed and cried and complained and gotten on eachother's last nerve! We've listened to one another go on and on, analyzing dates and doling out advice on things we probably have no business giving advice on. But that's what girlfriends are for. I can remember ten thousand long metro rides back to Grovener on the redline talking about everything from A to Z.

I'm supremely grateful that when I moved to DC with no friends to speak of, God was looking out for me. He knew that Michelle and I would be a perfect match. She's a great and loyal friend and I'm overjoyed that she recently got engaged and will soon marry the man she loves. Also that she is starting a job and will be working RIGHT down the hall from me! I'm happy she's joining me in the land of 30 and know that I'll have this and much more to right at the next 10-year birthday :)

So many photos to choose from but here are couple of us together. Love you Michelle! Happy Birthday!

The Geography of Bliss

2012-02-19T18:12:00.001-05:00

The "Geography of Bliss" is a fascinating book about finding happiness around the world. Did you know in Switzerland there is actually an Institute for Happiness? Yeah, the science of happiness -- it exists. And I don't mean in the pill sense. There are some countries that are far happier than others -- sometimes it is connected with wealth but it's more connected to attitude and historically ingrained cultural roots.

As you might have guessed, Western Europeans laissez-faire approach to much of life leaves them happier than those of us in the good old US of A. They seem to have mastered "the art of doing nothing" and while I'm skeptical of the European attitude, I do think we can take parts of it for ourselves.

Europe does a lot of sitting around drinking this. It seems to contribute to their happiness!

I've been reading a lot of these books written by journalists who take on the experience they are hoping to document. For example, I recently read "Moonwalking with Einstein" about a journalist who entered the weird world of memory games and ended up winning the U.S. National Championship.

And while I went into "Bliss" thinking more along the lines of "Eat, Pray, Love" I was surprised find something entirely different. Eric Weiner travels from Switzerland to Bhutan to Qatar to Moldova, India and more seeking out the geographical whys and wheres of happiness. It's really interesting to see how in a place like Thailand, people never think twice about being happy -- if they are, if they should be, if they ever were -- but in America, we constantly ask those questions.

Only in America: So, am I happy? How can I get happy? Does being happy really matter that much?

In India, people laugh at themselves more. In Iceland, people have better attitudes about life in general. What I liked most was that happier people and countries have developed a way not to take themselves too seriously or to "sweat the small stuff." Unfortunately, many of those places are not exactly the freedom loving, limited government areas of the world I would choose.

Iceland: I feel like I could be happy here in this area at least.

If nothing else, the book is a fascinating look at humanity across the globe and wow -- one heckuva cool project to take on. Eric Weiner -- I want your job. It's an enjoyable read and if you are a world traveling lover like me, it will be right up your alley. I came away feeling like I learned a lot about some countries I'd never even considered, like Qatar and Moldova. Oh and by the way, the least happy places in the world are the little ones in cold Eastern Europe. I always knew there was reason I didn't aspire to go there!

Blame It On The Alcohol?

2012-02-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

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Did you know that women who exercise more are also prone to drinking more? You would think it'd be opposite but it turns out many of us work out junkies are sort of addicted to a feeling of euphoria that comes with both a great sweat session and a great buzz.

I always assume that most of my blog buddies in the online world and friends in real life that like to sweat it up drink less than I do. But perhaps I'm wrong.

Source.

The latest issue of Women's Health has a feature story on this issue and at least to me, it was a compelling read. Not surprisingly, the report also says the same ladies are more prone to eating disorders, risky sex and skin cancer.

Since joining the world of healthy living blogs, I've noticed how many of my fellow ladies have suffered from eating issues -- myself included. But, how many would be willing to write about struggles with drinking? Hardly any because that is taboo. You'd be too afraid to be labeled some sort of an alcoholic, right? From my own pathway in the world of eating disorders, I know that drinking sometimes goes right along with binge eating, restriction & more. I was part of an intense outpatient program for eating disorders at a hospital for four months at one point and the girls in my group confirmed that for me. It's the "feeling."

Back in my younger days, I definitely drank too much. I'm 23 here.

The issue notes that part of it could just be that drinkers know they have the will power and capability to get up the next day and "run it off." I've had many a Saturday when I did just that. I've jokingly/seriously said that best cure for a hangover is a workout. While that's true, it's not a very good justification for drinking too much.

"There are people who are sensation seekers. They engage in activities that produce intense sensations and can be quickly bored by things that don't produce these feelings." -- Ana M. Abrantes, Ph.d., assistant professor at Brown University's Alpert Medical School.

I'm not prepared to admit that the only reason I do and love so much running is because of an "intense sensation." I mean, I love running because it clears my mind, provides inspiration, keeps me healthy and helps me have goals and stay disciplined.

I always prefer this feeling to the other kind.

But, I do think people like me -- probably a lot of long distance runners -- likely tend to have a more sensation-based personality. We are "feeling" people and when we can't attain a "feeling" naturally, we look for ways to find it.

There have many times when I was dog tired but needed to rally for something so I literally laced up my shoes in a fog of yawns and just started running. It provided the endorphin energy power I needed to get my mind on track for whatever activity was next. Problem solved, right? But how many times have I been jokingly called "crazy" or accused of being too concerned with exercising? Less now than I used to but it happens.

So is there a problem with this sensation-based lifestyle? Maybe, maybe not. Do runners and workout junkies lead more destructive lifestyles than our less movement focused friends?

In addition to enjoying an amazing run and a the relaxation of a couple of Blue Moons, I am also a thrill seeker of sorts. I have gone skydiving and bungee jumping, moved to new places without giving it much thought, hopped a plane to India without knowing much about who would be picking up or where I'd be staying. I don't just want to go overseas, I want to go to the Congo and Lebanon - more dangerous parts of the world.

I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying a few adult beverages from time to time. I like the fact that exercise is a necessary part of my life. I like the community, the camaraderie, the inspiration and the self-discipline it instills in me. I like that I'm a deep thinker, a sensitive soul and a person who truly experiences the highs and lows of life. I feel things to my core -- and that makes me who I am.

But I think Women's Health is right. Many dedicated exercisers -- especially women -- are more prone to drinking more than they should. That's not such a bad thing -- but it's something to watch out for. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Honest-Tea!

2012-02-17T10:11:00.000-05:00

How can you not like a company called Honest? How ingenious! But, they come by it honest :) When I first heard of Honest Tea a couple of years ago, it was because they were local. A local DC-area brand had gone national -- big time. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing but haven't always been a sucker for bottled drinks.

When they contacted be recently and offered to send over some samples, I gladly said yes because who I am to turn down something potentially awesome? Plus, tea is GOOD for you and I don't get enough antioxidents. I had no idea that I would receive this cool "bouquet" of tea bottles on Valentines Day -- but I did -- complete with a heart shaped card and a hand written note!

As someone who works in social media and blogger outreach professionally, I was impressed with Honest's actions. I was also super excited to drink some tea! Their new product is a low-calorie sweet tea that tastes like regular sweet tea. Now, I love me some sweet tea! I lived in South Carolina for a year and thought I'd died and gone to heaven because sweet tea was like the appointed beverage for every mealtime.

I was skeptical trying the sweet tea but it lived up to Honest's description. It was genuinely delicious, sweet tea that did NOT taste bottled. That is key. It tasted like it was fresh brewed and because they make their tea with real tea leaves, you can see the natural tea leaf sediment in the jar. That's a good thing -- shows you it's natural! You just have to shake it up real good :)

They've also got some cool videos on YouTube. I love the concept of Honest Tea -- it is clearly a quality company that values true ingredients and assumes the best in people. Check out this one they did to see just how honest some cities in America are (the honor system!):

They also sent along a few other flavors to try, my favorite so far being the Mango Acai White Tea pictured above. The available flavors are absolutely mouthwatering, with names like Black Forest Berry, Moroccan Mint, Pomegranate Red Tea w/ Goji Berry & Sublime Mate.

I truly didn't intend this to be such a long post but I guess when you're feeling inspired, you just got for it. I hope you will check out the company's unique story on their website, start following them on Twitter and Facebook -- but most of all, that you'll give some of these amazing flavors a whirl. I'm about to pop open a "Just Green Tea" (no calories!) right and fuel up on some antioxidents!

Butterscotch-Pumpkin Cake Cookies

2012-02-16T06:51:00.003-05:00

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Back in October when I started getting into a pumpkin-y mood, I was so excited to get some pumpkin and get to baking. To my dismay, twice I went the store and found they were sold out of pumpkin! So when I went back later, I stocked up on a stash of like 10 cans -- just in case.

That means, it's nearly March and I've got to use up these cans! I also had a bag of butterscotch chips that were waiting for a home. When I ran into these pumpkin-butterscotch cookies over at Joy's place, I knew what I was making!

So my cookie pan could use some work but look how amazing those melty butterscotch chips are! Mmm!

So I knew I was making cookies in the evening -- and I knew I was going to be home alone all night so I just decided to forgo dinner. I am reeaaallly bad at making desserts and not taste testing. Like a lot. I ended up eating about 8 cookies and they were pretty amazing. I put "cake" in the title because they had a cake density about them -- not the normal crispy cookie density. I think it's because there was no butter -- just oil.

Just out of the oven, I dipped them in cold milk. I'm not normally a butterscotch person but something about these chips mixed with the pumpkin flavor and melty out of the oven was awesome.

Pumpkin-Butterscotch Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.

On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Mix in the chips.

Valentines Day Dinner

2012-02-15T09:11:00.000-05:00

Gifts for Rick -- I know, I'm so cheesy.

Valentines Day -- the holiday I basically never got to celebrate until last year. Each year came and went -- usually with me having dinner with girlfriends or eating ice cream on the couch (which I do three nights a week anyway...) but it is nice to have a Valentine for the second year in a row :)

Girls that have gotten flowers their entire lives or always had boyfriends can't appreciate it like me. Until I met Rick, no man had ever gotten me flowers believe it or not. But that makes things more special for the two of us. I waited a long time to be treated right so it's all good.

I had been talking about going to a restaurant in Alexandria -- Overwood -- for months so I was pleasantly surprised when Rick said he had made reservations nearly a week in advance. I was pretty impressed, actually! Also, excited to try a new restaurant that I'd heard good thing about.

I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant -- very open, uncrowded and bright. Last year, we ended up at some restaurant where our tables were butted up against three other couples. Real conservation was out of the question! This year, there was plenty of space and I liked that the server didn't rush us to order.

I am so indecisive to choosing what to order was difficult! I was wavering between a New York Strip, a Buffalo Chicken Salad, Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli and Crab Cakes. The crab cakes won and for some reason I was craving salty french fries like nothing else!

Rick ordered the Cajun spiced Ribeye, which also sounded amazing. I am not a picky eater so everything always sounds good. However, my crab cakes and fries were amazing and I ate every single bit of it! I had purposely worked out before dinner so I would feel energized and hungry!

We also had a bottle of half price cheapo wine. It was only $14 for this whole bottle but we really didn't drink much. We've both cut back on drinking a lot lately and I just wasn't feeling it. But the cheap wine paired with a $12 off coupon made for a not-too-expensive Valentines Day dinner. Now that we don't go out to nicer restaurants very often, it's a lot more special when we do. Love appreciating things, don't you?

All in all, it was a nice night out and breaking up the week with something different was a plus.

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pizza

2012-02-14T06:07:00.001-05:00

So while I was laid up like a cripple yesterday, I found some new cool recipes to make. Apparently, crack part of my rib, which has caused residual pain on the right side of my body including head, shoulder and neck. I went to the doctor yesterday, got an X-ray and was basically told there was nothing to do but wait it out and take Motrin. Awesome.

Not at all what was X-rayed but I like it.

What this means for my work out routine, I'm not sure. But I will tell you, ladies and gents, I'm not feeling very positive. I wish I still lived in my old apartment with the swimming pool...that is the workout for the injured, you know?

Sigh. I guess Crossfit is getting tabled for now. Just cancelled my gym membership so I could switch but can survive on the great outdoors and my apartment treadmill for awhile.

The funny thing is, I don't know how this happened. They said it could have been from coughing a lot when I had a cold last week. Really? Dude, my bones are getting brittle. Sounds like this girl needs to get some Vitamin D in her life.

Source.

Before we move on to pizza, I had to share with you a photo of my friend & former roommate, Kristyn, and I this weekend. We met during our internships almost six years and lived together for a couple of years. It's nice we can still meet up and catch up like no time has passed at all.

Congrats to Kristyn & her fiance on their upcoming wedding! Also, she sent me some sweet soup recipes to make in my food processor so stay tuned for those!

When I saw this photo & recipe the other day, I knew I had to make it. All things I love: goat cheese, pesto, shrimp. Put them together? Yes ma'm! This was one of the easiest things I've ever made and it tasted great.

I used pre-made pizza dough (Boboli) for the first time and was not a big fan of the taste. Next time, I will use homemade for sure. Another tip? I went overload on the goat cheese because it's one of my favorites but it is way overpowering so use it sparingly. I ended up picking some off my pizza actually!

Shrimp & Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza crust (homemade or store-bought)
Pesto (homemade or packet mixed with olive oil)
1 Cup Mozzarella cheese
1/4 Cup of crumbled goat cheese
20 baby shrimp, slightly cooked before oven.

Directions: Unthaw frozen shrimp by cooking with a little olive oil & garlic salt in a pan but don't cook them all the way. Mix the pesto and spread evenly across the pizza dough. Spread mozz cheese evenly. Then, add shrimp and goat cheese. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it. I like mine really well done.

Happy Valentines Day to my one & only! I love you, Rick.

Love the Run You're With

2012-02-13T05:44:00.000-05:00

The BomfDC crew -- post race!

Yesterday I ran my first race with the Back On My Feet crew and it was awesome! I've been running with the group since October on regular mornings but races are an entirely different situation -- and one that I really like!

