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| Josh and I |
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Twenty Three!
Just wanted to say Happy Birthday to the best man I know (well besides my dad)!!!! I hope you have the best day Josh! I love you!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Just a FEW of my favorite things!
Over the weekend Josh and I went up to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Upper Michigan. We couldn't have asked for better weather and a more peace time together (besides almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere!).
The past couple of years I really have enjoyed the outdoors...I mean look at this picture, sun setting over Lake Superior! The fresh clean air, the peaceful surroundings, and the beautiful setting have found a place in my heart.
We headed up north to celebrate Josh's 23 birthday (which is a week from Tuesday). It was a great time to catch up on each others thoughts and feelings with everything coming up in our lives. I mentioned above that we almost ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, but we made it to a small town that had one gas station and guess how much a gallon of gas was...$4.35! Now if I would have gotten gas when I was suppose to we would have only paid $4.01 a gallon! So needless to say this little detour cut out on our hiking time.
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I am totally in love with this book right now. My best friend's older sister wrote this book and it finally came from the printers about 2 weeks ago. This is Kristin's (the author) debut children's book. She has been affected by cancer because both her mother and younger sister are battling it right now so the subject touches her dearly. Plus she has a 3 year old son so what better way to bring light to such a dark subject then to write a children's book!
Kristin takes the scary word cancer and shows us the light to what the word can really mean. The illustrations are unique and creative and the words come from the heart.
Giveaway: I will be giving away ONE book to someone that leaves a comment! Drawing will be Sunday May 29th.
If you would like to purchase your own book please go here...www.kSimonSays.com
- 25% of the proceeds of this book go Families of Children With Cancer (www.focwc.org)
Disclaimer: I bought my own copy of this book and I bought the copy that I will be giving away.
We headed up north to celebrate Josh's 23 birthday (which is a week from Tuesday). It was a great time to catch up on each others thoughts and feelings with everything coming up in our lives. I mentioned above that we almost ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, but we made it to a small town that had one gas station and guess how much a gallon of gas was...$4.35! Now if I would have gotten gas when I was suppose to we would have only paid $4.01 a gallon! So needless to say this little detour cut out on our hiking time.
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| Happy Birthday Josh! |
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Giveaway: I will be giving away ONE book to someone that leaves a comment! Drawing will be Sunday May 29th.
If you would like to purchase your own book please go here...www.kSimonSays.com
- 25% of the proceeds of this book go Families of Children With Cancer (www.focwc.org)
Disclaimer: I bought my own copy of this book and I bought the copy that I will be giving away.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Late again...
Sorry my recipe is late again. On Tuesday night we had chicken tacos/or fajitas. Yummy and delicious and the chicken is a great substitute for ground beef!
The recipe is super simple. Get some chicken (about a 1/2 pound per person) and cook it up. I suggest to shredded the chicken because having it small chunks like I did causes the tortillas to rip. Once all the chicken is cooked mix in taco or fajita seasoning. Place in tortilla or over some chips and top with your favorite taco toppings!
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The week has flowen by. Started out working all my hours between Monday and Wednesday. Got my feet pampered on Monday. My knees are still sore from Sunday, but with running I think my knees will always be sore! Signed up to do a triathlon with Josh and my Dad this summer in Door County (Josh will swim, my Dad will bike, and I will run!). I also think I added a half marathon to my to-do list this summer and I am also thinking of running another full marathon in September...I am crazy?
Josh and I will be heading up to the UP tonight to do some hiking at Pictured Rocks (on Lake Superior). We then have our church picinic on Sunday so lets cross our fingers that the weekend will be blessed with good weather!
Hope you all had a wonderful week and that you will have a GREAT weekend!
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The week has flowen by. Started out working all my hours between Monday and Wednesday. Got my feet pampered on Monday. My knees are still sore from Sunday, but with running I think my knees will always be sore! Signed up to do a triathlon with Josh and my Dad this summer in Door County (Josh will swim, my Dad will bike, and I will run!). I also think I added a half marathon to my to-do list this summer and I am also thinking of running another full marathon in September...I am crazy?
Josh and I will be heading up to the UP tonight to do some hiking at Pictured Rocks (on Lake Superior). We then have our church picinic on Sunday so lets cross our fingers that the weekend will be blessed with good weather!
Hope you all had a wonderful week and that you will have a GREAT weekend!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Twenty Six Point Two
I paricipated in the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon this morning. I ran 26.2 miles in 5 hours and 15 seconds. I am over joyed with what I accomplished.
