Monday, August 29, 2011

Rainy Sunday

Source: The Telegraph (view)
Yesterday it rained all day here in Syracuse. Tim and I went over to a friends house and we layed on the couch watching Harry Potter all day. I can't remember the last time I had such a lazy Sunday. I did need to go running, though. Around 6pm the rain started slowing down, and I headed outside for a 10 mile run.

It was a pretty miserable run. I don't mind running in the rain, but it was cold and windy, and my allergies had been bothering me all day. I had planned on running about 7 outside and finishing the last 3 miles on my treadmill, but I pushed through.

At the end of my run, the rain started to clear up. The sunset was beautiful. The clouds were all pink, and at one point, I saw a rainbow that stretched across the whole sky. It was enough to make me stop running for a minute just to stand and look. It made the whole miserable run seem not so bad. 

Source: Flickr (view)


When I got home, it was completely dark outside. Tim was about to get in his car and come looking for me! Does anyone else have best/worst workout experiences?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Green Thumb

For some reason, the previous owners of our condo planted garlic chives in the garden. I can't imagine why anyone would do that. The garden area is located near our back door, and it was completely overgrown with this:


Now, I am not a gardner, I don't have a green thumb, and when people give me plants, I tend to forget about them until they die. The chives, though, needed to go. It looked like a jungle behind our house. I went to the garden store, and bought pansies, and a Rose of Sharon, which will look like this when it grows: 


After buying the plants, I returned home to attack the chives. Since I'm not a gardener, I don't own any gardening tools. So, I tried to rip out the chives with my bare hands. It was ROUGH, but I did it. My hands still smell like chives. It's disgusting. 

Once the chives were gone, I covered the area in white stone:



I still need to plant the pink Rose of Sharon, but the pansies are all set:


I plan to buy more brightly colored pots and put flowers in them.

After I finished I was ready to relax with a glass of wine!



Does anyone else have a garden?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

My First Half Marathon

Source: Syracuse.com (view)
13.1 Miles... Check.

Today I completed my first half marathon. I started training about 4 months ago, and have just been  waiting for a chance to get out and run one. Today was the day!

I left my house at 7am. I didn't have anyone to run with, but I didn't mind. I'm kind of a solo runner anyway.

The run started at 8am went pretty well. I don't have my exact time yet, but according to my clock on my iPod, I was running approx. 10 minute miles. I was feeling really good for most of the race, except for getting really hungry around mile 6 or 7. I tried one of those gel thingys that they were handing out at the water station. It was disgusting. I got the blackberry flavor; maybe the other kinds are better. The texture kind of grossed me out, though. It was a thick, oozy sugar.

Around Mile 10, I was starting to feel a little sore. My legs were starting to hurt a little, and I was getting bored of the music on my iPod - I had already listened to Nicki Minaj's whole Pink Friday Album, a sampling of Lil Wayne, and a whole bunch of other random artists.

Needless to say, I was quite excited to hit mile 12. When I got close to mile 13, I was kind of hoping that my husband or my parents decided to come meet me at the finish. The race was a little far away, so I had told them not to worry about coming. I was thrilled to see Tim on the sidelines taking a video as I approached the finish. See the video below. We hung out while I unwound from the race.

My parents stopped by our house when we got home and brought me a congratulations card and a gift card for fro-yo - My favorite :-) I spent the rest of the day resting my legs - so sore!!

All in all, a great experience.
 





Saturday, August 20, 2011

Night Golf

Source: dvidshub.net (view)
Last night, Tim and I teamed up in a night golf tournament. We lost, of course, since I am not really a golfer, but we had a great time!

Night golf is more of a social event than a serious tournament. When we arrived, we played around on the practice green, then headed up to the clubhouse for drinks and dinner. They had a great buffet set up - ribs, salmon,  roasted veggies, salads, pastas, and more! We ate with Tim's parents and met a bunch of fun new people.