We met up at CSS at 7:30am to load up the cars and head down to Pentagon City for a very frosty Love the Run You're With 5k. I'm going to venture to say that with the wind chill it was about 0 degrees, no joke.

I had four layers on top and initially though that might be too much. Nope! My fingers and toes quickly turned into bloodless blocks of ice while we waited for the starting time. I did a lot of hopping around and making weird "I'm cold" noises, all while keeping a smile on my face :)

When the race finally started at 9am, I had never been so excited to start running only for the sheer factor of warming up! I was running with Gary for the race -- his very first 5k or race ever! That makes it extra fun if you ask me.

Gary's goal was to run without walking and ooh boy, we did it! Though he wanted to stop once, we kept on and made it across the finish line in about 39 minutes. It felt awesome to be there with someone to run their first race. He was pretty happy about it too :)

Gary & I just before crossing the starting line!

Afterward, we gathered back up with our BOMF peeps at Champs where the after party was happening. After some congratulatory high fives, hugs and race recaps, most of us were ready to head home for a hot shower, drink or blanket!

Herman and Larry also ran their first races and before I drove them back to CSS, I asked them to talk with me just a little about how it went:

All in all, the day went great despite the cold. I'm really excited to start becoming more involved with BOMF on the weekends and aside from just morning runs. The truth is, the more you get to know people, the more you want to be there with them to accomplish their goals.

I've always struggled with volunteering because I feel out of place, or don't know what to do to be really helpful. With BOMF, that's not the case -- and to be honest, it doesn't feel like "volunteering." It feels like being a part of changing lives and honestly, just giving back positive energy to the world through running, relationships, goals and love.

7 Rituals For Running When You're Unmotivated

2012-02-11T16:27:00.001-05:00

One question I'm asked frequently is, how do you get yourself to run so much? I usually just say, "I don't know" but that's not the truth. The truth is that it's hard but my smart and rationale brain knows that the hard will pay off in the end. That doesn't mean it comes naturally -- no sirreee.

So, how do you motivate yourself when running is the last thing you want to do? There are several things and it took me years to get them down. But, I promise, the end result -- heck, the middle result -- of a run is always worth it.

My 7 Rituals For Running When You Are Unmotivated

1. Put on your running clothes. If you do nothing else, this action will probably be the make or break of your running success for the day. Make no promises to yourself. You don't have to run if you put them on -- but just do it -- put them on.

2. Drink a glass of ice water. I know that tired, sluggish feeling. I had it today. The one where you feel like walking up a flight of stairs would be like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is only temporary. I promise. Drinking a glass of ice water will help to start unthawing your sluggishness.

3. Splash water on your face. I do it every morning to wake up whether I'm running or not. It's a great idea for when you need some pump in your spirit to get out the door.

4. Start moving. I like to to do side twists. First of all, they feel good on your back and if you're like me, you imagine them toning the sides of your abs. Do like 25 and your blood will start pumping.

5. Stretch. Do some butterfly stretches, calf raises or other easy, no heavy breathing, or even comfortable stretches that your body likes. No pressure here, right?

6. Make a new playlist. Your playlist is old news, get a new one! I often realize I haven't downloaded any of the latest Top 40 music so I got to the Top 40 and find the songs I've been loving on the radio but haven't yet added. I then download & make a great playlist.

7. Think long term. Rationally consider how the run will be beneficial for you immediately and for the rest of the day. Energy levels stay high and endorphins soar in a way nothing else can make them. Promise yourself you only have to run one mile and walk the rest. Guarunteed you will want to run more!

I wanted to prove that I DO have these feelings! Sometimes when I get up in the morning I wonder how I do it so often. And on Saturdays or Sundays, it's harder because I often hang around until I "feel" like running -- which often never comes. It's not about burning calories (though that's an added benefit) -- it's about breathing, believing and reaching your optimal place for the day.

I always have the idea to do a video when I'm sitting in my pajamas without make up on. I've gotta get these ideas once I look a little more awake & alive but for now...bear with me :)

After this video, I ran through my rituals and got myself outside. To be honest, even once I was outside, I struggled. It was starting to rain and I wasn't sure I could stomach a long 7 on the treadmill. I walked back to the house for a minute. No, this was not going to stop me.

I opened my apartment's gate and took my first stride. No pressure, no speed needs, just a slow gallop. Three miles in, when "Suddenly I See" came on, I was speeding around corners and loving the cold weather which now felt glorious. So worth it.

That's What I Like About You

2012-02-10T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is me cheersing (not a word) YOU!

In my last post about some of my favorite blogs to read, I mentioned I'd be doing another segment. The time has come! Due to some of the awesome suggestions from you guys on the previous post, I have some newbies on here as well! I'm so glad I ventured into running blog land a bit more because I feel most comfortable there with my running blogger peeps (though I still love all my HLBs!)

First, I gotta give props to all the awesome DC bloggers. Obviously, the following is not a comprehensive list. I read far more than I've linked but I have to say we have a great blogging community here in our nation's capitol and I'm thrilled to to be a part of it! A few of my daily reads are below!

Honey I Shrunk the Gretchen (DC): After meeting Gretchen in person, I can tell you, her personality matches the fun-loving person you meet on the blog! It's a good one for smiles and today's post features a special solo :)
Jess Runs (DC): I met Jess on my way to the Healthy Living Summit last year and am so glad I did. Her focus on training and the things she enjoys doing (like tailgating) are fun and relatable!
Carly Bananas (DC): I like that Carly is a newer runner with a realistic view about races & having fun. After meeting her for the first time last week, I can see her funny personality shine through the blog even more. A DC must read!
Travel Eat Repeat (DC): I really love Erin's "staycation" posts about places to visit in DC -- especially her coffee shop posts when she discovers the cute places we all need to try!
Going on Goals (DC): Sarah's true to her blog's title about goals & I love that! It's something we should all focus on more -- especially me!
Run This Amazing Day (DC): I'm a new reader of this one but really loving Katie's hilarious posts. Her training and her sarcasm are a blast to read about!

A few of my non-DC loves include the following. I'm a new daily reader of these girls and so glad I recently decided to expand my reading. I'm not going to lie, I had to knock a few blogs that I wasn't enjoying out of my reader (I'll never tell!) to make room for those I like better and that's A-OK! A select few that were bumped up:

Here's the truth: I have more to add. However, I know how lists are -- and how people stop reading when they get too long & I do NOT want to do that because I actually want you to click on these and check them out!

Just small snapshot of a few others. So much to love peeps!

I'm also using this post to tackle the questionnaire that's been floating around. I actually kind of promised I wasn't going to do it (but that was maybe only because no one tagged me - until now!). Cie le vie, why not?

11 Random Things

1. I must sleep with socks on every single night.
2. I have used and relied on a Netti pot -- even though it's yucky.
3. I used to work at the front desk of a spa in a hotel in Charleston, SC.
4. I worked at Chick Fil A for three years in high school. Still love it!
5. I had my first kiss when I was 17.
6. When I was a seven, I wanted to be a "cartoonist" when I grew up.
7. I almost went to a small, private Christian college but instead went to my hometown pride, Indiana University.
8. I've never plucked, waxed, etc. my eyebrows. I barely have eyebrows.
9. The only two famous people I've been told I resemble are Allison Hannigan & Ariel the Mermaid.
10. I have freckles & love them. Just wish the sun wasn't so bad for you!
11. The only foods I really despise are olives & raisins.

1. What is your favorite kind of hummus? Roasted pine nut from Sabra

2. What is your ideal job? Exotic travel writer

3. Where would you like to go for your next vacation? South Pacific Islands.

4. What is one thing you use daily that you could live without? eye depuffer

5. If you could see any Broadway Show which one would you see? Phantom of the Opera

6. What is your all time favorite book? Can't pick one but will go with "Summer Sisters" by Judy Blume -- a timeless fav for me :)

7. Which song would you say describes your life? Small Town by John Mellencamp. I mostly pick this because a) I LOVE the song & Mellencamp & b)part of the video shot in my hometown, Bloomington, Indiana -- where Mellencamp lives. Cool thing I've waited on him in the restaurant I used to work in. Sad that he got divorced from Elaine and now is seen hanging out in the mall with Meg Ryan!

8. What is your favorite kind of chocolate? Reeaaaallly dark chocolate.

9. If you could only do one type of exercise for the rest of your like which exercise would you pick and why? Running -- duh! Cause I loves it :)

10. What is your lucky number and why? Don't have one at all!

11. What is your college mascot? Hoosiers. No, I can't explain what that is.

Scaling Back & Keeping On It

2012-02-09T07:43:00.001-05:00

Somehow I managed to wear all three pairs of my remaining running shoes this week and leave them at the front door. I try not to walk in shoes in the house so this happens a lot. Obviously, my most worn type of footwear :)

Which leads me to my next point: I prefer to rely on lots of exercise so I don't have to worry so much about how much I eat. Not excessive exercise, but about an hour a day almost every day.

But what if you are injured? What if you are sick? What if your body is just telling you to chill out? That's what's been happening to me a lot lately. Like, the cold weather and me just don't mix. But I really still like to eat. It's a dilemma. Luckily, I've been able to just scale back on the distance & intensity...even so, scaling back on food as been less than successful. Anyone else feel me?

A runner with a cold's bed side table.

The thing is, I LIKE to exercise. I love to run. I adore the sweat beads of inspiration that pour out of me so much that I wish I could think straight to a note pad so I don't forget all of the good ideas I have on a long run.

Yesterday morning, I did NOT want to get out of bed to meet up with Back on My Feet at our normal 5:45am spot. Did NOT. But I knew my friends were expecting me and despite a bad mood that felt like it was coming out my ears, I went. And -- as always -- I was glad that I did. Within minutes of starting our run, the anxiety I felt about work began to dissipate. I began to feel motivated and actually, a little excited to get to work!

Just getting to wear these rad running gloves in the cold motivates me to run. I'm not kidding.

But, then, I ran out of time. You see, I run with some beginners at BOMF and so most of the time, I don't get to run more than 2 miles. Runners -- you know -- two miles is not much and I'm always itching to get back home to the treadmill to pound out the rest of my morning workout. But there was a traffic jam on the highway (which normally is free and clear at 6:30am going out of DC). By the time I got home, it was almost 7:15am and I knew I just didn't have time for more. That frustrates the heck out of me!

So I scrapped it. I told myself I would go to the total body conditioning class at the gym last night instead. As reality would have it, by the time I got close to the end of the workday, that plan sounded like a bad one. As Ashley reminded me earlier, I'm not the only one with an evening "slump."

It's just not that simple. I have to allot a full hour to commute home, then change at my apartment and drive 15 minutes to the gym. In the rain. So MUCH for a measly class. And, so...I did not go.

I also was anticipating my 5am wake up call for a run with Maggie at 5:15am this morning. This is how I felt when my alarm went off at 4:45am:

Also, tweet proof:

But then, it was awesome. I never get to run outside in the mornings unless I'm at BOMF so this was a special treat. And Maggie pushes me cause she's a fastie. Plus, we always have so much to say, I can barely breathe correctly while trying to recount the details of life since we last saw eachother. Ahh, that's what friends are for :)

Not going to lie, having one of my best friends also be a running friend is a double benefit. She's also one of those people that can talk about running and pace and get excited about races and training with me. It was just meant to be! Love you Mags!!! We ran in the cold darkness for about five miles and by the end, the worries of the day began to lift.

I was tempted to head over to the treadmill and bust out about 3 more but I tried listening to my tired body and instead came inside to work on some back strengthening and weights. More strength, less cardio is a mantra I should repeat! And it gave me a chance to participate in Lindsay's new weekly fitness idea: FLOW!

Here I show you a couple things on my new stability ball. Very basic. But this is my very first video like this of any kind so consider it a tester -- a pilot if you will :)

Now, I'll try not to overdo it on the food today. It sure makes the morning a lot more enjoyable - and easier to get up!

QUESTION: Does anyone else have trouble cutting back on food when you have to cut back on exercise? How do you combat the issue? I'd love to get some tips!

The Whole Enchilada

2012-02-08T07:29:00.000-05:00

Cheesy chopped chicken enchiladas from Pinterest!

I know what you are going to say. Where's the running? Where's the running? And to that I reply...seriously. I'd like to know myself!

Actually, in all honesty, I kind of got my running mojo back yesterday when I ran 8 miles on the treadmill while reading the March issue of Glamour. Thanks Glamour for putting Amanda Seyfried on the cover because I'm in love with her.

Love her love her love her!

Glamour is almost starting to feel to post-college to me -- as in, written for 24-year-olds and not people that are, well, not 24 -- such as myself. Oh sigh, I remember when I started feeling too old for "Seventeen" -- a day I thought would never come. Before I know I'll be reading "Better Homes & Gardens" and "Readers Digest!"

This is the FIRST issue of "Seventeen" I ever bought. I was only 12 & my Mom was NOT happy when she saw I bought it! I always remember Niki Taylor fondly :)

Either way, this Glamour issue inspired me to start trying new things with my existing wardrobe instead of buying new stuff. I'm trying SO hard not to buy clothes right now and be resourceful with belts, layering and items I usually leave lonely in the closet.

Now that I'm on a budget, I'm much more careful about what I spend. I've exchanged semi-pricy dinners out for Subway and happy hours for impulse buys at Target for more thoughtful purchases. It's not easy but I finally have some savings and that feels really good. Of course these kinds of "impulse buys" sometimes cannot be avoided:

I'm doin' it. Will YOU be there? Let's meet up at mile 15! :)

You wanna see about these enchiladas? I picked them out from Pinterest, which lead me back to "Pennies on a Platter" for the recipe. I'll tell ya what -- just go there if you want the instructions 'cause they are LOOONG.

