Why I love cross training days

Marathon training is going well so far.  We have incorporated more cross training into our regular training plan and I am loving the chance to see things like this...

Bluebonnets on the trail

The bike trail where we do our long runs is beautiful and I have been bummed to miss out on the photo opportunities there since I don't carry a camera when we run. We went for a bike ride on Sunday afternoon and it was a great chance to get some pictures of all the lovely South Texas Spring wild flowers.

Taking a break to see the wild flowers

We did a 21 mile ride on Sunday after a 12 mile run on Saturday and it was great to stretch the legs and enjoy the sunshine. I'm already dreading the summer. It gets sooooo hot here. We have already had days in the 80's and summer will be here before I know it.

me with a field of Bluebonnets at the bike trail

For now, we're enjoying the flowers and the great weather here in San Antonio. This is my first spring to see Bluebonnets. Last spring was so dry that the wild flowers just didn't grow so I am happy to see such a pretty spring this year.

Texas wild flowers

Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

We ran the Dallas Half Marathon this past weekend and had a great mini vacation. We dropped off the furry children at the vet's office on Saturday morning and hit the road to Dallas. We checked into the hotel and went to the expo on Saturday. We picked up our packets and I bought some compression socks for race day.  I see so many people wearing them now so I thought it might help me. My husband made fun of them but I will bet he buys some within the next couple of months. I don't know if they really helped or if they just tricked me into thinking they helped. Either way, I will take any advantage I can get when it comes to running!





We carb loaded at the Spaghetti Warehouse in the West End Saturday night and woke up early Sunday for the race. After our traditional race morning breakfast of Gatorade, Starbucks frappucino, peanut butter cliff bars, and bananas, we were ready to run! The hotel was only 1/2 of a mile to the start so we were lucky to be so close!

We started out in corral #7 and all of the runners around us set a great pace and I felt like we were surrounded by runners with a comparable pace. Sometimes we end up in a corral with slower folks who decide to walk the first mile or with people who try to trample us (well, me... no one will trample the hubs since he's 6'4") so I was thankful to be in the right corral for this race!
The course was awesome! It went through the Highland Park area in Dallas which is AMAZING! It also passed the houses from the CGB show. (Is anyone else watching it? I think it's hilarious!) There were tons of volunteers handing out water and Gatorade and the weather was WARM quickly so I was dousing myself in water while drinking it.  I ran through someones sprinklers at one point because I was so hot. I felt pretty good for most of the race but I started to feel like I was getting too hot around mile 12 so I slowed down and took a walk break. The course ended at the Texas State Fair and they had ice cold towels at the finish line! It was a great race and I was proud of my finish time! I ran it at a 9:41 average pace for a finish time of 2:06:45.  I was pumped with that time especially since it was so hot! My husband was just a couple of minutes behind me and I told him I was only fast because of my socks! Ha!

The medals were nice! I liked the boots but I did feel a little ripped off since my medal is missing the 'N' in marathon. How funny is that? 

This run was a test of our training for the Madison, Wisconsin Marathon in May. We're about halfway through our marathon training plan so the Dallas run was at a great time in the schedule! I really hope we can break the 5:00:00 marathon time in Madison. We've been adding 2 miles to all of our long runs on the training plan to make sure we get to do a 22 mile long run before Madison. The last couple of miles of a marathon always kill me so I want to be better prepared for this one. 

This weekend, we're doing a slow 12 miles since we both pushed it for the Dallas race. 

What's your next race?

Our first trail run!

We signed up for the Scallywompus Salado Creek Trail Run a few weeks ago mainly because the word "Scallywompus" is just fun to say! There was also free pasta and beer at the finish line! What a score after a run, right?!

This was our first trail run so we had no idea what to expect. We run pavement and thought it was a good idea to change things up and do a group trail run in case we were attacked by a flock of wild geese or if we were trapped under a boulder. In a race, there would be someone to hear us screaming for help like little girls! Luckily, there were no rabid geese and the boulders stayed attached to the ground.

This trail was ROUGH! We were idiots to sign up for the longest distance because we were counting this as a long training run for the upcoming marathon. If you know San Antonio, you know the 1604 loop, so the long course was a 16.04 k (10 miles) running through creek beds full of rocks, trails climbing up steep creek banks, and one part where there was a rope to pull ourselves up a rock wall that was about 20 feet high! It was an adventure to say the least! It was also breathtakingly beautiful! The wildflowers had just started blooming and it was like a movie set when the trail would lead into a field (before taking us into the creek bed of death once again).

