Running, Family, Friends, and Food.

Hello friends! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a great week! This is the week I get to start my first teaching job! I was supposed to start today, but there have been technical problems with certain things going through the state (it’s a very frustrating process), so I will be able to start Wednesday or Thursday this week. Luckily, my principal has been so understanding and nice through this whole process so that makes things easier.

Anyways, back to this weekend’s recap. I had such a wonderful weekend (obviously based on the title of this post); I would definitely say marvelous. 🙂 Thanks for hosting MIMM Katie!

This weekend started early Saturday morning with a race with my Dad and Aunt.

My Dad and I did the 10k and my Aunt Nancy did the 5k. Nancy was going to do the 10k with us, but she had a long run for her half marathon training the next day and didn’t want to do too much.

As always, this handsome guy got up early and stood in the cold to support me and cheer me on. 🙂

From left to right, this is my cousin Nikki, my Mom, me, and Ryan. Nikki was going to do this race with us, but some things happened and now she is running in a marathon at the end of this month! She was doing a 20 miler the next day so she didn’t want to run Saturday. Totally understandable! I was glad she still came and cheered us on. Also, somehow I never got a picture with just me and my Mom, but for my whole life she has always suffered through whatever weather conditions to support me, and she continues to do this for me and my dad now! She is the best!

I was so proud of my dad; he really pushed it and totally sprinted in the end! He finished in 59 minutes and 19 seconds, which is like six minutes faster than his last 10k! He is rocking it!

I can’t say enough on this blog of mine how proud I am of him, and just how much fun it is running in races with him!

I was really happy with my race too. My time was 50 minutes and 21 seconds, and my average pace was 8:03 a mile. Before the race started Ryan challenged me to run below 8 minute miles; I almost did it!

Oh, I forgot to even mention that I was so excited because this race was only $10! I wasn’t expecting much since the race was so inexpensive, but there were a ton of people there, and the best part was there were free bananas!!!

Score!

We stayed afterwards for the awards and my aunt and I both placed 2nd in our age division!

We were both excited! Oh and side note, what do you runners do with y’all’s medals from races? I am not sure where to keep all of mine. They are just kind of everywhere now…

After the race my parents, Ryan, and I went back to our house so we could all change and then the women left the guys. My dad and Ryan went back to my parents’ house (Ryan had a friend he was meeting in the town where my parents live to play disc golf), and my Mom and I went out to go shopping! I had some boots I got for Christmas that I wanted to return for another pair, and I ended up getting these in the pictures above!

I really like them. I kind of wanted more of a pointier toe at first, but these were so comfortable (key for being on your feet all day as a teacher!), and I ended up really liking how they looked!

After we got these shoes we were hungry so we went to find a place at the mall to eat. We saw Luna De Noche, and since my Mom and I are both big Mexican food lovers, we were all for eating here!

We split a meal that came with one taco, one enchilada, rice, and beans, and then we also split a bowl of tortilla soup.

I had a spinach enchilada, half of the rice and beans, and then of course half of the soup.

It was all so good! And their chips and salsa was amazing!

After lunch we headed over to Anne Taylor Loft because I had a gift card to spend, and I really need some more teacher clothes. I had heard great things about this store, but had never shopped there myself. I am now a huge Loft lover! I highly recommend this store to anyone who wants cute, nice clothes. If you get the clothes full price, they are pretty expensive, but they have good sales, which makes it totally worth it! I didn’t buy anything full price, but instead went back to the clearance racks and I got a haul from that store! I ended up getting four dresses, three cardigans, and a nice t-shirt that I could easily dress up or go out casual with. I got all of this for $113, and my gift card was for $100, so I only spend $13! I was so excited! I still need a few more dress pants for teaching, but I will get those eventually. I know building up my teaching wardrobe will be a process.

After Loft, my Mom and I headed back to our house so I could shower and get ready for a party Ryan and I were going to that night with our friends. My mom was the sweetest and packed up most of our Christmas decorations for us while I got ready. The party I was going to was in the town where my parents live, and since Ryan was already there, I just rode back with my Mom and she dropped me off at my friends’ house on her way home. My mom and I didn’t get a picture of us together shopping Saturday because since we went out right after my race, both of us had some pretty crazy hair and neither of us really wanted a picture. 😉

Saturday night it was so nice to get together with some of our best friends from college! We hadn’t all hung out in such a long time, so this get together was perfect! The girls were me, Ruth, and Chelsea. (They came over to our house last month for our little Christmas party.)