I will say I made the sauce as instructed and made a lot of adjustments, like using chicken chopped up in my food processor instead of pork. When you don't want to go buy every single ingredient at the store, you make do and that's okay too. It tasted AWESOME.

A Weekend Of My Life

2012-02-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

This weekend was fun and gloriously filled with a lot of laziness but wasn't a nutritional or physical win for me in any way. Feeling sick didn't help! But, I'm trying to give myself a break because I've been sick -- and also because I'm not marathon training and it's still the beginning of February so I don't have to get rid of my love handles just yet. It's still not fun to feel yucky because of bad eating choices though :(

Friday night, I had a fantastic time joining blogger book club at Gretchen's house! I said I was "cheating" on my other book club (who I've been with for several years) but for someone who reads as much as I do, two clubs are no problem. We read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" -- which I'd already read a couple years ago -- and had a great time meeting for the first time (most of us), drinking wine and talking blogs!

Awkward plate, wine, conversation pose. Thanks for the pic, Gretchen!

I woke up feeling totally run down on Saturday with a cold, sore throat and no energy. Thus, I spent about four hours watching a "Parenthood" marathon and finishing season 2. Have you seen this show? It's incredible! My new favorite, seeing as how I completed watching every episode in just a few weeks. I actually never saw the early 90s movie it is based off of but highly recommend it if you are looking for a new series!

"Parenthood" rocks and the acting is stellar!

Around 3pm, I decided to get out of my pajamas and run some errands with Rick, who had to work most of the day unfortunately. We then made dinner and watched a really cool documentary called "Life in a Day" -- a film where different people all over the world all filmed their lives on the same day.

The producers then sliced together hundreds of individual clips to showcase commonalities and differences in the lives of human beings in 192 countries. It's the kind of film I think should be shown to students across America and I found extremely interesting and inspiring as well.

Soon after, we headed over to Bailey's in Ballston to watch the UFC fight. Can't say I'm personally a big UFC fan but Rick is and we met my friend Alexa, her husband and some others for a night out. Unfortunately, the boys wanted to sit in the cigar/smoking half of the bar so we came out smelling terrible and icky looking lungs no doubt. I've never been a smoker and sometimes I forget there are people that are because I'm never around smoking anymore! Those clothes needed a good washing after!

There was a lot of this. Maybe I just don't get it...

Source.

On Sunday, I went to our second team meeting for the Congo. I'm really excited about the team because we are incredibly focused on learning the history of the country, staying up with current events, learning the language and really digging deep into this misunderstood place we are going. In fact, tonight I'm attending an optional small weekly small group that focuses exclusively on issues in the Congo. It was started by last year's team, who all remain heavily invested in pursuing healing, resources, prayer, etc. for this country.

That's why I know Congo will not just going to be a 10-day trip. It's going to be a country, an issue, I care about for years to come. This is different than other trips I've gone on -- it's a team full of people who want to make a lasting difference. Reading "Blood River" has given me a clear glimpse into the backwards direction Congo has taken, despite the multitude of resources like diamonds, cobalt and more, that exist there.
Some of what the team did last year:

Otherwise, I watched the Superbowl at my house with Rick -- meaning I played on my computer and paid attention during the commercials and went to bed before it was over! Sorry, I just can't make myself get into football. It was one of the only times I've not gone to a Superbowl party but thinking back, I never have a great time at them anyway. I always just eat too much and dread having to get up early for work!

Unfortunately, I woke up feeling sick about 2am this morning and was wide awake to watch "The Big Chill" on OWN. Thus, my morning run was nixed in favor of sleeping in a little and now I'm on day 3 of no working out. However, my eating is back on track today (so far.) I'll just start banking on this one I guess:

Homemade Hummus: Easy & Delicious

2012-02-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

I love hummus. I mean LOVE. I need only a bit of chip or tiny piece of veggie to go with an entire tablespoon glop of hummus. But, I've always eaten store bought hummus -- namely Sabra.

But it was time. Getting my own food processor means finding reasons to use it, at least once a week in my opinion. When I saw Caitlin's recipe for "embarrassingly easy hummus," I book marked and saved for a later day.

Cue yesterday, when I had a glorious Saturday morning to myself and a kitchen needing usage. Plus, I'd bought all the ingredients the week before so I was golden. It was just as simple as I thought -- and delicious too. Thought I'd give you a little video tutoriol:

Easy Peasy Hummus

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 lemons, juiced
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons minced garlic
pinch of salt

Directions: Add garbanzo beans to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic and salt. Pulse until combined.

Big Spending Crossfitter?

2012-02-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

Source.

This morning, I went to Crossfit for the first time. I was nervous. I'm in good shape so it wasn't that. It was the group aspect, the unknown, the fear of climbing ropes and pulling tires, which I've seen on the videos. I had no idea what to expect.

But, I showed up at 5:45am and the gym was bustling. That is what I love, people up and moving really early, excited to be alive and doing good things for their bodies. The first session actually begins at 5:15 -- yikes! But I'm totally up for that one...I LOVE getting a good workout early early. Makes the day start out awesome.

My main concern with Crossfit now is the cost. If I sign up for a 6-month commitment, it's $169/month. That's a lotta cash money. If I do it, I will end my gym membership at Washington Sports Club, which is currently $76/month. Even so, a lot of dough in a year when I'm trying to save.

However, doing something different is important to me. I know I can run marathons. I love them, will still do them but it's the off season for me. I'd like to prove to myself that I can have muscles and maybe even some semblance of a six pack. It would be a new and different kind of accomplishment. Here's the video from my gym:

Untitled from chriss smith on Vimeo.

Then there's this: My friend wants me to sign up for the Chicago Marathon with her. But, I don't know yet if I hit the lottery with New York -- which is a ridiculous $255 + two night hotel stay = $$$. This fitness stuff is getting out of control.

Plus, there are numerous random weekend races, new shoes, gear, fuel, equipment. They say all you need to run is a pair of shoes and an open road. I beg to differ.

Did I ever tell you about my previous gym/fitness FAILS?

In 2006, I paid for an entire year's gym membership at the gym I went to in another state, merely because I didn't checked my bank statement enough to realize $50 was going out the window for no reason. When I finally figured it out, I couldn't get reimbursed because, well, they didn't care that I was too stupid to notice I didn't go there anymore.
In 2008, I decided to join a second gym because my new job had put me across the street from a great gym I could go to at lunch. I didn't want to give up my home gym and decided having access to classes and two awesome gyms at any time were "worth" it to me. A mere two months after I joined the new gym, my company unexpectedly closed and I was left with no use for the gym. Unfortunately, I had signed a year long contract. Long story short, I wasted $500 on a gym I didn't use.
I signed up & paid for for 8 weeks of dance classes once at a local studio and never once attended.

Dude. So, I feel about 75% sure that I'm going to end my gym membership and try Crossfit. It's a pricy commitment but it's worth it because I know I will do it. Plus, you have to change things up every now and then to keep life interesting -- and that's not just a cliche line, it's true!

Who does Crossfit? What do you think? Worth it? Also, have you ever coincided Crossfit with marathon training? I know it will run together by the time I get started but I have to get my money's worth! It's time really work this body out!

Nike Running: Why I Love Thee

2012-02-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

Source

Small confession. The only reason I like ESPN is the commercials. My favorite sports to watch are gymnastics and running so most of the time, I'm SOL when it comes to prime time.

But the commercials? Score. Sports commercials of any kind always have a good soundtrack and plenty of inspiration. It makes me wonder why we can't get more of that mojo on regular TV. They are also usually funnier (Hello, Bud Light.)

Nike is obviously one of the best sellers in the business. We all live by their genius phrase, "Just do it" and they've got the money to make some pretty badass commercials. Sometimes, almost like mini-documentaries of motivation.

I come away from a Nike running commercial ready to lace up my shoes and head out the door in a hot sprint. The best part of this one is the very last scene (of course!):

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;ddddfa&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Clearly, I have a few other options to try out when I'm injured. It's time to get excited about muscle and balance of sweat of every variety.

Sweaty zumba, sweaty jump roping, sweaty, headstands and pushups. Sweaty wet laps in the pool, pedals on the trail, pull ups and dumbbells! Sweat does not discriminate and just because I can't run 10 miles this weekend doesn't mean I can't feel the burn.

I'm not going to lie -- I am not decked out in Nike everyday. I prefer Mizuno running shoes but I do thank Nike for something they give away for free with their advertising: inspiration -- and that is priceless.

Stop complaining. Just do it.

Tortellini & Garden Vegetable Bake

2012-02-01T07:42:00.000-05:00

I told you guys I was going to start cooking again. Can you believe this -- two food posts in a week? I know, crazy. But since back issues have my running basically sidelined, I just don't know what to do with myself!

Actually, it has been really hard. When I can't run, I feel a little trapped. I wonder daily when this will go away and have anxiety about marathon training that won't even begin for three months. Not because I dread it -- but because I don't want anything to go wrong.

Chill. Out. Okay.

This is Pinterest dish #2 for the week. I pin and I pin but what's a pin worth if it just sits on your little old board all day? So I decided to bring some things to life. Thankfully, my co-workers finished off the Key Lime cupcakes so I ddn't "have" to.

If you haven't noticed from previous meals, I'm obsessed with parmesan cheese (and, just, cheese generally speaking) and this dish has cream cheese, cheese tortellini & parmesan cheese. But fear not -- it doesn't have to be a recipe for disaster on your stomach!

If you are worried, cut the cream cheese ingredient in half (had way too much & I used lite cream cheese) and you can substitute cheese tortelini for another kind of no-cheese pasta. Personally, I think the cheese tortellini shells are worth it because they were awesome!

Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake

Ingredients

10 ounces dried cheese-filled tortellini (2-1/2 cups) or two 9-ounce packages refrigerated tortellini
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved crosswise
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 8 ounce package cream cheese or light cream cheese (Neufchatel), cubed and softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 small red or green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions, adding the carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking and the sugar snap peas during the last 1 minute of cooking; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat margarine or butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add chicken and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
3. Shake together chicken broth, oregano, flour, garlic salt, and pepper in a screw-top jar until smooth. Add to skillet along with milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; add cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Add pasta mixture, chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sweet pepper. Toss to coat. Turn into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole.
4. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Stir mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Transport in an insulated carrier. Makes 12 main-dish servings.
From the Test Kitchen
- Make Ahead Tip Prepare as directed but don't bake it. Instead, cover and chill up to 24 hours. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven about 55 minutes or until hot.
*Thank you Better Homes & Gardens

Twitter for You & Your Organization

2012-01-31T07:36:00.000-05:00

I kid, I kid.

Even though many people just got hip to Twitter in the past year or so, Twitter and I have had a relationship since 2008. It didn't start out as anything serious. We were just having fun. But then...Twitter and I decided to make a big commitment. We became professional partners and have been living happily in my career ever since.

What? Yeah, well, let me explain. Part of my professional job is tweeting for and creating strategy for a large company account. In every job I've had, Twitter has played a fairly big role. I accidentally jumped into a career in social media -- and I'm so glad I did!

Now, nearly 8,000 followers later, I've learned some pretty nifty tricks. met some pretty awesome people from the Twitterverse, and get to teach other people how to be effective Tweeters.

I even spent two years working on Capitol Hill teaching Members of Congress about why THEY should be using Twitter to reach their Constituents. And, let's just say, a lot of them listened!

Ready? This is how people normally look when I'm about to tell them about Twitter.

Every workplace can benefit from someone who has a strong knowledge of social media. We are all trying to get our names out there -- whether that means an organization we work for -- or our own networking within the blogosphere.

I put together something for work that I thought might be beneficial to some readers. I changed it a bit to make more applicable (and forgive the political references related to my job). No pressure but if you want t learn a little more about Twitter for yourself & your workplace, read on.

Click below for MORE.

Professionally speaking, who should you try to influencethrough Twitter?

1) News Media

a. The more your company's message can get picked up in the local & national media outlets, the further reach you will have.

b. Start byfollowing a pre-made list of media people like this one.

c. Curate your own Twitter list of reporters to followfrom Newspapers, Magazines, Television, Radio,etc.

2) Bloggers & Media Personalities in your subject

a. Examples in Fitness: @JillianMichaels, @Ryan Hall3, @TheBillyBlanks

b. Examples in Nutrition: @Kriss_Carr, @DrNancyNBCNews, @djblatner

3) Organizations, Companies, Brands, Magazines

a. Follow organizations like Back on My Feet, Girls on the Run, DC Road Runners

b. Follow Magazines like Runners World, Fitness, Shape, Self, etc.

d. Follow brands like Mizuno, Chobani, Quaker Oats, Clif Bar, Nike, etc.
e. *Follow STAFF at these places to make personal connections with them.

My company Twitterfeed: See the use of hashtags, @handles, links & RTing friends.

Making Twitter Personal

1) ALWAYS: Be helpful. Be informative. Beinteresting. Be yourself.

2) Don’t just tweet out the headline from your blog post! Think about making it interesting with a quote, a question, a teaser etc.

3) What you are reading, doing, thinking. Tweet it out!

a. Awesome piece on ways to make your Facebook Timelineshine! [LINK]

b. Check out our quote in today's @USAToday how green energy works! [LINK]

c. Watching a powerful video on @Oprah about how to save your own life! [LINK]
d. You've got to see this amazing recipe from @ThatsSoMichelle. To die for! [LINK]

4) Are you talking about a person, brand, organization,etc.? Always search to see if they have a Twitter handle you can reference. Themore you can connect with your topic/subject, the more it will ride the wave ofthe social ocean.

a. How do you find Twitter handles? Google variations of names/places + "Twitter" and usually it will come up or try searching their website. See below.

How do you measure your influence?

1) Follower count.

a. You can increase your follower count by starting with amass following of similarly-minded individuals on Twitter. You avoid havingto look at all of their tweets by using Tweetdeck or Hootsuite with Twitterlists.