I was admiring the wildflowers about 8 miles into the run, then I saw a butterfly, and then SPLAT. I fell on my face. Classy and graceful, of course. Luckily I just fell in the dirt instead of on the boulders that seemed to be everywhere on that course! My husband fell around mile 5 and thank God he fell in a soft area too. We were a little scraped up but fine overall. This was when we were first entering the trail area. It looks easy, right? Just after this was when the boulders started!


We were almost at the finish line and finally back on pavement! It was a great run but I can definitely say I will NOT even CONSIDER a trail marathon! 10 miles on the trail was TOUGH! It's so different than running a pavement race! It was a beautiful run and I'm glad we did it but there is no way we will sign up for any trails more than a 5 k distance for a long, long time! Our pace was pretty slow but remember there were boulders! We finished the run in 2:04 for an average pace of 12:29.


If any trail runners read this post, I think you're amazing! Trail runners are seriously hardcore! I think we'll stick to pavement most of the time but we really enjoyed a different experience running on the trail.

St Jude Memphis Marathon

I'm only 3 months behind on my blog... I know I should be posting St. Patty's day celebration pics but let's go back to Christmas time for a bit, shall we?

We ran the St. Jude Memphis Marathon a couple of weeks before Christmas 2011 and it was an incredible experience. We stayed at the Peabody which is one of my favorite hotels because of its beautiful lobby. It's amazing at Christmas. There is a huge Christmas tree and the whole lobby is decorated and filled with activity. They had a vocal music group singing Christmas carols when we first arrived and later in the day someone was playing Christmas music on the grand piano. The Peabody has such a warm atmosphere at Christmas that it really got us in the spirit of the season.


We met up with friends and family and hit the race expo and then loaded up with carbs. Race morning went smoothly since we were staying very close to the start line. Our crew was ready to run here! I'm the one with the k-tape on my sad right knee. I don't know if it really helps or just cons me into believing it helps. Either way, I was willing to try anything to help my knee.



The St. Jude race is one of the most emotional races I can imagine. It's such a great cause and I am very thankful that we were able to participate in this event. The posters of little bald kiddos are enough to break your heart and make your eyes fill up with tears. Then you run through the St. Jude hospital campus! There were children in wheelchairs outside cheering for us. It was completely heart wrenching but at the same time amazingly hopeful. The kids at the hospital are most likely going to live a long healthy life once they leave St. Jude's because of the advanced treatment they receive there. The spectators at this race are like no others because many of them have a connection to a child that has been treated or is currently being treated at St. Jude. They are cheering like a life depends on them... which is a dramatic thing to say the least.

The first half of the race was great. We felt strong and we were encouraged by all of the other runners, volunteers, cheerleaders, and spectators. When the race split at the halfway point, that was tough. Knowing that we had to keep running another 13.1 miles was definitely daunting! We just had to trust our training and say a prayer that we would be able to finish it. We slowed down around mile 15 but we were still running consistently until about mile 24. Then we got TIRED. There is no word I can think of to describe just how exhausted we were. We kept hobbling to the finish line and then around mile 25, we both had a lot of pain. My knee was on fire and my husband's hip was killing him. We were barely able to walk, let alone run. I couldn't have run the last mile if a bear was chasing me. We just gimped our way to the finish and made a last effort at the finish line to jog a little for the pics. This is what two people in extreme pain look like...


We finished the St. Jude marathon together. We could have been faster on our own but we were definitely stronger together. We encouraged each other (and threatened to drag each other at some point). I am so happy we got to cross the finish line at the same time. Sharing that experience is amazing.

What do a bunch of runners need after a race, shower, and nap?
You guessed it...
Irish coffee.

We went out for a nice dinner the night of the race and enjoyed catching up with everyone and numbing the pain from the marathon.

The next day, our race crew had to leave early to drive back home but we had a later flight that day so we were able to meet some more friends in Memphis and hang out with them. We went to Graceland and got to see all of the exhibitions there. Pink Cadillacs, airplanes, and bling... Elvis was the original pimp!


We had BBQ for lunch and enjoyed spending time with our friends on Sunday.

It was a great weekend because of the reason for the run (St. Jude Hospital!), good friends, good food, and an unforgettable race weekend experience!

