Ch-ch-ch-changes...

I haven't really felt much like posting here lately...which I suppose is rather obvious.  Life is pretty good though.  There are a lot of big changes going on in my life right now...work, family, ect and also...home life!

Here's a big one:

After years of searching for the right one...

we've found our lake house!  

It's a pretty lot and dock, but the house needs a M A J O R overhaul!  If you're interested in keeping up, I'll be updating our progress from time to time!

Feel free to follow along with our renovations here.

Our Last Dance

You can't fool me, I saw you when you came outYou got your momma's taste but you got my mouthAnd you will always have a part of meNobody else is ever going to seeGracie girl

With your cards to your chest walking on your toesWhat you got in the box only Gracie knowsAnd I would never try to make you beAnything you didn't really want to beGracie girl

Life flies by in secondsYou're not a baby Gracie, you're my friendYou'll be a lady soon but until thenYou gotta do what I say

You nodded off in my arms watching TVI won't move you an inch even thought my arm's asleep

One day you're gonna want to goI hope we taught you everything you need to knowGracie girl

And there will always be a part of meNobody else is ever gonna see but you and meMy little girlMy Gracie girl

Crossfit

I started Crossfit a few weeks ago.  I had been thinking about it for a while and finally decided to bite the bullet and spend the money to join.

My initial reservations had to do partially with the cost and well, it seemed a bit intimidating.  Here are my thoughts about my experience as a new Crossfitter.  It might be fun to look back later and see where I started and there might be others out there on the fence too like I was.

Before I signed up, I joined in on a class.  From what I hear, most boxes (gyms in Crossfit-land) will let you test out a class for free.  The trainers were very nice and they focused on doing the moves correctly or modifying them so I could do a similar move to my own ability.

After the workout, I signed up that night.  It was fun!  What sold me was the attention of the trainers...they really care that you perform the moves correctly so you don't get hurt and the workouts are fast paced and tough.

The next couple of classes are called foundations.  This is where they will go over their basic movements so you understand the proper form and techniques used in a lot of the workouts.

Then, you go into the Workout of the Day (WOD) from there on out.  My first WOD was FRAN which is the workout in the video below from this year's Crossfit Games.  (It starts around 5 min mark) 

Apparently, that is one of the hardest workouts. I got through it by modifying it.  The workout is 21, 15, 9 reps of Thrusters of 95lbs (I did 55 lbs) followed by pull-ups for your fastest time.  I can't do more than one or two pull-ups in a row, so they modify the move by giving you different tension bands to assist in your pull-up:

My finish time was 8:48 and I felt like jell-o afterwards.  I wrote my workout time and weights on a card and will try to beat it next time!

I'm on my second full week of Crossfit now.  For me, paying the money makes it worth it.  It's so easy for me to skip a workout at the gym if I'm feeling a little tired (or lazy), but since I pay good money for every workout I do at Crossfit, you better believe I'm going to make it!

What I've liked so far:

• There are a lot of nice people at every ability level and all are willing to share advice that I've come into contact with so far.
• The workouts are fast-paced, tough and different every day.
• There's accountability...if you tell the trainer you will be coming at their class time, they ask why you weren't there if you miss a day.  (Yesterday, I skipped the morning workout because I didn't sleep well and went to the evening workout instead and they actually asked me about it after only being there 2 weeks.)
• I feel like I get the most out of my time.  When I went to the gym, I wouldn't feel beat after every workout.  So far at Crossfit, I've been worn out after every single workout...and they're a lot shorter time-wise than I'd spend in the gym.

To be continued...

Have you tried Crossfit?  

28 in 28

I'm going to be linking up today with Erin at Living in Yellow.  

This is a list of 28 things I would like to accomplish in my 28th year:

1. Document so much more of my life.  I've learned how precious pictures are to have down the road and I don't want to forget anything.

2. Make it through at least one month of going to Crossfit 3 times a week.

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I'll touch on this more later.  Ideally 3 months straight, but I'll start with one since I've only just begun.

3. Find a way to consistently motivate myself again.  Usually, I'm great at pushing myself, but with all that has gone on this year, I've found my motivation is sometimes lacking.

4. Visit NYC with some of my favorite ladies!

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5. Plan something awesome for my love's 30th birthday.  I have some big ideas!