It was a little harder to get a serious picture of the guys…

Finally all of the guys are smiling…except my husband…gotta love him. 🙂

This was at Bryan and Ruth’s house, and they were wonderful hosts! There was a ton of food that we all enjoyed and we just all had fun together all night. We played a short, late night game of Taboo which was fun. I always love games though.

Ryan and I stayed the night with full intentions of getting up and going back home early to go to church. Well, it was after 2:00 a.m. when we went to bed so…that didn’t happen. We slept in and ended up leaving their house a little after 10 a.m. We got home, ate some lunch/breakfast, and relaxed.

I had two tofu fritattas (recipe from Peas and Thank you), one piece of cinnamon raisin Ezekial bread, left over roasted vegetables, blueberries, and a banana with peanut butter. Oh it was exactly what I waned for lunch/breakfast. 🙂

I went to a bridal shower for a girl in our Sunday School class that afternoon, and then went to get something to cook for dinner.

I ended up making homemade salsa with an easy recipe I got from Peas and Thank You.

We really enjoyed it, but I didn’t add jalapeño to it, and I think I will next time to give it a little more kick. We still really enjoyed it though!’

For dinner I made some lentil enchiladas (again from Peas and Thank You, can you tell I am loving this book?), which were another success!

The recipe called for red lentils, but the grocery store I went to didn’t have red so I had to get brown. I think the enchiladas would have been even better with red because the texture would have been different. We still enjoyed them though!

We had them with some bell peppers and homemade guacamole! I also smothered my enchiladas with homemade salsa and guac. You should do this too.

After dinner Ryan and I relaxed and face timed with his parents for a bit. Perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

This weekend was very busy, but it was busy with fun, friends, and family, so we had a blast! Today I will finish planning our meals for this week, go grocery shopping, have lunch with Ryan at his work, get my fingerprints done for teaching, and workout. It will be a busy day so I better go have some breakfast and get today started! Make this week a great one!

Questions:

1. What was marvelous about your weekend? 

2. Have you ever shopped at Loft? Where is your favorite place to get affordable, nice clothes?

3. Do you ever still see old friends from college or high school? 

Time to Reveal a Little Secret

So there is this thing I have been keeping from y’all. I have really wanted to write about it on here, but I have been scared. But today is the day I come out and share my little secret.

It’s about these feet and these shoes. They are itching for a new adventure…

I have run a mud run.

I have run three half marathons.

I have run in numerous 5K’s and other small races for fun.

I run every week because it’s my happy place.

I even now have a running belt and a running backpack for long runs.

I need a new challenge. That is why yesterday was training day #1 for my first full marathon!!! 

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Yes a full marathon! I am so excited! Many of you runners out there have inspired me and given me the confidence I need that I can do this. I have wanted to do a full for a long time now because I wanted to challenge myself more, but 26.2 miles just sounded so long. I have been thinking about this for a long time, and I can’t let myself not run a marathon because I am scared or intimidated. I would regret that decision for the rest of my life. I am confident that I can do this! I made up my training schedule Wednesday night and started my training yesterday. The race is April 6. 🙂

I would appreciate any advice from all of you marathon veterans out there! I made my long run for this week yesterday since I am running in a 10k race with my Dad, Aunt, and cousin tomorrow. I did 9 miles yesterday, and next Saturday I will run 11 miles for my next long run. I am very excited about training for this race and I had to share my news with all of you! 🙂

I hope you all have a great Friday and a great weekend! I should have a fun, busy weekend. After my race tomorrow my Mom and I are going shopping, and then Saturday night Ryan and I are going to one of our friends’ house for party. Sunday after church I have a wedding shower to go to, and then I will probably spend the rest of the afternoon meal planning for the week! I’m excited for all of the family and friends I get to spend time with this weekend!

Questions:

1. Have you ever ran a marathon? If so, what are some tips you have for me?

2. What has been your favorite race you have ever ran and why?

3. What are you doing this weekend?

4. Are all of your Christmas decorations put up yet? Mine aren’t. 😦 I have to finish that; it’s just not nearly as fun taking them down as it is putting them up!

Jogger Egg Nogger Race and Marvelous Family Time

We actually had a full weekend of activities, but I hardly got any pictures! I know, total blogger fail (I feel like I have to write this too often…). So I know people say if you didn’t get a picture, it didn’t happen. Well just trust me, everything I say actually happened. 🙂 I will add in the few pictures I have to keep you entertained. And surely Google images can help me some. 😉

Saturday morning began with the Jogger Egg Nogger 5k and 15k race with my Dad. The weather definitely wasn’t the best though; it was cold and raining the whole time we ran. I was a little nervous because of the weather, but the race still ended up being fantastic! Since the weather was so bad, my Dad and I never got a picture outside after or before our race, so the only picture I snapped of us was in the car after the race. (Just ignore how dark my eyes were. I’m not quite sure why I wore eye makeup when I knew I was going to be running in the rain. Not my smartest decision.)