We have a new running goal now! I keep seeing 50 staters members at all the running events and I'm totally inspired by these people! The willpower and determination is must take for distance running to be part of the lifestyle you lead is truly motivational. How many people can say they ran marathons in all 50 states? Not many! Hopefully someday there will be two more people in the 50 states marathon club! I'm in no hurry. I'm thinking it may take 30 years but I'm fine with that time span. It's a way to stay healthy and always have a goal to look forward to. There is always "the next race" and isn't that what keeps us motivated?

2012 running events include:

March 4: Scallywompus San Antonio 10 mile Trail Run
March 25: Dallas Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
May 27: Madison, Wisconsin Marathon
July 29: San Francisco Marathon
November 11: San Antonio Marathon

If you're doing one of these or have done it before, let me know what you thought about it! Thanks!

San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon

alternative blog title: "I run for cheeseburgers!"

Last weekend we ran a half marathon in our city benefiting the Komen Race for the Cure. We have done several of the Rock and Roll half and full marathons and they are always well organized and so much fun because of the bands along the course. We did the San Antonio half last year as well and this year the course was even better! Last year the route crossed some railroad tracks and some runners were stuck because an unscheduled train came through the morning of the race! This year, the organizers changed the route to avoid crossing any train tracks... just in case.

The starting corrals were complete madness. They were so packed that we couldn't even get to our correct corral so we started with lucky #13 instead of #11. Corral #13 was probably a better place for us anyway since I was a bit too optimistic when I estimated a 2:05 finish. That's my PR... and it was HOT on Sunday for race day. We are just not going to push it if the weather isn't cooperating. It's not worth taking the chance of getting sick from dehydration, or worse. Sadly, a 32 year old man died at the half on Sunday morning after crossing the finish line. He was perfectly healthy, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, and a nurse at a local hospital. It always breaks my heart to hear about a fellow runner dying at one of these events. I am praying for his family.

The race course went past the Alamo and took us through downtown where there were huge crowds cheering for the runners. It always gives me a burst of energy to hear all those people yelling for the runners. The volunteers at the water stations and the cheerleaders along the course are great! My only complaint was the post-race food. They had the usual bananas and snickers marathon protein bars and plenty of fluids... but dang it... can't they have cheeseburgers?!

We were happy to be home after the race! See the big smiles? That's because we know we get cheeseburgers and beer as soon as we shower! Cheeseburgers. beer, and chocolate should provide enough motivation for anyone to run, right?! I would totally be willing to pay an extra $5 on the entry fee if there were a cheeseburger waiting for me at the finish line!

The medals were nice this year and they also had ice cold towels waiting at the finish line. This was one of the only times I would've chosen a cold towel over a medal (if forced to choose). Luckily, I got both! It was HUMID and I was sweating like a hooker in church by the end of the race. I finished in 2:11:12 and my husband was a couple of minutes after me because I lost him at a water stop and couldn't find him again. My goal was 2:15 so I was happy with my time. I really enjoyed the race and look forward to participating in the future (and eating a post-race cheeseburger).

I love it that this race benefited the Komen Race for the Cure. I ran in honor of my favorite aunt who passed away in 1996 after an awful battle with cancer. Breast cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer. Cancer sucks! Unfortunately, it has affected many family members and friends in its various nasty forms. Any time I can participate in fundraising for cancer research and treatment, I am more than happy to do so.

My aunt was a great lady and I wish my husband could have met her. She had a laugh that could light up a room and her funeral was so packed with people who loved her that they stood outside the church because there wasn't enough room for everyone inside. Here's to you Aunt Florene. I hope that someday no one else will have to endure the things you went through.


The next race for us will be a full marathon in early December in Memphis to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We are meeting an awesome running crew of friends and family there for a great cause, some quality reunion time since everyone lives all over the country now, and I hope we have a crazy night on Beale Street after the run (assuming I can move my legs after the marathon). I can't wait!

Where's your next run? Anyone doing the St. Jude run this year?

Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon Anniversary Trip

This happened in June but I'm really behind on my blogging again!)

We decided that there was no better way to celebrate being married for 6 years than to run a marathon that just happened to be on our anniversary date! We planned a trip around the marathon and had a blast in Seattle!