2) ReTweets & Replies

a. How many individuals are retweeting or replying to yourmessage. You can identify the potential reach by counting your followers andtheir followers. The numbers easily become significant (to report back to the boss!).

3) Media coverage

a. If something you tweet out catches a reporter oropinion makers eye and they report on it, link to it, or somehow promote your message because of it, you’ve had a major impact

b. Site linkage of blogs, news sites, other tweets, Facebook, etc.

*The video below is one I show during presentations. If you haven't seen it before, it's worth a watch!

How do you work with other, similarorganizations?

1) Lists!

a. Makea list of all of our coalitions partners. Find them all on Twitter and curateinto a Twitter list!

b. Askeach org. if they have a list of their employees using Twitter. Follow them!

c. Whenwe have an item to promote, ask the social media person at that organization ifthey can provide a RT or a tweet praising our product with a link.

d. Beprepared to give back. Promote the information, papers, ideas, events of yourcompany's friends. Same with other bloggers!

e. Ifyou have a request, curate apre-tweet for them to copy and paste easily into their Twitter that isunder 140 characters.

i. Ex. RT @Heritage Check our expertanalysis of last night’s #SOTU! [LINK]

2) Hashtags

a. Inthe fitness world, there are several we use reguarly: #fitblog, #runchat,#fitluential to name a few. In your professional world, therewill be some too. In the GOP, for example, they used the hashtag #4jobs tofocus on employment. Search for the hashtags relevant to your field &use when applicable to amessage.

b. Createa hashtag for a specific even, such as #CampaignTech for the Campaign TechConference.

c. Finda hashtag that is already trending and begin making your own tweets/contentrelevant to that hashtag so it’s delivered to a larger group of people that arefollowing the trend. Today, #ThingsThatAreSexy is trending. Tack that on toyour messages that could be relatable and get traffic to your blog. Findappropriate hashtags for your profession and do the same.

3) Search Forums

a. Collaborating on an issue?Create a “Twitter search” for the subject of note. Then you will see all thepeople tweeting

Example of how one group "hijacked" a hash tag.

Conference Tweeting

1) Identify theapproved hashtag for the conference. Most conferences usethem but not all. If there is one, make sure you use itconsistently in all your tweets related to the conference. Create a “search”for the hashtag on your phone/computer so you can see everyone else tweetingabout it. Then, follow everyone who is there tweeting about it! No hashtag? Aska question on your account like, “Who else is at the BlogHer Food Conference?” and you may get response from people searching for thesame.

See how these conference attendees use the hashtag #CPAC2012 to talk to others that are there.

2) When you meetanyone in person, follow it up with a “Nice meeting @KellyAtkins today.Look forward to checking out xyz.com.” It is NOT rude to as if the person youare speaking with has Twitter. Ask! Write it down. After you’ve met someone inperson, your tweets to/from eachother in the future mean 10 times more. Trustme!

3) Booths &Cards. Pick up a card from every booth. Then, Google to see if they are onTwitter. Follow them. Tweet them to say it was nice stopping by their booth.Tell them to check out your blog, website, company. Make sure you respond if they respond.

Twitter Tips

· Be authentic.

· Do mix business with pleasure.

· Be helpful and informative to others.

· Be SOCIAL: Reach out to those you wouldn’t normally have theopportunity to talk to. That could be a Senator,a celebrity, an author or anyone else you might not otherwise have anopportunity to speak to in person.

· Don’t worry too much about gainingfollowers! It’s as organic as you are authentically active.

· Be generous: RT,compliment, redirect, promote other people’s stuff!

· Be grammatically correct and avoidprofanity. Don’t use “4” in place of “for” or “2” in place of “two” unless itis absolutely necessary.

· Mix it up: Post to and aboutdifferent people, different publications, etc.

· Tweet regularly: You need to tweetat least a few times a day. (You can set this up

· automaticallyfor busy days but don’t rely on it, it is real time social!)Do respond to yourmentions regularly! (or people will think you don’t care)

· Do shorten your links with Bit.ly.Domake your tweets aethestically pleasing.

· Do use Tweetdeck and iphoneapps.Link love: Twitter is a loving environment. You love those you follow,they will love you back. Share their websites…become popular.

· LISTEN! Are you reading what othersare sharing? Respond!

Happy Tweeting!

Key Lime Cupcakes

2012-01-29T12:50:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had one goal -- to make one entree and one dessert and one entree from the many items I've pinned recently on Pinterest. What's the point in pinning if I never do anything with it, right?

I chose Key Lime cupcakes to start with. I've never made anything key lime and it had been some time since I broke up my nifty cupcake carrier so off I went to get the ingredients. Thanks to My Madison Bistro for the idea!

You guys -- best frosting ever! Probably because it had a stick of butter, a package of cream cheese and a bunch of powdered sugar. Also, the cupcakes themselves...made with cake flour, buttermilk and all kinds of other goodness. These were heavenly.

I followed the directions for these to a T -- from the room temperature buttermilk to sifting the flour and powdered sugar and mixing everything in in segments. If you know me at all, you know I tend to skip directions and just go for it sometimes -- but I wanted these to be awesome! Here's a little video:

They key to making the cupcake part really good -- for me -- is to make sure you don't overcook. I did two batches and the second one I did overcooke. But the first batch, I left them in for only about 19 or 20 minutes and they came light, fluffy, like buttah :)

Key Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cool unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 ½ tablespoons key lime juice
1 tablespoon key lime zest
1 drop green food coloring paste
¾ cup buttermilk (room temperature)

Icing:

1 stick cool unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature), cut into 8 pieces
2 ¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon key lime zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt three times, set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low until it’s softened a bit. Add the sugar and increase the speed to medium. Beat until fluffy, about four minutes. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lime juice, zest, and food coloring and beat until mixed. (The mixture will look curdled.)

Add the flour in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix on low until just combined. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool completely and frost with cream cheese icing.

Makes 12-14 cupcakes.

Icing:
Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on low until it’s softened a bit. Increase speed to medium and add the cream cheese one piece at a time. Reduce speed to low and slowly add powdered sugar until combined. Beat in zest.

Travel: Dream a Little Dream

2012-01-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

Okay, so that's NOT me but it's how I feel sometimes. Where is this chick? I like to think she's backpacking through Australia. Mostly because that's what I'd be doing if I were her. She's letting all the glory of earthy winds envelop her and no strings are holding her back.

To feel that free.

Sometimes, I get a craving for the spirits of adventure that are nearly impossible to obtain. You see, I want to go everywhere. I couldn't give a Top 10 list of the places I want to go because there are too many. If I'm lucky, I'll get to hit up at least 10 more in my lifetime.

I've been lucky enough to visit some amazing places in my life: Venezuela, Mexico, Jamaica, Belgium, England, Holland, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Dubai, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya and India.

Did you know that there is a website called MostTraveledPeople.com? I will never get on that list but I had fun browsing the website to see who my idols were : ) If money and time were no problem, my life goal would be to travel to every country in the world.

I've come across some glorious photos lately of some of the places I dream of so I hope you will indulge me this moment to share them with you.

1) Greece. This is also a place Rick wants to go so I have high hopes of actually getting here! I first fell in love with it while watching -- don't laugh -- "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." You know when Rory Gilmore (sorry, that's all I can call her) goes to live with her grandmother for the summer? Yeah, swoon!

2) Thailand. This is just a given. Exotic, beautiful, pined over destination for many a world traveler. Even after watching "Broke Down Palace" (just rent it!), I've got to get here someday. I had the chance to go with my friends Jenny & Allison a couple of years ago but had to say no because of the cost.

3) South Africa. Okay, so I don't know if this photo is actually from South Africa. Yes, I know that Africa is a continent, not a country. However, there are too many African countries to name that I'd like to visit so I"m settling for this. This photo is so "Lion King" -esque too! I'll be taking a mission trip with my church to Burundi & the Democratic Republic of the Congo in June. Words can't describe my anticipation!

4. Alaska. I've seen so many gorgeous photos of Alaska and it just seems like a place all its own. I'm fascinated when I meet someone that grew up there and think it would amazing to take an Alaskan cruise and stop in different parts of the state. I know very little about it but I'd love to go.

5) Paris. It's glamorized. It's overdone. It's the city of a thousand romantic poems. But I still want to go and I want to sit here at this little table overlooking the Eiffel Tower. I want to eat croissants every morning and drink tiny cups of espresso after every meal. I have a feeling I will never do this but I can still dream.

So it wasn't easy to pick JUST 5 to grace you with in this blog post but here they are. This is in no particular order and it doesn't mean there's not something on here I want to see more. For example, Bali, Australia, Venice, Brazil, Morocco...you get the drift.

Dream a little dream :)

QUESTION: Where are your dream destinations? Why? Have you been somewhere cool that I should add to my list? I'd LOVE to hear feedback on this guys!

The Half & The Whole

2012-01-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

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Well, I've officially decided: I'm downgrading to the half marathon in March (DC Rock n' Roll.) At first, it was an anguishing decision because I had my eye on the prize. I was doing my Smart Coach training plan to a T and felt committed to the correct training.

Then, the back. I think it's January -- I'm cursed with injury every year. Perhaps it is the cold that doesn't let my muscles bend as they need to. Either way, one week off took me out of the game. I considered letting a week be a week and getting back in the game but the back tingly/pain sensation remains.

I'd rather sit this one out, figure out the problem and be ready to go for my fall marathons -- which is exciting in and of itself because I get to pick which ones I'm doing! Ideally, that's only two. Three would be pretty ambitious.

When I saw this month's Runners World had a piece called "Fast, Faster, Fastest" -- a guide to running your best 26.2 ever, I got to some serious reading. It listed a the, essentially, "easiest" marathons to PR in. And, let me tell you, I have no shame in selecting an easy course just to satisfy the gnawing need for a sub-4!

The only two that called out to me on this list were Chicago & Jacksonville. I have done Chicag o but Maggie plans to do it this year and has somewhere we can stay for free (huge factor!). And I have family in Jacksonville, plus I NEVER have an excuse to go to Florida (it's been forever!). Runners World explains:

Chicago Marathon, October 7, 2012

The fastest women's marathon on U.S. soil. Four world records. Two American records. While elite times do not always translate to PRs for recreational runners, they often do here, thanks to a flat course, superb organization, and a well-executed seeding system. Chicago is one of only three U.S. marathons with a negative race-time bias, meaning the ARRS ranks it fast. More than 45,000 participants, 40 entertainment groups, and 1.7 million spectators create an electric atmosphere.

GOOD TO KNOW: Chicago has wildly unpredictable weather—a dangerously hot 88 degrees in 2007; below freezing in 2009—and monster crowds. Read race instructions to minimize anxiety.

RACE-DIRECTOR TIP: "The course has multiple turns, so run the tangents to save valuable time."—Carey Pinkowski

BONUS: If you've run a 1:50 half-marathon or 4:00 full or faster, Chicago lets you be among the first 12,000 to line up.

Jacksonville Bank Marathon, December 16th, 2012

Doug Alred was itching to better his 2:29 in the marathon, so in 1984 he launched the Jacksonville Bank Marathon and designed the course to minimize the city's biggest potential hazard: the sun. Eighty-five percent of the course is run under the shade of oak and magnolia trees, which also block the bay wind. And the out-and-back route is flat, even for Florida; there isn't a single bridge or underpass to climb or descend. At least 20 percent usually get to Boston.

GOOD TO KNOW: Although race-day temps hover in the mid-50s, humidity is at its peak in the morning, averaging 88 percent. The full, half, and 5-K all start together, but with a total field of only 2,200, the roads open up quickly.

RACE-DIRECTOR TIP: "Mentally prepare for the last four miles, which are exposed to the sun and any wind that's blowing that day."—Doug Alred

BONUS: An announcer shouts out the name of every runner as they round the track to the finish at Bolles High School's stadium, where lentil soup awaits.

No matter what I choose, nothing feels better than THIS!

QUESTION: Are you picking out your 2012 races yet? What are they? What made you decide on them?

15 Things Only Runners Say

2012-01-24T09:34:00.001-05:00

Source.

So we all know there about 10,000 versions now of the "Shit Girls Say" video that came out several weeks ago. I've seen some horrid ones and some that are funnier than others. Of course nothing compares to the original, which was SO my roommates and I in the 2007-ish era (I loved the part where he comes out to the living room to say, "Can you turn that down a little bit?")

But, as a runner, I am compelled to post the latest rendition, "Shit Runners Say." And, yeah, it will probably only be funny to runners, but some of it is sooo true. Thanks to Christine at These Happy Miles for leading me to it! Don't forget to click below it for the phrases I added :)

Plus I've got a few of my own phrases to add! Check out my list and then please add your own in the comments section. I'm sure I'm missing some really good ones!

1. I can't stop thinking about the 18-miler I have to run this weekend.

2. My favorite running snacks are sport beans, shot blocks and Honey Stingers.

3. I'm not drinking this week so I can be hydrated and PR in the 8k on Saturday.

4. Crap, I forgot my body glide! This is going to hurt.

5. Time for new shoes, I've already run 500 miles in the ones I have!

6. Do you want to get up on Saturday and run 10 miles at 7 -- AM?

7. Vanilla Bean Gu totally tastes like cake. (Just me? Maybe...)

8. Old Navy's "running clothes" are just not legit.

9. You only want to run 3 miles? Okay, I'll just do four before we meet up and then run 3 with you.

10. These $30 compression socks I just bought are awesome!

11. This marathon fee was only $75!

12. Dinner's at 7? Great that's plenty of time to run home from work, shower and be there.

13. Oh, can you stop at CVS so I can pick up two bags of ice for my bath?

14. Did you see those awesome arm sleeves that Kara Goucher was wearing? I want some!

15. If I can just PR, I'll be happy for the rest of the year.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins

2012-01-22T17:43:00.000-05:00

You what I found out about baking and experimenting? It's expensive! Every week, I was trying out some new recipe that called for ingredients I didn't have and come home with a grocery bill that was at least $20 bucks more than necessary.

