Let it Begin!

I spent yesterday morning patching and moving the downstairs around to get ready for The-Great-Paint. I've yet to pick the official color, but, i did buy a great new piece of furniture for the downstairs! Found a great little antique store in Indian Trail (Southern Market Place) and got a steal for this china cabinet.

All in price - $160

I've yet to decide if I'm going to repaint it - I'll have to see what it looks like [in a place TBD at the condo] with the new wall color.

Woke up this morning still a little full from the great steak dinner Eric cooked last night and took Tugs out -- was a wonderful 69 degrees with 70% humidity. Left monster-puppy inside and went straight for a nice 4 mile run. I took some pictures along the way since I had my iPhone to finish out the newest Freakonomics podcast.

Here is a different side of Charlotte:

View from E's driveway on my way out

Approaching the entrance of the neighborhood

Shady back road of the loop

Cows!

Final farm where Sailor met her first cow, approaching Peach Orchard

I got home, pounded some Gatorade, and Eric and I took Sailor for the mile and a half loop on the trail. After my coffee, I'm back home making a list for the store. Looking forward to a short week at work and great progress next weekend.

...Apparently, all I need to do is buy Eric lunch at Sub Station II for helping me paint :)...

Reason to Run

Had another great start to the day with Sailor and our morning 5K. She was sitting at attention when I walked out of the bathroom this morning, waiting to go. 64 degrees this morning will sure beat 92 this afternoon! Hitting yoga at lunch today to get everything out of the way before date night.

Looking forward to a nice calm weekend of catching up and relaxing with Eric and Sailor. My awesome mom also sent me my very own sewing machine [and a bunch of supplies with it!], so I'm excited to start practicing :)

I can't wait to see the garden this weekend too and how my newly planted lilies and lipstick flowers are doing at the ranch house.

Morning Drizzle

Great start to the morning with a run alongside Eric and behind Sailor. She's getting better about tugging after squirrels but, bunnies are a whole different story!

Been a banner week for running - the track workout on Wednesday with Wen and Eric, yoga with the new instructor (Jai L is nicely stepping in for our beloved Madeline), TAC, and a fast hilly 7 miler. One more long run tomorrow and the week will be completely rounded out.

I've complied my list of "Chores for May:"

• Finish refurbishing the end table --> this weekend
• Finish reupholstering the chair (mid-June ... waiting on my sewing machine to get here, thanks Mom!)
• Hang pictures (Cheap Joe's did an excellent job framing my Chi Marathon poster)
• Clean baseboards in kitchen
• Fix/Refurb(?) broken bar stool.

Hawaiian Style

Great run yesterday and I have to say ... this barefoot girl might be thinking of shoes thanks to my bud/crazy TAC instructor, Tim. Checked out the Newton's last night at CRC with Dana (who wears them) and was initially a big fan. Since they have a steep price tag, it's going to take a couple more fittings to really sell me on them, but, they would be a nice "break for my feet," especially in the summer months when it's Africa hot on the pavement.

Leftover Easter Ham was delicious on a salad last night and much deserved after a solid 7miles. Tugs is down to a mile a day with the imposing heat. She's also sleeping on the floor at night too (#WINNING). Hello Summer!

Hawaiian Salad

• Lettuce -- Romain or Spinach
• Cucumber
• Jalapeno (I put this on everything I make)
• Israeli Couscous [from Trader Joes]
• Ham (cold and cubed)
• Pineapple
• 1 Tbsp of Light Ranch
• Mozzarella

Simply pile on the ingredients in the portions you like (I like extra pineapple :P)

A big thanks to Jules and helping me pick out some new swimsuits ... which partially arrived last night. I love all three, but this one was at the top of Eric's list -- Miraculous Halter in Smoking Grey.

Em's wedding and our vacay down to FL can't come soon enough!

Holy Lettuce, Easter Bunny!