We ate like kings! I was in seafood heaven with an Alaskan Feast at the Crab Pot Restaurant! The first thing we did after checking into the hotel was to feed our faces with a mound of fresh seafood! They gave us a bib and a hammer. It was REALLY CLASSY! ;-)

We explored the city and found these totem poles in Pioneer Square.

We walked around the Pike Place Market, saw the fresh flowers, fresh fish on ice, and all the fruits and veggies you can imagine. We had some of the best peaches I have ever tasted here!

We tried to save our legs for the run so we hit the expo for packet pick up and tried to resist walking everywhere we wanted to go. The expo was excellent. There were tons of vendors, free samples, and... drum roll please... the K-TAPE BOOTH! It's my new favorite invention for crazy runners who will use anything to keep going! We met up with my cousin at the expo so we both got taped up for the run. She was having hip pain and I was having knee pain. You can see my crazy looking knee here. It's weird looking but it works!

(Disclaimer: For non-runners, you may find the rest really boring... just look at the pictures instead).

The morning of the marathon, we boarded the shuttle EARLY. I have blocked out just how early it was but I'm thinking it was 5 AM when we climbed onto the buses to make it to the start line on time by 7 AM. I was tired before the run ever started! We hit the port-o-potties (least favorite thing about running) and lined up at the start. Of course I had to pee again as soon as I stepped out of the port-o-potty. At least I was well hydrated! We crossed the start line along with 30,000 or so other runners. My iPod was rocking. My husband and cousin were keeping a steady pace with me and then I REALLY had to pee by mile 3. I convinced myself to hold it until I found a port-o-potty with less than 2 people in line ahead of me. That didn't happen until mile 6 and I was convinced I had ruptured my bladder but I guess it was ok in spite of my stupidity. My cousin kept running so I never saw her again until the turnaround at mile 23 or 24. I caught up with my husband around mile 8 and we ran the rest of the way together. We passed my cousin at some point but never saw her.

We ran over the Lake Washington bridge to Mercer Island and ran through some huge tunnels near downtown. The tunnels were great with all the runners screaming and hooting in them. (Runners are crazy fun! Or just crazy!) We were close to downtown and we were both hurting. We stopped at an aid station to get some Tylenol and kept going. The roads had a pretty significant sideways incline that killed my ankles. I can do hills even though I hate them but running sideways is not something I was prepared for at all!

Around mile 14, my husband tried to quit running but we took a few walk breaks and waited for the Tylenol to kick in and we kept going. When we saw the space needle, we got our second wind and ran for a few miles without pain. We made the turnaround on the north side of the course and then ended up running where we had a great view of downtown and the Puget Sound. It was awesome. The weather was beautiful. The sun would come out every now and then to remind us that it was going to warm up if we didn't hurry up and finish! We finally saw my cousin again and we were all dragging our a$$e$ by that time. Finally the course went downhill toward downtown and we could hear the crowd at the finish line. We stupidly decided to sprint to the finish and felt great when we finally crossed the big blue line!

My husband and I finished at 5:22:21 and my cousin was a couple of minutes behind us. The finish line setup was spectacular. There were mountains of cookies. What more could a person possibly want after running 26.2 miles?! I wasn't thrilled about my finish time to be honest but what mattered most was finishing the marathon with my husband since it was our anniversary. I was so proud of him! He really struggled with this run starting around mile 14. He said his muscles never felt loose and I could tell he was really fighting to keep going. My knee actually felt good because of the k-tape so I had a good day and I loved the scenery along this run. The weather was beautiful, those Washington trees are the brightest, biggest, green things I've seen in years, and the Puget Sound was the prettiest shade of blue grey when we were running.

I can't think of a more exciting way to spend an anniversary! There is really no feeling like crossing a finish line for a marathon! After the run, we limped back to the hotel and took a nap for the afternoon. That night, we did what most people do to celebrate their anniversaries. (Get your minds out of the gutter! I mean DINNER!) We went to dinner at the Metropolitan Grill to celebrate the best 6 years I could have imagined. I ate the best steak of my life. Hands down. Best.Steak.Ever. I ate some crazy Japanese cow that tasted like butter. Good grief it was good! I don't know how we're going to top our 6th anniversary!

The day after the marathon is never easy. We needed booze to numb the pain so we did a winery tour! I think I had about 14 glasses sips of wine that day and guess what? I couldn't even FEEL my legs anymore! It was awesome! Seriously, I Huuuurrrrrtttttt that next morning.