The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing (oh only 40+ mile an hour gusts). I woke up this morning at about 4am listening to the wind howl and wondered what I got myself into. Josh came to pick me up and we sat and froze outside Lambeau Field in anticpation for the race to start. The first part of the race wasn't too bad with the wind because we were changing direction enough so I told myself no walking until mile 16 (which was the start of the Fox River trail and would be a 6 mile battle against the wind) and I didn't walk until then! Oh and I got to run a lap on the field inside Lambeau right before crossing the finish line, how cool is that!?
Had some visitors along the way and boy was I thrilled to have someone cheering me on! Many people made signs to cheer people on and I got a few chuckles out of some of the signs on the course..."If you can read this you are running to slow", "I am so proud of you stranger", "Black toe nails are sexy", "Pain is only temporary, the pride of running a marathon is forever".
My body is very sore right now, but so excited to go get pedicures with a friend tomorrow! Will also be taking the week off of all activities and then will start running again in preparation for the Bellin Run on June 11!
The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing (oh only 40+ mile an hour gusts). I woke up this morning at about 4am listening to the wind howl and wondered what I got myself into. Josh came to pick me up and we sat and froze outside Lambeau Field in anticpation for the race to start. The first part of the race wasn't too bad with the wind because we were changing direction enough so I told myself no walking until mile 16 (which was the start of the Fox River trail and would be a 6 mile battle against the wind) and I didn't walk until then! Oh and I got to run a lap on the field inside Lambeau right before crossing the finish line, how cool is that!?
Had some visitors along the way and boy was I thrilled to have someone cheering me on! Many people made signs to cheer people on and I got a few chuckles out of some of the signs on the course..."If you can read this you are running to slow", "I am so proud of you stranger", "Black toe nails are sexy", "Pain is only temporary, the pride of running a marathon is forever".
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| Right before mile 16 |
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| My lap around Lambeau |
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| Crossing the finish line!!!! |
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| All done |
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| Just some of my support crowd! |
Saturday, May 14, 2011
"They will run and not grow weary"
I saw this on a sign the other day and it pretty much as been in my mind since. Isaiah 40:31, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY, they will walk and not be faint."
Tomorrow is the day. I will run my first marathon and let me tell you the last week has been pretty rough on my nerves (I think they are pretty much shot). I understand it is all a mind game and trust me it is a tough battle. The past few days I have been going between I can't do this and then arguing with myself and saying I can do this. My legs are sore, no wait, my body is sore. I am so looking forward to taking the next week off, but before that happens I have to make it through tomorrow.
Pasta dinner has been eaten, the chip is on, the clothes are all picked out, my pack is all packed with GU, and my bag is all packed. The weather looks like no rain, clouds at the beginning opening up to partly cloudy skies, and wind, oh how I love the wind.
I signed up for this back in January and procrastinated a lot of my training until about two months ago. Along with running I also did Zumba classes two days a week. It has been a rough road and finally the day is here.
My last post I said to come back and see what mile you are. Well I decided to dedicate each mile I am running to someone special in my life.
Mile 1 - My mom. If it wasn't for her I would not be here today to even participate in this.
Mile 2 - My dad. My partner in crime when it comes to stuff like this.
Mile 3 - My brother. We may not get a long most of the time, but he has shown me some support the past few weeks.
Mile 4 - Josh. You will most likely see him later in the list, but he is the one telling me I can do it when I say I can't.
Mile 5 - My future in-laws. Besides my own family they are my second biggest support crowd, even when they tell me I am crazy!
Mile 6-10 - To my wonderful extended family.
Mile 11-17 - To all my wonderful friends (you know who you are). You provide competition to help push me along the way.
Mile 18-20 - To a beautiful mother/daughter pair. This will probably be the toughest part of the run so here is to you! I can't image going through what you two have been through the past 3-4 years. Besides my own mother you two are two of the toughest women I know!
Mile 21-24 - To all my loved ones who are not here today. I still think of you day in and day out and know you will helping me in spirit.
Mile 25 - For myself.
Mile 26 - For God. He granted me enough strength to make it this far so here is to Him.
Mile 26.1-26.2 - Josh and my family. Can't wait to see your faces when I cross the finish line!
Thanks for stopping back and thinking about me! I will post pictures and results tomorrow evening!
Tomorrow is the day. I will run my first marathon and let me tell you the last week has been pretty rough on my nerves (I think they are pretty much shot). I understand it is all a mind game and trust me it is a tough battle. The past few days I have been going between I can't do this and then arguing with myself and saying I can do this. My legs are sore, no wait, my body is sore. I am so looking forward to taking the next week off, but before that happens I have to make it through tomorrow.
I signed up for this back in January and procrastinated a lot of my training until about two months ago. Along with running I also did Zumba classes two days a week. It has been a rough road and finally the day is here.
My last post I said to come back and see what mile you are. Well I decided to dedicate each mile I am running to someone special in my life.
Mile 1 - My mom. If it wasn't for her I would not be here today to even participate in this.