Then it was time for golf! We were all given glow stick necklaces and a golf ball that had a glow stick in it. We hit the course, and played four holes. Our score was 26, which is terrible for four holes. The winning teams had scores of 18, 17, and 16. Either way, it was a blast, and I recommend night golf to golfers and non-golfers alike :-)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Half Marathon Weekend

Well, it's time. I've been training for a half marathon, and I'll be running on Sunday.  I'm feeling pretty good about it. Now, I can run 10-12 miles no problem, so this shouldn't be too hard. My only concern is that I woke up this morning with my sinuses completely clogged. I'm going to take some allergy medicine and keep my fingers crossed.

I've decided that I'm going to keep training and go for a full marathon.  It seems very do-able, except for the whole running 20 before the actual marathon. Can I just skip that long run and wing it on the day of the marathon?

Love this photo; very appropriate for a runner's weekend :-)

Source: Ken Illio (view)

Friday, August 5, 2011

Girl Talk Girl Talk Girl Talk

I went to the Girl Talk concert in Canandaigua, NY, on Wednesday, and if you like to dance, you should have gone too. Really, just going to any Girl Talk concert is a real must. Girl Talk is actually a DJ, Gregg Michael Gillis, so the concert is basically just a dance party with confetti, balloons, and glow sticks. 


Some people have criticized Girl Talk since Gregg Gillis works off of computers, rather than traditional instruments, and mixes songs by other artists. I'm a believer that music is about the listener's experience as much as it is about the artist's musical talent, and trust me, the listener's experience is straight party :-)

 






Monday, July 18, 2011

Vacation Recap

I've completely neglected my blog for the past few weeks. I've been too busy traveling to think about blogging.

First, Tim and I went to Rhode Island. Vacation highlights included visiting Watch Hill with our friends Dave and Veronica who just moved to Rhode Island.

On the Beach with Dave and Veronica
Watch Hill, RI


Tim and I also went to Newport. We spent the day visiting the Tennis Hall of Fame, touring the Breakers Mansion, and eating dinner at the Black Pearl.



 Last weekend we went to a wedding in Portland, Oregon. It was my first time visiting the Northwest, and I thought it was beautiful. Portland is a really eccentric city. It seems like everyone there is a hipster, even the middle-aged people. The advantages of visiting a hipster city include:


  • Great boutiques
  • Tons of vegetarian options at restaurants
  • Tater tots (for some reason they were on the menu at every restaurant)
  • Frozen Yogurt
  • Art - everywhere! Sculptures, Gardens right in the city, and paintings everywhere.
The wedding itself was beautiful. The ceremony was on the lawn of an Italian restaurant on a river. 

Loved the bride's dress!!

I finally got to wear the dress Tim gave me for Christmas!
 Glad to be back on the blog!

Is anyone else going on vacation or to a wedding this summer? 

 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ocean-Inspired Manicures

If you've read my blog this week, you know I am super psyched for my trip to the ocean, just a few days away!

Last night me and one of my best girl friends went to get our nails done. I saw Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, and had to have it. It's so beachy - makes me think of ocean waves, coral and sea foam. My pictures came out blurry, but I did Essie's Turquoise and Caicos  on their website:

And here is my blurry picture: 




It's actually more blue than it looks in the picture. It almost reminds me of Tiffany's blue with a hint of sea foam green.

I definitely recommend this color. 

Has anyone found any great nail colors lately?



Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Countdown to Vacation

At this time next week, I will be on vacation. Tim and I are going to the beach. This means sunsets on the ocean, frozen yogurt, shopping on the boardwalk, bbqs, and lots of napping on the beach.

What's your favorite vacation destination?

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Graphic Summer

I went shopping at Urban Outfitters yesterday and decided I'm into graphic tees. I know. It's cliche. Whatever though.

I never liked graphic tees before because they weren't usually low cut or flirty. I found some great looks at Urban.

I ended up buying this Jimi Hendrix t-shirt.

I also LOVED this Little Red Riding Hood shirt.