We started at the Janiuk Winery, went to the Columbia Valley Winery next, and ended up at the Chateau St. Michelle Winery which was my favorite. We had a picnic lunch on the grounds at Chateau St. Michelle and sobered up toured the small vineyards that they use to show how the grapes are grown. We met several other runners so we were all limping on the tours and enjoying numbing the pain.

The last stop was at Snoqualmie Falls which is only several miles from the wineries. It was a beautiful drive in the valley around Seattle and the waterfall was very pretty and peaceful. Don't we look happier and more relaxed? We were.

Our last night in Seattle we met up with my cousin for a tour of the Seattle Underground Red Light District. We saw it on the travel channel so of course we had to do it. It was interesting and funny but also sad to learn about a woman's options for "careers" in the mining town of Seattle in the late 1800's. Thank goodness we live in this time! The stairs were ROUGH but we were still enjoying the effects of the wine tour so the Underground was a little bit easier to explore.

The trip was fantastic and I can't wait to go back to Seattle again! It's such a great city with fantastic summer weather when it's like the 7th level of hell in Texas in the summer. We had "a ball and a biscuit" on our anniversary trip! (any White Stripes fan out there? If not, you don't get the ball and biscuit thing).

Anyway, Happy Halloween.

Love

I have neglected my blog that I don't even know where to start updating it.

So here are some hipstamatic pictures of our dogs in the meantime if anyone is still following???


Sheba is our goofball. Always clumsy, spazzy, and ready to eat.


Neko says,"It's FINALLY cooling off in San Antonio! Maybe they'll quit shaving my pretty fur now!"

Cricket is our little worrier. She hides kibbles under her bed in case she gets hungry at night. She loves attention more than any of the other dogs. What a sweet girl.

Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon

We did not really train for participated in the 11th Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon last weekend. We have wanted to do this run since we started running because it benefits the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. We both remember where we were and the way we felt when we heard the news on April 19, 1995 that the federal building in Oklahoma City had been bombed.

The memorial was built to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the bombing and also for the families and friends who lost loved ones. It is a sad but beautiful place.

The big tree in the picture is called the survivor tree. The message around it reads:
The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us.


The large gates on each side of the reflection pool are marked as 9:01 and 9:03. The moment of 9:02 A.M. was when the bomb exploded and changed Oklahoma City forever. The reflection pool between the gates has flowing water that provides a peaceful background sound for visitors.

There are 168 chairs for every victim of the bombing. Of these chairs, there are 19 small chairs for the children who were in the daycare of the Murrah building. If you have never visited the museum or the memorial, you should definitely tour it. It is a peaceful place that will make you remember to be thankful for your loved ones. In one moment, everything changed for these families.

There were several visitors here that were running in the race. You can always spot the goodie bad carrying runners! There were also many visitors that were in Oklahoma City for the Festival of the Arts which always coincides with the race. Downtown Oklahoma City is a very fun place to be on the last weekend in April! (which was actually May 1 this year because of Easter last week). We picked up our packets at the race expo and we were off to carbo load at our favorite and boring pre-race restaurant... the Olive Garden. My #1 race rule is NEVER CHANGE YOUR DIET THE DAY BEFORE A RACE!!!

So... did you notice how sunny and beautiful the pictures were from Saturday? Sunday morning the alarm went off at 4:30 A.M. and we heard pouring rain and thunder. Great. Being the devoted and stubborn runners that we are.... we rolled into downtown in the pouring rain with the thermometer reading 46 degrees. Not optimal race conditions. Not at all.

Here we are in the parking garage feeling warm and dry and ready to run! I didn't take my iPod after all because I was afraid it would drown in the rain. Running without music is TOUGH!

We started walking downtown and saw lots of runners walking the other way. That's never a good sign. After a few people told us that the race was delayed until 7 due to lightning, we found a building with an unlocked lobby area so we went inside to stay warm and dry for as long as possible. When the race finally started, it was still raining but at least we didn't see any lightning! The fog horn sounded and we were off! We were dodging puddles and decided to keep a slow pace so we didn't slip and we hoped that we could finish the run! Neither of us had run more than 6.2 miles in the last month so we were not at ALL prepared to do a half marathon!