Since Ryan is an awesome, supportive husband, he got up early and and supported us in the cold and rain. Best husband ever!

My dad and I were both pleased with our times. I finished the 15k in an hour and 18 minutes, with an average of 8 minutes and 24 seconds a mile. As soon as I finished my Dad, Ryan, and I went into the warm car to head home. My dad dropped us off at home, and we showered and had lunch before heading out to meet my brother and SIL at the movies. We saw Anchorman 2.

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The movie was funny, (how could it not be with Will Ferrell as the main actor?), but I don’t think it was as good as the first one. I am still glad we saw it though because I had been wanting to see it ever since I heard they were coming out with a second one!

We had a blast getting to go with Ben and Kaleigh (bro and SIL) to the movies and getting to talk with them some. We all agreed we needed to make that happen more. I was so mad at myself when we left the movie theater because I realized we didn’t get a picture together! 😦 So this reused picture from Thanksgiving will have to do!

The rest of me and Ryan’s saturday night included eating delicious leftovers for dinner, watching the Mavericks play (this was more of Ryan), and reading (this was more of me), all while relaxing on the couch.

And obviously while we relaxed we wore warm, fuzzy socks. Okay, so maybe it was just me wearing the fuzzy socks.

Sunday morning we went to church and then headed to Cheesecake Factory to eat lunch with Ryan’s family. We spent the whole afternoon with Ryan’s parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins. This time was truly so special. I don’t have any pictures I took from yesterday, but the pictures couldn’t have captured how special yesterday was anyway. Family is so incredible and something we should never take for granted.

This weekend was very marvelous because of the fun race my Dad and I got to run in, but it was mostly marvelous because of the wonderful family we got to spend time with on Saturday and Sunday. Because my family is so marvelous, I am going to link up again with Katie for some Marvelous in my Monday.

Take some time today today to tell your loved ones and family members how much they mean to you. If you can see any of them today, try to see them and treasure every moment.

I hope all of you are ready for Christmas! We are two days away! So crazy! Tonight Ryan and I will be celebrating our own Christmas together and exchanging gifts. We will also be enjoying some homemade pizza. I can’t wait! 🙂

Questions:

1. What did you do this weekend?

2. Did you see Anchorman 2? Did you like it? Did you even like the first one?

3. What are you looking forward to the most this year about Christmas?

4. Tell me one reason (or more) why you love your family!

Thanksgiving 2013 and Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K

Well I think today is even colder here than it was yesterday, which means the roads are just as bad and icy. This means the Hubs and I have another relaxing day at home, and I’m not complaining! It’s really nice being able to just relax with Ryan and not worry about anything else. We have been so busy lately, so this is rejuvenating!

On a side note, I want to give a big thank you to all of you who commented on my post yesterday about my big news. All of you were so sweet and I love how the blogging community truly cares for other people they meet and are happy for others when exciting things happen to them. Y’all are awesome. 🙂

Okay, so I am totally late on doing a recap of my Thanksgiving. Right now, all of the blog posts are about good Christmas gifts to buy this year, and I’m going to be over here writing about Thanksgiving. Oh well.

So I never took any pictures of my food I ate on Thanksgiving (I guess I was too busy eating everything to think about taking pictures 😉 ), but I will share all of the pictures I have.

I think I mentioned in my post on Thanksgiving Eve that Ryan’s oldest brother, Jared, his wife, Krystal, and their three kids were staying with us last week Wednesday through Saturday. We had a blast with them, and it was so nice seeing our nieces and nephew!

Friday morning, my heart melted when this sweet boy came in to me and Ryan’s room and asked for Aunt Becky and put up his arms for me to hold him.

Sweet kids!

On Thanksgiving morning we took pictures with Ryan’s family for his parents’ Christmas card. I won’t put the whole family picture since that will be on their Thanksgiving picture, but here are some of the other pictures we took.

Ryan, his two older brothers, and all of us wives! Ryan and his brothers all look really alike! And I think my two sister-in-laws and I look pretty alike too!

Ryan, his brothers, and his Dad.

Ryan’s parents, their three daughter-in-laws, and their two granddaughters.

After pictures we went to Ryan’s grandparents’ house for lunch. We stayed there for most of the afternoon until we headed to my aunt and uncle’s house to have dinner with my family for Thanksgiving.

Sorry for the super bad lighting.