Fantastic weekend here in the Carolinas. Saturday morning was a lot of fun running the one-miler with Huff and Eric.  Kev brought Sailor from the house too so she was there supporting as I was finishing [and very jealous she wasn't running]. Later that day we spent the lazy afternoon at the ranch watching hockey followed by the first time at Pinky's and the Amos concert. New Love: Firefly Skinny Tea with Crystal Light Lemonade (72 calories per 1.5oz).

The garden is in full swing. We have a ton of lettuce that is the best I've ever tasted -- glad Eric spent extra time tilling/testing the dirt this year. Yum and Yum. 

Easter Sunday was great too -- I got to spend the whole day in the kitchen cooking in peace with Sailor lounging around sleeping [after her big-day out Saturday]. We had quite a feast and an excellent group for dinner. Thank you Molls for the cute treat bags and Eric for my lovely daffodils.

Easter Dinner

Ham with Raspberry-esk Glaze and Pineapple

Mashed Squashtatoes

Green Beans with Momma Frank's Bacon Topping

Shells and Cheese ala Molly

Almquist Deviled Eggs

Homemade Chocolate Cake (from scratch ..thanks Mom for the Easter recipes!)



Mashed Squashtatoes

• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tbsp Garlic
• 2.5 lbs of Potatoes
• 2.5 lbs of Squash
• 8 oz Low-fat Sour Cream
• 8oz Shredded Cheese (pick what you like)
• 1/4 cup milk
• Butter to taste
• Pepper to taste

Start by boiling a large pot of water withe the broth and garlic. Cut up the potatoes and squash into smaller pieces -- toss into pot once at a rolling boil. Boil for ~15min. Drain and throw into Mixer (I used my kitchenaid) and add Sour Cream and Cheese (can also use Cream Cheese, I just didn't have any on hand). Once properly mashed, toss in a croc pot on low. About an hour from dinner, add the milk, pepper, butter, and anything else you'd like for taste. I had mine simmering for ~3hours while the ham was cooking.

I Know What You Did - WALTER!

I know you stepped on my flowers, Mr.! They better be alive and kicking when I see them next ....

Great weekend consisting of eating lettuce from the garden on Saturday night with our Stuffed Peppers for dinner followed by a game of Scrabble (don't mock it, Scrabble is a lot of fun).  5.5mile run with tugboat on Sunday where she only tugged a bit -- getting better with age i suppose .. or the longer runs!  Rounded out nicely with dinner at Copper after the boys had a day of golfing.

This Week:

• Friday - register for the One-Mile run at Icehouse
• Saturday - One-Mile run uptown at 730am
• Saturday - dinner at Pinky's with Wen/Brad then off to Amos Lee!
• Sunday - Easter Mass followed by a yummy ham for dinner :)

Committed

Committed to 2-a-days. TAC followed by a track workout -- here comes bathing suit season and Ms. Emily Pieri's wedding! May can't get here soon enough.

Excellent time at Brixx last night with the Wed Run crowd. We definitely started to feel summer approach yesterday...even tugs was exhausted (so rare) at the end.

Looking forward to Golf all weekend ... for those that read this ... still hunting down where to play on Sunday. I'll send you guys an email with details.

One more day to the weekend...

How to:

... get to your goal weight ...
     Have a stomach bug all weekend. FML.

Even though my tummy wasn't happy - Sarah and Mike threw and awesome BBQ on Saturday and Brian Regan was a hoot on Sunday.

Ryan Huff ran a redic 6:18/mile 4 Miler on Saturday -- as Patty Waddy nicely put, "How do you keep getting faster since you're getting older?"

Who is interested in running Sticks and Bones on April 9th?

Upcoming:

• Neil's Birthday (Friday)
• Clothing Exchange @ Molly's (Sunday)

#WINNING

Beer Mile Male and Female champs - Jim set a course record with a 7:18 blazing pace and Terri wasn't too far behind around 8min.

Jim wanted to make sure we all knew that this was their "cool" pose and that the "old folks kicked ur asses" with an avg age of 45.

Was a great couple of days ... now off to check out the garden and get some trails in before MIKE AND SARAH'S TONIGHT :)!