The first few soggy miles went through Bricktown, the OU Health Sciences Center, Lincoln terrace area, and near the state capitol building. My sweet husband is a caffeine addict who insisted on having coffee before the run. Of course this meant a port-o-potty stop at mile 6 where we lost 10 minutes standing in line. Sometime around mile 7 or 8, we ran up Gorilla Hill where spectators were outside cheering and making drinks as they were dressed up in animal costumes. It was so random and hilarious and it was a much needed morale boost for the runners! Then we ran through Nichols Hills, Crown Heights, Edgemere Park, the Asian District, and Mesta Park. Around mile 10, one of the water stops was blasting Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and that pumped me up enough to keep going and trying to motivate my husband to keep running. We walked several times but we ran a slow and steady pace for the majority of the race. Luckily we made it to the finish line before the HAIL started! Yes, I said HAIL! The poor marathoners were forced to run through rain, cold, wind, lightning, thunder, and HAIL! And it was 46 degrees! I haven't been that cold in a long time and it was awful! I'm so glad we did the race in spite of the rain and cold, but I have to admit that I'm REALLY glad we didn't run the full marathon under those conditions. The course was beautiful and I would love to run the full someday (Hopefully it won't be hailing and raining!!!)

The "after" pic isn't so flattering. I was cold, soggy, and tired! We crossed the finish line at just under 2:40. It was nowhere near our usual 2:10-2:15 time but without properly training and what could we expect?

Once again, I say THANK YOU to anyone who has ever volunteered at a race!
If you stood outside in the rain and the cold while handing water or gatorade to soggy, stinky runners, you deserve a medal and a big hug! THANK YOU!
If you stood out in the rain to cheer for the runners, THANK YOU!
If you handed out race packets, directed people where to go for the expo, or helped stop traffic for the runners, THANK YOU!

The medals were AWESOME for this run! They have the survivor tree on both sides and the other side says "A RUN TO REMEMBER" and that is certainly the truth. We will never forget our experience during the half marathon and much more important is the fact that we will never forget what the run stands for.

Once we were warm and dry, we signed up for another marathon!

Next up... Seattle!

The Rock and Roll Seattle Marathon is on our wedding anniversary! How cool with that be?!

South Padre Island

We took a mini vacation for my birthday and went to South Padre Island. It's supposed to be a quick 5 and 1/2 hours drive from San Antonio (which ended up taking 10 hours due to an accident on the bridge to the island). We took our dog Cricket with us for the trip. We were sad to leave the other two boarded, but one gets car sick and the other is a complete spaz who would have eaten the seats within the first hour away from home.

The car trip was great until we were 10 miles from South Padre Island. Traffic just stopped. People turned off their cars, got out and walked along the shoulder, and my husband took the opportunity to take Cricket for a walk. We sat there for 3 hours. Misery. Once we finally got to the island, we were in desperate need of a cold beverage and some fried shrimp. Nom... nom... nom! We hit Pier 19 for dinner and it has a dog-friendly patio area. We just couldn't throw our dog in the hotel room after she was in the car with us for 10 hours! She enjoyed a few fried shrimp of her own at Pier 19. We checked into our hotel exhausted and we were all snoring within minutes... including the dog.

Saturday morning, I woke up to this. I let the husband sleep in and took Cricket for a walk on the beach to watch the sunrise.


She was scared of the ocean but loved playing in the sand.

We hung out at the beach on Saturday morning but it was SO WINDY that we weren't able to stay very long.

By the time we showered and got ready for the day, it was already time for lunch. We went to a cute little Tapas/wine bar called Zeste and had an amazing lunch and then went back to the hotel balcony to read and listen to the ocean for the rest of the afternoon.

The beach was pretty but there was quite a bit of seaweed near the water. I can deal with seaweed for a chance to see the ocean!

I just love the sound and smell of the ocean. There's nothing like walking a dog on the beach and watching the sunrise. I think it may be impossible to feel sadness, stress, or anxiety while looking at this...

After a relaxing day, we went to dinner at Gabriella's Italian restaurant and ate some incredible bruschetta and stone oven baked pizza. Delicious!

We headed home Sunday after another morning walk along the beach. Luckily the trip back home only took 5.5 hours! We had a great time on our weekend getaway!

Introducing my new niece!

Look at this perfect little angel who just happens to be my new NIECE!!! We were very lucky to be able to meet her on the day she was born! She made her arrival on my birthday which was just the coolest thing ever! We are all excited about miss Harper Mae!


Seriously, isn't the cuteness overwhelming?! She already has a devoted fan club!