As an inexperienced cook, I can't tell what MUST be used and what can be substituted or left out. I must admit, the grocery bill, the mess and a string of failures in the kitchen have caused me to put my chef's hat aside.

I've been making boring meals like marinated chicken and instant mashed potatoes for dinner. Pre-made turkey burgers and spaghetti and the like. So boring! I'm only mentioning this because I intend to get back in the kitchen soon. I miss creating meals and blogging about them!

Today, I noticed there were two cans of pumpkin unused in my cabinet. I had stocked up back in November thinking I'd be using pumpkin all the time. Nope, these cans were lonely and sad! I figured it was time for a batch of pumpkin muffins.

They never let me down because I love everything pumpkin. Want to see the recipe?

Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins

*From Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

2. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

3. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

4. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Ericka's Tip: Be sure to keep a close eye on these in the oven. If you are like me and prefer very moist muffins, you will not need this entire time. I think mine were in for 20.

A Good Reason for Guilt? Maybe.

2012-01-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

*This & all photos taken from the BOMF DC blog website.

Positive guilt. Ever struggle with it? I actually just made that phrase up because it's all I can think of to describe what I'm feeling. Let me explain. Ever since I started running with Back on My Feet, I've been a huge advocate for the organization. They are simply amazing.

I run two mornings a week (usually) and try to consistently spread their message and group online via twitter, blog posts and Facebook. I am running some of their social media and really can't contain my enthusiasm for the amazing work they do.

But then, there's this. They do A LOT of stuff. There are alumni ceremonies, Saturday long runs, group gatherings for baseball games, parties to celebrate a year of sobriety for some members and more. These are all GREAT things and I'm so glad they provide so much activity for residential members to participate in. I mean, when you are in recovery, you NEED things to keep you busy.

But, I always feel like I'm not doing enough. I feel the need to go to everything and then when I can't, I'll pull away and go to nothing (aside from the morning weekday runs.)

Positive guilt. I'm already volunteering but I feel the pull to do more. Am I just whining because I don't want to give more of my time? Am I just being selfish? Sometimes, I don't know. Maybe silly but true.

We had a team meeting this morning and it got to me. The relationships formed at BOMF are priceless and I don't feel that I've really had one of those yet -- precisely because I'm not there as much as I need to be.

You hear from these men, talking about having been to hell and back, talking about how this was their first Christmas sober in 25 years, talking about children estranged due to their former drug use.

You talk to people who everyone else gave up on -- but now they are here and you are that someone they needed to give them one more chance.

Back on My Feet is much more than the AA meetings they attend -- it's family. One of my running friends there told me he doesn't have any other friends. He spent Christmas alone rather than join family members who are "enablers."

I went in feeling intimidated -- me, a middle class white girl -- trying to be friends with former drug addicts from inner city DC? It's easier than you think. Color, class, family, past...it can all disappear in between the huffing and puffing of a 3-miler past the White House. Two weeks ago, I was running with someone and we somehow discovered that both of us had the same favorite flavor or Ben and Jerry's: Dublin Mudslide. Even little connections matter.

Some of these people never had anyone believe in them in their life. That's why choosing a member of the month matters to them. That's why reaching their running goals is so much more than checking off a mark on a piece of paper. Back on My Feet is giving them their life back -- or helping them find the life they never had before. The running is to fuel the inspiration but the people are the real strength to keep on going.

So, here's the QUESTION, has anyone else felt like they aren't doing enough? Or giving enough money to good causes? It's like, I have so much. I'm blessed with SO MUCH. It's hard to find the balance of what's right. I'm thinking and praying on it but wanted to throw it out there for feedback as well.

In the meantime, get on over to check out BOMF! There are chapters in Philly, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta and New York!

And, you sure as heck start following us on Twitter :) -----> @BOMFDC!
*All the chapters have their own accounts so if you're feeling generous just follow them all :)

Where Did All the Curves Go?

2012-01-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

I really do HATE that the first row of bodies is the more envied body than the second.

There was a time in my life when I thought all I wanted was row 1. I had dreams of an ultra flat stomach with hips that slithered into virtually anything beautifully. I'd look over pages of magazines and promise that tomorrow would be my first day on the path to real thin. It was pathetic. And...I never got there.

I got somewhere better: here. My body is similar in size to the women in row 2 and I am happy with it.Sounds silly but the path to acceptance began when I was about 15 pounds+ heavier and watched "Real Women Have Curves" -- America Ferrera's big break.

It seems kind of cheesy now but I had a "moment" when I watched this and that's when the transformation began. And can I tell you something? I honestly JUST recognized the moment as I was writing this post. WOW!

I never obsess over being thinner or wish I could lose 20 pounds for a party I'm going to. It feels good to be content in this way and it's important that I recognize that because it is answered prayer and a result of hard work to change.

And it proves it's possible to be free from the vicious cycle that was my life. If you are struggling, I promise you can be free too.

This photo represents my body in an honest light, as an example for where I'm coming from.

*I admit that I do grow fearful of gaining weight. I still have a lot of anxiety about overeating, getting enough exercise and being attractive, but it's a LONG way from where I used to be.

It makes me want to enter the minds of all those girls dying to be Keira Knightly thin -- and tell them it's not worth it. The mental anguish, the restrictive calories, the guilt, the fear, the obsession. It seems a harsh mental prison when you are there behind the manipulative lies of thin.

Turns out...this is NOT the key to happiness. I'd rather enjoy my food -- not obsess over it.

I don't know if many celebrities are just naturally thin or not. I don't know how hard these women work or what they eat to maintain this physique. I wonder how food/exercise would compare with the starlets of the 50s? How have men's preferences changed -- or not -- from back then?

I'm never going to hate on someone's body because they are bone thin. Some people are born that way and it doesn't make their bodies less worthy. It's the deprived ones I worry about. And I fear there are many.When I read interviews with celebrities about how they "cheat" once in awhile by having pizza, I'm like...you call that cheating? Cheating is like ordering fried chicken, biscuits and mashed potatoes with gravy -- and an apple cobbler. Pizza is just dinner.

I love that Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson both have seemed to embrace their natural bodies and make no excuses. I used to read about Jessica's struggles with it but in the past couple of years, photos have revealed she's letting herself be. I love Rihanna, Beyonce and Kim Kardashian's curvy legs and butts. I love the embrace of our bodies as they are meant to be -- their happy weights, their happy shapes.

I know my happy weight is 145-150. Sometimes, I get it down but I can't maintain. Sometimes I go over, but that's always when I know I'm overdoing it in an unhealthy way.

Find your happy weight. Eat what tastes good to you. Drink a lot of water. Move! Incorporate healthy foods.Most of all, listen to your body. It can take awhile to hear it but if you take the time to listen, you'll know.

Blogs: Paying it Forward

2012-01-17T18:36:00.000-05:00


*Rockstars at the Healthy Living Summit last year. SUCH a great decision to go & meet so many amazing people! (pic taken from the HLS website here.)**

I accidentally fell into the world of social media as I was starting my career in Washington, DC six years ago. I was on the Facebook bandwagon from day 1 in 2004 when it came to Indiana University -- one of the first schools to utilize it.

In 2005, I began my first blog on Townhall.com and though I wasn't a total novice with no idea what I was doing, it would soon lead me to greater places. I signed on to Twitter in the very beginning as well, which has been helpful ever since. In fact, having started so early with Twitter, I've been able to build up a huge following and use it to my advantage!

Back when I started my communications career in DC as an intern

Now, I've been working in some capacity with social and new media for years and I love it but recently felt like I have gotten lazy about learning new things. To be honest, when I began this helalthy living blog, my interest was re-invigorated as I explored an entirely new plain of the internet. I wanted to showcase my personal blog and connect with others in this community.

Tweeting and blogging away at a political conference 2007!

I had been plugged into the political blogosphere and online world for a long time but fitness/food/healthy living communities were entirely foreign.

One person who really helped whet my appetite for new learning was -- no surprise to many of you -- Katy Widrick. I was lucky enough to meet Katy just a week after discovering her and have been learning from New Tool posts and other insightful words on social media, blogging, advertising and more.

One blogger everyone should be reading daily! Thanks for your great posts, Katy!

I also began reading books, the first being Groundswell -- which has really helped me envision how I want to tackle things in a professional fashion at my job. For Christmas, my Dad bought me a book called "Branding Yourself." I'm only four chapters in but it has been full of inspiration for me thus far. Though many of the subjects the authors tackle are familiar, I'm trying to look at things from a fresh perspective.

One of the important things that stuck out to me this weekend was this little tip: You should spend most of your time online on other people's websites. You should spend a significant amount of time promoting others -- which includes linking, commenting on their posts and creating a general positive camaraderie in your industry of influence.

I began this blog as a result of my love for other bloggers and I do not spend nearly enough time sending you all my love. Everyday, I scroll through a tightly packed Google reader (100+ blogs, no joke) and find joy, sadness, relability, inspiration, fun and encouragement. A little peak? (This is just ONE section!)

I'd like to share with you some of my favorites to read on a daily basis but please know this: I'm always on the lookout for my next favorite! I feel there are SO many that I am missing and well, I'd love to hear about yours or your suggestions for must reads on the Google!

I do realize many of my favorites are already really popular but that's why I'm asking you for suggestions. I WANT to help promote smaller -- yet awesome -- blogs (err, nothing like myself of course....). This is by NO means even half of the blogs I regularly visit so stay tuned for another installment of my favorites coming soon!

So anyway, here are a few ladies that make me smile each day:

Losing Weight in the City

Little Reminders of Love

The Hungry Runner Girl

Running Around Normal

Enjoying the Small Things

QUESTION TIME: If you are reading this post and you are a blogger, please leave your blog address so I can visit it! What are YOUR favorite blogs? What are some must reads that I might not know about? Everyday I find hidden gems -- what are yours? Let's spread the love and pay it forward!

On Not Running

2012-01-15T20:50:00.002-05:00

Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan -- goddesses.

Secret? I've gone a full five days without working out even a little bit. It's weird. That's literally the longest I've gone in...years. My back issue sidelined me for at least the first two days -- then it was pure laziness. I'm not kidding. I know, normal people don't find this a big deal but for me, it's like not brushing my teeth or eating breakfast or getting enough sleep. Hard to explain but it's true!

I CERTAINLY wasn't doing what THEY were doing this weekend, which was winning 1st and 3rd place in the Olympic marathon trials! Oh just a measly old 2:25 marathon, no biggie. Nothing like seeing my heroes run to kick me into gear.

Nothing was keeping me from hopping on the recumbent bike, taking a nice, long walk or heading over to the pool across the street. I have a weird thing with cardio and it's this: If I can't run, it doesn't feel as worth it. It doesn't feel like I'm doing enough. And my all or nothing attitude took over -- of course -- and I did absolutely nothing.

Oh, 16-miler I was supposed to run this weekend -- I'm ever so sorry I missed you! In fact, I had to meet Maggie AFTER her Saturday run and I was totally depressed about it!

Just reminiscing...marathon lovin' (Pre-MCM 2011)

The problem is the cycle: I don't work out, I feel tired and sluggish. I feel tired and sluggish, I don't work out. I fully intend on kicking this cycle to the curb tomorrow. This streak will not take on Day 6 but it WILL be the tell all (or mostly) on whether or not I get to keep training for the March marathon.

If I can't get all of my training runs done in full this week, I'm downgrading to the half marathon.

Suffering through a half-ass, painful, disappointingly timed marathon is not my list of things to do (it is very disheartening!) My goal will just have to move to the fall, when I will -- hopefully -- run two marathons at least a month apart. Sigh. If I can't run in March, I will be sad but it's understandable and...it happens.

I'll just wear this shirt next summer if my back problems keep me from being skinny. That's just how we roll in Indiana :)

However, it reminds me that I need to get some new goals. The marathons have been some of the most joyous, proud accomplishments of my life. They mean the world to me.

But, now that I know I can do that -- what else can I do? I have no interest in doing a triathalon and though I play with the idea of an ultra (nothing more than 31 miles), there's got to be something else that I will give my all for. I have about zero real athletic talent, which is why I love running -- I compete only against myself!

I have many interests -- like this blog, like country music, like social media and great novels. It's time for a new feat. A quiet voice inside me says -- it's the book you've always wanted to write! I think that could be it but the task is overwhelming and to be honest, I don't even have the topic! I have ideas, yes, but the "one" hasn't revealed itself yet.

I AM writing a book -- on my own time, very, very slowly -- but I don't think it's "the one." Maybe I'm wrong though. I feel in my bones I was meant to write a book but you see...I was even afraid to get it out on this page.

But I'll say this -- it was my bold prayer this week and I don't doubt it will happen. After reading about a woman who got her Bachelor's degree at the age of 64 and published her first novel at the age of 71, I realized there is nothing stopping me from pursuing this dream.

Someday you'll see my name on a bookshelf. And maybe just maybe I'll have the running in my life to thank for the inspiration (second to God of course). Until then, I'll be open to the ideas that enter my heart and keep on keepin' on.

Hallelujah

2012-01-13T17:58:00.000-05:00

It's been one of those weeks. I can't pinpoint why but maybe it's because I was starting this 21-day prayer journey and the negativity started flowing for a reason, if you know what I mean. I'm praying through it.

I believe that God will do a work in my heart and through the prayers that I lift up this month. In three days, I feel so much closer to Him. But it's not all about feeling. It's about choices. It's about faith. It's about grace.

I've been feeling trapped by my own anxieties, fears and insecurities. Hurting my back this week left me with no way to use my normal "control" method, which is to run. So I've been sitting in the feelings, staring them in the face instead of running away or stuffing them with ice cream or drowning them in wine.

