Cross Country 2013

    Tomorrow is the official start to our Cross Country season and I am incredibly excited.  In preparing for the season, I'm constantly reading articles on running, I'm obsessed with Runner's World and Pinterest for inspirational quotes and workouts for my girls.  They probably aren't as excited as I am but I will get them to think like I do, at least by the end of season!  I am excited to see where this season takes us, since last year one of the girls ended up at the state tournament - naturally I am hoping that we can do that again, if not even better!

    So I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes, funny running-isms... ENJOY!

I think these are really important to remember!

I confess... I've definitely done this a time or two, especially while running with my Dad. We have Pace Envy!

Our T-shirt design for last season!

Guilty of running like this on occasion...

When my alarm went off at 5am this morning, this is how I felt - Why am I doing this! 

What are some of your favorite motivational quotes??

A lesson in American History

   This summer my cousin got married in Savannah, Georgia, my family had never been to Savannah, so we turned the wedding into an excuse for a week long family vacation.  Being one of nine, family vacations were few and far between and typically centered around visiting other family or my Dad's business trips.  So we were more than a little excited to go explore Savannah.  Savannah, like so much of the East Coast is full of so much history, so much more than the Midwestern states!  So naturally we had to soak up as much history as we possibly could.

    The rehearsal dinner was at Old Fort Jackson.  They had Civil War re-enactors, dressed in the appropriate military garb who were ready and willing to answer any questions we might have had about the fort.  They also shot off a 32lb. cannon, which was incredibly loud!  The Fort is located on the Savannah River.

The Entrance to Old Fort Jackson

A Riverboat cruising past the fort



Preparing to shoot off the cannon!

   On Sunday night after re-cooperating from the wedding festivities, we got together with our relatives that were still in town for dinner and a ghost tour.  31 of us went to dinner and the ghost tour, which meant that we had the entire trolley to just our family.  I felt a little bit bad for the tour guides who were trying their hardest to be serious and scary and my family just cracking jokes the entire time.  But we learned interesting theories on a variety of aspects in Savannah.  Such as, Spanish Moss grows on the trees all throughout Savannah, except for one Square towards the center of the city.  It is believed that no moss grows there because it was the square where they would have public hangings, and so now the moss won't grow. 

The Forsythe Park, where the Spanish moss DOES grow!

   Later on in the week we went to Tybee Island to soak up some sun on the beach and swim in the ocean.  Us, Midwesterners don't get to swim in the ocean, the closest thing we have is Lake Michigan and it doesn't quite compare.  On the way to Tybee Island we stopped at Fort Pulaski and toured the fort.  Again there were civil war re-enactors who were dressed in appropriate military garb, we happened to be there on one of the days when the fort was considered Union.  We watched a musket presentation and learned all about how they would load their guns.  We toured their barracks and explored their underground armories. 

Musket Presentation

My brothers exploring the Cannons

We put my sister in the Brig - she wasn't too happy!

The Underground Armories, with tight hallways, a complex system to get to different locations.

Ft. Pulaski sustained ALOT of damage and if you look closely you can still see cannon balls in the walls of the fort!

   History is incredibly important to me, especially concerning our military and those who serve our wonderful country.  Being at the fort gives you a sense of the tragedy and intense warfare that occurred during the Civil War and the stark realization of the sacrifice so many of our men and women have given to our country!

Have you traveled anywhere this summer that was rich in American History?

Wedding Season!!!

  This summer I went to two weddings and like most girls, I had the hardest time deciding what to wear!  The one wedding was my cousin's in Savannah, Georgia - a typical Southern Wedding.  My family made it into a week long family vacation (we NEVER go on vacations - way too many of us). The other wedding was my Best Friend's from Junior High and High School, her's was black tie, so a little more formal than the Savannah wedding, which meant I needed a different dress for each wedding!  Not any easy task for someone who is 5'-11" and wants a modest dress, (as a side note - why are dresses so short, so tight and so low cut?? People - it is not flattering!) and so I feel like I spent the better part of May trying to find dresses for both weddings!
     So here is what I wore to both:

Savannah, Georgia Wedding:

(Pictured Left to Right: My sister Katie, My sister Amanda, Me and my Sister Monica)

This is what I wore to the Rehearsal Dinner - a Long floral Maxi Dress which was perfect for the occasion and location.  The dinner was at Old Fort Jackson on the Savannah River, which is naturally an outside venue.  The long dress kept me warm as the sun went down and protected me from mosquitos - those pesky things!

