My Week in Pictures XII

Is it me, or does this time change throw you off? I felt like between the rain and losing an hour of sleep, a majority of my Sunday was spent in bed! Now it's Monday and I have to wake myself up to get through another long week. Before we get this show on the road, let's look back at my week last week through the {not so many} pictures I took!

On Monday night I made John pasta for dinner complete with sauce and parm cheese!

During 9th period on Tuesday, my mom sent a group text to my siblings and I to let us know that my Pop Pop was being taking to the ER. There was a possibility it was a stroke but after tests, it showed his ammonia levels were extremely high. He has problems with his liver so it all makes sense. I rushed out of school to go see him, completely forgetting that one of my students had braided my hair...

I was at the ER pretty late on Tuesday night, so I opted to stop for a Wawa sizzli on my way to work Wednesday morning.

My Pop Pop was still in the hospital come Thursday night so John, my brother, and I went to keep him company for awhile. Somehow we ended up going to Don Pablo's for dinner where the waitress treated us to a free dessert :)

I had to do a small group test in my office on Friday. When I went back later for my prep, I saw my students had left me a cute note on my Boogie Board!

My brother and I ran to Walmart for a few things and this is what we found in the parking lot... So many carts! It was kinda eery feeling.

After a 6 mile run on Saturday, John and I got our first Rita's of the year!

Saturday night was waffle night with John, my sister, her husband, my nephew, and my brother. We had both sweet and savory options! We even made brownies in the waffle iron for dinner!

A typical Sunday morning with Dexter...

I love when John and my brother join me on a run!

We had some spare time before meeting family for dinner, so I did a little bit of shopping at Christmas Tree Shops. I was pretty pumped that out of the 3 cat themed hand towels they had left, one was an H!

We met up with my family for dinner at the diner I used to work at out of high school. I got shrimp and scallops with a lemon butter sauce. Mhmmm!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite topping for a waffle?

Friday Five: 5 Things I'm Loving This Week

Happy, happy Friday, everyone! As crazy as this week was, it really flew by! And as if 2019 couldn’t get crazy enough, my Pop Pop has been in the hospital since Tuesday. We don’t really have any answers but he definitely is much better than he was on Tuesday! I don’t have much planned for the weekend besides a staff bowling party today after work. After a crazy week, I’m looking forward to some relaxation! Anywho, enjoy my Friday Five!

1. Dermalogica Stress Positive Eye Lift

This was one of my Influenster goodies a while back that I've been using a lot lately. It's an active, cooling cream-gel that is supposed to energize skin to minimize puffiness and dark circles under your eyes. The Stress Positive Eye Lift is super quick and easy to use and has been leaving the area around my eyes looking more vibrant. With how tired I've been lately, it's been such a life saver. Just like other Influenster goodies, I always look up the actual cost just in case I fall in love with an item and want to buy it in the future. This wonderful product costs a whopping $68 so it'll require some thinking if it's worth it or not for me.

2. Strawberries

My grandmom sent me over two huge containers of strawberries over the weekend and boy was I thankful! I don't typically buy berries this time of year due to cost but I couldn't pass up free strawberries! I cut them all up right away. some I put in my berry keeper to keep them fresh a little longer, some I froze for later, and some I may have eaten as I cut them up... They've been such a nice treat all week!

3. Wands for Wildlife

Carlee McDot shared this in one of her Friday Favorites a couple months ago {maybe even over a year ago!}. I had completely forgotten about it until I started cleaning out a couple old make up bags I had from back when I actually attempted to do make up. I came across a couple old mascara tubes that I was about to just toss when I remembered I could clean and save the wands to mail away to Wands for Wildlife. Wands for Wildlife uses your old {CLEAN!} mascara wands to remove fly eggs and larva from the fur of wild animals. Reusing items AND helping animals? Talk about a win-win!

4. Revlon Hair Dryer and Volumizer

This was a Christmas present from John this past year and so far I'm loving it! If I haven't said it before then I'll say it again, I'm super lazy when it comes to getting ready. I never blow dry my hair because I have absolutely no patience and I can't hold both the blow dryer and a brush at the same time. Well, when a friend told me about this brush that also blow dries your hair, I was SOLD! It's the perfect item for me because it's quick and easy. Now I don't have to go out with wet hair! I used it on Saturday before my grandparent's party and it gave me hair such a nice look!

5. Matte Silver Ball Earrings 

While getting ready Saturday, I decided I wanted to switch up my typical amethyst earrings and wear something with a bit more pizzazz. While perusing through my earring collection {I have so many that I need to start wearing!}, I came across these silver ball stud earrings with a matte look to them. The pair I linked above is not the exact pair I own because I honestly have no clue where they are from, but they look close enough! I've been wearing them a lot this week because they stand out without being too obnoxious or heavy on my ears.

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

How to Annoy a Runner Part 2

Since my Part 1 of How to Annoy a Runner was such a big hit, and I had an abundance of ideas for it, I now present you with Part 2! Most of these were part of my original list, but some were added after I got some input from Part 1. I hope you enjoy and maybe you can even relate for a few {or all!} of these.