But sometimes that's good. And that's when we can hear Him. It's when we become better.

So I say Hallelujah and praise to Him for all the prayers He's already answered. Even the ones I've yet to pray. He knows my heart.

Getting Through It

2012-01-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

Ideas for cross training? This one is fun :)

Yesterday morning, while doing the workout (below) that I found on Pinterest, I hurt my back. Ahhh! Two years ago, I shifted a disc in my back and had to take three months off from running and go to physical therapy three times a week for the entire time. It was brutal.

The good part was -- I took up swimming (conveniently, my apartment had a full size indoor lap swimming pool that no one used) and major cross training on the recumbant bike. I learned that I won't die or gain 30 pounds without running in my life. I learned I could take a break from exercising and things would be okay. So, really, it was a blessing in disguise.

But I want another one of these (soon please!) !!!!

This time, I'm really hoping it goes away. I wasn't marathon training back then, now I am -- and with a determination. Yesterday, I walked bent over all day and struggled to sit without pain. Things have improved by about 50% today -- thank God. Obviously, I'm taking the day off from working out, tomorrow too. Fingers loosely crossed that Friday I will feel much better.

Don't worry, I'm not going to push myself its not a good idea but I am praying that my back will heal so I can get back to it. It does keep me sane, so to speak.

My sister and I after a race in Myrtle Beach

Know why? Because running gets me through -- especially in mid-January with seasonal affective disorder is in full swing. It gets my sister, Lindsey, through too -- which is why I loved the title of her blog post (and just stole that line from her!)

I hope you'll take a minute to click over to her blog and read about how running helped her get through life the two miscarriages she recently suffered. Her post exemplifies how running can truly be a savior in tough times. Here is an excerpt:

After the most recent miscarriage, I had big plans on running the Myrtle Beach Marathon with Glenn in February. Well, not really with him. He is shooting to run a 2:55 and I wanted to go 3:15. As many people do, I have found it is easier to deal with hard circumstances when you have a goal and something to spend your energy on in a positive way. Last year, we started training for the Piney Point Marathon 4 weeks after the first loss. I know for sure it got me through the rain. And I ran a 10 minute PR. (I want another one of those!) I don't lie when I say running is my daily "happy pill"-sometimes you just need a bigger dose than usual.

Read the whole thing here.

QUESTION TIME: How has running helped you "get through?" I'd love to hear more stories about using running to get through tough times so please share.

*If I get enough responses, I'm going to do another post focused on the answers and link back to those folks.

Ham, Pineapple & Pepperoni Pizza

2012-01-10T10:09:00.000-05:00

When it comes to pizza, I am my mother's child. See, growing up I always remember my Mom absolutely loving pizza. She's a pretty self-controlled person in general but pizza slices? Always a weakness. Same here. Nearly any kind! We usually got Papa Johns but that is not really my style these days.

My favorite pizza EVER is from the Kiawah Island Golf Resort Marketplace, where I'd just buy one, huge heaping slice and that was enough. Unfortunately, South Carolina is kinda far away.

My second favorite kind is Max's Place in Bloomington. Again, kind of a problem for a girl who lives in Washington, DC.

Since my third favorite kind of pizza is homemade, I'm in luck most of the time. While I could eat pizza everyday, literally, I usually limit it to abut once a week if possible. We even on the frozen kind quite a bit but I'm kind of over it. It was time for the good stuff this week.

Ham, Pineapple & Pepperoni Pizza

*Preheat oven to 350.

Step 1: Roll out some pizza dough (I bought it in the can, cheater!), add pizza sauce & cheese (lots!)

Step 2: Add your favorite toppings. In this case, extra cheese, pepperoni on one half and ham and pineapple on the other!

Step 3: Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, keep a close eye on it. For some reason, my pepperoni half got more done than the other half.

*I actually drizzled some balsamic on the ham/pineapple side because I am in love with balsamic but that's optional. Then, I topped my slices with a healthy dose of parmesan!

QUESTION TIME: I am always looking for NEW pizza places, brands, etc. to try. What are your favorite pizza places, recipes, brands? Seriously, taking suggestions because I try new stuff all the time. Maybe someday soon someone will be able to top Kiawah Island! (doubtful but possible!)

The Mondays

2012-01-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Hi lovelies. So here's the deal, I don't have time for a real post today but thought I would send something your way to make you laugh -- bloopers from Bridesmaids. Ha, you gotta love that.

Oh and that little photo up top? That's just a little thing I'm considering -- well not THAT but I have ambitions to increase my little tattoo collection. It'll be words. It won't be there or say that but watch for it sometime this year!

I'll be back with some sweet living posts soon. I did a rad 14-miler this weekend and got some renewed motivation for my job (which makes me happy!) Also started reading my pastor's new book, "Circlemaker" and see good things coming.

We are starting a 21-day prayer journey as a church. I was totally "holy" inspired yesterday and am committed to the next 21-days or prayer and fasting some things that I will tell you about later. God's going to do good things this month, I can feel it.

Oh -- and please check out the profile that "Who Has the Runs" published on me this week. Super fun little interview!

Without further ado, your bloopers:

Happy Monday!

Back to the Run

2012-01-06T09:54:00.001-05:00

Have you been missing the run? Me too. I miss those long-winded but inspired posts I was writing after 15-milers but guess what? They are making come back -- at least I think. I'm about 10 weeks away from marathon #6 so things are going to start getting interesting again.

More interesting than before, if you ask me, because I'm actually going to do speed work and tempo runs this time around. You can see my plan hanging on the fridge above! Can you believe I've never trained with even so much as a watch? I've never known my average speed or had any direction whatsoever. I'm hoping a more focused angle will help me easily chop a measly 11 minutes off my PR and reach the fated 3:59 finishing time.

This morning, I ran 2 miles with Back on My Feet, drove and pounded out four more to the sight of an absolutely gorgeous sunrise. I'm not joking when I say I was wondering if this is what heaven looks like -- for real. I stole this photo from B.Pan photography, who took it this morning because my measly iphone pic did NOT do it justice!

I consulted Glenn on a few questions I had for training because he is a really hard worker, dedicated trainer and someone who has improved by leaps and bounds in his running in just a few years. He's also training for his first full Iron Man so he is truly bad ass.

I asked him how many tempo runs v. speed work runs he does, as I'm experimenting with it right now. His answer:

The key really to performing well is being consistent in your training and not missing workouts as well being disciplined enough to schedule rest days and stick to them. Don't skip those mid week semi long runs that come back to back...they are really valuable for teaching your body to run efficiently while fatigued.

The second question I had was this: Should I train at a 3:45 goal time, instead of 3:59 to ensure that I actually meet that goal come race day. He answered:

I don't think you need to take another 12 minutes off your goal to "be safe" at breaking 4. You could be setting yourself up for injury or disappointment when you can not nail those workouts at 345 goal.

You could tweak the times I little on the current 357 plan if you want. I really think you will be fine especially since you have never done any Tempo or Speed work.

Stay consistent and do the workouts as scheduled...adjusting to rest when it is needed and you will do great.

Thanks Glenn! This is him, finishing a half-Iron Man earlier this year:

So, I'm committed. I'm doing it. But I can't tell you how hard it is to run 8+ miles on a treadmill (more than one day especially!) with nothing much to do. At my gym, there are TVs but at my apartment it's just one boring news channel. But it's so much more convenient to just be at home! Oh, first world problems! You can only read so many magazines. Anyway, I'll stop whining now :)

Of course, there are fears -- such as, will I actually stick to the plan wholeheartedly? To be honest, I don't want to run a marathon unless I'm fully prepared as I was for Baltimore. It's only 2 months, though, I can be that dedicated. Another issue is that on days that I do long runs 12+ miles, I always feel slightly sick the rest of the day...which is kind of a bummer. I think I probably run them too fast, which could be the problem.

In the meantime, I'll be reading these (the book proposal book is an entirely different story!):

I've got 14 miles on the schedule for tomorrow. Must remember to go slow, enjoy the moment and be inspired. Also, thank God for my working legs and I'm thinking of praying for a different person every mile. Might as well multi-task, right?

Will You Tumble With Me?

2012-01-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Love this shot.

Guess where I got it? Tumblr. Yes, I've succumbed to yet another world of social media and well, I gotta say, I like it.

All these different worlds -- blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest -- even Instagram, YouTube, and others -- have their own separate personalities. You kind of have to delve into them individually.

After a lot of research and and consideration, I've decided that Tumblr is one community I need to be in.

It's a community that exists and seems to fill a void for those who may not want to be detailed bloggers like I am. Many want to stay anonymous and plenty don't want to put this stuff on their Facebook page! They really seem ingrained into the Tumblr community -- not so much big on Twitter or other networks as much.

I've found it, thus far, to be really focused on humor and any new Tumblr should try to learn the language that is used, the actions that are taken to be "normal" within the community.

It's different and it's not easy to navigate. It's not easy to search for exactly what you want or find lists of who/what you might want to follow. It takes effort.

Many thanks to the Hipster Libertarian for sharing her successes and tips for being a Tumblr last month. Her presentation at NME really pushed me to get involved. I started one for my job and finally made the move to personal today.

In my brief foray into it today, though, many of the "fitness" Tumblrs I've encountered are run by really young, thin-obsessed girls.

It's starting to look like the pro-ana world in there (something I find a lot within the Pinterest community too at times) so I'm on the hunt for more "healthy" focused blogs rather than those featuring solely photos of ultra-flat, nearly impossible bellies and thighs that don't touch :)

So, I must ask, will you Tumble with me?

If you have a Tumblr, please leave it in the comments section so I can follow you! Thanks.

Groupon & Back on My Feet: GO!

2012-01-03T09:53:00.000-05:00

My mom and sister running with James for his FIRST marathon!

Back on My Feet is an organization that's near and dear to my heart. It encompasses so many qualities I believe in, including using exercise to maintain and provide inspiration. Additionally, I think it does something for those who are trying to "get back on their feet" that most charitable organizations don't do. It provides incentive to be better, to do better, to live better.

Goals, positivity, good choices...every. single.day. It's based on a method of re-choosing the right thing every day, one step at a time. It's running but it's about way more than that. It's about achievement, satisfaction, hope and so much more.

Since I started running with the DC group, I've also decided to become an online crusader for the cause. I am unofficially calling myself a BOMF online ambassador because I believe so deeply in the cause. If you are reading this blog post, chances are you can care about fitness and you care about people -- or have some interest in the subjects I cover. That's just the kind of blog this is.

GROUPON CAMPAIGN

Now, listen up! Back on My Feet has partnered with the G-Team (Groupon’s community outreach initiative) to run a campaign Tuesday-Thursday (1/3-1/5) to help raise awareness and funds for BoMF!
You can help us out with the campaign by:

1. Subscribe to Groupon (if you don’t already) in Washington DC or Baltimore before the campaign launch!

2. Check the daily Groupon e-mail to view our campaign, which will be featured along the right hand side of the main deal and under the list of daily deals.

3. Support the campaign with a pledge of $10 and spread the word to friends and family, encouraging them to do the same!

*100% of the funds raised will go to Back on My Feet, but we need at least 50 supporters to "tip" the campaign!

Here is todays' deal, but there will another tomorrow. Check back! Click HERE for today's deal!

Honey Pecan-Crusted Chicken Dinner

2012-01-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm putting this food processor to work! As I've mentioned, I love anything that is crusted with crushed nuts of any kind, especially something sweet like pecans. Even though they are expensive, it's totally worth it to experiment if you ask me!

So I made a simple healthy dinner of honey pecan crusted chicken with steamed brocooli and roasted sweet potatoes. Delish!

Oh -- btw -- sorry there haven't been many running posts lately. I do have one coming -- since I ran an awesome 12 miles this weekend and re-invigorated my excitement for the March marathon. Winter has been kind of dreary lately but I'm working on it!

If you want to read more about this meal, click below!

First, I crushed the pecans in the food processor so they came out looking like this:

Then, I cooked the chicken, drizzled it with honey and coated it with pecans on both sides. The recipe only called for one side but I'm obviously a nut lush so I went doubles:

Then I diced up my mini organic sweet potatoes, rolled them around in some olive oil and salt:

I then roasted them for about 20 minutes on 450. I like to get them almost burnt but these suckers weren't having it. Our food was done so I took them out and they tasted awesome:

Steamed us up a few loads of broccoli (you should seem the gigantic bag of fro bro I bought at Wal-Mart!) I'm all about the greens lately:

Plopped it on a plate and had a fantastic dinner. The chicken was actually huge...too much for me (though somehow I managed to eat it all!). I'd recommend pounding the chicken out thinner next time and maybe halving it to create four smaller portions instead of two massive ones.

Homemade Cocoa Cashew Butter

2011-12-31T11:25:00.001-05:00

I was SO excited to try out my new food processor and I have had homemade almond butter on my mind for months! I was at the store and totally spaced it...accidentally buying cashews instead of almonds. Well, nuts are NOT cheap and I figured I'd go with the flow.

I have actually never tried it but I love nut butters in general so I knew this had to be good. Thankfully, Love, Veggies and Yoga had a good recipe I adapt for my first try.

I originally bought chocolate chips to mix in to make dark chocolate almond butter but this recipe called for cocoa powder so I'll save those chips for the almond batch I'll make next.


Showing off my new gear in the apron Mom got me for Christmas!

I love having my new stuff (juicer too!) but man it's hard to clean. After using this stuff you have to get in the crevices of a million different places. I'm hoping this doesn't deter me from using it a lot. I'm not exactly Mrs. Spotless.

The FP is loud and for nut butters you have to let go it for quite awhile but since I soaked my cashews for hours before grinding, they mushed up pretty easily.