(Pictured Left to Right: Me, My sisters Amanda, Katie and Monica)

 For the wedding, I went with a knee length black and white striped dress, with yellow accents - my heels, purse and bracelets.

All of the cousins that made it to the wedding! As you can tell we are quite the large, energetic group!!

My Best Friend's Wedding:
      I was really nervous for what is appropriate attire for a Black Tie Wedding.  When I discussed it with my friend, she mentioned that most people would be in a long dress.  I searched and searched for a dress, but nothing was long enough or it was way too expensive, but I found an elegant short dress that I thought would work if I dressed it up as much as possible, so I decided to get my hair done!


Didn't my hair stylist do an amazing job?!

I haven't had my hair done since Prom in High School and I forgot how much fun it is!  The stylist even asked if she could take some pictures to use for her portfolio.  Sure! Why not?!

My Dates for the Evening!

A few of my friends brought their boyfriends, so I couldn't miss an opportunity to take a few pictures with these good looking guys!

The BEAUTIFUL Bride!

 Of course I had to take atleast one picture with my friend - the bride!  Doesn't she look gorgeous!  All in all, I thought my dress worked out pretty well despite it being a short dress.

What do you think?? Do you struggle with finding appropriate dresses for an occasion??

Workout Tip Tuesday: Interval Running

   As many of you know, I got into running in college and it has stuck with me ever since, but I've suddenly had the realization that running was a HUGE part of my life before then even though I didn't really notice it.  I played soccer pretty much since the time I was 5, typically playing the Midfielder position, which requires A LOT of running!  But this position also requires a variety of running speeds, which seems to be my forte much more than running at a incredibly consistent pace!
 
  My Dad is one of the most consistent runners I know - he can say he's going to go run 6 miles at a 10 minute pace and I know he will be home in 60 minutes.  I am not like that at all. In fact, when we train together he often refers to us as the Tortoise and the Hare - me being the Hare.  Not really the nicest comparison but I get it. I vary my speed all the time!

Found these statues in Boston, when I visited my sister last summer - had to take a pic for Dad!

     Lately however, I seem to be doing more and more treadmill workouts due to my crazy allergies. Treadmills can be great, but they can also be incredibly boring, so I often find myself figuring out ways to spice them up, which leads me to the Interval Workout!

    I stumbled across this great interval workout on Pinterest (follow me) the other day and have completed it a few times.  I have to give you fair warning however... it is INTENSE, it made me sweat more than I probably ever have before at the gym and gave me a huge sense of accomplishment when I finished it!

     The thing that is important to remember for this workout is that you need to adjust it to fit yourself.  If you have never, ever run at a 9.0 on the treadmill, then you shouldn't attempt it for your first time doing this workout.  The 9.0 should be equivalent to your fastest speed on the treadmill, where you feel like you are at a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 for exertion.  If that means that for you that is a 7.0 on the treadmill, work backwards from that point to get the proper increments.  As you become better and stronger you can change the speed at each increment to challenge yourself.

 Try it and let me know what you think!

Hello August!

My goodness! This summer has flown by!  Just a few short weeks and the craziness of fall will be upon us.  For me, August marks the beginning of my craziest time of the year.  The Cross Country season starts up again, which is hectic in and of itself, but coupled with a 40hr a week job tends to be pure insanity.  And this year I decided to add one more piece of insanity to my schedule... I've agreed to teach a college level Interior Design class for a College in the city!

    I am a mixture of emotions concerning this new endeavor.  Excitement, nervousness, anticipation, etc.  I never thought I would be in this position and I am so excited for the opportunity!  I have been working on the Syllabus, project requirements, grading scale, etc. and I have to admit - it is really fun to be on this end of the academic world!
  
      The semester is going to consist of important history of design and how other cultures have affected design throughout the years and how they are still affecting our culture and design today.  The second 1/2 is geared more towards Interior Design in the world today - picking out paint colors, materials and finishes, important ADA requirements, common Interior Design mistakes, etc.

     If you were in my Interior Design class what would you specifically want to learn about Interior Design??