I ran a 5k marathon once. Hmm, I don't think you did but okay.

Haven't you heard about the guy who died from running or the woman who was attacked on a run? Yes and yes. I've done my research and I do what I can to stay safe during a run.

Are you one of those joggers? How dare you use the "J" word!

I wish I could run like you. You could if you tried!

Don't you get bored? Actually, I don't! It's my time to think, listen to podcasts, people-watch, and honestly get some peace and quiet!

I wish I had the time to run, but I'm so busy! Are you implying that I am not busy? I actually am, I just make sure to make time for something that is important to me. Everyone has different priorities.

You can eat whatever you want, you're a runner! If only that was the case...

When are you running another marathon? Just because someone runs a marathon, doesn't mean they will start running one every weekend. Let them focus on this accomplishment first!

Do you have to run today? I mean, I don't have to, but I want to.

Question of the Day: Have you ever been asked any of these questions? 
Is there something you've been asked that I didn't mention here?

My Week in Pictures XI

It's another wet Monday over here in Jersey. I'm honestly wondering if there will ever be a day that there aren't puddles and mud patches everywhere. Anywho, last week was a pretty busy week for me hence the lack of photos. I hope everyone has a great week!


I finally updated the photo in my frame on my desk. I love this picture of Tommy!

On Wednesday I met up with one of my friends from college, Sara, at a mall halfway between us. We had a delicious dinner at a place called Fireside. Other than the great conversations with Sara, the bread was the best part!

When I got home, Dexter needed some snuggles while we watched Grace & Frankie, our newest Netflix binge!

Thursday was grocery shopping day with my mom, sister, and Tommy. Tommy had a blast look at his favorite section {the cheese} and even correctly told me all the colors of the packages.

A surprise snow Friday morning called for a 2 hour delay! What a relief after such a long and hectic week at work. I joked that it was our reward for making it to Friday.

Dexter and I snuggled during my extra 2 hours in the morning. So much for being productive haha.

After a week of lame runs, I got a nice 7 mile run in on Saturday morning. A phone call with my best friend while she was running as well was necessary to keep my motivation going!

Saturday night we threw my grandparents a surprise 50th anniversary party! It was such a wonderful night and such a great experience to witness them renew their vows! It was the first time in awhile that I really made a point to do my hair and make up so I had to document it with a mirror selfie at the venue.

Just some little details from the night!

After a long Friday and Saturday {Friday we took my grandparents to dinner for their anniversary to throw them off}, a morning in bed was very necessary! Okay... it may have been most of the day in bed but then we eventually got up and got a couple things done.

Question of the Day: Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

Friday Five: 5 Things I’m Loving This Week

Oh man, I wasn't sure Friday was ever going to get here. Each day this week felt like it was extremely long, to the point where I woke up each morning and had to check my watch to confirm the day. We, made it, though, guys! I have a pretty exciting weekend ahead of me. Today happens to be my grandparent's 50 year wedding anniversary! This weekend will be all about celebrating them which will be wonderful. I'll give more details on that in Monday's post :) For now, enjoy my Friday Five!

1. Cold Stone Somewhere Over the Rain-dough Ice Cream

As you may have read in my Week in Pictures post on Monday, I tried the new cookie dough ice cream at Cold Stone on Saturday. More specifically, I got the "Somewhere Over the Rain-dough" creation. It was the classic cookie dough ice cream with frosting, rainbow sprinkles, and sugar crystals mixed in. It is said to taste like sugar cookie dough and it's 100% true! The sugar crystals give it that sugar cookie dough-like goodness!

2. Suave Dry Spray

I received Suave Dry Spray in a recent Influenster Vox Box just in time because I was just finishing up a stick of deodorant. I had never tried a dry spray deodorant but I figured it was worth a shot. It's been a couple weeks since I've been using it and I'm happy to report that I actually like it! My favorite part of this particular type of deodorant is that it becomes dry the instant you spray it on so there isn't much of a chance of getting deodorant marks on your shirt! Note: I received the powder scent, which wouldn't have been my choice, but it's still good! They also sell Suave Dry Spray in wild cherry blossom and coconut kiss. I would've definitely picked coconut kiss!

3. Purex Baby Laundry Detergent 

You may laugh at this choice for my Friday Five but hear me out! I bought Purex Baby for two reasons. 1. I needed it to wash my more delicate clothing items and 2. I had a great coupon deal for it. I used it a couple weeks ago to wash a load of delicate clothes and was amazed at how gosh darn wonderful it smells! It has a light scent that doesn't overpower. I've actually started to wash my blankets and anything else that I use a lot in this detergent so I can enjoy the scent all day!

4. Slipper Socks

It's been pretty chilly lately and for those who know me, you know that I'm already always cold as it is. I got a couple cute pairs of slipper socks for Christmas which have become my go-to footwear for around the house when I'm feeling cold. They're soft and warm like typical fuzzy socks but have grips on the bottom so I don't slip. I don't own actual slippers but these work just as well!