6. Fix our house up to sell.  

7. Move.

8. Run at least 3 races this fall/winter racing season.

9. Get a good jump start on planning an event to raise money for lung cancer.  

10. Read the entire bible.  I've already got a start on this.  I'm on Day 38 right now.

11. Read 4 books for fun...possibly in a book club?

12. Host a holiday at our house.

13. Get a group around to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House at least once.

14. Eat clean for a month Monday-Friday.  Basically the Paleo diet.  Good thing I'm obsessed with eggs!

15. Complete 3 home Pinterest projects I love for the house...that are easy to move!  Some ideas:

16. Spend a few evenings a month with my grandparents.

17. Take a trip with my mom.

18. Spend some time in my favorite place: 

19. Take a cruise.

20. Snowboard trip!

21. Try and rid myself of clutter!  I'm a bit of a pack rat and I need to let certain things go... especially of the clothing type.

22. Make one piece of furniture myself.  I might need some guidance, but I think I can handle it.  For the record, it will be something very simple I'm sure.

23. Complete another triathlon.

24. Tough. Mudder.

25. Donate clothing to charity.

26. Make it to at least one Gator game this year.

I L.O.V.E. football, but life has been so busy lately, it's hard to make it up there sometimes...

27. Win at life!
Don't let the little things get me down.  There are some pretty intense situations that are coming my way and I'd like to handle them with grace!

28. Try to live every day in a way that would make my dad proud.

Lessons Learned

Today is my last day as a 27 year old.  Where has the time gone??  I feel like I can't be that old yet...
I can't say I'm sad about turning another year older since I wasn't very fond of 27.  I've learned a lot this year, so I thought I'd share a few things...

-The things that are annoying in life are usually not that big of a deal.
I know, at times, things seem out of control, but I've found it's best to take a step back and evaluate the situation before overreacting.  Stress is an evil bitch that can sometimes get the best of you, but it's your responsibility take control and not let it.

-Asparagus is yummy. 

-People are going to disappoint you.
That's just life.  We all have our own things going on and sometimes, family or friends are not going to live up to your expectations.  Sometimes it's their fault, but sometimes, it's your own expectations that needs to be adjusted.  Life has a way of making things complicated so as long as they're still making the effort, there are some things you just have to get over.

-Lifting weights is actually fun!

-Spending time with those you love is incredibly important.
You never know what is going to happen down the road so it's important to soak up as much time with loved ones as possible...you never know when they'll be gone.

-Crying still sucks, but it's ok.
For a girl like me that never used to cry and finds it embarrassing, I've learned that sometimes it's the only thing you can do.

-Most people have their good points.
There are obviously those that are just down right evil and are always up to no good, but that's not the case with most people.  Sometimes, personalities clash, but most people still have their good points.  It's your job to find their positive attributes so you can try to view the person in a different light...or you have to learn to deal with it.  I've found if you try and find their good points, being around those that clash with you initially is much more enjoyable.

-'I'm sorry' goes a long way.

-Cooking at home is awesome.
It's less fat and fewer calories on average than most restaurants and it's cheaper, yes please!

-Holding a grudge is pointless.
Holding a grudge effects you more than the person you hold a grudge against.  There are some people that are probably best to keep a distance from, but it's probably best to let things go.  This is something I'm constantly working on because it's hard for me to let certain things go, but why let someone else control me?


-Leftovers are the best!
I was never a leftover person.  I would be the girl that took things home and left them in the fridge to later throw away.  Lately, I've been taking advantage of leftovers from dinner the night before and it's made life so much easier.  I'm not scrambling when I'm starving and prone to making poor choices at lunchtime anymore.

-Life is too short to spend it making other people happy.
No one wants to let their friends or family down, but it's ok to say 'no'.  If there are activities that you just don't want to participate in or you are over committing and not giving your spouse (or yourself) enough time, it's time to politely decline.  You don't want to look back at a bucket list with nothing checked off because you spent too much time trying to live up to other people's expectations.

Anything you've learned this year??

Beary nice...

We had a little get away recently.  Mostly to take care of family stuff, but it was to one of my favorite places...and my dad's favorite place.  God put on a show for us, we saw more wildlife than we've ever seen in one trip.

 Momma and baby bears in the tree!

We even had a momma bear with her cubs walk down the mountain in front of us while hiking.  If that doesn't make you want to pee your pants, I don't know what does.  She was literally 10 feet away...it was scary and awesome.  I love the mountains!

The weekend always goes by so fast!  Hopefully you are having a good Monday!

Let's take a look at last week's schedule and workouts, shall we?