After two big Thanksgiving meals we were stuffed! I made sure I didn’t eat too much at either meal since I knew we would be having a big lunch and dinner, but I was still full after all of that food! Ryan and I were very lucky though that we were able to see both of our families! We had a fantastic first married Thanksgiving!

Friday I read all morning so that I could finish “Catching Fire”, and I finished it! Then Ryan, Jared, Krystal, and I went to the movies to see it. It was so good! I highly recommend reading the book and watching it. The third book of the Hunger Games series is on my Christmas list!

Saturday morning Ryan and I ran in an Ugly Christmas Sweater 5k with Jared, Krystal, Brandon, Brigette (Ryan’s brothers and their wives), the three kids, and Brandon and Brigette’s dog, Champ.

We mostly walked the whole thing, but we ran quite a bit too for having three kids and a little dog! The main part is that we all had a blast! We all don’t get to hang out enough, so this was very special.

There was also a competition for ugliest Christmas sweater, and Brandon went up to see if he could win. We all cheered and yelled for him as much as we could, but he didn’t win. 😦

Everyone who did the race got these super cool hats. I know, super stylish.

There were hot chocolate stops in the middle of the race, and I don’t like hot chocolate, but the people who do like hot chocolate seemed to really enjoy it!

We ended our weekend by being Mary and Joseph in one of our church’s Christmas programs and having lunch with both my parents and Ryan’s parents. This was really special because Ryan’s parents don’t live close, so we never get to have time with my parents and his parents together.

So sorry for the super late recap, but I had to do it! But I am in total Christmas mood now, and I can’t wait to get out and do some Christmas shopping next week! For now, I am going to enjoy being home with the Hubs! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Questions:

1. Have you ever done an Ugly Christmas sweater 5k or party?

2. What are your weekend plans?

3. Favorite Christmas movie? I have too many favorites to pick! The first ones that come to mind are Jingle All the Way, Elf, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Labor Day Run 10K

Happy Wednesday! We are almost to the weekend; push through these next two days! 🙂

I just got back from our church. As I said when I posted this week’s meals, Ryan and I ate at our church tonight, and it was delicious. I enjoyed a beef enchilada, taco meat with lettuce and pico de gallo, a little rice and beans, and then some type of spice or pumpkin cake for dessert that was delicious! I left full and happy. 🙂 It was nice to not have to cook, and I know Ryan appreciates not having a sink full of dishes to clean!

Anyways, if you follow me on Instagram then you saw that I ran a 10K race back in September on Labor Day with my Dad. I never got to write about this race, so I thought today would be a good day.

First off, I want to start off saying how proud I am of my dad for running this race. He has not been a runner his whole life, but has picked up the hobby recently. Actually last year on Labor Day I ran with my Dad for his very first 5k race. If you would have asked my Dad a few years ago if he would ever consider himself a runner, or much less that he could run 6.4 miles he would have said no way! But here he is today, 53 years old, and he is in the best shape of his life! 🙂

We both had recently got new running shoes, so obviously I had to take a picture of our stylish feet. (Sidenote: how awesome are my Dad’s shoes?! He prefers shoes that are just white and black/navy, but they didn’t have these shoes in any other color and he really liked them so he decided to be brave and get them. I told him they look awesome!)

Running with my dad is so amazing! It is hard to describe how much I enjoy it, but I really love it, and it is something that I deeply treasure.

Anyways, back to race day. My dad and I had an awesome cheering squad there for us that day. This team was my Mom, and my MawMaw and PawPaw (my dad’s parents).

Ryan was still at his old job on this day where he didn’t get many days off, so sadly he wasn’t able to make it to this race. But I know he was thinking about me while I was running!

Here is a picture my Mom snapped of me at the very beginning of the race.

It was kind of sprinkling that morning, so I was hoping the rain would hold off until our race was over, but about mile 4 it was pouring! The race still went great though, and I was really happy with my time. I can’t remember what my exact time was since it was over a month ago, but I know it was 50 minutes and something seconds. That was much faster than I was expecting! The best part though was there was free watermelon and water at the end of the race. Score! 🙂

I also ended up winning for the women in my age division, which was a super big surprise, and made me super happy!

My dad finished with a great time too, and I don’t remember his exact time, but I know it was much faster than he expected! After the race we were both very happy and very wet!

That day was so fun, and my Dad says he is ready for another 10K, so I look forward to running another one with him! The next race on my agenda is actually an Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K Run! Ryan and I are doing it with both of his brothers and their wives, so I am really excited about that one! The best part is their was a Groupon for it, score!

Questions:

1. Do you like running in the rain?

2. What is your next race? 

3. Tell me one good thing that happened to you today!