Source: Alice Rutherford (view)
I actually found the illustrator's blog. Check out her post about the shirt. I asked her if she was selling the print. Fingers crossed.

In other news, I ran 9 miles today and it felt awesome! Apparently running on cloudy/rainy days is the way to go.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Running Through It

Source: FriendshipQuotes (view)
Does anyone else play two sports?

I've been training for a half marathon, and now that the weather is nice, I have been playing tennis. My body hurts. Literally the whole thing. Legs, knees, arms, back, everything. Last year I was running regularly and playing tennis, and it wasn't a problem. I think it's the whole half marathon thing.

I'm to the point in my training where I'm running 5 miles on the regular runs, and 8, 9, 10 on the long runs. It's getting a little rough.

Even though it's hard, I'm still sticking to the training program by running in the morning and playing tennis at night. I'm sure I'll get used to it after a few weeks.

I like this Charlie Brown picture. It really captures the feelings of an intense workout.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Wine Tour

We went on a wine tour in the Finger Lakes this weekend. The Finger Lakes are a row of lakes in upstate NY. There are tons of wineries on Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. We went to Cayuga Lake.

Source: LakehouseNY (view)

We took a huge limo, and brought snacks and drinks. It was about an hour drive to the wineries.



Here's Tim and me at one of the wineries:


Most of the wineries are right on Cayuga Lake. Unfortunately it was a little cloudy.





I bought a bottle of wine from Goose Watch, which is a really popular winery. I got their Lemberger wine, which is similar to a pinot noir. It has a peppery and berry taste.

Source: Vinquire (view)
I hope everyone else had a great weekend, too!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Runner's high... and low

I've always been lucky to be a person who gets a "runner's high." It's a very real thing. Basically running releases endorphins that change your mood, causing a "high." Read all about it in this New York Times article.

Source: Times Union (view)
While I've always experienced a runner's high, I've never experienced a runner's low... until now.

I think it started when I ran 8 on Sunday. It was a tough run in 80 degree heat. For the first time, I started walking at the end of the run. I walked for the last stretch, came home, drank water, and then finished up on the treadmill.

Ever since Sunday, every run has been a struggle. I've felt tired, lacked motivation, and my legs feel heavy when I run.

When I was preparing this blog post this morning, I Googled "tired runner" and discovered this article on runner's low. Here are the signs of a runner's low:


  • Decreased Physical Performance –  yes
  • Heavy Legs – yes
  • Increased Resting Heart Rate – no
  • Increased Susceptibility to Illness – no
  • Chronic Muscle Soreness or Fatigue –no
  • Slower Recovery – no
  • Increased Perceived Exertion – yes
  • Loss of Enthusiasm for Running – yes
  • Change in Sleep Pattern – no
  • Loss of Appetite –yes
So, I'm not sure if this will turn out to be a real runner's low, but it sure feels like it right now!

Has anyone else ever experienced this?

Well, I'm off to run 5 this morning. Wish me luck :-)

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Relaxing and Grilling

At the beginning of the memorial day weekend, it looked like I had a boring weekend ahead. We were supposed to go out to my friend's place on the lake, but all of my girl friends weren't going, so I stayed home too. I thought the whole weekend would be a bust, but I ended up being super busy and having a blast.
Source: Luqieme (view)
Kicked things off by playing tennis with my mom and having dinner with my parents.

Then, I went out and met my friends to see Hangover 2.

 It was sooo funny. I didn't really think the first one was so amazing, but this one was hilarious. I loved the monkey and Chow. I recommend seeing it, even if you didn't like the first one.

After the movie, my friends and I went out for drinks. It was really chill - no drama or craziness. We just sat outside on one of the patios and relaxed.

Source: Lexington Travel (view)
 I didn't get to bed until 4 on Saturday night, so Sunday included an 8 mile run in the 80 degree weather. I didn't get started until noon, so it was HOT. I had to finish the last 2 miles inside on my treadmill.

After the run, I recovered by grilling with friends. We made grilled salmon and it was delish.