Sunday: Run 3 miles

Ran 3.21 miles 

Monday: Strength + 2 mile run

Strength + 2.13 miles

Tuesday: Crosstrain + Strength

Swim for 30 min + strength

Wednesday: Run 5 miles

Softball, left field.  Lots of sprints.

Thursday: Strength + crosstrain

Strength 

Friday: Rest

Ran 6 miles

Saturday: Run 6 miles

Rest

I didn't follow the plan quite as closely as I would have liked.  I forgot about an appointment which threw off the second half of the week since I couldn't run 24hrs after the appointment, so I missed a run.  I was planning on making up for it Saturday, but it's been a while since I've run over 3-4 miles and my legs were a little like jello after Friday's run.  I hope to do better this week!  Here's the plan:

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 4 mile run + strength

Tuesday: strength + 2 miles/crosstrain

Wednesday: 3 mile run

Thursday: strength + crosstrain

Friday: Run 10+ miles

Saturday: REST

This week will be a little unique near the end of the week.  I'm participating in a Relay for Life team and am going to try to run one mile every hour I am awake.  We will see how that goes...I'll keep you posted. 

If you're interested in donating to our team, it is King's Realm.  All donations go to the fight against cancer.

How were your workouts last week??

Have you ever participated in a Relay for Life event?

White Chicken Chili

I made this chili a while ago, after a friend of mine telling me about it.  It's yummy and pretty good for you too! 

White chicken chili

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used reduced fat)

2 cans chicken broth

2 cans northern beans

2 cans shoepeg corn

1 mild rotelle tomatoes

1 can diced chilies

2 teaspoon lemon pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic

3 tablespoon lime juice

1 medium onion

4 chicken breast, cooked

Mix everything, boil & let simmer for 30 min

You can also put it all in the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for the day if you want.

Enjoy!

For the love of endorphins!

Let me start out by recognizing Lily's 6th Birthday on Sunday!  I can't believe my little diva is that old already.  I hope cloning gets really good in the next 10 years! Ha!  I couldn't imagine my life without our little fur-baby.

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I've got a plan and I'm working it.  I know I probably say it a lot, but it's amazing how much better I feel when I'm consistently working out.  I feel better physically of course, but mentally, I have a whole 'nuther ballgame going on up there when I'm taking care of myself.

You're so right, Elle.

My mental ballgame has been particularly important lately, as I easily have been getting into little funks lately.  I've been getting a little too much in my head and then pushing myself back into reality which I guess is part of life for me right now.  But, the past couple mornings, even if I've been a little sleepy, I'm still in a much better mood.  I'm ready to bring on the day!  Go Team!

I'm following a little workout plan I found online, adjusted it to my wants and added in my Brazil Butt Lift workout (which is awesome and corny) for strength days...yay legs and butt!

Plans for this week:

Sunday: Run 3 miles

Monday: Strength + 2 mile run

Tuesday: Crosstrain + Strength

Wednesday: Run 5 miles

Thursday: Strength + crosstrain

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Run 6 miles

So far, I've hit Sunday and Monday, and then some!  We'll see how the rest of the week lines up!  My goal is to be back to half marathon shape by this summer and maintain it through the fall.  Speaking of half marathon shape and the fall...how about we talk races I'd like to dominate this fall...ok? Ok.

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Close to home on my favorite beach...yes!  A definite possibility!  Plus, it gives me an October race!

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Another race very close to home...in case I don't get to run Philly...which means this race will probably happen.

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One of my favorite cities!  I will run this race one day if not this year!  I'd like to save up this race until I get my marathon legs ready again, but if we can swing it, I would love to do the half this year!

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Close to home and Thanksgiving weekend.  

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We go to the area of Tennessee that this race is in fairly often.  I really like the name and the date and have a free place to stay near the race! 

I won't be able to do all of them, but these are ones I have my eye on right now.  My top races would be the Beach 1/2 in October, Philadelphia 1/2 in November, and the Santa Hustle 1/2 in December, but I doubt I'll be able to hit all of those, so I have other races that are closer to home and around the same time picked out too listed.  I've also been talking to my uncle who started a Tough Mudder team and is competing in December which I may do...it's just so darn expensive.

What are your race plans for the fall?

Have you done a Tough Mudder race?

It's Thursday...which is very happy!

After cursing my alarm and the softball game that ran over to 10:30, I started my day out with this beautiful sight out my window

then, when I got to work I found $20 in my pocket, so I knew today was meant to be a good day.  Despite all the stressful nonsense that has gone on this week and the fact that I got hit in the face with a softball last night because there was this hole in my glove (embarrassing. stupid lights.) the past few days have been pretty darn good.