Mile 2 - My dad. My partner in crime when it comes to stuff like this.
Mile 3 - My brother. We may not get a long most of the time, but he has shown me some support the past few weeks.
Mile 4 - Josh. You will most likely see him later in the list, but he is the one telling me I can do it when I say I can't.
Mile 5 - My future in-laws. Besides my own family they are my second biggest support crowd, even when they tell me I am crazy!
Mile 6-10 - To my wonderful extended family.
Mile 11-17 - To all my wonderful friends (you know who you are). You provide competition to help push me along the way.
Mile 18-20 - To a beautiful mother/daughter pair. This will probably be the toughest part of the run so here is to you! I can't image going through what you two have been through the past 3-4 years. Besides my own mother you two are two of the toughest women I know!
Mile 21-24 - To all my loved ones who are not here today. I still think of you day in and day out and know you will helping me in spirit.
Mile 25 - For myself.
Mile 26 - For God. He granted me enough strength to make it this far so here is to Him.
Mile 26.1-26.2 - Josh and my family. Can't wait to see your faces when I cross the finish line!
Thanks for stopping back and thinking about me! I will post pictures and results tomorrow evening!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tasteful Tuesday and Mother's Day!
I told my mom that I would come home from work and make dinner. I started out with the idea that I would make some sort of steak, but changed that idea when I came across this: Hawaiian Ribs on a Stick! For one my mom likes ribs and second she LOVES Hawaii. This marinade was great and left the meat so flavorful and juicey!
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| How delicious does this look? |
Recipe for Hawaiian Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons oil
Make the marinade and marinade the meat for the day or even overnight. Do NOT discharge the marinade once cooking the meat, you will need it to bast the meat while cooking. If cooking on the grill, cook about 20 mins. I flipped mine at 10 minutes and basted. You can also bake the ribs in the oven. This will take about an hour at 400 degrees and you want to pull out and bast every 15 mins.
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Again, sorry for the delay in the blogpost. I should be back to being on top of this next week! 3 days left until the marathon and I think my nerves are shot. My body is sore and I just can't wait for Sunday to get here so I can just do this.
Come back on Saturday and read how I prepared for running the marathon and see what mile YOU are!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tasteful Tuesday and Some Other Thoughts
Monday morning I was watching the Rachael Ray show and she made this, Michigan Mac-Topped Hot Dogs. It is kind of a twist of the chili dog but also has mac and cheese! It was pretty good and had a little kick to it! If you want something new to do with a hot dog you can find the recipe here.
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I am sure by now you have heard the news that the terrorist leader who was in charge of the 9/11 attacks is now dead. Don't get me wrong I know he was a bad man and did terrible things all around the world and especially here in the United States, but how much better are we that we are celebrating his death in the streets? What does that teach our young ones? I am not a mother but you can go here and find a mother's dilemma.
This time reminds me of the John Lennon song "Imagine"
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
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Spring is finally in the air!!! I celebrated the beautiful weather with a 20 mile run yesterday and I have the goofy tan lines to prove it!
I just love spring. New growth and new, bright colors instead of the dual, dark ones from a long winter!
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| Rachael Ray's Michigan Mac-Topped Hot Dog |
I am sure by now you have heard the news that the terrorist leader who was in charge of the 9/11 attacks is now dead. Don't get me wrong I know he was a bad man and did terrible things all around the world and especially here in the United States, but how much better are we that we are celebrating his death in the streets? What does that teach our young ones? I am not a mother but you can go here and find a mother's dilemma.
This time reminds me of the John Lennon song "Imagine"
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
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Spring is finally in the air!!! I celebrated the beautiful weather with a 20 mile run yesterday and I have the goofy tan lines to prove it!
I just love spring. New growth and new, bright colors instead of the dual, dark ones from a long winter!
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| Happy Spring! |
Monday, May 2, 2011
And it starts!
Yesterday my Dad and I participated in our first event of the season...the Paper Discovery Duathlon down in Neenah, Wisconsin. It turned out to be a beautiful morning minus the strong winds.
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| Before the race began! |
A duathlon is a biking/running event. At this event I ran 2 miles, my Dad biked 19 miles, and then I ran another 2 miles to finish us up. Each duathlon has its own lengths of running and biking. For example last October we participated in the Green Bay Duathlon and I ran 3 miles, Dad biked 39(?), and then I ran 1 mile. Many people also do this event by themselves (not on a relay team).
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| Dad coming into the transition area after his biking (he is behind the guy in the white shirt) |
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| On the last two mile stretch! |
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| All done! |
We ended up finishing 19th out of 79 relay teams with a total time of 1 hour 37 minutes and 17 seconds. You did a great job Dad and I am proud to be your duathlon partner! Can't wait for our next event together!!!
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