New Job, New Shoes

Last year I wore a lot more flats than ever with the increase in barefoot running and, now with the move to the Corporate Center on the horizon, it's a nice excuse to treat myself. These Madden Girl Pumps are a great classic shoe. I have them in pink now and just scopped up a couple more pairs since thier on sale for about $30. Note: They have them in taupe (below), which matches most everything.

Made Trader Joes brownies for Eric last night [since he cooked dinner]; they are currently still on my counter since he didn't want to take them to work ... I hope Sailor doesn't eat them today. They were super easy (only need 2 Eggs, Stick of Butter, Brownie Mix and 25 min in the oven) and a nice treat after a 3rd straight day of running [for me, S, and Eric].

Celebrate

Brad and Wen are engaged! It's turning out to be the year for weddings with Emily and Odis in May and Brad and Kacey sometime late this year [or next]. Couldn't be more thrilled at the news :)!

..they also had an excellent BBQ last night at their adorable home last night.

Eric/Huff/Tudor/Kev and crew had amazing runs Saturday (1/2 Marathon). Big thanks to Stacy putting up with monster puppy (aka the #1 Barking Fan) and I traipsing around town cheering everyone on. Sails pushed up her milage to 7.5 on Saturday - very proud of her! She got more "HI SAILOR" calls than Stac or I did ... humph. Guess she's a celebrapuppy. Shout out to Kev for his 1:27 PR ... way to go ... you're a mere blurr on my camera.

Eric and I got a LOT done on the garden (pictures to come). Carrots, Broccoli, Spinach, and Lettuce are in the ground. Tomato's (3 varieties), Peppers (Sweet, Banana, and Hot), Cucumbers, and Squash are all germinating now as well. E won the battle with neighbor-Mike's tiller and got the compost/10-10-10/soil mixed in with the [awful] Carolina clay. I have a new appreciation for the dirt I grew up playing in.

Itching to get to the weekend and have another fun filled time @ Mike and Sarah's.

Beer Mile prizes for Thursday have been acquired as well as some fab volunteers.
And...thanks to Molls, I have 5 yoga sessions at The Yoga Oasis to use --- feeling very lucky and more open a. Thanks for the sweet/thoughtful/awesome gift, Molls!

365 Days Later

Big Announcement - I've officially got a new job as of 4/1. Very excited to join my new group [still at BAML, but in nicer digs @ the corporate center] and sad to leave me awesome teammates. But, my window cube is going to someone very brilliant, awesome, and deserving.

So much on the horizon this year, and it's only March. I am truly thankful for all the wonderful friends here in Charlotte [and elsewhere] and how much we have all been there for/with each other over the past year. Thinking back to Beer Mile last year and now this year...what a difference!

Big shout out to Tud on being under contract on his [almost] home. Yay!

On that note ... for this weekend:

• Corporate Cup on Saturday. Sailor and I will be running around cheerleading Eric, Huff, Tudor, Kev, and some more Charlotte Runners on. Look for us on Tryon, Queens, and Morehead. I'll be the one with the howling red dog.
• Sunday: BBQ at the McIntosh/Norvell home. So excited to go see all the cherry blossoms.

Next Week:

• Thursday - BEER MILE
• Friday - Matty's birthday shindig in NoDa (Cabo Fish Taco and some Live Music at the Evening Muse)
• Saturday - St. Patty's celebration at the Mike & Sarah's; a drink in every room should lead to an exciting evening
• Sunday - Brian Regan!

Blurry Growth

Thanks for the genetics, Mom and Dad. Eyes got worse this year, but it meant a cute new pair of Kate Spade spectacles (Spectrum Eyecare uptown is supurb).

What a weekend - Friday was a late OT Devils win (watched at Ed's ... thankfully they have the NHL package) followed by a fun jaunt to NoDa with Tud/Molls (Dolce Vita, adorable and had live music). Saturday I finally got the shop vac I have been eyeing since Christmas (chew as many sticks as you want now Sailor!). It was a steal at Sams Club for $30. Great little rainy BBQ at the ranch Friday with awesome friends ... and a great couple rounds of wii bowling. Thanks for making the hike everyone!