I felt like my workouts have suffered a little bit, but looking back, it was more just a running fail.  I have gotten in a two hour tennis date with the hubs, a few 30 min swims and a couple bike rides within the past week, but runs since last Friday=0.  Fail.

I had a bit of a rough weekend.  Holidays and I aren't friends right now.  I made some choices that made the workout-thing take a bit of a backseat, I even missed my 2012 race debut (the nerve! I really was sad about that) but I had some fun with friends instead and now have to redeem myself to...myself.  It's sad race season in Florida is about over due to the rising temps and I missed most of it, but I'm determined to find a few 5k's to conquer if nothing else.

...as well as a few other treats in the works that I may share at a future date...

But for now, that's not important.

Acisc.  Tonight, it's you and me.  And some speed.  Get ready!

Happy Easter!!!

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Happy Easter friends!  I'm off to sunrise service with the family!

Mark 16:1-6 

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
 ⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

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Good Friday!

Good Friday has such a great significance in the Christian faith.  It is the day we recognize Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of the world.  He paid the price for us.  It is the greatest gift we could ever be given...to have our sins wiped away and to live with God in eternity.  The crazy part is, all we have to do is trust in Jesus to receive this gift.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast".  We don't have to do anything more than believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins.  We don't have to live a perfect life.  We don't have to do or say all the right things.  We just have to have faith and accept Jesus as our personal savior.  How amazing!

Matthew 27:11-54

Jesus Before Pilate

 ¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
   “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
 ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
 ¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^[b] Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
 ¹⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
 ²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
 ²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
   “Barabbas,” they answered.
 ²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
   They all answered, “Crucify him!”
 ²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
   But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
 ²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
 ²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
 ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

 ²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 ³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

 ⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[d] 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
 ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
 ⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
 ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
 ⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

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Lunchtime Workouts

My best time of the day to work out is mid-day.  I'm unmotivated by the time I get off work more often than not, but I can push through a workout about 70% of the time.  I've never been a morning person, although I do enjoy the feeling of getting my workouts done before anything else, the bed has been winning every day lately.  Mid-day, I have the energy for it and my mind is ready.  Plus, it's a nice break from work.  Today, I got in a lunchtime workout...the first in a long time:

1500m swim:
500m freestyle 10min
500m kickboard 15 min
500m freestyle 10 min
Not too shabby for the first time back in the pool in a year.  I kicked myself a little because I could've gone another 100m and made it a mile.  But, there's always tomorrow!

3 mile run in 27:00

Quick shower, lunch at desk!

Welcome to a few days/week during my summer.  The local pool is just minutes down the street from work and there's a treadmill here so it works out well for me!

I feel so good right now, even with the work day is wrapping up.  Endorphins really are the greatest!

What is your best time of the day for workouts??

Here we go...

I know I've been pretty absent lately...I'm still working on getting settled into the new "normal" of my life I suppose.  I thought I'd share a few things going on in my life that have made me happy recently:

I'm excited to say I've signed up for my first race of the year!  I hadn't had time or desire to race earlier this year, but I've gotten the itch again so I went out searching for races.  I found a 5K close to home and will be making my 2012 racing debut this coming weekend!  I miss training for something, so I'm sure I'll be back up and running more races in no time!  I've got my eye on a few distance races in the fall and I can't wait! 

John says I'm trying to kill him because I've gotten him out running with me again...I love our running dates! 

John and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary last Monday.  To celebrate we took off on a cruise to the Bahamas.  It was beautiful.  

I think we've figured out a way to live there...we just need to get some winnings in from the lottery so we can make our little business venture work out right now!

I was a little late on the Hunger Games trilogy, but I've really enjoyed getting lost in the little world of Panem.  LOVED the books and the movie...all while reading on my new Kindle that my hubs got me as the paper gift for our first anniversary!  Now I'm just a little sad all the books are over and need to find a new book...any suggestions??

I have been working on getting our house spruced up.  So I got a few items and rearranged and made the entry way look so much better!  

I'm happy we've been house hunting and finding some houses we like.  Now, if only the owners of the houses would let us buy them for the price we want...that's TBD, but we're going to give it a shot!  I love house hunting!

I have some pretty awesome friends and they make me happy too!  Lots of fun things planned in the near future with some of my favorites.

Plus...a trip to a great city with a few amazing girlfriends!