Cashew Cocoa Butter

1 cup cashews, soaked for 4-5 hours
3/4 c agave/honey/maple syrup (combo of one or any)
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Soak cashews in water for at least an hour (4-6 hours). Remove the soaked cashews and add them with the remaining ingredients to food processor. Blend until mixture is smooth

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry: My Favorite!

2011-12-29T09:43:00.001-05:00

I've been SUCH a slacker lately on cooking. I went through a really ambitious phase and somehow it has slackened. Part of that is because whenever I find recipes I want to make, they always require some ingredient I don't have. Or...require me to spend extra money on groceries (which I'm trying to cut down.) I need to find a cook book that is full of recipes that can be made with all the staple foods I normally buy. Does that exist? If so, please tell me what it is!

So, whenever I'm floundering for a recipe, I revert back to one of my old favorites, cashew chicken stir fry. There is something about those salty, chewy, nutty cashews that gives chicken stir fry the perfect kick. Plus, it's so healthy because I throw in lots of extra broccoli, peppers, carrots and onions. I also hart the zesty crunch of water chestnuts. They seem like the weirdest thing ever -- water chestnuts? But, they are a must for me!

Then, there's the sauce. I like to make mine with honey and/or maple syrup so it's extra sweet. Plus, a healthy supply of ginger for flavor. You can probably find a lower calorie version but I don't skimp on it!

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

(*thanks Paula Deen!)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil (*WORTH buying, I'm in love with sesame oil!)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 bunches broccoli, cut into florets
2 to 3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper chopped
1 cup onion, diced
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup cashews (or more if you are me!)

Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the oils over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add broccoli, carrots, pepper, and onion and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water chestnuts. In a small bowl, combine broth, syrup, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch. Add to chicken mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

Now...EAT!

The Funk

2011-12-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

I've been in a funk -- and I really need to get out of it. I am always hesitant to use the blog to express personal issues but, I'm me and I'm not one to keep everything private (obviously!). Every winter, I seem to get "the winter blues." Officially known as "seasonal affective disorder" but whatever.

I feel a literal change in my mood, thought processes, energy levels and everything. The chemicals topple to the other side and I'm stuck dealing with the off balance in my head. I already take Lexapro (an anti-anxiety medication) and so the best I can do here is deal. I can deal badly or I can deal awesomely but it's all up to me.

Sometimes, I don't feel like talking to anyone. My closest friends and family have had many conversations with me over the years about feeling depressed or anxious. There's nothing I haven't already said. There's no piece of advice they haven't already given. So, I had a conversation with God. Why this always seems to enter my head last, I'm not sure. It should be first.

I began with the thank yous as that always seems the most appropriate place to start when you are feeling down:

Thank you for the sunshine
Thank you for my family
Thank you for two working legs
Thank you for a healthily beating heart
Thank you for a good job
Thank you for my healthy and safety
Thank you for giving me passion
Thank you for a kind heart
Thank you for a home to live in
Thank you for the life I've been given

I sometimes can say nothing aside from...God, I don't know how to say what I'm feeling or what to do about it -- but You do. You know what it is, you know how to fix it. Sometimes, there are things I want that I can't have. Sometimes, I have to just let things go. That's when I close my eyes, envision myself picking up that "thing" I can't control and lifting it up to God so He can take it out of my hands. And I mentally, let go. Sometimes, I have to do that more than once.

So, today I did. And, then I got out my ipod and listened to a song that always reminds me of what's important.

Then, I remembered how great God is -- and that He's called me to Africa again, something I really prayed for to happen. I remembered last time I was there, singing praise songs in Swahili beneath a starlit sky in Kenya with my brothers and sisters in Christ. It's the coolest thing to arrive in a totally foreign place and know that your "family" is there, even though you've just met them -- you are connected through your faith.

I remembered that His grace is enough. It's really enough.

Neema yako ni ya kutosha, mimi ni kufunikwa katika upendo wako

(Swahili for: "Your grace is enough, I am covered in Your love."

Life is short. God is good.

Make Juice Not War

2011-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the juicer, Linds!

I came out pretty well present-wise this year. I got several things I'm still learning how to use, including a food processor, a running watch and a juicer. Actually, I figured out the juicer pretty well this morning -- and it's like magic, seriously.

I went with the simplest "green juice" recipe from Crazy, Sexy, Diet but still couldn't picture these huge stalks of celery, cumbers, pears and more just whipping into smooth as silk juices. It had to be harder than that.

Nope! The juicer was a bigger contraption than I imagined. But, then again, it IS doing a lot of work in a very efficient way. Lots of moving parts but not nearly as difficult to assemble and disassemble as I thought when first hearing about them in CSD.

Proof I liked it (and I'm highly disappointed I forgot to put make up before doing this so it's au natural!):

After scarfing down two massive bowls of chocolate peanut butter ice cream last night (why, oh why...), I felt like really getting on the healthy bandwagon today.

Make Juice, Not War Recipe

-2 large cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
-big fistful of kale
-big fistful of sweet pea sprouts
-4 – 5 stalks celery
-1 – 2 big broccoli stems
-1 pear or green apple (optional)
-1 inch of ginger (or less)
Other optional greens: romaine, parsley, spinach and dandelion.

So...to top off my green juice breakfast, I had a shot of wheatgrass. I've heard this stuff is so incredibly healthy and energizing that I had to buy some last time I hit up GNC. I had forgotten about it until now so I loaded up a scoop and dumped it in 6 oz of water.

Wow...not nearly so good as the juice. This stuff tasted like barf and I actually gagged while in the middle of chug a lugging this big glass. Next time, I'm going to do half OR just add the scoop to my smoothie so I don't have to realize I'm drinking it.

I stopped in the middle to gag, literally.

If I start doing the juice and wheatgrass every day, I wonder how it will affect my health. Rick is convinced that eating lots of kale has kept him from getting sick and actually I've noticed not getting sick this winter yet either. Is it the kale and spinach? I can only imagine what these new additions will do for me!

A Blessed Christmas Day

2011-12-26T10:48:00.001-05:00

Our family -- minus Cef (he's overseas working hard!)

It was a very Merry Christmas yesterday for our family! We woke up and had our traditional Christmas breakfast, cooked by Dad. It included hash browns, egg casserole and some amazing fluffy biscuits, of which I ate no less than three!

Glenn and Lindsey arrived after spending Christmas Eve in Crown Point with Glenn's family. We had a busy Christmas day ahead, with church plopped in the middle of it all due to it being Sunday.

He's a big eater. Future Iron Man.

I attempted some spontaneous photos but failed rather miserably. It's hard to capture expressions and good angles when you are not a real photographer, you have a point and shoot, and everything is so scattered on Christmas morning.

However, I did manage to get Giovanna ready to open her first gift. She hasn't quite mastered the unwrapping -- or understanding what Christmas is about. I have a feeling next year she will be a bit more fun with the gifts. Nevertheless, she certainly got the most!

Grandma and Grandpa came over to have breakfast, like they do every year. Don't you love my Grandma's Christmasy sweater vest? I think sometimes I take for granted the fact that I was able to grow up in the same place as both of my sets of grandparents.

Many kids don't but I was always surrounded by lots of family that loved me. Luckily, now I can always come home to Indiana and feel the same love!

I got some awesome presents this year -- meaning awesome because many of them went to good causes. My mom is an expert charity giver. She always purchases items that are free trade and support people who are trying to make a living in poorer countries. If it's not an item like that, she is sure to purchase American products in order to support our businesses here. It's pretty cool actually. I'm going to write a post later about some of those causes our gifts supported.

I stole this photo from Andrea but wanted to include Grandma, Avery & Chloe on the blog too! Such a cute one!

Below, I'm holding the gift from Shelby -- which is a homemade (she ordered) running medal holder. I cannot wait to put it up in my office. Right now, my marathon medals are just laying on a book shelf but this will be awesome to display. As you know, my marathons are some of my proudest accomplishments in my life.

Well, her shirt says she was good all year. I can't say I found anything bad to speak of spending a lot of time with my favorite girl this season. She gets cuter and smarter every single day. Giovanna was the highlight of Christmas for me and I'm so thankful for the joy she brings to our lives. I love her and her mom a whole lot!

Lights in the City

2011-12-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

Last night was a special treat! Rick and I went out to dinner with his sister and her husband in downtown Indianapolis. Even though I lived in Indiana most of my life, I never did much exploring in our capitol city.

Sandy had the great idea for a carriage ride around the city! First, we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, where I had a fantastic cheddar cheese burger. Then, we found the carriages and hopped aboard. Luckily, they provide plenty of warm blankets for your lap!

It's a happy coincidence that Rick's family also lives in Indiana. Our families are about an hour apart so we do a lot of back and forth while we are in town for the holidays. I was really excited to spend some time with his family and get to know them better. It's tough when you only see them once a year!

See a resemblance? I do!

After a fun night, we headed back to the house, where I accidentally ate like four brownies. Woops! Rick's nieces and nephews are the cutest but unfortunately, I never got any photos :( But, believe me, they are awesome and it's clear Rick loves being a fun uncle to them. I love watching them play :)

Of course, there have been other things going on -- like running. I've worked out in some way every day so far. It really helps me stay happy and sane! Yesterday, I did a little run with my Dad on the new trail in town. He's been out of running commission for a year so he's working up to some miles.

The great thing about my family is that everyone is active. Everyone moves everyday and it's very motivating not to get lazy over the holidays!

Me & Dad on the go! Sorry I look like I'm sleep running. Ugh!

Last, but not least, I've been hangin' out with G everyday! Oh the girl doesn't let up with the cuteness. Every time she comes into a room, she breaks out into a huge smile and it only takes a teensy bit of effort to make her laugh. If you ever need a day brightner, she's the cure-all!

Home for the Holidays

2011-12-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

I've been in Indiana for three days and have loved every second. The minute I cross into Bloomington, I'm home and I'm happy. After a rough 9-hour night drive from DC, we made it to Rick's sister's house in Avon and proceeded throughout the entire next day on only 2 hours of sleep.

When I got down to B-town, the first face I wanted to see was this one:

Yes, she is playing with my deoderant. Everything she does is cute, I can't help it! Oh, you haven't been introduced yet? Well, this is my beautiful niece, Giovanna -- the light of our lives :)

Soon after arriving to Bloomington, we just had to visit Max's Place. The only place I care about eating when I'm home is here. Literally, world's best pizza and a cute, little hippie joint with live music, great beer and awesome company. Tonight, my Dad's friend Scott was hosting (and singing) a showcase:

My Dad goes to Max's so frequently that he has his own table (basically!) and he was even invited to the employee Christmas party! That's our go-to place for meet ups with family and friends. Giovanna is Max's most famous baby.

In fact, she's been known to pass out for a nap on the floor and run around the restaurant to charm customers.

After a couple of Blue Moons, I was more than read to hit the sack. See, I was still working on 2 hours of sleep in this photo. I passed out quickly when I got home!

The next day, we went to lunch at Roots with Grandma. I snapped this photo of Shelby and Giovanna walking afterward:

Earlier in the day, I ran 8 miles on my usual "homey" path around the deserted Indiana University campus. It's nice but I almost prefer passing lots of people because it entertains me. However, running on campus always reminds me of the good old college days.

I went to college at IU but also grew up in Bloomington. Despite the close proximity, college always felt like a different place. I always lived on campus and was a normal college kid even though my parents were just a 10-15 minutes away.

Then, it was off to a year reunion with my best girlfriends from high school. Megan, Amy, Britney and I have been friends since we were 15 or 16 years old and have luckily remained close over the years. We usually only see eachother together once or twice a year but we make it happen at Christmas!

Megan and her husband, Mike, just built and moved into a beautiful new home. I was in awe of their amazingly high ceilings, plush carpeting, beautifully built kitchen, rooms, warm fireplace and more. It was so nice to be in this Christmasy home for our gathering.

Now that we are "grown-ups" there are lots of kiddos involved. My sisters, Lindsey and Shelby, joined us along with Adam, Mike, Tom and Rick -- the significant others' of all us ladies.

Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of all the kids but they included Mike and Megan's three: Henry, Jack and Katelyn, Amy and Adam's son Jhett and Giovanna of course! We had a few pregnant ladies at the table as well! It's a really exciting time for everyone and so fun to have kids around during the holidays. I got a photo of the newest addition, baby Katelyn, while she slept on my shoulder. She is an adorable baby -- smiles and sure to be a joy to everyone who meets her!

Earlier today, Shelby sent me a video of Giovanna saying my name -- which of course I'm in love with and simply must share with you all:

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Another thing I love when I come home is my Dad's cooking. He can throw together just about anything and make it taste good. Tonight, he made what he calls his own "Hobo Stew" -- with all kinds of various ingredients that tasted delicious:

I'll leave you for today with a photo of our family Christmas tree. Gifts become less important every year but appreciation for a loving family to spend the holidays with increases. I'm lucky. Merry almost Christmas readers!

Dining at Birch & Barley

2011-12-21T09:32:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things is to try out new restaurants -- especially for brunch. There is even a blog in the DC area dedicated to the subject: Bitches Who Brunch. We found Birch and Barley as a suggestion for lunch through them. I can't help but love the name of that blog!

Something unique: Fried doughnut holes smothered in chocolate, cinnamon & more!

While it was not easy to find a parking spot near Logan Circle (damn those stupid D.C. circle drives!), I could tell I was excited to eat at this place when I first passed it. I met up there with Michelle and Ari -- and Michelle has all the details about the fabulous service, fantastic food, and great experience we had.

My entree: Huevos Rancheros, a pepper jack-avocado omelet, pupusa, & applewood bacon ( I had already eaten!!)

I'm a very indecisive person when it comes to menus. It's rough! I have mental battles -- like, I reeaalllly want that high fat, calorie-laden dish but maybe that will make me feel too full so I should get this lighter yet also delicious sounding option. I make it a bigger deal than necessary but still!