"No-Plans-Sunday" was relaxing. Came home to find my lillies growing :) Sunflowers are growing like weeds (note: Weeds Season 6 disc 2 comes this week, le sigh). Sailor, Eric and I rocked out some fast sub 8min miles for 4.5miles last night since the rain gave way to a beautiful night. Ended with some great salmon and flounder for dinner from Trader Joes.

Stretch and Breath

Fantastic run with Molls this evening and then my Molly Massage a day early! Feeling superb and thankful for such a great and quality friend.

Pending news about work, stay tuned. Thankful for the great people I work with [and next to] (that's especially you "tams" who always always always helps me troubleshoot and teaches me how "self sooth" when wanting to crush Excel under my heel).

Tomorrow was supposed to be a day off, but now is looking like "cult" TAC class minus Huff :( followed by a run with the pstone crowd. Eric hasn't been yet and since today was tugboat's off-day, tomorrow she'll need a solid 4.5 miles.

Friday is a Devil's game ... anyone up to coming out to the Ranch and being my partner in crime?! I'm not allowed to make plans for the weekend, so I've got nothing to really report :/

Garden Update - Eric sent me a pic of the lettuce that is already sprouting! We planted Saturday and by Tuesday there were signs of life - woot woot! My lilies look lively on the front window but, no movement yet on the Lipstick Flowers or herbs. Patience is a virtue I am constantly battle.

Upcoming:

• March 20 - Brian Regan at Ovens (Eric and I will be there!)

Feathers

Poor pillow didn't see it coming. I wonder how long it took her..

Even though monster puppy was as described, she had an awesome run tugging Matty Sandness and me around tonight.

Trying very hard to find the Devils on TV uptown tomorrow [but, no luck currently]. Had a g-r-e-a-t time with the cooper crowd tonight - so many thanks again to Wendy for everything that it has taken to get it organized.

Countdown to Chucktown

 This picture was used to prove Eric should still be in the 20-24 age bracket in the Grand Prix R4YL series.

1 Romanian driver, 2 states, and 3 unruly passengers = great time.

Charleston can't come soon enough - very excited for 2 houses this year with twice as many crazy runners. Thanks, Wen, for getting it all together!!

Rompy Weekend

Another great weekend for the books here in Charlotte -- finally got to catch up with ms.-on-the-go in ATL on Friday during the tragic Devils loss (note: I tried to go in the other room to not be deemed as "bad luck"). I couldn't be more proud of the political prowess of my Jules. The trail run wore tugboat out Saturday... she did manage to attempt a coup d'état during our second lap. She is smart enough to know that while I'm barefoot on gravel and ahead of her, she can stop quickly and catch me off guard and run the opposite way.

Touche Sailor, touche.

Garden is all set for the first-of-season-veggies (lettuce, carrots, herbs, etc..) Lowes didn't know what hit them with all the seeds we bought and a couple flowers for me to plant + 10% off coupon (thanks Huff!). Looking forward to the seedlings and my lilies to grow.

I'll never go to the movies uptown again past 8pm - it only means you get stuck trying to use the bathroom at the same time as the "in crowd" dressed in spandex and a neon bra breaking into a fight, but, the night was an overall success - thank you for planning it, Eric :)!

At the par 3 course out in ranch-land, I proved to the boys(Huff/Eric) that you can make par with only a putter. Ryan also owes me $5 for betting that I could hit someone - sorry guy in the long pants/sleeves when it was 75 outside. You were collateral damage. Grilled out after with Walter and Sara Beth ... Sara Beth gets a special note here for her delicious wheat pasta salad and white chocolate chip brownies AND suggesting we have a date night where all the girls where Rompers. She is a keeper, Walter :)

Nothing special yet this week except my appointment for a Molly Massage (great valentine's present hehe). Looking forward to lots of runs after work this week and a "No Plans Sunday" per Eric's request.