My Week in Pictures IV

Merry Christmas Eve!!! This past week was a busy one preparing for the coming week. We're having my family over tonight for Christmas Eve dinner and then going to John's aunt's house for Christmas dinner tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and enjoying our first Christmas in our new house! Before I start getting ready for our dinner, I'm sharing with you my week in pictures! This may or not be my last post of 2018. It'll depend on how this week goes for me. I'm hoping to unplug a bit and just relish in the peace and quiet :)


Monday started out with a cookie baking contest at work. I entered my chai sugar cookies with eggnog icing. I didn't win but people seemed to like them!

I made a point to wear a different penguin scarf AND penguin earrings each day. The students loved it!

My week started out with a nice 4 mile run. I really enjoyed the weather this week here in Jersey!

Dexter has been extra snuggly lately, probably due to the cooler weather. I love the way he curls up his feet while he sleeps!

I forgot my lunch at home on Wednesday which gave me an excuse to try out the new sushi place near work. Now I want to forget my lunch more often, haha.

I babysat Tommy on Wednesday night. He is just full of giggles and silliness!

Thursday was ugly sweater day at work! I personally thought it should've been Friday but that was Flannel Friday instead.

Extra cookie cake and fudge meant my coworkers got a treat! They were a hit in the faculty room!

One of my students is very talented and made me this scratch art penguin :)

Thursday was a bit rainy but I felt so motivated to run anyway. I forgot I had mascara on so thank goodness I looked in the mirror when I got home!

I finally got some wrapping done so I could make the tree look more festive. Notice that you don't see any ornaments... that's because Dexter destroys them so they're only on the middle of the tree where he can't reach.

The first day of winter on Friday didn't really feel like it...

My students entered a young writer's contest a few months back and we finally heard back from them on Friday! Some of our kids were chosen to have their writings in some sort of book!

The last day before winter break = movies all day!

My students spoiled me with some gifts!!

One of John's coworkers turned 30 so she invited us out ax throwing on Friday night with a group of other coworkers. It was actually pretty fun!

We also all went to dinner at a Hibachi place. My favorite!

I made sure to leave a small gift for our mail lady on Saturday. She left us a sweet Christmas card in return.

After a crazy night on Friday, John spent most of Saturday morning relaxing in bed with Dexter.

I used that time to wrap gifts while listening to Christmas music!

On Sunday I decided to go on a unknown distance long run. My goal was at least 5 miles and I surpassed that and ended at 8 miles. I mistakenly forgot to bring water because I really didn't think I'd go that far, so John dropped me off a bottle of water along the way!

I received my Pampered Chef snack bar maker yesterday so I just had to try it out. I made my own recipe which included rice square cereal, crushed pretzels, soy butter, honey, and unsweetened cocoa powder. I'm hoping they turn out good!

Friday Five: 5 Things I’m Loving This Week

Is it me or is it unbelievable that one, it's finally Friday, and two, Christmas is THIS Tuesday {cue my inner-child squeal}?! I'm both excited and stressed at the same time because I feel like my to-do list for the next few days in never ending! Luckily our weekend is pretty open {for now} so it will be spent preparing for Christmas Eve since we're hosting and finishing up any last minute wrapping. This is the first year in awhile that I've procrastinated a bit of our shopping and wrapping but I'm making it work. Today is my last day of work until January 2nd and I'm pretty pumped. Although it is going to be a wild day so send this teacher some good vibes! Before you go into your {hopefully} last work day before Christmas and this wild holiday weekend, read on to see what I've been loving this week!

1. Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

With this week being super busy, I resorted to a crock pot meal on Tuesday so we could have a quick, easy meal with some leftovers! I chose my go-to crock pot salsa chicken. You throw some frozen chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, a can of beans, and a can of corn all in a crock pot. Put it on low for 8 hours and BOOM! You have a tasty meal that can be eaten plain, over rice, or even in a tortilla! Add some sour cream and cheese when serving to add even more flavor. John and I have been picking up a black bean and corn salsa from Aldi to use in place of the salsa and beans and then we just add extra corn because we love it. You can really customize this meal! Also there is no photo because we ate it before I could think about it 😂

2. Penguin Earrings

This time of year is the perfect time to break out all the Christmas themed earrings I have. My students have been loving the different earrings I've been wearing all week, especially the different penguin ones. Seriously, this is the only time of year it's {almost} acceptable for me to wear penguin earrings along with my penguin scarves without looking too crazy.