Source: McCormick (view)
Monday we went to my in-law's place on Skaneateles Lake. It's beautiful there. Check out this picture from the town website:


Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Did anyone else get locked out of blogger for the past few days? I'm glad to be back.

Delicious :-)


I tried out the new Kitchenaid mixer  that my parents gave me this week! I made Apple Cinnamon Muffins, and they were delish!




Here is the recipe I used:

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • chopped walnuts (optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease six muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
  2. Stir together 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix in oil, egg and milk. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling to the top of the cup.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Mix together with fork and sprinkle over unbaked muffins.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.      
This recipe comes from Mindy on AllRecipes.com.

Fashionista


I also got to see Lacey of Lacey in the City this week. I wish she and Mikey lived closer, since they are one of my favorite couples in the whole world :-) We got coffee at Freedom of Espresso, an independent coffee place in Syracuse. 

Lacey is a fashionista, and I am jealous. I need to go shopping with her. She works for Lodis, which has amazing patterns for handbags, wallets, etc. Check out some of these styles:






Which patterns do you like?

Have a nice, long weekend, everyone!

    Tuesday, May 24, 2011

    Chicken Pesto Pizza

    Tim and I made chicken pesto pizza for dinner last night. It was pretty amazing.

    Here are the ingredients:

    1. Pizza Dough
    2. Pesto (we made it fresh- most of the jarred kinds aren't good)
    3. Chicken (we used a Morningstar chicken)
    4. Portabella mushrooms
    5. Chopped Roma Tomatos
    6. Olives
    7. Mozzarella (we used a lactose free kind - it's healthier)
    Thanks to everyone who recommended stores for me yesterday. I decided to buy from Express online, because they have free shipping today. Check it out. ;-)

    Monday, May 23, 2011

    Let the Summer Shopping Begin

    This weekend I went shopping with my co-worker. We found this cute tank at American Eagle:

    Front
    Back

    Notice the little buttons that run up the back.

    I am so excited to start shopping for summer gear. I really need some new skirts. Any suggestions for a good store?

    Saturday, May 21, 2011

    Mother-Daughter Day

    Mom came over today to play tennis and we hung out all afternoon.

    Source: Tennis Repair (view)


    It was a beautiful day for tennis! Neither of us had played in a really long time. Considering that, we both played really well! I can't wait for the next match :-)


    Source: Bubblegenius (view)

    After tennis, Mom treated me to strawberry dole whip, which is like frozen yogurt, but even healthier I think... We also walked by the swan pond in my town and went to a book sale. 



    Mom also dropped off my birthday present from her and my dad- A KITCHENAID MIXER!!! You know I will be baking tomorrow! Stay tuned for some great recipes or send me your favorite muffin, cookie, cupcake, etc. recipes!! I'm so excited! It was such a nice gift, especially since they already threw a birthday party for me! THANKS MOM AND DAD!

    I love mother-daughter days. What do you like to do with your mom?

    Friday, May 20, 2011

    New Running Shorts and FREE Overnight Shipping!!

    I had a 5 mile run yesterday morning and realized I needed new running shorts. I was just using regular cotton ones, and for a long run, that's just not great. I hopped right on my computer when I got home, and picked out these running shorts. The best part? Zappos is doing FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING!! So, I will have them by tomorrow, and I didn't even pay for rush shipping. It's all too wonderful.



    I'm also super psyched because these shorts have the DRI-fit material, and they have a little pocket in them that I can put my house key in :-)

    Have you used Zappos? If not, I recommend bouncing over there right away.

    Thursday, May 19, 2011

    Half Marathon Training

    I've been training for a half marathon. I haven't been telling people, because I was worried that I wouldn't actually be able to do it. But now I'm getting close. I'm more than half way there:


    I got this plan from Hal Higdon's half marathon training. I'm super excited to be so close.

    Gotta go do my Thursday 4.5 mile. Is anyone else training for a new distance?