Source 

5. Carlee McDot's March 30 Day Challenges 

One item on my 2019 to do list is to complete one 30-day challenge. When I saw Carlee McDot posted about the FOUR 30-day challenges she was taking on for the month of March, I knew this was my sign. Carlee is taking part in four different 30-day challenges that target four different work outs: push-ups, crunches, squats, planks. I know myself pretty well, which means I know four challenges at once is not really doable for me. Instead, I've decided to try completing the push-up and crunches 3-day challenges. My arms and core have been my focus lately so I think these will help me out!

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

2019 Goals: February Update

February sure did fly by! I'm not sure if it's due to the fact that February is only 28 days long or if it's because I was busy for about 26 of those days... Looking back, it was a wonderful month full of spending time with friends and also working towards some of my goals! I even crossed a few things off my 2019 to do list. Today I'm sharing with you the progress I've made on my six 2019 goals.

Goal 1: Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

I was surprised at how many quality runs I got in this month with the crazy weather we've had! In the beginning of the month I ran my first double digit run since November. I added some faster pace runs in. I also managed to start adding some strength and HIIT workouts into my schedule. My upper body strength has really declined in the past couple months so I am working on building that back up.

Goal 2: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

I am so proud of myself that I remembered my reusable bags almost every time time I went to the store this month! One of my favorite bloggers, Carlee McDot, shared in one of her recent Friday Favorite posts about a program called Re-Spun by Marine Layer. The basis of the program is you donate your old, unwanted t-shirts and then Marine Layer "re-spins" them into new shirts. You also get a $5 credit per shirt donated {up to $25 but they don't cap how many shirts you can donate}. I requested a donate kit so I can mail in some of the t-shirts I am ready to donate. I'll keep you updated on my process as I just received the kit in the mail. To go along with the re-use theme, I started to find ways to re-use items such as turning an empty Lysol container into a trash bag dispenser.

Goal 3: Reduce Phone Usage

This is definitely something I am becoming more aware of. I have gotten better at not going on my phone first thing in the morning. Instead, I quickly check my messages for any urgent texts and then throw it in my bag. Once I get to work, I take a few minutes to check any notifications before putting it back in my bag. At home I have been trying to pick up a book or magazine {bridal magazines have been my go-to at this point in time} more than my phone.

Goal 4: Try New Recipes

I definitely failed on this goal this month. I did start making my lunches a bit more creative, but none of the recipes were anything new. More so just a hodge podge of food I had in. The only "new" recipe I would say I tried is pumpkin spice overnight oats which uses oats, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, real pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spice.

Goal 5: Give Back

One of my best friends works for a non-profit that recently opened up a food & toiletry pantry. I raided my cabinets and put together a bag of items to donate!.

Goal 6: Save Money

In a way, I did do really good with saving money this month. I didn't purchase any "extras" and only ate at places we had gift cards/free coupons for {besides during our weekend trip to Washington, D.C.}. We had a couple house emergencies in the beginning of the month that required us to put out a good bit of money. I think these issues really put us in the "money saving" mindset, though, which is good in a way. A majority of my grocery shopping trips were couponing trips with my mom. I only spent .61 cents on an order that was originally over $50!!

Question of the Day: How are you doing with any of your 2019 goals or resolutions?

My Week in Pictures X

I'm not sure how it's already Monday but here it is! My weekend was a mix of fun and relaxation, which I'm happy about. It really did fly by, though. Honestly, all of this past week seemed to fly by yet drag on at the same time. Hopefully I can get through this first full work week since a few weeks ago! Now onto the pictures of what I did all week :)


I had off Monday for President's Day. I spent a majority of my morning at Target, shopping for some bridesmaids gifts. John and I met up for lunch at a pizza place near his work, which is in our hometown. Since I was in the area, I went for a run at a park I used to always go to before we moved. They have a nice workout area so I did some upper body strength workouts!

Snow on Wednesday called for an early dismissal. This allowed me to get some snow miles in {my fav}!

Dexter wanted to help me stretch!

I had some free time so I made some two-ingredient dough bagels! Two with Everything But The Bagel seasoning and two with cinnamon sugar.

Thursday night I had a much night girl's night with my best friend, Cassie, at Panera. I was so pumped that the baguette they gave me was huge!

I tried taking a nap on Saturday but somebody wanted to stare at me the whole time... Good thing he's cute!

On Saturday night, John and I went to Cold Stone with my sister, her husband, my brother, and my nephew. I tried the new cookie dough ice cream and man, it was tasty!

After Cold Stone, we all came back to our house. Tommy had a blast playing with Dexter!

After awhile he just snuggled up and watched TV. So cute!

Sunday morning was all sorts of lazy! Dexter snuggled up with us all morning.

John and I signed up for the Phillies Charities 5K! I'm so excited to run a race together :)

I finally got out of bed and went on a nice 7 mile run. I was so impressed with my pace!

John and I went to Pancheros for lunch and started looking at honeymoon destinations. We were there for over an hour!

Question of the Day: What is something fun you did this past weekend?