Starting off Mondays with Happy Thoughts is a good way to begin.  I might try this from now on!

On moving forward

I'm not exactly sure how you move on from a loss.  I'm still working through that one.  Some days, I want to just feel normal...like I did before my dad got sick.  Then, there are times in that day that the thought of feeling normal without him here makes me feel sick and guilty...because it feels like life shouldn't be moving on without my dad.  He was a huge part of my normal.  He would never want me to feel this way, but I'm human and grieving and I can't help it.  He's having a great time up in heaven...hanging with God, his sister, his grandparents, and his in-laws in no more pain thankfully...but he left such a hole here and that is something that will remain empty for the rest of my life.

I used to think it was a little weird when people would mention their parents as their best friends.  I guess I thought that parents were more and different than the term "best friend" implied...and they are.  But my dad really was my first best friend on top of being a dad.  Since I was a kid, we got along more like friends than father/daughter, I just did not really recognize this until I got older.  That is not to say that he wasn't always a father first; he was nurturing, a teacher, a spiritual leader and a disciplinarian when he needed to be, but when my behavior caused a disagreement between us, we would rationally talk it out over him scolding me if possible, even when I was young.  He was the first person I wanted to tell things to for most of my life until John came along...then he was one of the first.  We talked every day I was away at college...and his office was my first stop when I pulled into town.  

My dad and I have always been comrades.  

We view the world similarly.  

We approach life with the same attitude.  

We have the same sense of humor.  

We just think along the same lines.  

And we have the same feet.  

They called me "Little Jeff". And minus the feet thing, I guess the rest of that does classify him as a best friend.  

And as I have gotten older, I know I really became a best friend to him as well.  

One of the things I already miss most is sitting down with him and just talking about life.  If he were here right now, he would understand all that I'm feeling, but he'd want me to keep pushing through and living life.  He loved life.  And I do too.  Loving life is a little more difficult right now, but I still have a great one to live.

the end of the world as I know it

On February 18, my dad passed away.  The short fight he had with lung cancer was a tough one.  December 1, 2011-February 18, 2012... ridiculously short if you think about how fast 2-1/2 months normally goes by.  Losing my dad is the hardest thing I've ever had to go through and I'm only 12 days in.

I mean, I'm 27 and I don't have my dad anymore.

Who could ever plan for that?

I'm so thankful for the time I did have him.  He was an amazing man, father and a huge part of my world.  He was a great friend and co-worker.  We spent an incredible amount of time together and I miss him like crazy.

This is a picture my aunt gave me last week.  It captures my dad and I perfectly.

I feel cheated.  I feel that he was taken too soon.  Obviously, God had a plan, but I just don't understand it...and I desperately want to know what it is.

My first love

From day one, you were my guy.  We've always had this special bond that was only between you and I.  We were friends long before I was of the age that it was "cool" to be friends with your parents.  You taught me to be strong and independent.  You taught me how to work hard for what I want.  You even taught me how to put my foot in my mouth, more than once...after all, I do take after you!
By the way you love my mother, you showed me what to look for in a man.  You helped mold me into the woman I am today.  Most of the good things in my life, I can thank you for because I would not be the person I am without you.  No boy or man ever held a candle to you until John came along.  That's when I knew he was the guy for me...and thankfully you agreed.

Happy Valentine's Day.  Be sure to share this day with all those you love.

I know I do not have the time, nor the energy right now to even think about actually training for a marathon, but I look at this schedule and think "I could totally do this...".  I can in fact do this, as I have proven to myself before.  But seriously, look at it:

Marathon Training Schedule: Novice 1

WEEK	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	Rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	Rest	6	Cross
2	Rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	Rest	7	Cross
3	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	Rest	5	Cross
4	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	Rest	9	Cross
5	Rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	10	Cross
6	Rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	7	Cross
7	Rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	12	Cross
8	Rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon
9	Rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	10	Cross
10	Rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	15	Cross
11	Rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	16	Cross
12	Rest	4 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	12	Cross
13	Rest	4 m run	9 m run	5 m run	Rest	18	Cross
14	Rest	5 m run	9 m run	5 m run	Rest	14	Cross
15	Rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	Rest	20	Cross
16	Rest	5 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	12	Cross
17	Rest	4 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	8	Cross
18	Rest	3 m run	4 m run	2 m run	Rest	Rest	Marathon

source

It looks so nice all wrapped up in a neat little training plan.  Having lots of runner friends that are training for marathons right now gives me the itch and I start looking for a race.  But, I'll be sticking to half marathons for now...