3. Homemade Gifts

One of my students surprised me with a handmade scarf as an early Christmas present. I almost cried at how sweet the gift was! The fact that she thought of me and took the time to hand-knit me a scarf is just the sweetest thing in the world. I wish I had the time to hand craft something for everyone that I went out and purchased a gift for. I may have to keep this in my next year and start early with Christmas gifts. I should also learn how to make something crafty while I'm added although fun fact, I do know how to crochet!

4. Twisted Peppermint Lotion

I got this lotion free at Bath & Body Works back in November and it's been a staple for me this whole month! Not only does the shea butter leave my hands super smooth, but the scent is to die for! The peppermint scent has a hint of butter cream to it and it leaves me wanting something sweet each time I use it! I put it on a lot during the day and my students always comment on how good it smells!

5. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas Treasury for Kids

Okay, okay I know this says "for kids" but it's seriously the cutest book ever for the holiday season! I bought this many many years ago (hence it being "for kids") at a Scholastic Book Fair and love bringing it out each year to read. It has one story for each day from December 1st through Christmas. The idea is to read a story each day but I usually get so caught up in the short stories that I read a bunch all at once! I had forgotten about this book in the past few years but remembered about it while I was at my parent's this week so I brought it home. I am already almost through all the stories and it's funny how they still touch my heart even after reading them dozens of times!

Question of the Day: What is something you're loving this week?

What’s Next For Me?

If I'm going to be honest, I've been stalling writing this post. I've been debating my future race plans post-marathon #3 since pretty much the middle of training and yet I still am not 100% sure I know what I want to do in 2019. With the way the Philadelphia Marathon lined up, my running goals/plans will begin in the new year. This gave me all of December to build my running base back up again after the marathon and some much needed rest. 

I finally received my finishers shirt! Wearing it is bringing back the excitement!

For those of you who have been around for awhile, then you know that the new year (2019) is going to be extremely busy for me. The most important event of all will be my wedding in August. If you're in the running/training mindset, then you may realize that August is a key training month when it comes to fall marathons and half marathons. With that being said, the fall does not hold any major races for me. I have been eager to do an ultra, and found a really great one that is not too far away, but unfortunately that will have to be put on hold until at least 2020 considering it takes place in October.

As you all know, races are expensive. In the past year or so I have definitely dwindled down my race list to just a few as a way to save money. This will be the same idea for the new year as I am saving my money for the wedding and my honeymoon. With that being said, I am limiting myself to one spring race and one (not so serious) fall race. The Philly Marathon expo gave me a few ideas for my spring race. My top choice would definitely be the Broad Street 10-miler in May, but with that being a lottery, I have a chance of not actually getting in. My second choice is the Love Run Half at the end of March. This decision will be made once I know if I got into the lottery or not.

Between my spring race and my wedding, my main focus will be on maintaining a consistent running schedule along with strength training to prepare for the big day! My dress shows off my back and arms so I definitely want to maintain the muscles I've got going on (thanks marathon training!).

After my wedding and honeymoon, I will began training for whichever fall race I choose. I have a couple in mind, mostly half marathons, but have not made a final decision just yet. I know for sure I want to run the Jonas Cattell 10-miler in October. For those of you who followed me through marathon training, then you know this is the race I ran 10 miles to the start of and then ran the race for my 20 mile training run. I've done this twice and now I'd like to actually run the race without a warm up of 10 miles. I think I'd enjoy the race a lot more if I'm not fatigued before I even got to the start line.

2019 will be a year of maintenance for me while also focusing on speed. By maintaining a consistent running schedule along with strength training and speed work, I hope to prepare myself for a more rigorous schedule in 2020. The last few years have been quite busy for me with training and races so I'm looking forward to a more unstructured year. Of course I will be following my own little schedule just to hold myself accountable!

Questions of the Day: What's next on your race schedule?

Do you still make a running schedule for yourself even when you aren't actually training for a race?

My Week in Pictures III

Is it me, or do the weeks before Christmas feel like they are both speeding by and dragging on both at the same time? I'm both surprised and relieved that the last work week before Christmas is finally here! I have just four and half long days that stand between me and 11 days off from work. Not that I'm counting... To start off this week, I'm sharing with you what I did in the last week, in picture form! Have a great week :)

John and I started off the work week with a spontaneous date to Chili's. We've had a gift card for there and finally decided to go use it so it was basically a free night out for us.

We hung up with wreath my aunt gifted to us and it really makes our front porch/patio/whatever it's call look festive!

I spent Tuesday night reading through my new cook book. I've already put sticky tabs on so many recipes I want to try!

I finally found romaine at my local grocery store and was excited to have a salad for lunch on Wednesday!