The Boozy Brunch special was the best choice for us. It comes with 2 drinks (hello mimosas!), an entree of your choice, and three mini-fried doughnut holes. Only $30, that's a deal in this city!


Michelle's corn beef has with fried duck eggs. I sampled = amazing!

All in all, my favorite bite probably was the sample I took from the corned beef hash. Duck eggs sounded strange to me, as well, but...hey, I like the unique offers on the menu.

The doughnut holes were absolutely declicious, and something you won't see at every brunch place you go to. As Michelle mentions in her post, I really liked that they didn't rush us off as we sat talking at the table after the meal. That is a real turn on for me, beccause I'm usually at brunch with my friends and need that relaxing time to catch up!

The Hunger Games

2011-12-20T15:09:00.000-05:00

I recently read "The Happiness Project" and totally loved it. Really, the book was full of simple, good advice you've been hearing your whole life. But the author, Gretchen Rubin, made all that advice personal and slowly but surely changed her. If nothing else it was "feel good" and full of practical tips.

In one chapter, Gretchen talks a lot about her love for children's literature. She mentions how the the stark contrast between good and evil is so simple and clear in those books. The bad guys and the good guys. Good versus evil. There is not room for pontification.

It made me think about how overcomplicated we tend to make things. Sometimes, there is just good and bad -- and that's all there is to it.

I was simultaneously reading "The Hunger Games" and of course directly related to the two. Have you read The Hunger Games yet?

I was told by about a million people that I "had" to read these books! I hesitated. It sounded like another go around of "Twilight" or "Harry Potter." I tried with both of those. I really did. I read the first three of both series' and never got hooked. Is there something wrong with me?! I'm a crazy lover of books so I really wanted to fall in love with these!

So...I was skeptical about The Hunger Games. Nonetheless, I began Surprisingly, I really enjoyed them and look forward to seeing the movie. (I think it's awesome that Lenny Kravitz is playing Cinna!). And, true to young adult literature, the Hunger Games portrays good and evil in very black and white terms. The ruling government oppresses the people and will do nearly anything to retain their all-consuming power. It's reminiscent of other futuristic books we've seen like Animal Farm and 1984.

Katniss is the "hero" that comes to lead the way in the revolution. Now, I've only just started Book 3 so I'm not sure what ultimately happens. However, I really like the unforeseen twists in the storyline and the way the author never allows the reader to be "right" about what's happening exactly. Additionally, the horror of what the Hunger Games actually is is so grotesque that you can't help but want to see how the characters handle it.

All in all, I like the books and won't cast them aside into Twilight/Harry Potter territory (sorry fans!) but I still struggle with getting completely enveloped because some of the simple reasoning and language in the book. It reminded a lot of "The Giver" -- a book I truly loved as a child -- and I would totally recommend both of these to any middle schooler. We'll see if the movie lives up to the hype!

Colorful Christmas Crafting

2011-12-18T09:21:00.001-05:00

I am by no means a "crafter" but I kept seeing really cute "cookies in a jar" presents online and I thought now would be the perfect time to try for myself.

You just layer all the dry ingredients and include a recipe with the rest necessary for baking and voila!

You see, there are a lot of people in my family/extended family. I'm very close with nearly everyone but I just can't afford to buy them all presents every year. But I hate coming with only a card, you know?

Thus, I found this awesome canning jars at the store and looked up what it took to put it together. Easy as pie and pretty as heck :)

Jar Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
* M & M's

Filling the Jar:
Layer the ingredients in a quart size canning jar in the order listed. I used a small funnel and it worked pretty good for most of the ingredients! Use enough candy pieces so the jar is full to the top. You can use regular M & M's (I used the red and green ones) or the mini M & M's made for baking. Pack down all ingredients, especially the brown sugar!

Print Out the Recipe:
Print out one of the recipe gift tags here and include it with your cookies in a jar gift. You can also design your own!

M & M Cookies in a Jar Tag Designs

Now...I am driving home to Indiana tomorrow and I can't wait! See you there! :)

On Adoption & Africa

2011-12-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken from the Amazima Ministries web site.

Since I was little girl, I've always felt swayed towards adopting a child someday. True, I always wanted to have babies naturally but more and more I see that God has given me a heart for adoption. It has always warmed my soul to see families adopting children and as someone who believes passionately in choosing life, I see adoption as a beautiful and wonderful thing.

I've sat in front of my television watching TLC's "An Adoption Story" and cried my eyes out as children from Russia, Guatemala, China were adopted into loving families who wanted nothing more than just them.

A friend recently adopted a baby from America, giving him a wonderful family and giving them the child they always wanted. I also watched this video, which really touched me. To think of all the kids out there without homes, without families, without love, is absolutely heartbreaking:

I've been thinking a lot about orphans because this past week, I signed a commitment form to go to the Congo with my church over the summer. There we'll be working with an orphanage, providing medical care, education, building projects, bringing toys and more than anything, love.

From our first meeting, it is evident to me that this is a mission trip like none I've been on before. Much of our team is comprised of team members who went last year and are convicted to go back and see the orphans again. We will be reading a book, "Kisses from Katie" about a 22-year-old American girl who has given up her life to live in Uganda and serve as a mother to over a dozen orphaned children.

Katie with some of the Ugandan children (not sure if any of these are her adopted daughters)

Actually, I'm 75% done with the book and am completely blessed, inspired, amazed and in awe of it. At first glance, you see this young girl whose given up her life to move to Africa. But, when you read the book and hear Katie's voice shine through, you get it. To live your life so in tune with God's call on your heart, so dedicated to loving people as He loved us, what an incredible experience that must be every single day. Hard, stressful, scary, but incredible. Every page I turn, I'm urged to love people more. (Facebook here, btw.)

Katie started Amazima Ministries to help with funding, education, food, medical care, etc. for the very poor children and orphans of Uganda. You can bet I went straight there to make a donation. I hope that through reading this post, someone else might be inspired to do the same. I've added the Amazima badge to the top of my site.

Check out this video of Katie talking about her life in Uganda:

I just know that traveling to the Congo to help these orphans -- as we go, armed with medical supplies, toys, educational material and love -- that adoption will grow even more important to me. Not that I'm going to adopt one of the children there (though I've no doubt I'll be charmed by them!), but that it will reinforce the desire in me to be a mother to a kid that wouldn't otherwise have one.

I'm really excited to get started preparing for the trip. I've got five book recommendations already and am prepared to learn as much as I can about the Congo before I go. I have a feeling I'm going to become deeply invested in this place. I honestly felt pulled to this trip from the moment the idea of a mission to Congo crossed the lips of my pastor. I am thankful that God has put Africa on my heart. In fact, I feel very lucky. Most people I know don't really want to hang out in third world countries. Me? I've always wanted to go there most of all.

This is a photo of the children taken from last year's trip. I'm so excited to meet some of these little guys!

The True & the Random

2011-12-14T06:25:00.000-05:00

Alright, randomness today but bear with me. I don't just run for ice cream, obviously. But part of me does (and seconds at dinner and margaritas and chocolate). To be honest, I think it's okay if you work your butt off in order to enjoy eating some indulgent things without gaining weight.

However, I often rely too much on my workouts to do that for me. (Sorry, I'm still struggling so..hope you will hear me out for a bit before I move on!) So much to the point that they don't always cover me (hello, seven pounds I've gained.) I know that I care too much about food...I care too much about making room for what I want and too much about the happy buzz I get from my nightly bowl of ice cream (sad but true.) I need to work on it. I don't know what I'm going to do but it's on my mind. I need to break the stronghold because it's just riling up old feelings and I hate feeling out of control. It's time to get back on track, for real.

Moving on...

You already I'm semi-obsessed with Mizunos and now I'm even more in love. They just came out with this awesome video proclaiming their status as minimalists before the minimalist movement (as in running shoes, obvi). They make a good case for it and I really appreciate the work they put into explaining the shoe. It's a bit long but stick with it if you want a shoe you can really appreciate.

Secondly, birthdays and presents. I've been encouraged lately to do a bit more vlogging. I'm still not very good at it but if you can bear with me, I promise it will get better.

Monday was Rick's birthday but he is all about opening presents early. I'm not sure why. Personally, that is not my style but I figured I'd relent by letting him open his birthday present one day early because I knew it would make him happy. I got him power tools, by the way. Not sure where or how he will use them but at least he can say he has them, right? Right.

Little did I know, this early gifting would lead him to guilt trip me into opening one of my Christmas presents -- on December 11th! Really?! Ahh, well, he was so excited to give me one of my gifts that I relented. Here's what proceeded then:

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So I'm very excited to use my new food processor people! I've been talking about it for like a year and well, send me your favorite recipes requiring a food processor. Like I said, first project up is homemade dark chocolate almond butter!

Okay, last but not least, my daily finds on Pinterest are endless but I loved this one because it can be the happiest moment of my day to just be laying heart to heart. Cheesy, yes, but not less true!

And PS -- the Michael Buble Christmas album is fantastic. You must stop what you are doing and immediately go download it on Itunes. The best of the season fo' sho! :)

PPS: Last weekend, Indiana beat #1-rated Kentucky and while I'm not the loyalest fan -- this is what Indiana basketball magic feels like and I LOVE it so I just had to share this video montage of the awesome winning shot:

Do Life.

2011-12-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

So I'd heard of this blog, "Ben Does Life" a few times since I began fitness blogging. But, I never checked it out. Somehow, the site or the video to go with it never crossed my path. I'm not sure how that happened, considering I spend the majority of my day on the Internet (Haven't you heard...I work for the Internet.)

Anyway, the last issue of Runner's World that I read is all about "real people." Instead of the toned, tan, elite runners we normally see, this issue had the normal, awesome, try-really-hard people that comprise the majority of their readership.

This included the story of Ben, a morbidly obese guy, who changed his life through running. Now, look, I am a sucker for any heartfelt video that is put to Coldplay's "Fix You" because that is one, amazing, inspirational song. And Ben's video was no different.

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In fact, Ben's created a movement called "Do Life" and I'm in love with it. As someone who used to spend a lot of time feeling sorry for herself, I try to exude this in my life daily. While I was holding it down tight with good old "Nike," I think I like "Do Life" better than "Just do it" but both will get the job done if you say them out loud enough times.

It may not be your personal goal to run a marathon -- or even a 10k. This morning at Back on My Feet, I ran with a new member and his goal is to run a mile without stopping. We ran a mile and stopped only once -- twice as good as last week. I may only have run a mile with him but it was one of the most gratifying miles I've run in my life. Because he's starting over, because he's setting goals, because he's "doing life." It's pretty cool to do it with him.

Maybe you want to ride a bike or learn to swim or master yoga. Maybe you want to dance salsa or climb a mountain. Whatever it is, find it, express it and "do life."

I'll just say this...sometimes you don't realize what you're missing out on until you try it. And when you "do it," you recognize how much it mattered that you did. And, then you want others to know that joy to. That's kinda why I run. That's why I want to tell people about it. I wasn't always the me I am now. Yeah, it's hard -- this life stuff -- but it's worth it. And it's better with friends.

A Christmas Brunch!

2011-12-11T18:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend was Melinda's 4th Annual Christmas Brunch! And you know I LOVE a brunch :) I never did the brunch thing before moving to DC but it's kind of a big deal in these parts so I've come to be very fond of it!

Of course, brunch always begins with a good mimosa. In this case, champagne, OJ and cranberry juice.

The spread of food was fabulous too. I made sweet potato home fries that were not very pretty so you won't see them here :) However, they were quite tasty!

Melinda is the best at always having healthy veggies available an you can see here that the sweet, salty and savory were on hand!

Melinda and I met about three years ago in a random small group at church. At the time, I had no friends at church but thanks to her, I've met so many wonderful people!

I enjoy events like this brunch because I get to know people better and find those common connections that always exist in a place like DC.

Melinda is just really good about bringing people together and that's certainly been a blessing in my life!

Want to see more of our yummy brunch? Click below!

So what else was there at this delicious event? Hello homemade cinnamon rolls!

Even though Sara has been busy with her new baby boy, Teddy, she found time to make these amazing rolls. Seriously, so good!

Ahhh, the veggies I mentioned before. These asparagus were unbelievably buttery and good! I had seconds...no joke!

Berries on hand are always a good thing. I definitely took a scoop of these bright beauties. Berries are the perfect snack, naturally sweet and oh so good.

Also, imagine what you can do with a cobbler! That reminds me, I totally need to make cobbler. With vanilla ice cream, melty. Mmm.

PAUSE! Time to check out the scene. There are always new people to meet and chat with -- as well as those you don't get to see very often.

That's my favorite part. There are so many people in life to keep up with - it's not always easy to do. I really enjoyed chatting with some girls that I haven't been able to in awhile.

There was zucchini bread and homemade crumb cake. This came late but I could resist snagging a little pinch of crumbs. I'm a sucker for anything made with that much brown sugar and butter!

Here we are digging in. After 20 minutes of waiting, it was tough to NOT load up our plates with everything. Thankfully, they were small enough to mean thinking twice about that! I'm pretty sure I went back like three times though!

This veggie tray was pretty but I'm not going to lie, I didn't venture there! I know, I have to admit its true. Normally, I'd LOVE to have this veggie tray readily available in my fridge all the time. So pretty, so convenient. But...the cinnamon rolls trumped all!

Chocolate truffles with brunch? Why not? These delicacies were absolutely amazing. I mean, melt in your mouth, make your tongue happy go lucky delicious. I had two and had to stop myself from having a third!

Don't forget the homemade tiramisu either. OMG. How beautiful is this cake? I'm in love!

And, last but not least, Melinda made an amazing French Toast Souffle. I mean, straight out of Top Chef if you ask me. She's known to bring awesome stuff to book club and other events so I wasn't surprised. It was absolutely amazing! If you want the recipe, let me know because I'm sure she will share!