I squeezed in a quick mile on Wednesday before going grocery shopping with my mom for the baking items we needed for Saturday's baking extravaganza.

Friday was holiday socks day at work so I wore the candy cane leg warmers I bought a few years ago for a Christmas themed 5k. They were actually super warm all day and I'm wondering why the leg warmer trend died out...

All the teachers at my school were gifted with $30 towards the Scholastic book fair. I spent my whole lunch picking out some good books to read and then share with my students!

John and I were ready for bed super early on Friday night (as we are most nights) so I suggested we go look at Christmas lights as opposed to going to bed at 7:30 pm on a Friday night. We saw some cute houses!

Saturday was cookie baking day and we started bright and early!

Tommy had a blast helping us! He believes that all cookies should have sprinkles and I 100% support that!

My mom and I made the pizzelles using my mom-mom's pizzelle iron she used to always use to make them for us on Christmas Eve.

They didn't turn out half bad!

Tommy's cookies vs. our cookies.

A Saturday spent cookie baking and getting nephew snuggles is a pretty solid Saturday in my book!

I finally got my marathon finisher quarter zip and decided to take a picture first thing Sunday morning because I was so pumped for it!

I went on a relaxing, scenic run on Sunday morning before the rain started back up.

I didn't look at my watch at all during my run (it was covered up by my jacket) and just ran the pace my body wanted me to. It felt great!

My Sunday afternoon was spent at my co-worker's Pampered Chef party. I ordered my own granola bar mold so maybe mine will look a bit nicer when I make them!

My weekend ended with decorating my chai sugar cookies with an eggnog icing for my school's cookie bake off tomorrow. I'm going to be sick of Christmas cookies soon enough...

Question of the Day: What's something fun you did in the past week?

Friday Five: 5 Things I’m Loving This Week

Happy happy Friday, everyone! This was one of the longest weeks ever and I’m so relieved that Friday is finally here. I’ve got a pretty relaxing schedule this weekend, including baking a ton of cookies with my mom and sister. I’m really looking forward to eating some yummy cookies :) In typical Friday fashion, here are 5 things I’ve been loving this week!

1. Asics Fleece-Lined Leggings

For the last couple years I've been on the hunt for the perfect pair of fleece-lined leggings for running. After some trial and error, I think I've finally found the perfect pair! I got them for an awesome price at the Asics outlet a few weeks ago. They fit perfectly (I struggle with finding the right tights that don't fall down around my waist), the fleece lining is keeps my legs warm, and they are thin enough that I don't feel too bulky. 

2. 26.2 Necklace

For my birthday on Sunday John really spoiled me! One of my gifts was a 26.2 Roman numeral necklace from Gone For a Run. I've had my eye on it after I saw someone I followed on Instragram wearing it in one of their pictures a couple years ago. I love Roman numerals and wearing something that reminds me that I can do anything, so it's a win-win in my book!

3. Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. Cookbook

The second part of my birthday gift from John was Shalane and Elyse's second cookbook together. I'm a huge fan of their first cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow., so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Although I haven't gotten a chance to actually try out any of the recipes yet, I've read through the whole book and put sticky notes on all the recipes that I want to try. Let me tell you, I may have used a whole pack of sticky notes because everything just looks SO GOOD! Along with all the great recipes, there are also some great tips throughout the book. Shalane and Elyse share meal planning tips, budgeting tips, exercises, stretches, and more. They also include some tips for making some of the recipes when you have a nut allergy (like me!) which is super helpful because we all know 90% (this is an estimate) of running related recipes include a nut in some form. Or maybe I just notice this more because I have an allergy?

4. Step Stool

I've always known I was a bit vertically challenged. This never really bothered me until I bought a house with a good amount of cabinets and shelves that are completely out of reach for me. John's parents surprised me with a step stool for my birthday because they knew how frustrated I was that a good portion of our cabinets were unusable due to the fact that I needed to stand on the counters to reach them. This may seem like a lame gift but I am so happy with it! It's a nicely made step stool that is light so that I can easily carry it around the house and folds up thin enough that I can store it easily. Though let's be honest, it will almost always be out and being used!

5. Tribe Dark Chocolate Hummus

I bought this on a whim Wednesday while grocery shopping with my mom and it’s safe to say I’m already OBSESSED! I’ve been eating it with animal crackers at lunch and it’s the perfect way to control my sweet tooth. It doesn’t even feel like I’m eating some healthy! I highly suggest this anyone who wants a sweet treat that is guilt free!

Question of the Day: What are you loving this week?